Chilly Willy
Encyclopedia
Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive anthropomorphic penguin
living in Alaska
, although the species is native only to the southern hemisphere. He was created by Paul J. Smith
for the Walter Lantz
studio in 1953. The character soon became the second most popular Lantz/Universal
character, behind Woody Woodpecker
.
: A Hobbyist's Guide, by mystery writer Stuart Palmer
. Palmer used the Lantz studio as a background for his novel Cold Poison, in which the cartoon star was a penguin character, and Lantz adopted the penguin idea for the screen. Chilly's diminutive figure was inspired by an image of Herbert Lee McCormick Jr., a small boy from Fairbanks. It's unknown if the name was borrowed from actor Chill Wills
.
named Smedley (voiced by Daws Butler
in his "Huckleberry Hound
" voice). There were times, however, when Chilly and Smedley got along, as they did in Vicious Viking and Fractured Friendship. Ironically, Chilly never referred to Smedley by name. Most times that Chilly was in opposition with Smedley, it wound up with the two of them being friends at the end. Chilly was more of a nuisance to Smedley than an enemy, often showing up where Smedley is working, usually for some mean employer.
Two of Chilly's friends in the later cartoons were Maxie the Polar Bear
(voiced by Daws Butler
) and Gooney the "Gooney Bird" Albatross
(voiced by Daws Butler
impersonating Joe E. Brown
). Maxie has appeared with Chilly more than Gooney has. There have been only two cartoons in which all three characters have appeared together: Gooney's Goofy Landings (where Chilly and Maxie try to perfect Gooney's landings) and Airlift a la Carte (where Chilly, Maxie, and Gooney go to the store owned by Smedley).
In some episodes, Chilly Willy also deals with a hunter named Colonel Pot Shot (voiced by Daws Butler
) whom Smedley has been shown to work for in some episodes. Pot Shot would give orders in a calm controlled voice, and then would explode in rage when he told Smedley what would happen should he fail in his objective. Also, two episodes had Chilly Willy outsmarting Wally Walrus
when Chilly Willy comes across his fishing projects.
Chilly has a great fondness for pancakes.
Paul J. Smith directed the first Chilly Willy cartoon, simply titled Chilly Willy, in 1953. The initial version of Chilly Willy resembled Woody Woodpecker, except with flippers and black feathers, but in subsequent cartoons an entirely new design was used.
Tex Avery
revived the character for two of his most notable shorts, I'm Cold (1954) and the Academy Award
nominated The Legend of Rockabye Point
(1955). After Avery left the studio, the Chilly cartoons were directed by Smith and Alex Lovy
, with some 1960s cartoons directed by Jack Hannah
and Sid Marcus.
Chilly was mute in most of his 1950s and early 1960s cartoons, although he was voiced by Sara Berner in the initial entry. The next time he spoke was in Half-Baked Alaska in 1965, with Daws Butler providing Chilly's voice until the end of the series in a style similar to his Elroy Jetson characterization. The character always speaks in the comic book stories based on the character. Also in the comic book stories (like Knothead & Splinter), Chilly had two nephews named Ping and Pong.
When the Lantz cartoons were packaged for television
in 1957 as The Woody Woodpecker Show
, Chilly Willy was a featured attraction on the show, and has remained such in all later versions of the Woody Woodpecker Show package.
During Blizzard Entertainment
's conversion of World Of Warcraft
accounts to Battle.net accounts, all players who converted their accounts in advance of the deadline to convert received a permanent account-bound in-game companion pet in the form of a small penguin named "Mr. Chilly" as a free gift. The pet was considered a nod/tribute to Chilly Willy as Blizzard traditionally inserts pop culture references into the game in the form of in-game jokes typically playing off the name of reference in question.
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
living in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, although the species is native only to the southern hemisphere. He was created by Paul J. Smith
Paul J. Smith (director)
Paul J. Smith was an American animator and director.Smith worked for the Walter Lantz studio for much of his career, first starting as an animator, and then as a director. He also animated at the Warner Bros...
for the Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
studio in 1953. The character soon became the second most popular Lantz/Universal
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
character, behind Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
.
Inspiration
Chilly Willy was inspired, according to Scott MacGillivray's book Castle FilmsCastle Films
Castle Films was a home-movie distributor founded in California by former newsreel cameraman Eugene W. Castle in 1924. The company originally produced business and advertising films. By 1931 it had moved its principal office to New York City. In 1937, Castle branched out into 8 mm and 16 mm home...
: A Hobbyist's Guide, by mystery writer Stuart Palmer
Stuart Palmer
Stuart Palmer was a popular mystery novel author and screenwriter, best known for his character Hildegarde Withers.Palmer was born in Baraboo, Wisconsin...
. Palmer used the Lantz studio as a background for his novel Cold Poison, in which the cartoon star was a penguin character, and Lantz adopted the penguin idea for the screen. Chilly's diminutive figure was inspired by an image of Herbert Lee McCormick Jr., a small boy from Fairbanks. It's unknown if the name was borrowed from actor Chill Wills
Chill Wills
Chill Theodore Wills was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.-Biography:Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas in 1902. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s...
.
Plot
Chilly Willy appeared in 50 theatrical short subjects produced by Lantz from 1953 to 1972, most of which involve his attempts to stay warm, and always meeting opposition from a dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
named Smedley (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
in his "Huckleberry Hound
Huckleberry Hound
The Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera following The Ruff & Reddy Show, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound; another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo; and a third...
" voice). There were times, however, when Chilly and Smedley got along, as they did in Vicious Viking and Fractured Friendship. Ironically, Chilly never referred to Smedley by name. Most times that Chilly was in opposition with Smedley, it wound up with the two of them being friends at the end. Chilly was more of a nuisance to Smedley than an enemy, often showing up where Smedley is working, usually for some mean employer.
Two of Chilly's friends in the later cartoons were Maxie the Polar Bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
(voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
) and Gooney the "Gooney Bird" Albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
(voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
impersonating Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown (comedian)
Joseph Evans Brown was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen persona, comic timing, and enormous smile. In 1902 at the age of nine, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville...
). Maxie has appeared with Chilly more than Gooney has. There have been only two cartoons in which all three characters have appeared together: Gooney's Goofy Landings (where Chilly and Maxie try to perfect Gooney's landings) and Airlift a la Carte (where Chilly, Maxie, and Gooney go to the store owned by Smedley).
In some episodes, Chilly Willy also deals with a hunter named Colonel Pot Shot (voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
) whom Smedley has been shown to work for in some episodes. Pot Shot would give orders in a calm controlled voice, and then would explode in rage when he told Smedley what would happen should he fail in his objective. Also, two episodes had Chilly Willy outsmarting Wally Walrus
Wally Walrus
Wally Walrus is a fictional animated cartoon character who appeared in several films produced by Walter Lantz Productions in the 1940s and '50s....
when Chilly Willy comes across his fishing projects.
Chilly has a great fondness for pancakes.
Paul J. Smith directed the first Chilly Willy cartoon, simply titled Chilly Willy, in 1953. The initial version of Chilly Willy resembled Woody Woodpecker, except with flippers and black feathers, but in subsequent cartoons an entirely new design was used.
Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
revived the character for two of his most notable shorts, I'm Cold (1954) and the Academy Award
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
nominated The Legend of Rockabye Point
The Legend of Rockabye Point
The Legend of Rockabye Point is a 1955 Chilly Willy cartoon directed by Tex Avery and produced by Walter Lantz. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short Film, but lost to Speedy Gonzales.-Plot:...
(1955). After Avery left the studio, the Chilly cartoons were directed by Smith and Alex Lovy
Alex Lovy
Alex Lovy was an American animator, who spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions, later being a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervising the cartoon unit at Warner Bros...
, with some 1960s cartoons directed by Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah was an animator, writer and director of animated shorts.Hannah was born January 15, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art Guild Academy. One of his first jobs was designing movie posters for Hollywood theaters...
and Sid Marcus.
Chilly was mute in most of his 1950s and early 1960s cartoons, although he was voiced by Sara Berner in the initial entry. The next time he spoke was in Half-Baked Alaska in 1965, with Daws Butler providing Chilly's voice until the end of the series in a style similar to his Elroy Jetson characterization. The character always speaks in the comic book stories based on the character. Also in the comic book stories (like Knothead & Splinter), Chilly had two nephews named Ping and Pong.
When the Lantz cartoons were packaged for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in 1957 as The Woody Woodpecker Show
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
, Chilly Willy was a featured attraction on the show, and has remained such in all later versions of the Woody Woodpecker Show package.
During Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
's conversion of World Of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
accounts to Battle.net accounts, all players who converted their accounts in advance of the deadline to convert received a permanent account-bound in-game companion pet in the form of a small penguin named "Mr. Chilly" as a free gift. The pet was considered a nod/tribute to Chilly Willy as Blizzard traditionally inserts pop culture references into the game in the form of in-game jokes typically playing off the name of reference in question.
See also
- List of Walter Lantz cartoons
- List of Walter Lantz cartoon characters
External links
- Chilly Willy's Sub-Arctic World - fansite