“Guess Who?!?” That’s what a woodpecker who is pestering Andy Panda and his Papa shouts when he bursts through the roof of their house in the 1940 short subject, Knock Knock.
After this short, there would be no guessing who the character is – Woody Woodpecker, making his debut eighty-five years ago in Knock Knock, bringing with him not just that catchphrase question of “Guess Who?!?,” but his iconic laugh, which would burst forth here, along with the character, for the very first time.
From producer, director, and animator Walter Lantz, who had been working in animation since the silent era, came one of the most famous animated characters of all time. The eighty-fifth anniversary, this fall, of his debut in Knock Knock is the perfect time to look back at how Woody first flew into popularity.
The short is actually “An Andy Panda Cartoon,” as the opening credits tell us. Andy had been starring in Lantz cartoons since 1939 and headlines this short. Knock Knock begins with Andy (the voice of Sara Berner) and his father, known simply as Papa (Mel Blanc), at home. Andy is studying, but Papa is reading the racing form, when a constant knocking disturbs their day.
Andy informs Papa that “…it’s that Woodpecker again.” A beak pokes through the ceiling, spilling sawdust. This is followed by the appearance of Woody asking “Guess Who?” and honking Papa’s nose, and then letting loose, for the first time, with what would become his oh-so-familiar laugh. Blanc also provided Woody’s voice here in his first cartoon, and would do so for the next two cartoons before working exclusively at Warner Bros. Others, including comedians Danny Webb, Kent Rogers and Dick Nelson, took over, before Lantz’s wife, actress Grace Stafford, voiced the character from 1950 to 1991.
The remainder of Knock Knock finds Andy and Papa attempting to rid themselves of Woody, while Woody finds new and creative ways to thwart their plans and drive them to madness.
Papa attempts to use a stick on Woody, but the Woodpecker uses it on him. He then tries to use a shotgun on Woody, which doesn’t work, but, of course, does when Woody uses it. The gun backfires for Papa, sending him down the drainpipe.
Andy then tries to sneak up on Woody and put salt on his tail, but Woody threatens to tear Andy limb from limb.
So, Papa puts a time bomb in a decoy female bird (we know it’s a time bomb because it says “Time Bomb” on it) and sends it off after him.
Woody is smitten with the fake bird, but when he attempts to kiss her, she explodes. It’s at this point that Andy tries to salt again, but Woody pulls out a beer, Andy puts the salt on the beer, causing the head to disappear, and Woody downs the brew.
Papa then goes after Woody, trying to trap him inside his hat, but instead, Woody flies away, taking Papa with him. They trash the yard and fly up in the air with Andy firing the shotgun at them.
They both crash through the roof, and Andy is finally successful in putting salt on Woody’s tail. It works; he’s trapped, and two other woodpeckers from what looks like a psychiatric institution come to take Woody Woodpecker away, causing more havoc for Andy and Papa as the short concludes.
Knock Knock was quite the debut for Woody Woodpecker, who looked different in his first film, a little thinner, with differently designed legs, before he evolved, like many animated characters through the years.
Lantz co-created Woody with storyboard artist Ben “Bugs” Hardaway, who had come over from Warner Bros., where he had helped craft similar characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
A story circulated for years about the initial inspiration for Woody Woodpecker. In his seminal book, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Leonard Maltin noted that this backstory, while nice, was actually more mythology than fact, writing: “Lantz has made a legend out of the story of his honeymoon at Sherwood Lake, California, when a woodpecker hammered away at his roof and inspired the creation of the character. This delightful story has apparently undergone some showmanly embellishment, since the honeymoon occurred one year after the production of the cartoon.”
Another noted writer and historian, Michael Barrier also revealed in his book, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, information about who was at the helm for Knock Knock, when he wrote: “The Lantz studio records listed Lantz as the director of Knock Knock, but the actual director was almost certainly Alex Lovy (who has screen credit as one of two artists; no one is credited as director). Lovy had gone to work for Lantz in 1937, drawing story sketches for Lantz’s principal writer in the thirties, Victor McLeod; he began directing soon after that.”
The artists behind Knock Knock craft some creative and humorous gags, from a story by Hardaway and Lowell Elliot. Of note are the names of horses on Papa Panda’s Racing Form: “Eczema…Scratch This One, Bustle…Will Bring Up the Rear, Opium…This is a Dope, Noon Hour…Twelve to One.”
An official publicity still photo from “Knock Knock” (1940)
Knock Knock, released November 25, 1940, definitely connected Woody with audiences. He would return the following year in his own cartoon, aptly titled Woody Woodpecker, and would go on to star in over 200 cartoons.
His laugh inspired “The Woody Woodpecker Song” (by George Tibbles and Ramey Idriss), which was recorded by bandleader Kay Kyser and became one of the biggest hits of 1948. In 1957, The Woody Woodpecker Show, sponsored by Kelloggs, introduced Woody to a new audience. The series went on to have successful runs on NBC and in syndication.
A new version of the series debuted in 1999, and again in 2018, with a full-length, live-action Woody Woodpecker feature debuting in 2017. The classic cartoons continue today as part of the MeTV Toons line-up.
The famous Woodpecker has also been seen on countless pieces of merchandise, appearances in Universal’s theme parks, and even as a high-flying balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In the eight and a half decades since his debut in Knock Knock, Woody Woodpecker has become one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable animated characters of all time. He really doesn’t need to ask, “Guess Who?!?” anymore.
Michael Lyons is a freelance writer, specializing in film, television, and pop culture. He is the author of the book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance, which chronicles the amazing growth at the Disney animation studio in the 1990s. In addition to Animation Scoop and Cartoon Research, he has contributed to Remind Magazine, Cinefantastique, Animation World Network and Disney Magazine. He also writes a blog, Screen Saver: A Retro Review of TV Shows and Movies of Yesteryear and his interviews with a number of animation legends have been featured in several volumes of the books, Walt’s People. You can visit Michael’s web site Words From Lyons at: 
It’s true that Walter Lantz and Grace Stafford were married in 1941, a year after “Knock Knock” was released, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the “legendary” incident that inspired Woody’s creation is untrue. It’s possible that a woodpecker disturbed Walt and Gracie during a “honeymoon” that took place while they were both still married to other people. That’s Hollywood, folks.
Your explanation seems like it could be on target. Lantz was telling his cabin story for the newspapers as early as 1944 (the earliest example I’ve seen), at which point he notably doesn’t mention Gracie—in hindsight, it seems close enough to the incident that it would have raised eyebrows to mention her presence, let alone blur the incident with his honeymoon.
I have noted before that the cry of a real woodpecker is remarkably similar to the famous Woody Woodpecker laugh. And a woodpecker pecking away in earnest makes a remarkably similar sound to that of a laborer with a hammer. Apart from Woody, woodpeckers are fascinating creatures in their own right.
Lantz himself related the story of how a troublesome woodpecker on his honeymoon provided the inspiration for Woody, and while the timeline doesn’t match up, it’s easy to see why he liked to tell it that way. Especially in light of the fact that a few years later his own wife Grace took over the voicing of Woody. It was thus somewhat of a romantic gesture for him to tie in the debut of his most beloved creation with the beginning of his marriage.
Like so many other beloved animated characters, Woody changed and developed over the years. His evolution is similar to that of Donald Duck, who likewise started out with a longer bill and larger feet and ultimately got streamlined into the form in which he is known today. Along the way, in both cases, the character started out as a pest but eventually softened and became more sympathetic. Critics often lament the softening of a character who starts out as brash and relentless, but this often becomes necessary when a character needs to have long-lasting appeal. A bully or a pest can only retain favor with audiences for so long before the annoyances become tiresome. At some point we have to start pulling for the character as a hero, or at least as a main protagonist who gains our sympathy. A touch of “niceness” becomes a necessary ingredient sooner or later.
I have mentioned before the delights of the Woody Woodpecker Show, which was one of the joys of my childhood. The interplay between the animated Woody and the live-action Walter Lantz remains memorable to me to this day. Now that series sets of some of these old favorites are becoming a possibility, I keep hoping that someday there will be a series set of the original Woody show.
Let’s hope the appeal of Woody continues for another 85 years–and more!
I really enjoyed the early, crude and kooky incarnations of Woody, who was just as irreverent as Bugs or Daffy. He eventually became a dull, unfunny character whose toned down look and voice were much too tame for my liking.
Before my obtaining this gorgeous film (In S8 sound) in the 70s (!!!!), I never can recollect having watched it before. Was it ever (ever) on the syndicated Lantz show????
Before my obtaining this gorgeous film (In S8 sound) in the 70s (!!!!), I never can recollect having watched it before. Was it ever (ever) on the syndicated Lantz show????
I only remember seeing the newer “cuter” Woody shorts on the Lantz show. Had no idea about the cruder, funnier Woody era till later on.
It was on the series, but they cut off the ending when Woody goes berserk when his tail finally gets salted.
I was in high school when I started buying Super 8 magnetic sound prints of some of my favorite cartoons. Blackhawk gave me the ComiColor cartoons (I’m very much looking forward to that Blu-ray set coming out because I pre-ordered it last year). Universal 8 gave me several Walter Lantz cartoons including Knock Knock, The Playful Pelican, The Bongo Punch. Walt Disney Home Movies included The Old Mill, Mickey’s Trailer, The Band Concert and others. Ken Films had Gandy Goose, Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jekyll and I bought several of those. The one common denominator to all of these Super 8 prints is that they were all printed on Eastmancolor stock. Every single one of them has gone to that purple-pinkish cast, ALL of them have faded! I’m glad I came from a middle class family where I had an allowance from my father and started working a supermarket job when I was 16, because I would have been really PO’d if I were some trust fund baby who filled a wall with shelves of Super 8 or 16mm Eastmancolor Prints. Thank goodness for LaserDisc, DVD and Blu-ray.
I’ve always liked Woody’s design, whether it’s the earlier “ugly” version or the cuter redesigns of succeeding years, but he lacks the strong personality of Bugs or Donald, making his cartoons more dependent on the strength of the gags used (as well as the skill in which they’re deployed). Still, he has his fair share of entertaining Golden Age shorts, as well as a respectable run in comic books. I haven’t spent much time looking at his more recent incarnations, so if anyone here would like to recommend a series or movie, feel free!
You echo my sentiments. I prefer the mid to late 40’s Woody myself with Buzz Buzzard being my favorite among Woody’s heavies.
You left out my favorite Woody voice, Ben “Bugs” Hardaway, who started doing Woody in the classic “The Barber of Seville” in 1944 and continued to 1949 in “Drooler’s Delight”. Since Bugs was in on the creation of Woody and co-wrote “Knock-Knock”, he had a unique take on the character’s voice, making him sound just a little bit crabby and crazy at the same time.
“Knock-Knock” was on the Woody Woodpecker show in the late 1950s, but Kellogg’s didn’t like the mental patient ending, and cut out some of the dialog on the equally insane ambulance drivers that showed up to take Woody away. Several of the Lantz cartunes were edited by Kellogg’s edict, so a revival of the syndicated Woody Woodpecker show would have to use the censored cuts of the cartunes, in order to be authentic.
By they way, the four most undercirculated Lantz color cartunes are: Heap Big Hepcat-1960, Three Little Woodpeckers-1965, Birds of a Feather-1965 and Buster’s Last Stand-1970. At least two of these feature American Indian characters.
Yeah, the two Marcus directed cartoons (one of which was a personally favorite of Lantz himself) were not in “The Woody Woodpecker Show” package. Was adding all of the Smith-only era of Woody cartoons really THAT important?
THREE LITTLE WOODPECKERS was, for many years, the newest (1965) Woody short shown in the 1977 syndicated package- which may have evolved from the NBC Saturday AM package the season before. There’s nothing especially objectionable in it. No Native American or Asian stereotypes. It did attain a cult following thanks to the Frank Fontaine-eque wolf. “That was a STOO-pid thing ta do- YEOWOWOW!!”
Also interesting to chart the evolution of Andy Panda. Initially a cute little toddler born in an African jungle, his family relocated to an American backdrop where he mostly played straight man to his father (as seen in KNOCK KNOCK). He then grew up a bit, a well-meaning but boyish adult. Very much like late-period Mickey Mouse. Woody, as noted, evolved from lunatic troublemaker to mischievous but mostly decent little guy.
Lantz seemed determined to push Oswald offstage in favor of original (and Lantz-owned) stars, even after overhauling him into a new rabbit altogether. Oswald was a distributor-owned character snapped away from creator Disney, and Lantz certainly must have suspected history might repeat itself.
Great articles! I would like to see more chronicling Walter Lantz’s many (but mostly forgotten) characters!
I’ve typed it before, and I’ll type it again, Joseph Benson “Ben” or “Bugs” Hardaway created that first, butt-end ugly version of Woody Woodpecker soon after he left Schlesinger/Warners. (Which certainly doesn’t mean the story isn’t true. I think it probably is.) But Woody Woodpecker is just “Daffy Duck in a rabbit suit” in a woodpecker suit.