Hippety Hopper: Difference between revisions

Hippety Hopper
Hippety Hopper
	A still of a scene of Hippety Hopper as he appeared in his self-titled film (animated by Manny Gould).
First appearance	Hop, Look and Listen (1948)
Created by	Robert McKimson
Voiced by	Mel Blanc (1950–1961); Gilbert Mack (1956); Debi Derryberry (Bugs Bunny Builders Episodes 1-26); Sky Alexis (Bugs Bunny Builders Episodes 30-present)
In-universe information
Species	Kangaroo
Gender	Male

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Hippety Hopper is a young kangaroo character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. Robert McKimson introduced Hippety Hopper in Hop, Look and Listen (1948), which established the pattern for future Hippety Hopper cartoons.^[2] The character appeared in 14 theatrical cartoons between 1948 and 1964.^[3]

History

Hippety Hopper cartoons have a typical formula: Hopper escapes from a zoo, circus, etc., and is mistaken for a giant mouse by Sylvester the Cat.^[4] Frequently, Hopper changes places with an actual mouse, generally when it is most embarrassing for Sylvester. Sylvester tries to capture and eat his "prey", but the innocent and infantile Hippety mistakes Sylvester's predations for a game of rough-housing. Sylvester is repeatedly kicked, punched and spun around, but each failure only strengthens his desire to have the "giant mouse" for lunch.

Hippety Hopper returns in McKimson's Pop 'Im Pop! (1950), in which proud father Sylvester boasts of his mousing skills to his son, Sylvester Jr.^[5] In Cats A-Weigh! (1953), Sylvester accepts a position as mouse-catcher on a ship. He encounters Hippety Hopper being shipped from Australia.^[6] Sylvester mistakes Hippety Hopper once again for a giant mouse and the baby kangaroo promptly beats the cat soundly. Junior is mortified, but the true victim is Sylvester, humiliated by a mere "mouse" in front of his own son.

McKimson would continue the Sylvester/Hippety Hopper series for 16 years, varying it slightly from cartoon to cartoon. In Bell Hoppy (1954), for example, in a twist on "belling the cat", Sylvester must hang a bell around the neck of the biggest mouse that he can find in order to join the "Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club". Surprisingly, he actually succeeds this one time and gets to join the club, even becoming its Grand High Exalted Poobah, "being the only active member" (the other members were hit by the city zoo truck taking Hippety away to the zoo when they tried to catch him after Sylvester belled him).

In Lighthouse Mouse, Sylvester must guard a lighthouse from the baby kangaroo and a mouse who wants nothing more than to turn the lighthouse's light off just so that he can get some sleep.

Hoppy Go Lucky (1952) was a parody of Of Mice and Men, with Sylvester accompanied by the giant, simple-minded cat "Bennie", who wants a mouse "to hug him and pet him". The central theme is always the same: Sylvester is shamed for his failure to capture what seems to be a simple "mouse".

Hippety Hopper also appeared on records produced by Capitol Records and Golden Records. Unlike in the cartoons, Hippety actually spoke frequently on these, voiced by Mel Blanc using an Australian accent.^[7]^[8]

The Hippety Hopper/Sylvester/Sylvester Jr. cartoons ended in 1964 when the Warner Bros. studio closed its animation unit.

Originally Hippety Hopper intended to appear as a cameo in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral".^[9]

Appearances

All of the shorts from 1948 to 1964 were directed by Robert McKimson.

Hop, Look and Listen (1948)
Hippety Hopper (1949)
Pop 'im Pop! (1950)
Bushy Hare (1950, cameo)
Who's Kitten Who (1952)
Hoppy Go Lucky (1952)
Cats A-Weigh! (1953)
Bell Hoppy (1954)
Lighthouse Mouse (1955)
Too Hop to Handle (1956)
The Slap-Hoppy Mouse (1956)
Mouse-Taken Identity (1957)
Hoppy Daze (1961)
Freudy Cat (1964)

References

^ "News From ME - Mark Evanier's blog". www.newsfromme.com. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
^ Markstein, Don. "Hippety Hopper". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 92. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 121. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 262. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 255. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ "Bugs Bunny and His Friends on Capitol Records". Retrieved 2017-12-29.
^ "Golden Records' "Bugs Bunny Songfest"". Retrieved 2017-12-29.
^ Hill, Jim (8 May 2014). "Storyboards reveal what Marvin Acme's funeral in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" would have looked like". jimhillmedia.com. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

External links

Hippity Hopper at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016.

[1] "News From ME - Mark Evanier's blog". www.newsfromme.com. Retrieved 3 December 2020.

[2] Markstein, Don. "Hippety Hopper". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.

[3] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 92. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

[4] Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 121. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.

[5] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 262. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[6] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 255. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[7] "Bugs Bunny and His Friends on Capitol Records". Retrieved 2017-12-29.

[8] "Golden Records' "Bugs Bunny Songfest"". Retrieved 2017-12-29.

[9] Hill, Jim (8 May 2014). "Storyboards reveal what Marvin Acme's funeral in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" would have looked like". jimhillmedia.com. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character}}
-[[Image:Hippety_Hopper.png|thumb|Hippety Hopper in ''[[Hippety Hopper]]''.]]
+{{About|the Looney Tunes character|the film|Hippety Hopper (film)|the similarly named Jay Ward frog|Hoppity Hooper}}
+{{Infobox character
+| name       = Hippety Hopper
+| image      = Hippety Hopper.png
+| image_size = 180px
+| caption    = A still of a scene of Hippety Hopper as he appeared in his [[Hippety Hopper (film)|self-titled film]] (animated by [[Manny Gould]]).
+| first      = ''[[Hop, Look and Listen]]'' (1948)
+| creator    = [[Robert McKimson]]
+| voice      = [[Mel Blanc]] (1950–1961)<br>Gilbert Mack (1956)<ref>{{cite web |title=News From ME - Mark Evanier's blog |url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2004/11/09/bugs-bunny-on-record/ |website=www.newsfromme.com |access-date=3 December 2020}}</ref><br>[[Debi Derryberry]] (''[[Bugs Bunny Builders]]'' Episodes 1-26)<br>Sky Alexis (''[[Bugs Bunny Builders]]'' Episodes 30-present)
+| species    = [[Kangaroo]]
+| gender     = Male
+}}
+'''Hippety Hopper''' is a young [[kangaroo]] character in the [[Warner Bros.]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' series of cartoons. [[Robert McKimson]] introduced Hippety Hopper in ''[[Hop, Look and Listen]]'' (1948), which established the pattern for future Hippety Hopper cartoons.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markstein |first1=Don |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |access-date=2 April 2020  |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/hippety.htm |title=Hippety Hopper}}</ref> The character appeared in 14 theatrical cartoons between 1948 and 1964.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/92/mode/2up |page=92}}</ref>
+==History==
-'''Hippety Hopper''' is an [[animation|animated cartoon]] [[fictional character|character]] in the [[Warner Bros.]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' series of cartoons.
+Hippety Hopper cartoons have a typical [[Formula fiction|formula]]: Hopper escapes from a [[zoo]], [[Circus (performing art)|circus]], etc., and is mistaken for a giant [[mouse]] by [[Sylvester the Cat]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |access-date=8 April 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/120/mode/2up/ |page=121}}</ref> Frequently, Hopper changes places with an actual mouse, generally when it is most embarrassing for Sylvester. Sylvester tries to capture and eat his "prey", but the innocent and infantile Hippety mistakes Sylvester's predations for a game of rough-housing. Sylvester is repeatedly kicked, punched and spun around, but each failure only strengthens his desire to have the "giant mouse" for lunch.
+Hippety Hopper returns in McKimson's ''[[Pop 'Im Pop!]]'' (1950), in which proud father Sylvester boasts of his mousing skills to his son, [[Sylvester Jr.]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=262}}</ref> In ''[[Cats A-Weigh!]]'' (1953), Sylvester accepts a position as mouse-catcher on a ship. He encounters Hippety Hopper being shipped from [[Australia]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=255}}</ref> Sylvester mistakes Hippety Hopper once again for a giant mouse and the baby kangaroo promptly beats the cat soundly. Junior is mortified, but the true victim is Sylvester, humiliated by a mere "mouse" in front of his own son.
-[[Robert McKimson]] introduced Hippety Hopper in "[[Hop, Look and Listen]]" ([[1948]]), which created the mold into which future Hippety Hopper cartoons would fall: baby [[kangaroo]] Hopper escapes from the [[zoo]], the [[Circus (performing art)|circus]], etc., and is mistaken for a giant [[mouse]] by [[Sylvester the cat|Sylvester]]. Sylvester tries to capture and eat his "prey", but the innocent and infantile Hippety mistakes Sylvester's predations for a game -- a game of rough-housing, to be exact. Sylvester is repeatedly punched, kicked, and pounced, but each failure only cements his will to have the "mouse" for lunch. The cat's dignity will suffer no less. The character would later return in McKimson's "[[Pop 'Im Pop]]" ([[1950]]) in which proud papa [[Sylvester the cat|Sylvester]] boasts of his mousing skills to his son, [[Sylvester Junior]]. Sylvester mistakes Hippety Hopper once again for a giant mouse, and the baby kangaroo promptly beats the cat to a pulp. Junior is mortified, but the true victim is Sylvester, humiliated by a mere "mouse" in front of his own son. Hippety hopper is always doing this to sylvester, and in evry episode, sylvester goes flying forwards at hippety hopper, who kicks sylvester up into the air and spins him round with his feet. on "cats aweigh" a hippety hopper episode, sylvester is continuesly kicked by hippety, who puts his foot on sylvesters foot to stop him from flying back, then hippety lays on his back with his feet facing up and pressed against his stomach. he waits for sylvester to faint and fall onto hippety hoppers feet, and then hippety throws sylvester into the air with his feet, catches him with his feet and then spins sylvester in a different way, like a helicopter rotor, using his feet.
-McKimson would continue the Sylvester/Hippety Hopper series for 16 years, varying it slightly from cartoon to cartoon. In "[[Bell Hoppy]]" ([[1954]]), for example, Sylvester must hang a bell around a mouse's neck in order to join the "Loyal Order of Alley Cats and Mousing and Chowder Club". In "[[Lighthouse Mouse]]", Sylvester must guard a lighthouse from the baby kangaroo who wants nothing more than to turn it off. The central theme is always the same: Sylvester is shamed for his failure to capture a simple "mouse".
+McKimson would continue the Sylvester/Hippety Hopper series for 16 years, varying it slightly from cartoon to cartoon. In ''[[Bell Hoppy]]'' (1954), for example, in a twist on "[[belling the cat]]", Sylvester must hang a bell around the neck of the biggest mouse that he can find in order to join the "Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club". Surprisingly, he actually ''succeeds'' this one time and gets to join the club, even becoming its Grand High Exalted Poobah, "being the only active member" (the other members were hit by the city zoo truck taking Hippety away to the zoo when they tried to catch him after Sylvester belled him).
+In ''[[Lighthouse Mouse]]'', Sylvester must guard a lighthouse from the baby kangaroo and a mouse who wants nothing more than to turn the lighthouse's light off just so that he can get some sleep.
-The Hippety Hopper/Sylvester cartoons ended in [[1964]] when the Warner Bros. studio closed its animation unit. The character continues to appear in ''Looney Tunes'' marketing and other projects, such as the [[1996]] film ''[[Space Jam]]''.
+''[[Hoppy Go Lucky]]'' (1952) was a parody of ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'', with Sylvester accompanied by the giant, simple-minded cat "Bennie", who wants a mouse "to hug him and pet him". The central theme is always the same: Sylvester is shamed for his failure to capture what seems to be a simple "mouse".
+Hippety Hopper also appeared on records produced by [[Capitol Records]] and [[Golden Records]]. Unlike in the cartoons, Hippety actually spoke frequently on these, voiced by Mel Blanc using an Australian accent.<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/bugs-bunny-and-his-friends-on-capitol-records/ "Bugs Bunny and His Friends on Capitol Records"]. Retrieved 2017-12-29.</ref><ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/golden-records-bugs-bunny-songfest-1961/"Golden Records' "Bugs Bunny Songfest""]. Retrieved 2017-12-29.</ref>
+The Hippety Hopper/Sylvester/Sylvester Jr. cartoons ended in 1964 when the Warner Bros. studio closed its animation unit.
+Originally Hippety Hopper intended to appear as a cameo in the film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' (1988) in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Jim |title=Storyboards reveal what Marvin Acme's funeral in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" would have looked like |url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2014/05/08/storyboards-reveal-what-marvin-acme-s-funeral-in-quot-who-framed-roger-rabbit-quot-would-have-looked-like.aspx |website=jimhillmedia.com |date=8 May 2014 |access-date=24 July 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
+==Appearances==
+All of the shorts from 1948 to 1964 were directed by [[Robert McKimson]].
+* ''[[Hop, Look and Listen]]'' (1948)
+* ''[[Hippety Hopper (film)|Hippety Hopper]]'' (1949)
+* ''[[Pop 'im Pop!]]'' (1950)
+* ''[[Bushy Hare]]'' (1950, cameo)
+* ''[[Who's Kitten Who]]'' (1952)
+* ''[[Hoppy Go Lucky]]'' (1952)
+* ''[[Cats A-Weigh!]]'' (1953)
+* ''[[Bell Hoppy]]'' (1954)
+* ''[[Lighthouse Mouse]]'' (1955)
+* ''[[Too Hop to Handle]]'' (1956)
+* ''[[The Slap-Hoppy Mouse]]'' (1956)
+* ''[[Mouse-Taken Identity]]'' (1957)
+* ''[[Hoppy Daze]]'' (1961)
+* ''[[Freudy Cat]]'' (1964)
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+==External links==
+*[http://www.toonopedia.com/hippety.htm Hippity Hopper] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20131014053829/http://www.toonopedia.com/hippety.htm Archived] from the original on February 5, 2016.
+{{Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies}}
+{{Hippety Hopper in animation}}
 [[Category:Looney Tunes characters]]
-[[Category:Fictional kangaroos]]
+[[Category:Fictional kangaroos and wallabies]]
+[[Category:Anthropomorphic kangaroos and wallabies]]
+[[Category:Film characters introduced in 1948]]
+[[Category:Animated characters introduced in 1948]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Carl Stalling]]
+[[Category:Fictional mute characters]]
+[[Category:Characters created by Robert McKimson]]

v t e Hippety Hopper in animation
Short films	Hop, Look and Listen (1948) Hippety Hopper (1949) Pop 'im Pop! (1950) Bushy Hare (1950; cameo) Who's Kitten Who (1952) Hoppy Go Lucky (1952) Cats A-Weigh! (1953) Bell Hoppy (1954) Lighthouse Mouse (1955) Too Hop to Handle (1956) The Slap-Hoppy Mouse (1956) Mouse-Taken Identity (1957) Hoppy Daze (1961) Freudy Cat (1964)
Feature films	Space Jam (1996; cameo) Tweety's High-Flying Adventure (2000; cameo) Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003; cameo) Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006; cameo)
TV series	Bugs Bunny Builders (2022–present)