''Hunky and Spunky'' were

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

s, appearing in the series of

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s produced by

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...

for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

from 1938 to 1941. Filmed in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

(three-strip), the series revolves around a mother

burro The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

and her son.

History

Hunky is a mother burro and Spunky is her young son. The initial film, titled ''Hunky and Spunky'', takes place in the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, where a prospector attempts to make Spunky into his pack animal. ''Hunky and Spunky'' was nominated for the 1938

Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

. A positive contemporary review of ''Hunky and Spunky'' in ''

Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' praised the short for introducing "funny new characters", and stated that the short's device of having the animals speak in "donkey talk" "will amuse the kids".(July 1, 1938). Review of ''Hunky and Spunky''. ''Film Daily'', Vol. 74, No. 1, p. 4 Fleischer Studios went on to produce six more cartoons featuring Hunky and Spunky: ''Always Kickin''' (1939), ''The Barnyard Brat'' (1939), ''A Kick in Time'' (1940), ''Snubbed by a Snob'' (1940), ''You Can't Shoe a Horse Fly'' (1940), and ''Vitamin Hay'' (1941). After

Famous Studios Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...

succeeded Fleischer Studios in 1942, they revived the Spunky character alone for three animated shorts in their Noveltoons series: The patriotic ''Yankee Doodle Donkey'' (1944), in a supporting role to

Casper the Friendly Ghost Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a pleasant, personable and translucent ghost, but often criticized by his three wicked uncles, the Ghostly Trio. T ...

in ''Boo Kind To Animals'' (1955), and in a simplified drawing style in ''Okey Dokey Donkey'' (1958). A donkey which looks similar to Spunky has a cameo role in the 1957 Casper cartoon ''

Ghost of Honor ''Ghost of Honor'' is a 1957 American animation and comedy film directed by Izzy Sparber. The film features Casper the Friendly Ghost as well as additional music composed by Winston Sharples. Plot Cast * Cecil Roy - Casper * Mae Questel - P ...

''.

Filmography

''Color Classics''

''Noveltoons''

''Casper The Friendly Ghost''

References

External links

''Hunky and Spunky''
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. at

Archived
from the original February 6, 2015. Film characters introduced in 1938 Film series introduced in 1938 Fleischer Studios series and characters Television series by U.M. & M. TV Corporation Fictional donkeys Animated duos Animated film series Children's film series {{animation-char-stub