Loopy De Loop

''Loopy De Loop'' is a theatrical cartoon short series produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera after leaving MGM and opening their new studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions. Loopy De Loop Profile 48 cartoons were produced between 1959 and 1965, and released to theatres by Columbia Pictures. It was the final theatrical cartoon series to be produced by William Hanna and Joe Barbera, as well as the only one to be produced by their own studio.

Overview

Loopy is a gentleman wolf who mangles the English language in his bid to converse in a Franco-Canadian accent, and always wears a characteristic tuque knit cap. A self-appointed good Samaritan, he dauntlessly fights to clear the bad name of wolves and opens every episode with his trademark introduction "I am Loopy De Loop, the good wolf." Though he is always kind and helpful, his exploits usually get him beaten up or chased out of town by the very people he has helped, all for no other reason than the prejudice of being a wolf. Still, he never loses faith, and considers himself "kind, considerate and charming."

The character's name is an inspired combination of a play on words:
*"Loop the loop" is a 360-degree back flip performed by airplane stunt pilots.
*''Canis lupus'' is the Latin-based scientific name for the grey wolf species of the dog family, with the species' name of ''lupus'' being the basis for ''loup'', the French word for wolf.
*"Loopy" is a synonym for "crazy" or "eccentric"

Analysis

Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman places the Loopy De Loop character and series in the context of their time. Loopy is a wolf devoted to improving the largely negative image of his species. He does not want to be another Big Bad Wolf and chooses to be good. He performs (or attempts to perform) good deeds for other people in a recurring show of generosity. Yet the people he tried to help would be ungrateful, turning on him, and attacking him. Loopy is a character suffering persecution because of his looks and the bad reputation of his entire species, not because of his deeds or his personality. Lehman connects Loopy's fate to the then-contemporary struggles of African Americans to integrate into the wider society of the United States, while facing racial stereotypes which were socially ingrained. Black people were variously stereotyped at the time as humble servants, oversexed brutes, and childlike simpletons. Like Loopy, African Americans had to struggle and overcome the negative reputation of their entire kind.

Lehman notes that the Loopy De Loop animated film series lasted from 1959 to 1965, the most progressive period for the Civil Rights Movement. The series ended following the desegregation efforts of the era, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The movement was noted for its use of nonviolence as a tactic, love as a theme in speech, and integration as a means to achieve the goal of forming a beloved community.

Lehman notes some similarities between Loopy and another French-speaking animated character: Pepé Le Pew (who also had Michael Maltese story contributing). The French language was used by American animation studios to illustrate their characters' loving feelings and these two characters are prime examples of the trope. However, there is a key difference between Loopy and Pepé. Pepé is an amorous character and the aspect of love he embraces is eros. Loopy the Good Samaritan instead embraces agape.

List of theatrical shorts

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

Television

In 1969, Loopy's film shorts were gathered together into a syndicated television series, simply titled ''Loopy de Loop''.

Cast

*Daws Butler as Loopy De Loop
* Other voices include Don Messick, Doug Young, Mel Blanc, Red Coffey, Hal Smith, Arnold Stang

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