Magilla Gorilla is a fictional

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

and the star of ''

The Magilla Gorilla Show ''The Magilla Gorilla Show'' is an American animated television series starring Magilla Gorilla. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Screen Gems, and was originally sponsored in syndication by Ideal Toys from 1964 through ...

'' by Hanna-Barbera that aired from 1963 to 1965.

Character description

Magilla Gorilla (voiced by

Allan Melvin Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of th ...

) is a fun-loving yet trouble-prone anthropomorphic

who spends his time languishing in the front display window of Melvin Peebles' pet shop, eating bananas and being a drain on the shop's finances. Peebles (voiced by

Howard Morris Howard Jerome Morris (September 4, 1919 – May 21, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, and director. He was best known for his role in ''The Andy Griffith Show'' as Ernest T. Bass, and as "Uncle Goopy" in a celebrated comedy sketch on Sid Ca ...

and later by Don Messick) frequently marks down his price considerably, but he is invariably only purchased for a short time, typically by some thieves who needed a gorilla to break into a bank or by an advertising agency looking for a mascot for their new product. The customers always ended up returning Magilla, forcing Peebles to give a refund. In the case of being bought by thieves, he was seized by police for being used in criminal activity and returned to Peebles' store. Magilla often ended episodes with his catchphrase "We'll try again next week." Like many of Hanna-Barbera's animal characters, Magilla Gorilla sported human accessories: a purple bow tie, red shorts held up by green suspenders, a purple undersized

derby hat The bowler hat, also known as a billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn ...

, and brown dress shoes. The only customer truly interested in owning Magilla was a little girl named Ogee (voiced by

Jean Vander Pyl Jean Thurston Vander Pyl (October 11, 1919 – April 10, 1999) was an American voice actress. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon ''The Flintstones''. In ...

and pronounced "Oh Gee!"). During the cartoon's theme song, "We've Got a Gorilla for Sale", she asks hopefully, "How much is that gorilla in the window?" (a twist on the old standard, "

(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window? "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" is a popular novelty song. It was written by Bob Merrill and first registered on September 25, 1952, as "The Doggie in the Window". On January 27, 1953, its sheet music was published in New York as "(H ...

"), but she was never able to convince her parents to let her keep him. In Yiddish, a '' megillah'' is a long tedious or embroidered account, from the Hebrew ''megillah'', a story written in a scroll. One episode has Magilla saying, "Such a megillah over a gorilla."

Episodes

Season 1 (1964)

Season 2 (1965)

Inception

As pointed out on the

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

' CD liner notes for their collection of Hanna-Barbera theme tunes, part of Magilla's purpose was to sell likenesses of himself. The show was sponsored by

Ideal Toys Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Bets ...

, which produced a ''Magilla'' stuffed toy.

Other appearances

* Magilla Gorilla appeared in the medium of comic books. From 1964 through 1968, he appeared in a series published by

Western Comics Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic books ...

; the series ran 10 issues. Also in 1964, he appeared in a one shot comic called ''The Magilla Gorilla Kite Fun Book'' from the same publisher. From 1970 through 1971, he appeared in a series published by

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...

which ran 5 issues. * Magilla Gorilla appeared on both the 1972 made-for-TV movie ''

Yogi's Ark Lark ''Yogi's Ark Lark'' is a 1972 animated television special produced by Hanna-Barbera, intended to raise ecological awareness. It was broadcast on September 16, 1972, as part of ''The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie'' and served as the four-part episod ...

'' and the 1973 spin-off ''

Yogi's Gang ''Yogi's Gang'' is an American animated television series and the second incarnation of the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise, which aired 16 half-hour episodes on ABC from , to . The show began as ''Yogi's Ark Lark'', a special TV movie on ''The ABC Satur ...

'' series, where he would run the treadmill that powers the Ark as long as there are plenty of bananas. * In the oral folklore series of Magilla Gorilla stories, the pet store owner (named Mr. Smith) is generally the one absent for most of the narrative, departing on business trips and the like. He leaves Magilla Gorilla in charge of the pet store in his absence, after warning Magilla not to get in any trouble. Adventures and chaos ensue, with Magilla often rectifying the situation mere moments before Mr. Smith's return. Upon Mr. Smith's inquiry as to whether there was any trouble, Magilla invariably replies with what was to become his most famous catchphrase, "No trouble, no trouble at all." * In the 1982 special '' Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper'', Magilla Gorilla (alongside

Wally Gator Wally may refer to: Music * Wally (band), British prog rock band ** ''Wally'' (album), a 1974 album by Wally * ''La Wally'', an opera by Alfredo Catalani Other uses *Wally (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *WALLY, a propose ...

and Yakky Doodle) was unable to help Yogi and his friends locate J. Wellington Jones. * Magilla appeared in the 1985-1988 syndicated series ''

Yogi's Treasure Hunt ''Yogi's Treasure Hunt'' (originally titled ''The Funtastic Treasure Hunt'') is an American animated television series and the fifth entry in the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, featuring Yogi Bear and various other ...

''. * Magilla made a cameo appearance as an HB reporter in the 1988 TV-movie '' The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound''. * Magilla Gorilla appeared in ''A Yabba-Dabba-Doo Celebration! 50 Years of Hanna-Barbera''. * In the "Fender Bender 500" segment of the 1990 series ''

Wake, Rattle, and Roll ''Wake, Rattle, and Roll'' (retitled ''Jump, Rattle, and Roll'' when it aired on The Disney Channel on weekday afternoons in 1991''The Disney Channel Magazine'', Vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 1991: pp. 20, 36, 45.) is an American live-action/an ...

'', Magilla Gorilla was partnered with

as they rode a monster truck called the Swamp Stomper. * In '' Yo Yogi!'', Magilla appeared as superstar rapper Magilla Ice (a spoof of

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...

). * Magilla Gorilla appeared as Sinbad on the 1994 TV special ''

Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights ''Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights'' (also known as ''Arabian Nights'') is a 1994 made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera, and aired on syndication on September 3, 1994. It is an adaptation of ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' a ...

''. * In '' Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law'', Magilla Gorilla (voiced by

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

) made several cameos through the show, sometimes appearing as a homosexual prison inmate who is frequently seen stalking Harvey Birdman. In the 2005 episode "Free Magilla", Magilla is kidnapped by radical animal rights activists causing Mr. Peebles (also voiced by

) to sue them. Magilla is quickly abandoned by the activists after they grow sick of his many puns. During the course of the episode, Mr. Peebles confesses to having grown attached to Magilla. * Magilla Gorilla made a cameo in a 2012 '' MetLife'' commercial entitled "Everyone". * Magilla and Mr. Peebles make cameos in the 2013 direct-to-video film ''

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon ''Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon'' is a 2013 American animated superhero comedy film, and the nineteenth entry in the direct-to-video series of ''Scooby-Doo'' films. The film is a crossover, featuring Blue Falcon and Dynomutt. It was produced ...

'' as images in the Hanna-Barbera convention. * Magilla Gorilla made a cameo in the '' Mad'' segment "Demise of the Planet of the Apes", where he is one of the occupants of the Super Ape Motel. * In 2018,

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

rebooted Magilla Gorilla into a less cartoonish character and featured him in a crossover with Nightwing titled ''Nightwing/Magilla Gorilla Special'' #1. This version of Magilla is a famous actor living with Mr. Peebles who goes by the name Mel Peebles and gets murdered and Magilla is framed for the crime. * Magilla Gorilla and Mr. Peebles appear in the ''

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? ''Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation and the thirteenth television series in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. The series is produced by Chris Bailey. The show first premiered o ...

'' episode "Peebles' Pet Shop of Terrible Terrors" with Magilla Gorilla voiced by Frank Welker and Mr. Peebles voiced by

Billy West William Richard Werstine (born April 16, 1952), known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film ''Space Jam'' and several subsequent projects, the title characters of ''Doug'' ...

. Magilla's ability to speak is downplayed by just making sounds and quoting "uh-huh." Both Peebles and Magilla are redesigned to match the 1970s look of ''Scooby-Doo''.

Wanda Sykes Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on '' The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertai ...

volunteers at Peebles' Pet Supply Mega-Store when a Fish Monster (vocal effects provided by

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...

) hatches from an egg and starts terrorizing the pet shop. In addition, Mr. Peebles has a bookkeeper named Arnie (also voiced by Billy West) working at his pet shop. Mystery Inc. helps solve the mystery of the Fish Monster. From the shadows, Magilla secretly gathers the pets that got loose and puts them back in their cage. With help from Magilla, Mystery Inc. and Wanda Sykes trap the Fish Monster and discover that the Fish Monster is Mr. Peebles where he wanted to have his pet shop closed so that he can get rid of Magilla (who Mr. Peebles claimed ate him out of house and home for 30 years) and start his own clothing line for short people. After Mr. Peebles is arrested by the police, Arnie becomes the new owner of Peebles' Pet Supply Mega-Store and Wanda Sykes adopts Magilla. * Magilla Gorilla makes a cameo appearance in the 2020 ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until ...

'' revival segment "Suffragette City". * Magilla Gorilla appeared in the 2021 film '' Space Jam: A New Legacy''. He is seen watching the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad where he is shown riding a unicycle on the wires of an

overhead power line An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy across large distances. It consists of one or more uninsulated electrical cables (commonly multiples of three for three-p ...

. * Magilla Gorilla and Mr. Peebles appeared in the

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

original series ''

Jellystone! ''Jellystone!'' is an American animated streaming television comedy series developed by C. H. Greenblatt for HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features reimagined versions of various characters by Hanna-Barbera. It pr ...

'', with Magilla voiced by Paul F. Tompkins. In this show, Magilla wears glasses and run a clothing store in this series that

Jabberjaw ''Jabberjaw'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired 16 original episodes on ABC from September 11 to December 18, 1976. Reruns continued on ABC until September 3 ...

and

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 19 ...

works in. A running gag is that Jabberjaw pronounces his name as "Ma-Jilla" rather than the actual pronunciation. * Mr. Peebles appeared in the 2021 special '' Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now!''

Cultural references

* The Brazilian boxer Adilson Rodrigues has called himself "Maguilla" after the cartoon.

Interpretation

According to Christopher P. Lehman, the trials of Magilla mirrored the attitudes that some American citizens had towards racial integration during the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

in the 1960s. In his 2007 book ''American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973'', Lehman writes that ''The Magilla Gorilla Show'' perpetuated the idea that non-whites should be segregated, with Peebles selling Magilla (the gorilla iconography thus evoking a reference to 19th-century racist artwork portraying blacks as subhuman primates) to white customers who would invariably return him to the pet shop by the end of each episode.

''Magilla Gorilla'' in other languages

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

: ''Maguila, o Gorila'' *

European Portuguese European Portuguese ( pt, português europeu, ), also known as Portuguese of Portugal (Portuguese: português de Portugal), Iberian Portuguese (Portuguese: português ibérico), and Peninsular Portuguese (Portuguese: português peninsular), refer ...

: ''O Show do Gorila Maguila'' * Greek: The same as in English * French: ''Maguilla le gorille'' * Italian: The same as in English * Spanish: ''Maguila Gorila'' * Japanese: ''ゴリラのゴンちゃん (Gorira no Gon-chan)'' * Finnish: The same as in English * Hungarian: The same as in English * Polish: Goryl Magilla (pronouncing with double "l")

References

External links

Magilla Gorilla
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on February 12, 2016. {{Hanna-Barbera Fictional gorillas Hanna-Barbera characters Fictional anthropomorphic characters Television characters introduced in 1963 Male characters in animation