Dinky Doodle (1924-1926)
Now playing an important role at the Bray Studios, Walter Lantz took up the creation of his own series. Public interest had waned in the second incarnation of Col. Heeza Liar, which Lantz had been directing; the character evidently fell out of popularity. As a substitute, Lantz created a boy character called Dinky Doodle and gave him a sidekick mutt named Weakheart. The pairing of a little boy and a dog was already a cliché in animation and comics; prior to this duo, we had already seen Bobby Bumps and Fido, Dud Perkins and Wag, and so forth.
As far as plot and format went, Dinky Doodle carried on stylistic elements of the second Heeza Liar series: animated segments were intertwined with live action footage of Lantz as protagonist, often combining both techniques so that cartoon characters and humans interacted. Dinky, Weakheart and their "boss" Walter Lantz explored a number of fairy tale scenarios as well as engaging in more traditional tit-for-tat battles at the studio.
Dinky Doodle is probably the best-remembered creation of Walter Lantz's early career. In later years, Bray would reissue the series to TV together with its sister series, Pete the Pup (q. v.); in their TV incarnations, both series were rebranded "Dinkey Doodles [sic]," although Dinky himself had never appeared in the Pete cartoons.
Left: Trade ad introducing the Dinky Doodle series. Courtesy Mark Newgarden.
As far as plot and format went, Dinky Doodle carried on stylistic elements of the second Heeza Liar series: animated segments were intertwined with live action footage of Lantz as protagonist, often combining both techniques so that cartoon characters and humans interacted. Dinky, Weakheart and their "boss" Walter Lantz explored a number of fairy tale scenarios as well as engaging in more traditional tit-for-tat battles at the studio.
Dinky Doodle is probably the best-remembered creation of Walter Lantz's early career. In later years, Bray would reissue the series to TV together with its sister series, Pete the Pup (q. v.); in their TV incarnations, both series were rebranded "Dinkey Doodles [sic]," although Dinky himself had never appeared in the Pete cartoons.
Left: Trade ad introducing the Dinky Doodle series. Courtesy Mark Newgarden.
Dinky Doodle Filmography (26)
Green: Project Print or Video
Gray: Print Known Elsewhere
Red: No Known Print
The Magic Lamp (aka Aladdin's Lamp) 9/15/1924
The Giant Killer (aka Jack and the Beanstalk) 10/15/1924
The Pied Piper 12/1/1924
Little Red Riding Hood 1/4/1925
The Captain's Kid (aka Captain Kid) 2/1/1925
The House that Dinky Built 2/1/1925
Cinderella 3/1/1925
Peter Pan Handled 4/26/1925
The Magic Carpet (aka The Magic Rug) 5/24/1925
Robinson Crusoe 6/21/1925
The Three Bears 7/19/1925
The Babes in the Woods 8/16/1925
Dinky Doodle and the Bad Man 9/10/1925
Just Spooks 9/13/1925
Dinky Doodle in the Hunt 11/1/1925
Dinky Doodle in the Circus 11/29/1925
Dinky Doodle in the Restaurant 12/27/1925
Dinky Doodle in Lost and Found 2/19/1926
Dinky Doodle in Uncle Tom's Cabin 2/21/1926
Dinky Doodle in the Arctic 3/21/1926
Dinky Doodle in Egypt 4/8/1926
Dinky Doodle in the Wild West 5/12/1926
Dinky Doodle's Bedtime Story 6/6/1926
Dinky Doodle and the Little Orphan 7/4/1926
The Magician 6/24/1926
Dinky Doodle in the Army 8/29/1926
Gray: Print Known Elsewhere
Red: No Known Print
The Magic Lamp (aka Aladdin's Lamp) 9/15/1924
The Giant Killer (aka Jack and the Beanstalk) 10/15/1924
The Pied Piper 12/1/1924
Little Red Riding Hood 1/4/1925
The Captain's Kid (aka Captain Kid) 2/1/1925
The House that Dinky Built 2/1/1925
Cinderella 3/1/1925
Peter Pan Handled 4/26/1925
The Magic Carpet (aka The Magic Rug) 5/24/1925
Robinson Crusoe 6/21/1925
The Three Bears 7/19/1925
The Babes in the Woods 8/16/1925
Dinky Doodle and the Bad Man 9/10/1925
Just Spooks 9/13/1925
Dinky Doodle in the Hunt 11/1/1925
Dinky Doodle in the Circus 11/29/1925
Dinky Doodle in the Restaurant 12/27/1925
Dinky Doodle in Lost and Found 2/19/1926
Dinky Doodle in Uncle Tom's Cabin 2/21/1926
Dinky Doodle in the Arctic 3/21/1926
Dinky Doodle in Egypt 4/8/1926
Dinky Doodle in the Wild West 5/12/1926
Dinky Doodle's Bedtime Story 6/6/1926
Dinky Doodle and the Little Orphan 7/4/1926
The Magician 6/24/1926
Dinky Doodle in the Army 8/29/1926
