Painted background used in cartoon Knock Knock: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Painted background used in production of the animated short film Knock Knock. The painting depicts a shingled roof marked with holes.

The painting was created for Knock Knock, a 1940 animated short that was the first cartoon to feature Woody Woodpecker. In the short film, part of Walter Lantz's Andy Panda series distributed by Universal Pictures, the mischievous Woody torments Andy and his father Papa by pecking at the wood elements of their house. The Pandas are foiled in their attempts to catch or maim the bird until Andy finally captures Woody by pouring mysteriously heavy salt on his tail. Mel Blanc provided the voice of Woody as well as Papa Panda; Andy Panda was voiced by Sara Berner.

Woody Woodpecker was a popular success, becoming one of the best-loved and most memorable American cartoon characters of the mid-20th century. Between 1940 and 1972, Woody appeared in nearly 200 animated shorts distributed by Universal and United Artists. The plucky, self-confident woodpecker with a staccato laugh became a popular culture icon, painted on the nose of combat aircraft during World War II, appearing in other forms of media, serving as mascot for Universal Studios, and depicted on a wide range of retail merchandise and toys.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1940
• associated person: Lantz, Walter
• maker: Walter Lantz Productions
• Object Name: cel, animation
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Measurements: overall (framed): 14 1/4 in x 17 1/4 in; 36.195 cm x 43.815 cm
• place made: United States: California, Los Angeles
• general subject association: Motion Pictures
• Subject: Comedy
• Subject: Animation
• ID Number: 1982.0567.15
• accession number: 1982.0567
• catalog number: 1982.0567.15
• Credit Line: Gracie and Walter Lantz
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.