Hunky and Spunky are fictional characters appearing in the series of animated short subjects produced by Fleischer Studios for Paramount Pictures from 1938 to 1941. [1] Filmed in Technicolor (three-strip), the series revolves around a mother burro and her son. Hunky and Spunky were voiced by Jack Mercer, As for Okey Dokey Donkey, Spunky was voiced by Gilbert Mack.
Hunky is a mother burro and Spunky is her young son. The initial film, titled Hunky and Spunky, takes place in the Old West, 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). A positive contemporary review of Hunky and Spunky in Film Daily 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". [2]
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 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 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 .
| Title | Original release date | Directed by |
|---|---|---|
| Hunky and Spunky | June 24, 1938 | Dave Fleischer |
| Always Kickin' | January 27, 1939 | |
| The Barnyard Brat | June 30, 1939 | |
| A Kick in Time | May 17, 1940 | |
| Snubbed by a Snob | July 19, 1940 | |
| You Can't Shoe a Horse Fly | August 23, 1940 | |
| Vitamin Hay | August 22, 1941 |
| Title | Directed by | Animated by | Story by | Scenics by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yankee Doodle Donkey | I. Sparber | Nick Tafuri, Tom Golden | Jack Mercer, Jack Ward | N/A | November 27, 1944 |
| Okey Dokey Donkey | Al Eugster, Dante Barbetta | Jack Mercer | John Zago | May 16, 1958 |
| Title | Directed by | Animated by | Story by | Scenics by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boo Kind to Animals | I. Sparber | Tom Golden, Bill Hudson | Carl Meyer | Robert Owen | December 23, 1955 |
| Ghost of Honor | Myron Waldman, Nick Tafuri | I. Klein | Robert Owen | July 19, 1957 |
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