Meany, Miny, and Moe

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Meany, Miny, and Moe
MeanyMinyMoe TheGolfers.jpg
Meany, Miny, and Moe as seen in The Golfers.
First appearanceMonkey Wretches (1935)
Last appearanceThe Air Express (1937)
Created by Walter Lantz
Voiced by Mel Blanc (The Stevedores; drunk singing)
Danny Webb (Ostrich Feathers; explorer voice)
In-universe information
SpeciesMonkeys
GenderMales

Meany, Miny, and Moe are animated characters created by Walter Lantz, who made their first appearance in the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Monkey Wretches (1935). [1] Their final animated appearance was in 1937 in The Air Express. [2]

Contents

Personalities and development

According to their theme song, the trio are "just three monkeys from the sticks / just a bunch of jungle hicks / but they know a lot of tricks". At first portrayed as unclothed identical triplets in the Oswald cartoons, the monkeys began wearing clothes and behaving individually when they graduated to their own series. Meany is a wannabe tough guy, often bullying his shyer, clumsier brothers. In animation, the trio rarely speak coherent English, instead rapidly gibbering in an imitation of real-life monkeys. [3]

While usually depicted as monkeys with tails, the three brothers are occasionally drawn tailless, making them look more like chimpanzees.

List of appearances

Comic appearances

In the later Lantz comic books Woody Woodpecker Back to School #1 and 2 (1952-53), the three monkeys starred in comic stories of their own. The spelling of their names changed to Meeny, Miney and (sometimes) Mo. In the comics, the trio spoke English in a style roughly mimicking the Three Stooges. While Meeny's name no longer exactly matched the word "meany", he was still portrayed as a wannabe tough guy. [24]

See also

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References

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  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 103–104. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. "Meany, Miny and Moe, Three LIttle Monks, Soon to Make Bow on Screen". The Milwaukee Sentinel . October 12, 1936. p. 19.
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