November 21, 2024 is the 82nd anniversary of Warner Brothers’ beloved Tweety Bird, originally created just to give cats a hard time. He made his theatrical debut during World War II in “A Tale of Two Kitties”, and ever since then he’s been a beloved staple of Warner Bros. Animation.
Tweety Bird was created by Bob Clampett in 1942, and was voiced by the late great Mel Blanc. After Blanc’s death, a variety of actors took over the role. In Space Jam (1996) Tweety was voiced by Bob Bergen, who voiced the iconic canary again in Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).
Tweety Bird did not gain his familiar yellow feathers until 1947, when Friz Freleng took over his art. Before then, he was a pink, featherless chick of an indeterminate species. In addition to making Tweety a canary, Freleng also mellowed his personality. During the WWII years, Tweety not yet named) was a malicious little wretch who gave as good as he got, when fending off hungry cats like Babbit and Catsello. Freleng gave Tweety his name, his species, and made him a kinder, gentler bird, who defended himself but didn’t seek out trouble or hit back harder than the hungry cats who tried to catch him for lunch. And of course, after his initial outing, it was Sylvester who always caught a double helping of whatever it was Tweety was dishing out.
Mel Blanc had a hit record in 1951 with I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat (Remastered). It sold more than two million records and was #9 on the Billboard chart for seven weeks in February and March of 1951. The song was later covered by Helen Kane (the inspiration for Betty Boop) and Hollywood Great Danny Kaye.
Freleng also introduced Sylvester, who became the Javert to Tweety’s Jean Valjean. The two first met in 1947 in “Tweety Pie.” Tweety’s first pursuers were Babbit and Catsello, who bore a strong resemblance to a certain comedy duo. In the early days, Tweety faced several generic anonymous hungry cats. Between 1942 and 1964, Tweety appeared in 46 cartoons. Although he is no longer a young chick, Tweety Bird still continues his theatrical career in the 21st century. He won an Oscar in 1947 with the animated short “Tweetie Pie” which won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject.
In 1998, the U.S. Post Office honored Tweety and his nemesis Sylvester with a thirty-two cent postage stamp. In 2017, Tweety appeared in a DC Comics special, Catwoman/Tweety and Sylvester. Tweety teamed up with Black Canary against the felonious feline-themed DC Comics arch-villainess, Catwoman.
Oscar-winning movie star, Billboard chart singer, postage stamp honoree—what’s next for Tweety Bird? He’s two years younger than Patrick Stewart, and he and Sir Patrick are both going strong , despite both being octogenarians.
Happy Birthday, Tweety!
May all your birthdays be tweet ones.
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
“During the WWII years, Tweety not yet named) was a malicious little wretch who gave as good as he got…..”
There was a lot of that in American cartoons of that era. I don’t think it’s coincidence that, in those days, “kill the enemy even if they’re innocent people” was often considered a good thing.