Meany, Miny, and Moe
Fictional character
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Danny Webb (Ostrich Feathers; explorer voice)
| Meany, Miny, and Moe | |
|---|---|
Meany, Miny, and Moe as seen in The Golfers | |
First appearance | Monkey Wretches (1935) |
Last appearance | The Air Express (1937) |
| Created by | Walter Lantz |
| Voiced by | Mel Blanc (The Stevedores; drunk singing) Danny Webb (Ostrich Feathers; explorer voice) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Monkeys |
| Gender | Males |
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
| No. | Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A. | "Monkey Wretches"[4][5] | November 11, 1935 | In an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon. The first appearance of Meany, Miney and Moe. |
| N/A. | "Beauty Shoppe"[6][7] | March 30, 1936 | In an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon |
| N/A. | "Farming Fools"[6][8] | May 25, 1936 | In an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon |
| N/A. | "Battle Royal"[6][9] | June 22, 1936 | In an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon |
| 1 | "Turkey Dinner"[6][10] | November 30, 1936 | The first Meany, Miny and Moe cartoon |
| 2 | "Knights For The Day"[6][11] | December 25, 1936 | |
| 3 | "The Golfers"[12][13] | January 11, 1937 | |
| 4 | "House Of Magic"[12][14] | February 8, 1937 | |
| 5 | "The Big Race"[12][15] | March 8, 1937 | |
| 6 | "The Lumber Camp"[12][16] | March 15, 1937 | |
| 7 | "The Steel Workers"[12][17] | April 26, 1937 | |
| 8 | "The Stevedores"[12][18] | May 24, 1937 | The first cartoon that the characters speak. |
| 9 | "The Country Store"[12][19] | July 5, 1937 | |
| 10 | "Firemen's Picnic"[12][20] | August 16, 1937 | |
| 11 | "The Rest Resort"[12][21] | August 23, 1937 | |
| 12 | "Ostrich Feathers"[12][22] | September 6, 1937 | |
| 13 | "The Air Express"[12][23] | September 20, 1937 | The last Meany, Miny, and Moe cartoon. The last appearance of Meany, Miney and Moe. |
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]