Gabby Goat

Gabby Goat is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons.

Gabby Goat
Looney Tunes character
Gabby Goat in Get Rich Quick Porky, August 1937.
First appearancePorky and Gabby (May 15, 1937)
Created byBob Clampett
Voiced byMel Blanc (Porky and Gabby and Porky's Badtime Story)
Cal Howard (Get Rich Quick Porky)
Bob Bergen (New Looney Tunes)
In-universe information
SpeciesGoat

History

Bob Clampett created Gabby to be a sidekick for Porky Pig in the 1937 short Porky and Gabby, directed by Ub Iwerks, who briefly subcontracted to Leon Schlesinger Productions, producers of the Looney Tunes shorts. The cartoon focuses on the title characters' camping trip, which is foiled by car trouble.[1]

Gabby looks like Porky with a beard, horns and scowl. The goat's chief characteristics are his irritability and short temper, traits that make him a natural foil for the shy, easy-going Porky. The concept didn't play out as well as the animators would have liked, however; audiences felt that the goat's behavior was too offensive to be funny. Gabby's creation came as several of the other departments at the Schlesinger studio were also creating new sidekicks for Porky (examples including Petunia Pig, Daffy Duck and a white hare that, after being spun off from the Porky series, evolved into Bugs Bunny); Daffy eventually won out as Porky's most enduring sidekick, while Gabby and Petunia were largely discontinued. Gabby only appeared in two more cartoons. The first was Porky's Badtime Story (Clampett's first cartoon as director), where roommates Porky and Gabby are almost fired from their jobs for sleeping in and showing up late. They vow to get to sleep early that night, but various problems keep them awake all night. The cartoon was later remade in 1944 as Tick Tock Tuckered, featuring Daffy Duck in Gabby's place as Porky's co-star.

The third and final appearance of the character was in Get Rich Quick Porky, where Porky and Gabby dig for oil. Both Porky's Badtime Story and Get Rich Quick Porky were produced in 1937. Recently uncovered storyboards show that Gabby Goat was originally planned to appear in the 1938 short Porky's Party. That role however was later filled by an unnamed penguin with a similar personality.

After an 80-year absence, Gabby was resurrected in New Looney Tunes, appearing in several episodes including "Gettin' Your Goat" and "Tweet Team".[2] In "Gettin' Your Goat," Gabby visits Porky's spa and is dragged through a health treatment, griping all the way. In "Tweet Team," Gabby, Tweety and Marc Antony team up with Speedy Gonzales to save Hubie, Bertie and Minnesota Rats from being eaten by Sylvester, Claude Cat and Pete Puma.

References
  1. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 56. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. Andrew Jam Blasted [@AWDtwit] (29 March 2018). "I'm happy to announce that "Gettin' Your Goat" of New Looney Tunes has aired! (in Europe) I'm honored to have been a part of bringing back a character that hasn't been seen since 1937! Gabby Goat, voiced by Bob Bergen, returns; joining his old chum Porky! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqrb4q5d0ic" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

Sources
  • Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons. New York: Oxford University Press. Pg. 343-346. ISBN 0-19-516729-5.
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