Toby the Pup
Encyclopedia
Toby the Pup is an animated cartoon
character
created by animators Sid Marcus, Dick Huemer
, and Art Davis. He starred in a series of early sound shorts produced by Charles B. Mintz
for RKO Radio Pictures
. The series lasted from 1930 to 1931. Twelve cartoons were produced, though very few still survive today.
Toby can be seen dancing in one of the scenes of the movie Cool World
.
cartoon series for Columbia, decided to create an additional series to be distributed through RKO Radio Pictures. He lured away two Fleischer
animators, Dick Huemer and Sid Marcus and assigned them to work with Art Davis to create a new series. Marcus, who worked for the Mintz studio when it was still located in New York City
, devised Toby the Pup. Toby was very similar to Fleischer's Bimbo
, in both personality and character design. Despite the series' success, it concluded after only twelve films; most likely because of RKO's ties with the Van Beuren studio
. However, by the time the series ended, Mintz was already negotiating with Columbia for backing on a second cartoon series headed again by Huemer, Marcus, and Davis. This time, Huemer devised a new character, a small boy named Scrappy
.
Today, very few of the Toby cartoons are known to exist. Only a fragment (about half) of The Museum exists in the Library of Congress
. Prints of the short have turned up in a few private film collections in the United States and four were discovered in Europe. UCLA
currently owns a silent print of Circus Time. The Cartoon Factory, a syndicated compilation of public domain cartoons distributed throughout Europe, featured three Toby cartoons, The Milkman
, Down South, and Halloween. Lobster Films, the company behind the program, currently holds these titles. A substantial fragment of The Showman, missing its soundtrack, has also surfaced.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by animators Sid Marcus, Dick Huemer
Dick Huemer
Dick Huemer was an animator in the Golden Age of Animation.- Career :...
, and Art Davis. He starred in a series of early sound shorts produced by Charles B. Mintz
Charles B. Mintz
Charles B. Mintz was an American film producer and distributor, who took control over Margaret J. Winkler's Winkler Pictures after marrying her in 1924....
for RKO Radio Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
. The series lasted from 1930 to 1931. Twelve cartoons were produced, though very few still survive today.
Toby can be seen dancing in one of the scenes of the movie Cool World
Cool World
Cool World is a 1992 American live-action/animated film directed by Ralph Bakshi, and starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne, and Brad Pitt. It tells the story of a cartoonist who finds himself in the animated world he created, and is seduced by one of his characters, a comic strip vamp who wants to...
.
History
In 1930, Charles Mintz, while simultaneously producing the Krazy KatKrazy Kat
Krazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
cartoon series for Columbia, decided to create an additional series to be distributed through RKO Radio Pictures. He lured away two Fleischer
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
animators, Dick Huemer and Sid Marcus and assigned them to work with Art Davis to create a new series. Marcus, who worked for the Mintz studio when it was still located in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, devised Toby the Pup. Toby was very similar to Fleischer's Bimbo
Bimbo (Fleischer)
Bimbo is a fictional character, a cartoon dog created by Fleischer Studios. He first appeared in the Out of the Inkwell series and was originally named Fitz....
, in both personality and character design. Despite the series' success, it concluded after only twelve films; most likely because of RKO's ties with the Van Beuren studio
Van Beuren Studios
Van Beuren Studios was an American animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons from 1928 to 1936.Producer Amedee J. van Beuren first became involved in the animation industry in 1920, when he formed a partnership with Paul Terry and formed the "Aesop's Fables Studio" for the production of...
. However, by the time the series ended, Mintz was already negotiating with Columbia for backing on a second cartoon series headed again by Huemer, Marcus, and Davis. This time, Huemer devised a new character, a small boy named Scrappy
Scrappy
Scrappy is a cartoon character created by Dick Huemer for Charles Mintz's Krazy Kat Studio. A little round-headed boy, Scrappy often found himself involved in off-beat neighborhood adventures. Usually paired with his little brother Oopy , Scrappy also had an on-again, off-again girlfriend named...
.
Today, very few of the Toby cartoons are known to exist. Only a fragment (about half) of The Museum exists in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. Prints of the short have turned up in a few private film collections in the United States and four were discovered in Europe. UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
currently owns a silent print of Circus Time. The Cartoon Factory, a syndicated compilation of public domain cartoons distributed throughout Europe, featured three Toby cartoons, The Milkman
The Milkman
The Milkman is a 1950 American black-and-white film starring Donald O'Connor, Jimmy Durante, and Piper Laurie.-Plot:Roger Bradley is the son the owner of a milk company. He wants to get a job as a milkman at his father's company, but his father denies it because of Roger's after-war trauma: when...
, Down South, and Halloween. Lobster Films, the company behind the program, currently holds these titles. A substantial fragment of The Showman, missing its soundtrack, has also surfaced.
1930
| Film | Original release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Museum | August 19, 1930 | |
| The Fiddler | September 1, 1930 | Lost cartoon |
| The Miner | October 1, 1930 | Lost cartoon |
| The Showman | November 22, 1930 | Short opening sequence and original soundtrack missinghttp://www.cartoonbrew.com/classic/toby-the-pup-in-the-showman-1930.html |
| The Bug House | December 7, 1930 | Lost cartoon |
1931
| Film | Original release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Circus Time | January 25, 1931 | |
| The Milkman | February 25, 1931 | |
| Brown Derby | March 22, 1931 | |
| Down South | April 15, 1931 | |
| Halloween | May 1, 1931 | |
| Aces Up | May 16, 1931 | Lost cartoon |
| The Bull Thrower | June 7, 1931 | Lost cartoon |