The Origin of Woody Woodpecker

Walter Lantz, an animator and producer who created the cartoon characters Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda, died yesterday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, Calif. He was 93 and lived in Beverly Hills.
Woody Woodpecker first appeared in a bit part in the cartoon short Knock, Knock (1940) and who became the star of a long-running series of cartoons the following year. Lantz’s wife, Gracie, provided Woody’s voice, and renowned voice artist Mel Blanc originated Woody’s familiar…