Hunky and Spunky

Hunky and Spunky are fictional characters, appearing in the series of animated short subjects produced by Fleischer Studios for Paramount Pictures from 1938 to 1941.[1] Filmed in Technicolor (three-strip), the series revolves around a mother burro and her son.

History

Hunky is a mother burro and Spunky is her young son. The initial film, titled Hunky and Spunky, takes place in the Old West, where a prospector attempts to make Spunky into his pack animal. Hunky and Spunky was nominated for the 1938 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

Fleischer Studios went on to produce six more cartoons featuring Hunky and Spunky: Always Kickin' (1939), The Barnyard Brat (1939), A Kick in Time (1940), Snubbed by a Snob (1940), You Can't Shoe a Horsefly (1940), and Vitamin Hay (1941). The series ended in 1941 with Vitamin Hay.

After Famous Studios succeeded Fleischer Studios in 1942, they revived the Spunky character alone for three cartoons in their Noveltoons series, Yankee Doodle Donkey (1944), Boo Kind To Animals (1955) and Okey Dokey Donkey (1958), with the latter featuring a simplified drawing style.

A positive contemporary review of Hunky and Spunky in Film Daily praised the short for introducing "funny new characters", and stated that the short's device of having the animals speak in "donkey talk" "will amuse the kids".[2]

Filmography
Title Original release date Summary
Hunky and Spunky June 24, 1938 Hunky is a mother burro and Spunky is her young son. This story takes place in the Old West, where a prospector attempts to make Spunky into his pack animal.
Hunky and Spunky in Always Kickin' January 27, 1939 Hunky is teaching her son Spunky how to kick properly. She has him practice with a mattress propped against a tree. Spunky befriends a family of birds who are building a nest. Spunky copies their design and builds a nest of his own. Although he is a donkey, he tries to imitate the birds in flight and falls out of his nest. A vulture kidnaps the baby bird from the nest and Spunky follows them. Spunky uses his newfound kicking abilities to send the vulture packing and return the baby bird to its parents.
The Barnyard Brat June 30, 1939 Spunky throws a temper tantrum and proceeds to make things miserable for the animals on the farm despite Hunky's efforts to calm him. When the animals take matters into their own hands and begin to torment Spunky for his behavior, Hunky comes back to save her son.
A Kick in Time May 17, 1940 Spunky is kidnapped and sold at an auction to a cruel Italian peddler. It's up to Hunky to save him.
Snubbed by a Snob July 19, 1940 A young horse says hi to little donkey Spunky. But the horse's mother pulls him away, saying she doesn't associate with that kind. Spunky makes a few more overtures, and eventually they set off on a chase, running across a bull from time to time. The horse stops to eat a lot of apples and drink far too much water; this leaves him too bloated to move much at all. The two continue to anger the bull, which gives chase; Spunky saves the colt, and they all live in harmony.
You Can't Shoe a Horse Fly August 23, 1940 Hunky and Spunky are settling in for a nap, but a horse fly sees them and sees dinner. After battling the fly for a while, the youngster enlists mom's help. But the fly is merely stunned, and rallies a new attack, this time with friends. Hunky eventually kills the lot of them.
Vitamin Hay August 22, 1941 It's time for lunch, and Spunky (the baby donkey) is expected to feed on healthy (and awful-tasting) Vitamin Hay. He resists, and wanders out of the barn to look for more interesting things to eat.
Yankee Doodle Donkey November 27, 1944 Spunky dreams of joining WAGS, a military group of Army dogs, but because he isn't a canine the Sargent refuses to let him enlist. However when an enemy army of fleas approaches the camp, it's Spunky who must save the day.
Boo Kind To Animals December 23, 1955 Casper comes across a man who's being cruel to his burro, Spunky, after scaring him away Casper promises to help Spunky find a new job.
Ghost of Honor July 19, 1957 Casper discovers an animation studio and inadvertently scares many of the staff, Spunky is among the cast of studio regulars who make cameos.
Okey Dokey Donkey May 16, 1958 A lonely and disappointed Spunky longs for somebody who he can love, till he meets a living carousel horse named Marilyn, with whom he spends a wonderful night of romance.

Preservation

The first film in the series, Hunky and Spunky, was preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in conjunction with the UCLA Film and Television, in 2013.[3]

References
  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. (July 1, 1938). Review of Hunky and Spunky. Film Daily, Vol. 74, No. 1, p. 4
  3. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.


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