Terrytoons

Terrytoons, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Animation studio
Predecessor	Fables animation studio
Founded	1929
Founder	Paul Terry, Frank Moser, Joseph Coffman
Defunct	December 29, 1972
Fate	Ceased operations; television revival 1987–1996
Headquarters	New Rochelle, New York , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Paul Terry (founder), Gene Deitch (studio head, 1957–1959), Bill Weiss (studio head post-1959), Ralph Bakshi (animator/director)
Products	Animated theatrical shorts and television series featuring characters such as Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Fanny Zilch, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Little Roquefort, the Terry Bears, Dimwit, Luno, Tom Terrific, Deputy Dawg, Hector Heathcote, Hashimoto-san, Sidney the Elephant, Possible Possum, James Hound, Astronut, Sad Cat, The Mighty Heroes, Sally Sargent
Owner	Paul Terry (founder until 1955), then CBS (from 1955), later Viacom/Paramount (post-1994)
Parent	CBS Films division (post-1956)

Terrytoons, Inc. was a U.S.-based animation studio located in New Rochelle, New York, operating from 1929 until it ceased operations on December 29, 1972, with a short-lived television revival spanning 1987 to 1996. Established by Paul Terry, Frank Moser, and Joseph Coffman, the company worked out of the "K" Building in New Rochelle. The studio was responsible for creating iconic characters such as Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Fanny Zilch, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Little Roquefort, the Terry Bears, Dimwit, and Luno, in addition to Terry’s earlier creation, Farmer Al Falfa.

In the "New Terrytoons" period, spanning from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, new characters were introduced including Clint Clobber, Tom Terrific, Deputy Dawg, Hector Heathcote, Hashimoto-san, Sidney the Elephant, Possible Possum, James Hound, Astronut, Sad Cat, The Mighty Heroes, and Sally Sargent. This era also featured the early work of animator and director Ralph Bakshi.

From 1935 until 1973, theatrical shorts produced by Terrytoons were distributed by 20th Century Fox. After Paul Terry retired, ownership transferred to CBS, which eventually acquired the entire Terrytoons catalog. In 1994, following Viacom’s acquisition of CBS, theatrical rights moved to Paramount Pictures. Paramount consolidated control over the studio’s library after purchasing CBS in 2000 and maintained these rights following the 2019 re-merger of Viacom and CBS.

Pre-Terrytoons period

Paul Terry’s animation career began at Bray Studios in 1916 with the creation of the Farmer Al Falfa series. He produced a Farmer Al Falfa cartoon for Edison Pictures titled "Farmer Al Falfa's Wayward Pup" (1917) and later developed cartoons for Paramount Pictures.

In 1921, Terry partnered with Amedee J. Van Beuren to establish the Fables animation studio, named after its Aesop's Film Fables series. Throughout the 1920s, Fables released weekly cartoons consistently for eight years.

In 1928, Van Beuren released Terry’s Dinner Time as an attempt to rival the emerging trend of talking pictures. When Terry declined to create fully synchronized sound films instead of post-dubbing sound effects later, Van Beuren dismissed him in 1929. Shortly thereafter, Terry founded Terrytoons close to his prior studio location and brought along essential staff members like animator Art Babbitt, who would later gain prominence at Disney.

Height of success

Terrytoons was often considered a budget-conscious studio that prioritized quantity over artistic excellence. Paul Terry famously remarked, "Let Walt Disney be the Tiffany's of the business. I want to be the Woolworth's!" The studio was slow to embrace new technologies such as synchronized sound (circa 1930) and color via Technicolor (1938), maintaining a stable visual style for many years. Music scores were primarily composed by Philip Scheib, who created original compositions because Terry refused to pay royalties for popular tunes.

The production goal was a cartoon every two weeks regardless of quality standards. Until 1957, screen credits remained sparse, typically listing only the writer (John Foster until 1950; then Tom Morrison), director (notably Connie Rasinski, Eddie Donnelly, Mannie Davis), and composer Philip A. Scheib.

Initially distributed by Educational Pictures, specialists in short comedy films, Terrytoons gained widespread exposure through Fox Film during the 1930s. After Fox merged into 20th Century Fox, support for Educational Pictures ceased as Fox began directly distributing and backing Terrytoons productions. Early popular characters included Farmer Al Falfa and Kiko the Kangaroo; subsequent series focused on Puddy the Pup, a distinctive scruffy canine.

Foreseeing Educational’s financial decline, Terry arranged for older cartoons to be distributed via home-movie company Castle Films in 1938. Although Educational soon shut down, 20th Century Fox continued releasing Terrytoons theatrically for another twenty years. The studio expanded its character roster with stars such as Super Mouse (later renamed Mighty Mouse), magpies Heckle and Jeckle, Gandy Goose, Dinky Duck, Little Roquefort, and The Terry Bears.

Despite creative constraints imposed by Terry’s strict business approach, Terrytoons received four nominations for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film: All Out for V (1942), My Boy, Johnny (1944), Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life (1945), and Sidney's Family Tree (1958).

Ownership transitions

In 1955, founder Paul Terry sold the studio to CBS upon his retirement, while distribution remained with 20th Century Fox. The acquisition was completed in 1956, integrating the studio into the CBS Films division. The following year, CBS appointed Gene Deitch, a former UPA animator, to oversee operations, though he managed the studio with significantly reduced budgets.

Among Deitch’s key works were the Tom Terrific segments featured on Captain Kangaroo, and he introduced characters such as Sidney the Elephant, Gaston Le Crayon, John Doormat, and Clint Clobber.

Before Deitch left in 1959, Bill Weiss took over full leadership. Under Weiss’s direction, production of Heckle and Jeckle and Mighty Mouse resumed. The studio maintained many directors from the Terry era and recruited experienced animators from Famous Studios, including Dave Tendlar and Martin Taras. New theatrical series launched during this period included Hector Heathcote, Luno, and Hashimoto San. The company also expanded into television with the debut of Deputy Dawg in 1959, along with producing The Adventures of Lariat Sam for Captain Kangaroo, co-written by future game show announcer Gene Wood.

Phil Scheib served as music director until the mid-1960s before being replaced by Jim Timmens and Elliott Lawrence.

Animator, director, and producer Ralph Bakshi, a prominent figure in the 1960s, began his career at Terrytoons as an opaquer in the 1950s and directed the Mighty Heroes series. Bakshi departed in 1967 to join Paramount’s animation studio, which closed that same year. He later produced Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures in 1987, a project that involved future creator of Ren & Stimpy, John Kricfalusi.

Studio closure

Following Ralph Bakshi's exit, the studio experienced decline and ultimately ceased operations in 1973. Due to FCC regulations prohibiting television networks from owning cable and syndication outlets simultaneously, CBS established Viacom Enterprises to handle content distribution beyond production and broadcasting.

On July 4, 1971, Viacom Enterprises was spun off from CBS; neither company retained ownership of Terrytoons. Meanwhile, Fox continued theatrical re-releases of Terrytoons’ film catalog. The final short produced by the studio was an unsold pilot titled Sally Sargent, centered on a teenage secret agent. When Viacom ended its distribution partnership with Fox, re-releases stopped, marking the end of Terrytoons’ active presence.

After Bakshi’s departure, Art Bartsch kept operations running but passed away alongside Connie Rasinski and Bob Kuwahara, leaving only executive producer Bill Weiss and story supervisor Tom Morrison to manage affairs. Viacom maintained the studio until 1972 before relocating Terrytoons to offices in New York City. On December 29 of that year, Viacom sold the vacant New Rochelle facility, effectively closing the chapter on the original studio.

Later developments

Bill Weiss continued producing Terrytoons content from New York throughout the 1970s; series such as Mighty Mouse and Deputy Dawg remained popular staples on children’s programming blocks from the 1950s through the 1980s. In 1989, television rights were acquired by USA Network, while new animated productions were developed by other studios.

During the late 1970s, Filmation Associates obtained licensing from Viacom International for The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle, which aired on CBS between 1979 and 1980. Subsequently, Bakshi produced Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures in 1987; this series ran for two seasons and inspired a new generation of animators influenced by original Terrytoons artist Jim Tyer. Noteworthy contributors included Bruce Timm, Andrew Stanton, among others.

Iconic characters like Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle made cameo appearances in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, boosting their brand recognition.

In 1994, Fox sold theatrical distribution rights for Terrytoons to Paramount, which Viacom acquired that same year; Viacom later purchased CBS in 2000. Corporate restructuring resulted in rights being divided between various Viacom and CBS divisions. Following their re-merger in 2019 as ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global), theatrical distribution is managed by Paramount Pictures through Paramount Animation, while TV distribution falls under CBS Entertainment Group via CBS Media Ventures.

Several shorts have entered public domain status and are available on budget DVD compilations or online archives. In 2010, CBS DVD released a complete collection of Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures.

In 1999, Nickelodeon attempted to revive Terrytoons characters with Curbside, a parody talk show featuring voices from prominent actors such as Toby Huss and Billy West. Despite notable talent involvement, the project was never picked up for broadcast.

Between 2001 and 2002, Terrytoons characters appeared in Brazilian advertisements for blue cheese and wine; one particular Mighty Mouse commercial was withdrawn following the September 11 attacks.

A live-action/animated Mighty Mouse feature was announced in 2004 with Steve Oedekerk attached as director but became stuck in development limbo. Revival efforts resumed in April 2019 under Paramount Animation with writers Jon and Erich Hoeber alongside producers Karen Rosenfelt and Robert W. Cort. In November 2024, Paramount Animation partnered with Maximum Effort—co-founded by Ryan Reynolds as producer—with Matt Lieberman attached as screenwriter.

Comic books

During the 1940s and 1950s, Terrytoons licensed comic books featuring popular characters such as Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, and Little Roquefort. The initial license was granted to Timely (a forerunner of Marvel) in 1942, after which publication rights transitioned through several publishers including St. John Publications (1947–1956), Pines Comics (1956–1959), Dell Comics (1959–1962; 1966–1967), and Western Publishing (1962–1980).

The primary series, Terry-Toons Comics, was published by Timely from October 1942 until August 1947, with St. John Publications continuing it through May 1951. In 1951, the title was changed to Paul Terry's Comics, which ran until May 1955, producing a total of 125 issues.

Timely introduced the Mighty Mouse comic in 1946; St. John assumed publication starting with issue #5 in 1947, releasing 71 issues. Pines Comics followed with 16 issues between 1956 and 1959, Dell released 12 issues from 1959 to 1962, and Western Publishing issued 17 issues spanning from 1962 to 1980, including a break between 1965 and 1979, concluding at issue #172.

Significantly, St. John was responsible for creating the comic industry's first-ever 3-D comic book, Three Dimension Comics #1 (1953), starring Mighty Mouse. Co-creator Joe Kubert noted that this edition sold approximately 1.2 million copies at a retail price of 25 cents each, marking a substantial commercial achievement compared to typical comic book prices of the era.

Dell also produced eight issues under the title New Terrytoons between 1960 and 1962.

This collection of comic titles exemplifies Terrytoons’ approach to licensing its intellectual property across multiple publishers to maintain a consistent market presence and generate revenue over several decades.

Terrytoons comic book titles

• Adventures of Mighty Mouse (18 issues, Nov 1951 – May 1955) — published by St. John
• Dinky Duck (19 issues, Nov 1951 – Summer 1958) — initially by St. John, later continued by Pines
• Gandy Goose (4 issues, Mar–Nov 1953) — St. John
• Heckle and Jeckle (32 issues, Oct 1951 – Jun 1959) — started by St. John, followed by Pines; subsequent editions by Western Publishing and Dell
• Little Roquefort Comics (10 issues, Jun 1952 – Summer 1958) — published by St. John and later Pines
• Mighty Mouse / Paul Terry's Mighty Mouse Comics (172 issues, Fall 1946 – Jan 1980) — launched by Timely; continued through St. John, Pines, Dell, and Western
• Mighty Mouse Album (3 issues, Oct–Dec 1952) — St. John
• New Terrytoons (8 issues, Jun/Aug 1960 – Mar/May 1962) — Dell
• Terry Bears Comics / Terrytoons, the Terry Bears (4 issues, Jun 1952 – Summer 1958) — initiated by St. John and continued by Pines
• Terry-Toons Comics / Paul Terry's Comics (125 issues, Oct 1942 – May 1955) — started by Timely and carried on by St. John
• TerryToons Comics (9 issues, Jun 1952 – Nov 1953) — St. John; separate from the earlier series

Filmography

Refer to List of Terrytoons animated shorts for a comprehensive filmography

Theatrical short film series

• Aesop's Fables (1945–1960)
• Astronut (1964–1971)
• Clint Clobber (1957–1959)
• Deputy Dawg (1960–1964)
• Dimwit (1953–1957)
• Dingbat (1950)
• Dinky Duck (1939–1957)
• Duckwood (1964)
• Fanny Zilch (1933–1938)
• Farmer Al Falfa (1915–1956)
• Foofle (1959–1960)
• Gandy Goose (1938–1955)
• Gaston Le Crayon (1957–1959)
• Good Deed Daily (1955–1956)
• Half Pint (1951)
• Hashimoto (1959–1963)
• Heckle and Jeckle (1946–1966)
• Hector Heathcote (1959–1971)
• James Hound (1966–1967)
• John Doormat (1957–1959)
• Kiko the Kangaroo (1936–1937)
• Little Roquefort (1950–1955)
• Luno The White Stallion (1963–1964)
• Martian Moochers (1966)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1961)
• Nancy (1942)
• Possible Possum (1965–1971)
• Puddy the Pup (1935–1942)
• Sad Cat (1965–1968)
• Sidney the Elephant (1958–1963)
• The Terry Bears (1951–1956)

Television Series

• Barker Bill's Cartoon Show (1953–1956)
• Mighty Mouse Playhouse (1955–1967)
• CBS Cartoon Theatre (1956)
• The Heckle and Jeckle Show (1956)
• Tom Terrific (1957)
• The Deputy Dawg Show (1959–1964)
• The Adventures of Lariat Sam (1962)
• The Hector Heathcote Show (1963)
• The Astronut Show (1965)
• Mighty Mouse, and The Mighty Heroes (1966–1967)

External links

• Filmography following the Paul Terry period