{{Short description|Cartoon character}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox character | name = Dinky Doodle | image = Dinky Doodle - Sep 1924 FD.jpg | caption = from a 1924 publication | first = Dinky Doodle and the Magic Lamp (1924) | last = Dinky Doodle in the Army (1926) | creator = Walter Lantz | voice = | species = Human | gender = Male | family = Weakheart (pet dog) | significant_other = | occupation = }}
'''Dinky Doodle''' was a cartoon character created by Walter Lantz for Bray Productions in 1924. It was also distributed through the Standard Cinema Corporation (SCC).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/exhib00newy_0864|title=Comedy gets a New Character|last=Kopfstein|first=Jacques|date=Aug 1924|pages=30|access-date=October 12, 2025|work=Exhibitor's Trade Review}}</ref>
==Description== Dinky was a standard boy character, sporting a flat cap, a striped shirt, and dark shorts. He and his dog Weakheart appeared alongside Lantz himself (as the cartoonist) in a series of cartoons that combined live-action and animation, similar in style to Max Fleischer's ''Out of the Inkwell'' series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markstein|first1=Don|website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia|accessdate=2 April 2020|url=http://www.toonopedia.com/dinkydoo.htm|title=Dinky Doodle and Weakheart}}</ref> Walter Lantz not only acted in this series, but also wrote and directed it.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news|url=https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/Motionpict19121939librrich0010_0206|title=Motion Pictures 1912 to 1939|date=1951|pages=193|work=Motion Pictures}}</ref> The character of Weakheart, Dinky's black and white pet dog, was based on the 1920s canine film star Strongheart.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin|first1=Jeff|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals|date=1991|publisher=Prentice Hall Press|isbn=0-13-275561-0|accessdate=8 April 2020|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/282 282]}}</ref> The series was mainly silent, with some scenes having a gibberish sound when someone talked. Some scenes had sound effects for objects and animal sounds. A few episodes were parodies to fairytale stories such as the Pied Piper and Jack and the Beanstalk. Even the first episode was a parody to the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/exhi00newy_0018|title=“Cartoon Pioneer Says Drawn Comics Offer Laugh Month Variety.”|last=Exhibitor's trade review, inc.|first=New York|date=November 1924|pages=10|work=Exhibitor's Trade Review|access-date=October 12, 2025}}</ref> thumb|262x262px|Dinky Doodle and Walter Lantz (right) in 1925 The character enjoyed a degree of popularity among audiences. Contemporaneous reviews stated that Dinky Doodle had become a famous figure in the cinema world and was loved by millions,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/movingpicturewor71novd_0679|title=Moving Picture World|last=Chalmers Publishing Company|first=New York|date=December 13, 1924|access-date=October 12, 2025|work=Chalmers Publishing Company}}</ref> but was retired from the screen in 1926.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg|first1=Jeff|title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons|date=1999|publisher=Checkmark Books|isbn=0-8160-3831-7|accessdate=6 June 2020|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/25 25]-26}}</ref>
== Plot format == An average short would be about eight minutes long and would consist of Dinky and Weakheart hanging out with Walter Lantz in his apartment. A problem would arise and Lantz would get Dinky and Weakheart to deal with it. The story would then have them go on a wacky and fun adventure where it would then cause an even bigger problem in the end, mainly for Lantz. Whether that be them leading a giant into Lantz's apartment and having him fight him, or they think they lead a bunch of mice away and then they show up to tackle Lantz.
== Episodes == {| class="wikitable" !No. !Title <ref name=":02" /> !Directed By<ref name=":02" /> !Written By<ref name=":02" /> !Release Date |- |1 |Dinky Doodle and the Magic Lamp |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |1924 |- |2 |Dinky Doodle and the Bad Man |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |September 20, 1925<ref name=":02" /> |- |3 |Dinky Doodle in the Hunt |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |November 1, 1925<ref name=":02" /> |- |4 |Dinky Doodle in the Circus |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |November 29, 1925<ref name=":02" /> |- |5 |Dinky Doodle in the Restaurant |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |December 27, 1925<ref name=":02" /> |- |6 |The Pied Piper |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |1926 |- |7 |The Giant Killer |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |1926 |- |8 |Dinky Doodle in Lost and Found |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |February 19, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |9 |Dinky Doodle in Uncle Tom's Cabin |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |February 21, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |10 |Dinky Doodle and the Artic |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |March 21, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |11 |Dinky Doodle in Egypt |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |April 8, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |12 |Dinky Doodle in the Wild West |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |May 12, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |13 |Dinky Doodle's Bedtime Story |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |June 6, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |14 |Dinky Doodle and the Little Orphan |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |July 4, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |- |15 |Dinky Doodle in the Army |Walter Lantz |Walter Lantz |August 29, 1926<ref name=":02" /> |}
==In popular culture== The character was mentioned as someone supposedly kidnapped when Angelo mocks Eddie Valiant for working for a toon in the 1988 film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.
==References== <references responsive="1"></references>
==External links== {{commons category|Dinky Doodle}}
* [http://toonopedia.com/dinkydoo.htm Dinky Doodle and Weakheart] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. [https://archive.today/20240527123818/https://www.webcitation.org/6bQLlibgY?url=http://toonopedia.com/dinkydoo.htm Archived] from the original on September 9, 2015. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110514205810/http://lantz.goldenagecartoons.com/misc/ The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: Miscellaneous Cartunes]
Category:Animated film series Doodle, Dinky Category:Film series introduced in 1924 Category:American films with live action and animation Category:Bray Productions film series Doodle, Dinky Category:Characters created by Walter Lantz {{Animation-char-stub}}