rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (R C. Buchmann) (11/20/89)
Netbirders:
I just heard a little story about the origin of a very famous cartoon
character, and I thought I'd pass it on tto you. Yes, it does have
a lot to do with birds and birding. The story begins with a man, who was
mildly interested in birds--a "backyard birder." One morning in spring, he
heard a loud tapping on his drainpipe. Looking out the window, he discovered
a Pileated Woodpecker, banging his head on the drainpipe to announce his
territory, and making a real racket in the process. His first reaction was
mild anger, and he started to go outside to shoo the bird away. But then he
got an idea--why not make a cartoon out of this loony Pileated Woodpecker
who insisted on banging his head on a drainpipe at such a godawful hour
of the morning? The man's name was Walter Lantz, and thus Woody Woodpecker
was born.
On the same note, and a broader scale, one of the most famous cartoonists
of all time was not only an avid birder (with a life-list of ~ 1500 species)
but an amateur ornitologist as well. He had a lot of fun with birds, and
some of his cartoons have major characters who are birds. He knew--and
appreciated--the avian world more than most, and his name was Walt Disney.
--
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R. Cody Buchmann ^.^
"Kehaar"
email: rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu "Now I fly for you..." - Watership Down
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