# Flip the Frog

Flip the Frog is an animated cartoon character created by American animator Ub Iwerks. He starred in a series of cartoons produced by Celebrity Pictures and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1930 to 1933. The series had many recurring characters, including Flip's dog, the mule Orace, and a dizzy neighborhood spinster.

## History

Ub Iwerks was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios and a personal friend of Walt Disney. In 1930, after a series of disputes between the two, Iwerks left Disney and went on to accept an offer from Pat Powers to open a cartoon studio of his own, Iwerks Studio, and receive a salary of $300 a week, an offer that Disney was unable to match at the time.
Iwerks was to produce new cartoons under Powers' Celebrity Pictures auspices and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The first series he was to produce was to feature a character called Tony the Frog, but Iwerks disliked the name and was subsequently changed to Flip.
Ub Iwerks planned to release the series in both color and black and white versions through Celebrity Productions, Inc. The series attracted public attention in England by being the first color sound cartoon series, in the two-color British Multicolor System. These shorts were exhibited in England in color, but not in the United States where they were made. After four shorts had been produced (Fiddlesticks, Flying Fists, Little Orphan Willie and Puddle Pranks) MGM picked up the series. They agreed to exhibit Fiddlesticks and Flying Fists. Little Orphan Willie and Puddle Pranks were never copyrighted and remain in the public domain. MGM decided to produce the series entirely in black and white, releasing the ones produced in color in black and white versions only. Some have speculated that Techno-Cracked (1933) may have been photographed in Cinecolor. The Cinecolor process was a new two-color process that came out in 1932, the year that Technicolor began phasing out its two-color system in favor of their new three-strip process. Iwerks would go on to make extensive use of Cinecolor with his ComiColor Cartoon series.
Iwerks' studio quickly began accumulating new talent, such as animators Fred Kopietz, Irv Spence, Grim Natwick, and Chuck Jones (who worked at the Iwerks studio as a cel-washer before going on to inbetweening and then animating at the Leon Schlesinger studio). After the first two cartoons, the appearance of Flip the Frog gradually became less froglike. This was done under the encouragement of MGM, who thought that the series would sell better if the character were more humanized. Flip's major redesign is attributed to Grim Natwick, who made a name for himself at the Fleischer Studios with the creation of Betty Boop. Natwick also had a hand in changing Flip's girlfriend. In earlier films, she was consistently a cat, but Natwick made Flip's new girlfriend, Fifi, a human who shared distinct similarities with Betty (even down to her spit curls).
The frog's personality also began to develop. As the series progressed, Flip became more of a down-and-out, Chaplin-esque character who always found himself in everyday conflicts surrounding the poverty-stricken atmosphere of the Great Depression. Owing to the influx of New York City animators to Iwerks' studio, such as Natwick, the shorts became increasingly risqué. In Room Runners (1932), Flip, out of cash and luck, attempts to sneak out of his hotel in order to avoid paying his past-due rent. Another gag has Flip watch a girl taking a shower through a keyhole. In The Office Boy, released the same year, Flip tries to secure a low-level office job and meets a shapely secretary. At one point in the short, a mischievous mouse that Flip tries to apprehend scoots up the secretary's skirt. In A Chinaman's Chance (1933), Flip and his dog track down the notorious Chinese criminal Chow Mein. While investigating in a Chinese laundry, Flip stumbles into an opium den, inhales the drug though an opium pipe he takes from a sleeping junkie, and begins hallucinating.
The character eventually wore out his welcome at MGM. His final short was Soda Squirt, released in August 1933. Subsequently, Iwerks replaced the series with a new one starring an imaginative child named Willie Whopper. Flip became largely forgotten by the public in the ensuing years, but the character would make a small comeback when animation enthusiasts and historians began digging up the old Iwerks shorts. All of the Flip cartoons are now available in the 2004 Region 2 Flip the Frog DVD set released by Mk2/Lobster in France. Most are available in Region 1, in particular on the Cartoons That Time Forgot series.

## Flip the Frog Annual

In 1931, a Flip the Frog Annual was issued in England by Dean & Son Ltd. Published "by exclusive arrangement with Ub Iwerks, the originator of the film character, Flip The Frog", it was drawn by Wilfred Haughton, who also drew the early Mickey Mouse Annuals for Dean. The Annual only ran for one edition, based on Flip's ending in 1933 and the lack of success with it. The earlier, more frog-like character was used rather than the later version. The book contains 11 full cartoon strip stories, 4 colour plates and other one-page items that are not derived from any of his cartoons. All the adventures take place outside, unlike the cartoons, and feature additional characters, including a mischievous boy fox ("Freddie"), a policeman ("Robert"), an Uncle Flop (mentioned only), and others not shown in the cartoon films. An additional cartoon co-star included is Flap, Flip's frog girlfriend from Puddle Pranks (1930).

## Flip the Frog filmography
### 1930

| Film | Animated by | Backgrounds | Original release date | Availability | Notes |
| Fiddlesticks | Ub Iwerks Fred Kopietz Tony Pabian | Fred Kopietz | August 16, 1930 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | In two-strip Harriscolor; released by Celebrity Productions (early 1930) and MGM (August 16, 1930). |
| Flying Fists | Ub Iwerks | N/A | September 6, 1930 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Originally in two-strip Harriscolor; released by Celebrity Productions (early 1930) and MGM (September 6, 1930). Harricolor elements have not been located in the modern era. |
| Little Orphan Willie$^1$ | Ub Iwerks | N/A | 1930 | Return of the 30s Characters | Rejected by MGM and never copyrighted. Originally in two-strip Harriscolor, though color elements have not been located in the modern era. |
| Puddle Pranks$^2$ | Ub Iwerks | N/A | 1930 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | The first cartoon to open with Flip's specially-animated piano theme song. Rejected by MGM and never copyrighted. Originally in two-strip Harriscolor, though color elements have not been located in the modern era. |
| The Village Barber | Ub Iwerks Fred Kopietz | N/A | September 27, 1930 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | The first cartoon both produced for and released by MGM. |
| The Cuckoo Murder Case | Ub Iwerks Irven Spence | N/A | October 18, 1930 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
$^1$ Little Orphan Willie and Puddle Pranks were both rejected by MGM and never copyrighted. They were released domestically by Celebrity Productions, Inc., which also released Fiddlesticks and Flying Fists before the series was picked up by MGM. They were also released in Europe by other distributors, including the UK's Showman Films. $^2$ First cartoon produced for MGM, though rejected and not released by them; variant nitrate elements exist that present it with MGM titles. The 2023 Thunderbean Blu-ray collection includes this version as an alternate.

### 1931

| Film | Animated by | Original release date | Availability | Notes |
| The Village Smitty | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | January 31, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| The Soup Song | Ub Iwerks Fred Kopietz | January 31, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| Laughing Gas | Ub Iwerks | March 14, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| Ragtime Romeo | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | May 2, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| The New Car | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | July 25, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | First cartoon featuring the redesigned Flip Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist |
| Movie Mad | Ub Iwerks | August 29, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| The Village Specialist | Ub Iwerks | September 12, 1931 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| Jail Birds | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | September 26, 1931 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| Africa Squeaks | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | October 17, 1931 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| Spooks | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | December 21, 1931 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |

### 1932

| Film | Animated by | Original release date | Availability | Notes |
| The Milkman | Ub Iwerks Fred Kopietz Grim Natwick | February 20, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | This is one of the shorts that made pre-Hays Code Hollywood films notorious for pushing the boundaries of what was considered taboo at the time, particularly the use of curse words and profane terms. However, flip's mule uses the term "hell" in the context of the phrase "What the hell do we care". |
| Fire-Fire | Ub Iwerks | March 5, 1932 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| What A Life | Ub Iwerks | March 26, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist. |
| Puppy Love | Ub Iwerks | April 30, 1932 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| School Days | Ub Iwerks | May 14, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| The Bully | Ub Iwerks | June 18, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| The Office Boy | Pete Burness Chuck Jones Fred Kopietz Grim Natwick | July 16, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| Room Runners | Shamus Culhane Grim Natwick Irven Spence | August 13, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| Stormy Seas | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | August 22, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| Circus | Ub Iwerks | August 27, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| The Goal Rush | Ub Iwerks Grim Natwick | October 3, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | Original opening MGM logo music and footage exist – one of the few Flip shorts that is found with Jackie's roar. |
| The Pony Express $^1$ | Shamus Culhane Al Eugster Grim Natwick | October 27, 1932 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| The Music Lesson | Ub Iwerks Shamus Culhane Chuck Jones Grim Natwick | October 29, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
| Nurse Maid | Shamus Culhane | November 26, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | First cartoon in which the character is simply referred to as "Flip" in the opening titles. |
| Funny Face | Shamus Culhane Grim Natwick | December 24, 1932 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) | |
$^1$ Retitled as "Phoney Express" when the cartoon was reissued by Pat Powers.

### 1933

| Film | Animated by | Original release date | Availability |
| Coo Coo the Magician | Shamus Culhane Grim Natwick | January 21, 1933 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
| Flip's Lunch Room | Lee Blair Shamus Culhane Grim Natwick | April 3, 1933 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
| Techno-Cracked $^1$ | Shamus Culhane | May 8, 1933 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
| Bulloney | Shamus Culhane Al Eugster Ub Iwerks | May 30, 1933 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
| A Chinaman's Chance | Shamus Culhane | June 24, 1933 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
| Pale-Face | Shamus Culhane Al Eugster | August 12, 1933 | Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
| Soda Squirt | Lee Blair Shamus Culhane Al Eugster Grim Natwick Irven Spence | October 12, 1933 | Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 2 Flip the Frog, 2004 2-DVD set, Mk2/Lobster Films (France) |
$^1$ Possibly filmed in color.

## Home media

Thirty-seven of Flip's cartoons were compiled on the French Mk2/Lobster Films 2004 2-disc DVD set Flip the Frog. Twenty-seven of Flip's cartoons are included in the two DVD collections Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection, Vol. 1 and 2.
Another early Flip short, Little Orphan Willie, while not included on any of the above DVD releases, is included on the DVD collection Return of the 30s Characters from Thunderbean Animation.
All thirty-eight of Flip's cartoons were released restored on Blu-ray in October 2023 by Thunderbean Animation. The Blu-ray has an introduction by documentary filmmaker and Ub Iwerks' granddaughter Leslie Iwerks.

## In popular culture

A clip of the character tap-dancing on a turtle from Fiddlesticks is featured on a television set in the music video for Eminem's song "The Real Slim Shady", which a viewer laughs at.
Footage from Room Runners is featured during the intro sequence of the Futurama episode "Children of a Lesser Bog".
In the Muppet Babies episode "The Great Muppet Cartoon Show", footage from "Funny Face" appears during the "We Love Cartoons" song.