Flip the Frog

**Flip the Frog** is a cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks for MGM. Flip is widely considered to be the first MGM cartoon character. He starred in a self-titled series of theatrical shorts produced by Celebrity Pictures and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 38 of these shorts were produced in between the years of 1930 to 1933. He starred with many recurring characters, including his unnamed dog, Orace the mule, and his girlfriend.

## History

Flip was created by animator Ubbe “Ub” Iwerks in 1930, who was at the time famous for co-creating Mickey Mouse two years earlier with Walt Disney for the latter’s own studio. After leaving Disney, Iwerks accepted an offer from Pat Powers to open his own studio for a salary of $300 dollars a week. He was to produce new cartoons under Powers’ Celebrity Pictures, which were to be distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The first series he was to produce was one starring an anthropomorphic frog named Tony, though Iwerks, not fond of the name, changed it to Flip.

The first Flip cartoon made, “Fiddlesticks” was released in 1930. This cartoon is important to history for being one of the first to be produced in color. Soon after producing 4 cartoons, Flip the Frog was picked up by MGM, and Iwerks and his crew, (which consisted of famous animators such as Chuck Jones, Grim Natwick, and Irv Spence) continued to produce more Flip cartoons, though most of them would be in black-and-white.

Flip eventually wore out his welcome at MGM. The series and the character was never too well known, probably due to the many characters similar to him seen around cartoons in the early 30s. The final Flip cartoon, “Soda Squirt” was released on October 12th, 1933. Subsequently, Iwerks would move on to produce shorts starring a small boy named Willie Whopper, before leaving MGM in 1934.

Flip has become largely forgotten over the years, and is only remembered by some animation historians and enthusiasts. The titular character, along with his supporting cast, is now owned by the Iwerks estate.

## Personality

In his later years, Flip started to evolve into a Charlie Chaplin-esque, down-and-out character.

## Appearance

In his first two cartoons, Flip was seen as very frog-like, living in a swamp, and being completely naked except for a bowtie. However, that soon changed, and his started gaining more human characteristics, most likely in an attempt to get him in the popularity of Fleischer’s Betty Boop. This included a redesign where he got more cartoony features, and he became fully clothed, with a fedora and a jacket.

## Filmography

1. “Fiddlesticks” (1930)
2. ”Flying Fists” (1930)
3. ”The Village Barber” (1930)
4. ”Little Orphan Willie” (1930)
5. ”The Cuckoo Murder Case” (1930)
6. “Puddle Pranks” (1930)
7. ”The Village Smitty” (1931)
8. ”The Soup Song” (1931)
9. ”Laughing Gas” (1931)
10. ”Ragtime Romeo” (1931)
11. ”The New Car” (1931)
12. ”Movie Mad” (1931)
13. ”The Village Specialist” (1931)
14. ”Jail Birds” (1931)
15. ”Africa Squeaks” (1931)
16. ”Spooks” (1931)
17. ”The Milkman” (1932)
18. ”Fire-Fire” (1932)
19. ”What A Life” (1932)
20. ”Puppy Love” (1932)
21. ”School Days” (1932)
22. ”The Bully” (1932)
23. ”The Office Boy” (1932)
24. ”Room Runners” (1932)
25. ”Stormy Seas” (1932)
26. ”Circus” (1932)
27. ”The Goal Rush” (1932)
28. ”The Pony Express” (1932)
29. ”The Music Lesson” (1932)
30. ”Nurse Maid” (1932)
31. ”Funny Face” (1932)
32. ”Coo-Coo the Magician” (1933)
33. ”Flip’s Lunch Room” (1933)
34. ”Techno-Cracked” (1933)
35. ”Bulloney” (1933)
36. ”A Chinaman’s Chance” (1933)
37. ”Pale-Face” (1933)
38. ”Soda Squirt” (1933)

## Trivia

* A clip of Flip dancing in his debut cartoon “Fiddlesticks” is featured on a television set in the music video for Eminem’s song “The Real Slim Shady”.
* Legendary animator Chuck Jones got his career start working at Iwerks’ studio on Flip cartoons.