Today in Film History (December 21st, 1953): Chilly Willy Makes His First Appearance in a Self-Titled Cartoon!

On December 21st, 1953, classic cartoon character, Chilly Willy, made his debut in a self-titled cartoon. Chilly Willy was created by Paul Smith for the Walter Lantz studio, and soon became the second most popular Lantz/Universal cartoon character behind only Woody Woodpecker. From his debut in 1953 until 1972, fifty theatrical short cartoons were created revolving around the character. One of the most iconic "Chilly Willy" cartoons was "Half-Baked Alaska" in 1965, where Chilly Willy repeated the phrases, "More Pancakes? More Syrup?"