Foghorn Leghorn

Foghorn Leghorn, the famous rooster with the big, booming voice, was a familiar sight in the Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoons for around 20 years. Warner Bros' giant anthropomorphic bird starred in his first cartoon in 1946 and became one of the studio's most beloved animated characters.

By 1964, he had featured in 29 cartoons and was notorious for his loud catchphrases and his habit of saying the same thing twice and smattering his conversation with the words, "I say!"

How did Foghorn Leghorn begin?

The idea for Foghorn Leghorn came from a 1940s radio show, The Fred Allen Show, about fictional United States' politician Senator Beauregard Claghorn. He appeared in a segment called Allen's Alley and was famous for his blustering manner and obsession with the South.



Actor Kenny Delmar played Claghorn and was said to have based him on a real-life Texas rancher, who had a unique way of speaking, often repeating himself. One of his most famous catchphrases was, "That's a joke, ah say, that's a joke, son."

Foghorn Leghorn used this very phrase after the rooster's creator, Warner Bros' story man Warren Foster, was inspired by the fictional Senator Claghorn on the radio. The senator was fixated on the politics of America's South and hated the North as a result.

Foster pitched the idea to Warner Bros' director, Robert McKimson, who loved the character. Initially, McKimson was doubtful whether voice actor Mel Blanc could provide the Southern drawl he envisaged for Foghorn, but on hearing his audition, the director admitted, "He did a real good job!"

When was Foghorn's debut?

The first appearance of Foghorn Leghorn was on 31st August 1946, in a cartoon called Walky Talky Hawky, starring the squawking bird, Henery Hawk. Following his guest appearance, Foghorn Leghorn was given his own series of cartoons, directed by McKimson, who was also a talented animator.

Surveys revealed Foghorn Leghorn tied with the Tasmanian Devil as McKimson's most popular characters ever. Blanc provided the blustering vocals for all of Foghorn's early appearances, also taking inspiration from a character called The Sheriff on the Blue Monday Jamboree, a West Coast radio show.

During the 1950s, Foghorn's voice developed from being loud and somewhat gruff to the more booming drawl which fans came to love.

The oversized fowl's name came from a breed of chicken called the leghorn, while a foghorn was the loud noise used to announce ships in the vicinity, so it was a great way of recognising the rooster's booming, overbearing voice. His accent was known as a Southern "good ol' boy" style of talking.

What are the funniest moments?

Much of the slapstick comedy came from Foghorn's relationship with Barnyard Dawg. The rivals continually engaged in one-upmanship and as a result kept playing pranks on each other. Most of the gags were initiated by Foghorn, who liked to amuse himself by tormenting the dog. Although he always ended up losing the battle of wits, this didn't stop him.

An ongoing prank began with Foghorn strolling through the yard humming Camptown Races, before sneaking up to the sleeping Barnyard Dawg and whacking his tale with a plank of wood. Barnyard would shoot through the air and begin to chase Foghorn, barking angrily.

Foghorn would strut away, yelling "Aaaahhh, shaddap!" as loudly as possible - safe in the knowledge that Barnyard was on a leash and would be yanked back before he got even close to his tormentor.

Foghorn also introduced his grandson, Eggbert (also nicknamed Egghead Junior) in later cartoons. The cute little chicken inherited his grandfather's love of playing pranks. Foghorn would try to show the youngster how to play the perfect trick, but Egghead was smarter than he looked and usually outwitted his grandpa!

Foghorn remains a cult character, with some of his cartoon clips on YouTube receiving 6.8 million views! The cartoons never seem to date and are as popular today as they were when first launched more than 70 years ago.

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