Lil' Eightball is a Walter Lantz character voiced by Mel Blanc, who made his first appearance in the cartoon "The Stubborn Mule" in 1939. His final appearance was in 1939, in "A Haunting We Will Go". He is a racially offensive caricature of an African-American child.
"A Haunting We Will Go" is the first Walter Lantz cartoon made in three-strip Technicolor. From this point onward, all of the Lantz cartoons would be produced in color.
Film appearances "The Stubborn Mule" (July 3, 1939)The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: 1939 "". Big Cartoon DataBase, April 13, 2012 "Silly Superstition" (August 28, 1939)"". www.bcdb.com, April 13, 2012 "A Haunting We Will Go" (September 4, 1939)"". www.bcdb.com, April 13, 2012
Comic books Lil' Eightball first appeared in comic books in Dell Comics' The Funnies issue #64 (May 1942), appearing on both the cover and in a story inside. Lil' Eightball then appeared in Lantz's monthly anthology comic book New Funnies starting with issue #65 (July 1942).
Responding to pressure from the African American community, the character was dropped from New Funnies. The last appearance of the character was in issue #126, the August 1947 issue.Barrier, Michael. "Behind the Li'l Eight Ball" (September 2009).
Reception Responding in 1947 to a group of eight-year-old schoolchildren who had complained about the character, Dell's managing editor Oskar Lebeck wrote:
See also Walter Lantz Productions List of Walter Lantz cartoon characters
References
External links The Walter Lantz-o-Pedia