Events in 1961 in animation.

Events

January January 7: Robert McKimson's Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester cartoon Cannery Woe premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. January 21: Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon Zip 'N Snort premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 129 . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org. January 24: Voice actor Mel Blanc suffers a car accident which leaves him in a coma for two weeks. He is brought back to consciousness by addressing his Looney Tunes characters, in whose voices he replies. That's Not All, Folks!, 1988, by Mel Blanc and Philip Bashe. Warner Books, (softcover), (hardcover) January 25: Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians premieres, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske and Clyde Geronimi. January 30: The first episode of The Yogi Bear Show is broadcast, marking the debuts of Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle.

February February 11: Robert McKimson's Sylvester and Hippety Hopper cartoon Hoppy Daze premieres, produced Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 141 . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org. February 20: Wolfgang Reitherman's Goofy cartoon Aquamania premieres. February 25: The first episode of Art Clokey's Davey and Goliath is broadcast."Davey and Pal Make TV Bow", Hartford Courant, February 18, 1961, p. 11

March

March 18: Robert McKimson's Foghorn Leghorn cartoon Strangled Eggs premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Henery Hawk & Miss Prissy (who both make their final appearance in the Golden age of animation).Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 81–82. . Retrieved June 6, 2020.

April April 1: Robert McKimson's Sylvester cartoon Birds of a Father premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Sylvester Jr. April 7: The Flintstones concludes its first season on ABC with the episode "Fred Flintstone: Before and After". April 17: 33rd Academy Awards: Munro wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. April 22: Friz Freleng's Sylvester cartoon D' Fightin' Ones premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. The short is a parody of the 1958 film The Defiant Ones.

May May 1: The first episode of Otogi Manga Calendar is broadcast, the first anime TV series. May 20: Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble's Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoon The Abominable Snow Rabbit premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 61-62 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.

June June 3: Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow's Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon Lickety-Splat premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. June 21: Hamilton Luske's The Litterbug, the final theatrical Donald Duck cartoon premieres. June 24: Chuck Jones' Pepé Le Pew cartoon A Scent of the Matterhorn premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Penelope Pussycat.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 117. . Retrieved June 6, 2020.

July

July 15: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon The Rebel Without Claws premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 152. . Retrieved June 6, 2020. This is the final Tweety and Sylvester cartoon to be solely directed by Friz Freleng, as he would go on to direct two more shorts with Hawley Pratt. July 29: Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble's Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote cartoon Compressed Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.

August August: The first episode of Pingwings is broadcast. August 19: Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt's Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester cartoon The Pied Piper of Guadalupe premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. It was nominated for an Academy Award."The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved May 3, 2014.

September September 2: Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt's Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon Prince Violent premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. The short was later renamed as "Prince Varmint" for TV airings. September 7: Switchin' Kitten, the first Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Gene Deitch premieres. September 15: Season 2 of The Flintstones begins on ABC with the premiere of the episode "The Hit Song Writers", guest starring Hoagy Carmichael. September 23: Robert McKimson's Daffy Duck and Porky Pig cartoon Daffy's Inn Trouble premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 71-72. . Retrieved June 6, 2020. This is McKimson's final short starring Porky (though he would appear in McKimson's 1966 short Mucho Locos, but as archival footage from Chuck Jones' Robin Hood Daffy). September 24: The first episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color premieres, in which Ludwig von Drake makes his debut. September 27: The first episode of Hanna-Barbera's Top Cat is broadcast. The first episode of Jay Ward's Dudley Do-Right is broadcast.The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, a Flying Squirrel, and a Talking Moose by Keith Scott (), p. 168

October October 4: The first episode of The Alvin Show is broadcast. October 26: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Down and Outing premieres.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The encyclopedia of animated cartoons. Internet Archive. New York : Facts on File. p. 150. . This short marks the debut of Tom's negatively-received owner (nicknamed Clint Clobber) who constantly abuses the feline for the latter's actions.

November

November 11: Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble's Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon Beep Prepared premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. This was the only Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner short to be nominated for an Academy Award.

December

December 2: Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon The Last Hungry Cat premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. The short is a parody of the anthology horror TV-show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. December 7: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon It's Greek to Me-ow! premieres. December 30: Chuck Jones' Nelly's Folly produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres.

Specific date unknown Bagdasarian Productions is founded by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. to produce works based on his fictional characters, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Their first production was the animated series The Alvin Show. Lev Atamanov's The Key premieres. Arthur Lipsett's Very Nice, Very Nice premieres.

Films released

January 25 - One Hundred and One Dalmatians (United States) March 5 - The Coyote's Lament (United States) June 28 - Cipollino (Soviet Union) July 19 - The Orphan Brother (Japan) December 8 - The Strange History of the Citizens of Shilda (East Germany) Specific date unknown - The Key (Soviet Union)

Television series

January 1 - The Dick Tracy Show debuts in syndication. January 30 - The Yogi Bear Show debuts in syndication. April 3 - Minna no Uta debuts on NHK. May 1 - Otogi Manga Calendar debuts on TBS. September - The Dudley Do-Right Show debuts on ABC. September 1 - Tales of the Wizard of Oz debuts in syndication. September 27 - Top Cat debuts on ABC. October 3 - Calvin and the Colonel debuts on ABC. October 4 - The Alvin Show debuts on ABC and NBC. Specific date unknown: Out of the Inkwell and The Underseas Explorers debut in syndication. Pingwings debuts on ITV.

Births

January January 2: Gabrielle Carteris, American actress (voice of Vicki Vale in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Battle of the Superheroes!", Sable Thorpe in the Batman Beyond episode "King's Ransom", Poppy Beifong in the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode "The Blind Bandit", Jane Sherman in The Mummy episode "Old Friends"). January 3: Robert N. Skir, American writer (X-Men: The Animated Series, Gargoyles, Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, Beast Machines: Transformers, Extreme Ghostbusters, Godzilla: The Series, DinoSquad, X-Men: Evolution), January 4: Graham McTavish, Scottish actor (voice of Dracula in Castlevania, Loki in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Sebastian Shaw in Wolverine and the X-Men, Savanti Romero in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fergus McDuck in DuckTales). January 9: Candi Milo, American voice actress (voice of Sweetie Pie in Tiny Toon Adventures, Red in 2 Stupid Dogs, Mom and Teacher in Cow and Chicken, Crystal and Amber in Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, Coco, Madame Foster, and Cheese in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Maya Santos in Maya & Miguel, Irma Lair in W.I.T.C.H, Nora Wakeman in My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ophelia Ramírez in The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, The Flea in ¡Mucha Lucha!, Snap in ChalkZone, Nick Dean in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Jacobo in The Replacements, Constance Goldman in Pepper Ann, the title character in Astro Boy Continued voice of Dexter in Dexter's Laboratory, Granny and Witch Hazel in the Looney Tunes franchise). Al Jean, American writer, animator and producer (The Simpsons, co-creator of The Critic). January 10: Steve Hickner, American animator and director (Walt Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe). January 13: Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, American actress and comedian (voice of Princess Atta in A Bug's Life, Laurel Lightfoot in Onward, Gloria in The Simpsons, Rochelle in Planes, Julia in the Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist episode "Ben Treats", Miss Felter in the Hey Arnold! episode "Crush on Teacher"). January 14: Japhet Asher, English-born American television producer and writer (MTV Animation, Pet Alien). Robert Walker, Canadian-American animator (Atkinson Film-Arts, The Raccoons, Walt Disney Animation Studios), storyboard artist (Dennis the Menace), background artist (COPS) and director (Brother Bear), (d. 2015). January 18: Bob Peterson, American animator, director, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and actor (Pixar). January 28: Michael Paraskevas, American illustrator, cartoonist, and producer (co-creator of The Kids from Room 402, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast and Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse). Robbyn Kirmsse, American singer and actress (voice of Ember McLain in Danny Phantom, Germette in the Curious George episode "The Inside Story", singing voice of Penny Sanchez in ChalkZone). January 29: Michael Ferris, American television writer (Rugrats, Beethoven, Æon Flux, Recess, The Simpsons) and script consultant (Hey Arnold!). January 30: Denys Cowan, American television producer (Static Shock, The Boondocks), storyboard artist (Joseph: King of Dreams, Invasion America, The Electric Piper), and co-founder of Milestone Media. Dexter King, American civil rights activist (voice of Martin Luther King Jr. at age 34 in Our Friend, Martin), (d. 2024).

February February 4: Ron Scalera, American marketer and promotion executive (executive in charge for The Simpsons episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"), (d. 2010). February 5: Bruce Timm, American artist, character designer, animator, writer, producer, and actor (Warner Bros. Animation). Tim Meadows, American actor, comedian, and writer (voice of Richard Stands in Olive, the Other Reindeer, Lil' Barack in Lil' Bush, Mike the Mailman in Bob's Burgers, Brent in Santa Inc., Samuel in Chicago Party Aunt, Quail Eegan in Digman!, Wind Song in The Venture Bros. episode "Sphinx Rising", Orville in the Animals episode "Horses", Jameson's Dad in the BoJack Horseman episode "A Horse Walks into a Rehab").