First black animated TV character?

Factual Questions
1

If you EXCLUDE all the bigoted studio shorts of the 30s and 40s and concentrate on TV cartoons for series or specials made by TV animation studios like Hanna-Barbera – who was the first black animated TV character?

I’m thinking it’s Franklin, who (I think) appeared in “A Charlie Brown Christmas Special” in 1965 and later in “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” I don’t know if he had any lines in the Christmas Special or if I just remember him dancing during the big piano number.

Looking for something even earlier than 1965, if possible, that wasn’t a theatrical release first.

2

I vaguely remember an episode of the Flintstones that had a black character (possibly one of their celebrity cameos?) But that may well have been after 1965.

3

Franklin definitely was NOT in the original Charlie Brown Christmas special, in 1965. He DID appear in the Thanksgiving special in 1972.

Now, there have been black animated characters since the beginning of animation. The problem is, MANY (perhaps most) of the earliest examples are now perceived as racist (usually with good reason!) and don’t get shown any more!

The earliest TV cartoons I can think of with black LEADING characters were the Harlem Globetrotters and Fat Albert cartoons of the early 70s.

4

And the Jackson 5 cartoon in the same era.

5

Well, if I’m wrong about Franklin being in the original PEANUTS special in 1965 then the leading contenders would HAVE to be ‘Jackson Five’ and ‘The Harlem Globetrotters’. Thanks, astorian, Arken.

Every other black character – from Mammy’s black feet in TOM AND JERRY cartoons to Tex Avery’s “Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarves” – were all in cartoons that were originally theatrical releases.

Sort of makes sense that it wouldn’t be ONE character, but a group of already famous people, albiet animated.

6

I think we’re still looking at Fat Albert as the first, which I remember seeing in 1969.

However, I will mention that Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll did a cartoon series back in the early 60s that was basically an animal version of “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” called “Calvin and the Colonel.”

7

Well, I can get you back to 1960, which is the year that Davey and Goliath debuted. Davey’s best friend, Jonathan Reed, was black. As summarized at the Yesterdayland site, “The friends’ difference in race was never made an issue, except in one particular episode, “Different,” which dealt specifically with the lesson of tolerance.”

8

There’s a not-very-good picture of Jonathan at about the middle of the page here.

9

Is Davey and Goliath really animated though?

10

Gumbyesque stop motion? Good question.

Pokey was black… well tan kind of, or was it more of a reddish color? Come to think of it never mind, he’d never pass the Jack and Jill paper bag test anyway.

11

Mickey Mouse

<ducks>

LordVor

12

I can’t tell you for certain but there were Black owned and run movie studios from relatively early on. They may indeed have gone ahead and made Black cartoons. I’m not sure how to use the IDMB to find this stuff out. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for their directors to have made a few if not many animated shorts we I’m sure we can safely assume portrayed Blacks in a fair light.

13

Sparteye: I’m SO glad you brought up DAVEY AND GOLIATH! (1962, according to IMDb) I remembered watching a TV show with a black kid in it when I was a kid, but I just couldn’t think of the name. Thanks!!

LordVor: (slight hijack) Actually I do seem to remember reading about a one-time African-American animator with Disney getting into an argument with a supervisor and pronouncing that the greatest character ever produced at Disney was black – because (his paraphrased words) if you took off Mickey’s white gloves, his buttoned-up pants and shoes, his hands and feet and everything about him would be black. He quit on the spot… or was fired. Not sure who he was or when this happened, tho.

Mjollnir: According to IMDb.com and Yesterdayland.com, FAT ALBERT didn’t begin until 1972, which IS surprising. Cosby’s routines about Fat Albert were a well-established part of his stand-up act in the 60s, however. According to the TOON TRACKER website, CALVIN AND THE COLONEL is about a fox and a bear.

Everyone: Yes, I definitely accept Jonathan Reed as an animated black character but I’d prefer a regular “cartoon” character.

So as I see it:

Calvin and the Colonel () - 1961 () Clearly based on Amos n Andy, but starring a fox and a bear. I’d tentatively give this a qualified first.

Jonathon Reed () - Davey and Goliath - 1962 () Animated using claymation, not traditional cel drawings

Sugar Bear () - Post Golden Crisp - 1963 () HEY. The old Sugar Bear was clearly black and heterosexual.

Black Manta () - Aquaman - 1968-69 () (This is something only a comic book fan like me would know, as his race was not an issue in the TV show and his costume covered his whole body. First black super-villain.)

Harlem Globetrotters - 1970 (Voiced by blacks playing themselves, possibly for the first time)

Valerie (*****) - Josie and Pussycats - 1970 (First black female animated character?)

Jackson 5ive - 1971

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids - 1972

Verb - Schoolhouse Rock - Grammar Rock - 1973 (First black superhero!)

Franklin - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - 1973 (I don’t know. My mind stubbornly insists I saw him dancing in either the Christmas or Halloween Special in '65 or '66. But not one site I’ve been to independently verifies this, so unless I can peep an unedited tape of the specials…)

Thanks for all the help.

14

Oh, man! Verb rocked!

15

Kneadtoknow: I used to run around with a red towel around my neck EVERY time “Verb” came on – leaping off the furniture, screaming, “VERB! That’s what’s happening!”

16

Before the Saturday Morning TV series, there was at least one prime-time cartoon special, in 1969 or 1970, entitled “Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert.”

The only scene I remember from it, though, is a football game, in which Fat Albert is given the ball, and, as he is carrying the opposing team’s defender’s down the field, he’s saying, “Hey, hey, hey. . . Love ta play tackle.”

The Toon Tracker site might not have mentioned the connection between “Calvin and the Colonel” and “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” but it was indeed an animated animalized version of A&A, with Calvin the slow-witted bear (like “Andy” from the series) and The Colonel as the sly fox, (like “Kingfish” from the series.) (The TV series was called “Amos ‘n’ Andy” but the principals were indeed Kingfish and Andy, and there were very valid reasons for that discrepancy.)

17

Mjollnir: At least one other website cites the Fat Albert prime-time TV special you mentioned, and it was November 12 of 1969. Apparently this was omitted or overlooked at IMDb.com the other online 'toon resources I checked. Thanks for insisting on it so I could check it out again.

Actually, if you’ll read my post again, I agreed with you about CALVIN AND COLONEL being an Amos N Andy clone / homage / ripoff, done in furface as opposed to blackface, so to speak, which is why I tentatively listed it as a “first”. The asterisks (*) by the characters in the first four shows I listed are all problematic for some reason or another (Calvin and the Colonel and Sugar Bear being animals, Black Manta not being acknowledged as African-American.) With Fat Albert’s debut moved to 1969 from 1972, that pushes it up three years and making it the major contender – right after Davey and Goliath’s Jonathan Reed and before the Harlem Globetrotters.

18

Calvi and the olonel was indeed and Amos and Andy clone, but not a ripoff. The guys responsible for A&A were also responsible for C&C.I guess they finally realized that the times had caugh up with them, and ditced the race angle. For the record, there was a seres of Amos and Andy cartoons, by a minor studio (and before C&C)not TV cartoons they don’t qualify for this thread.