| Flip the Frog | |
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Real Name |
Flip the Frog |
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First Appearance |
Fiddlesticks (1930) |
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Original Publisher |
Celebrity Pictures |
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Created by |
Ub Iwerks |
Origin[]
Flip the Frog is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks, a renowned animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse, in the 1930s.
Flip is a small, charming anthropomorphic frog with a penchant for mischief and adventure, known for his playful spirit and mischievous antics that often land himself in humorous and adventurous situations. Despite his small size, Flip exudes an confidence and resourcefulness that made him an endearing character.
Flip paired with a suspiciously familiar-looking rodent in Fiddlesticks (1930).
Flip's animated shorts were popular during the golden age of American animation and contributed to the early development of cartoon techniques like squash-and-stretch. After the first few cartoons, at the encouragement of MGM, Flip the Frog's appearance became noticeably less frog-like. Grim Natwick, who made a name for himself at Fleischer Studios, played a major role in the character's redesign. He also swapped Flip's love interest from a cat to a human girl named Fifi, who bore some striking similarities to his other character Betty Boop.
Flip's personality also changed, going to a more of a down-and-out character, often facing everyday conflicts in the poverty-stricken atmosphere of the Great Depression. The shorts became increasingly risqué due to the influx of New York City animators - in "Room Runners" (1932), Flip sneaks out of his hotel to avoid paying rent and watching a girl taking a shower through a keyhole, while in "The Office Boy" (1932), he tries to secure a low-level office job and meets a shapely secretary. In "A Chinaman's Chance" (1933), Flip and his dog track down the notorious Chinese criminal Chow Mein, stumbling into an opium den where they start to hallucinate.
Aside from the aforementioned love interests, Flip's circle of friends and associates includes a variety of characters, from Orace the Mule, the orphaned Willie, to the rival of Kid Turtle. The Annual book is notable for introducing characters not in the cartoon shorts, such as a mischievous fox boy named Freddie, a policeman named Robert, an unseen Uncle Flop, and others. Flip's girlfriend from "Puddle Pranks" (1930) is also given the name Flap the Frog.
Public Domain Appearances[]
Public Domain Animated Appearances[]
A model sheet of Flip's updated design.
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Public Domain Comics[]
- Flip the Frog Annual #1
Notes[]
- Sabrina Online creator Eric W. Schwartz created Amiga shorts with Flip the Frog in the 1990s, this version was a bit more edgier than his portrayal in the original cartoons and his love interest in the shorts is Clarisse Cat.
- A number of Flip shorts claimed to be released in 1931 actually had 1930 copyright notices.
- The only Flip the Frog short that had its copyright renewed was Fiddlesticks (1930) which was his first appearance. As of January 1st 2026 this is no longer the case due to the short's copyright expiring, making the entirety of the character including all of his original shorts free of copyright.