| Mr. Hook | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Mr. Hook |
|
First Appearance |
Take Heed Mr. Tojo (1943) |
|
Original Publisher |
Walter Lantz Productions/Warner Bros. |
|
Created by |
Hank Ketcham |
Origin[]
Mr. Hook is a character in a series of cartoons made for the U.S. Navy. He was the Navy's counterpart to the more popular Army character Private Snafu. Unlike the earlier Private Snafu series, which was created as an instructional film series, Mr. Hook was created exclusively as propaganda to encourage Navy personnel to purchase war bonds. The series included for 4 shorts with the first by Walter Lantz Productions being produced in full color and the remaining three produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons in black and white.
In Take Heed Mr. Tojo which takes place in 1953, and we see Mr. Hook talking to his son about his time in the Navy, and how war bonds saved him from Japanese airplanes.
In Mr. Hook Returns, Hook tells his fellow sailors his plans for the money he will get when he redeems his bonds after the war, such as new clothes, a home and a wedding.
The cartoon Tokyo Woes parodies the Tokyo Rose radio broadcasts in Japan, and it shows Mr. Hook shooting a naval gun round to Japan after Tokyo Rose criticized the usefulness of war bonds. The anthropomorphic war bond from the projectile later returns to Mr. Hook after the war to pay him for his bonds.
In The Good Egg, Mr. Hook is woken up while a little angel and devil of himself argue whether he should spend or save his war bonds before he returns home. The angel soon wins the argument and tells Hook to save his bonds until he climbs back into civies.
Public Domain Appearances[]
- Take Heed Mr. Tojo (1943)
- "The Return of Mr. Hook" (1945)
- "The Good Egg" (1945)
- "Tokyo Woes" (1945)