<Tr> <Th> Significant other (s) </Th> <Td> Winnie Woodpecker </Td> </Tr> <P> Woody Woodpecker is an anthropomorphic animated woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures during the Golden age of American animation . Though not the first of the screwball characters that became popular in the 1930s and 1940s, Woody is one of the most indicative of the type . </P> <P> Woody was created in 1940 by Lantz and storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who had previously laid the groundwork for two other screwball characters, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930s . Woody's character and design evolved over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined looking and acting character in the vein of the later Chuck Jones version of Bugs Bunny . Woody was originally voiced by prolific voice actor Mel Blanc, who was succeeded by Danny Webb, Kent Rogers, Ben Hardaway and finally by Grace Stafford, wife of Walter Lantz . </P> <P> Lantz produced theatrical cartoons longer than most of his contemporaries, and Woody Woodpecker remained a staple of Universal's release schedule until 1972, when Lantz finally closed down his studio . The character has been revived since then for special productions and occasions as well as for The New Woody Woodpecker Show, a late 1990s / early 2000s Fox Network Saturday morning cartoon television series that featured prolific voice actor Billy West as Woody . </P>

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