Miss Prissy is a Looney Tunes character created by Robert McKimson.
About Prissy[]
Miss Prissy is a spinster chicken that lives in the yard of Foghorn Leghorn. She is typically described as an old hen, smaller and thinner than the other hens in the chicken coop, wearing a blue bonnet and wire-rimmed glasses. The other hens ridicule her and call her "old square britches" because of her prim, prudish, and old-fashioned personality. Her voice is based on Pert Kelton's character Martha Harrison from The Milton Berle Show.[4]
Her prototype first appeared in "Let It Be Me" (1936) as Emily the Chicken; this was confirmed in the ToonHeads episode "Emily the Chicken".
Her first redesigned appearance was in the 1950 short "An Egg Scramble", the only cartoon featuring her and Porky Pig, in which the other hens are making fun of the fact that she cannot lay an egg (because she thinks it's embarrassing). In this particular cartoon, Prissy takes on two voice talents. First, Mel Blanc takes on the role with his male-based, high-pitched "Yeh-ussssss!", which is Prissy's catchphrase. In one or two lines where she runs after the egg, Bea Benaderet steps in and voices, "My egg!" Bea also voices the other hens who tease Prissy using all her famous dialects: the Brooklyn Girl, the "Betty Rubble" (including the infamous giggle), and the deep, matron-like dialect.
Her next appearances are centered around Foghorn Leghorn. In "Lovelorn Leghorn" (1951), she is set on finding a husband, and in "Of Rice and Hen" (1953), she is looking to have children. However, in both "Little Boy Boo" (1954) and "Feather Dusted" (1955), she is depicted as a widow with a child, Egghead Jr., and with a more extensive vocabulary than her trademark "yeeeesss". In "Little Boy Boo" (1954), "A Broken Leghorn" (1959), and "Strangled Eggs" (1961), it is usually Foghorn who is pursuing Prissy for his own selfish needs.
Appearances[]
Cartoons[]
"An Egg Scramble" (1950) - "Lovelorn Leghorn" (1951)
- "Of Rice and Hen" (1953)
- "Little Boy Boo" (1954)
- "Feather Dusted" (1955)
- "A Broken Leghorn" (1959)
- "Strangled Eggs" (1961)
- "The Yolks on You" (1980)
- "Carrotblanca" (1995, cameo)
- "Cock-a-Doodle Duel" (2004)
In other media[]
The films:
- Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island
- Space Jam (cameo)
- Tweety's High-Flying Adventure
- Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
The television special:
The video games:
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries episode:
- "This Is the End" (cameo)
- "Fowl Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" (cameo)
- "Hogs & Kisses" (cameo)
- "Parallel Porked" (cameo)
Baby Looney Tunes song:
- "Down by the Cage"
The Looney Tunes Show episodes:
Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts:
- "Happy Birthday Bugs Bunny!" (cameo)
- "Feather of the Bride"
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ (3 October 2022) Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 (in en). BearManor Media, page 52.
- ↑ https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Looney-Tunes-Dash/
- ↑ https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Looney-Tunes-World-of-Mayhem/Miss-Prissy/
- ↑ https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/robert-mckimsons-lovelorn-leghorn-1951/