Paramount's Famous Studios and Harveytoons Quiz

Answer: Mickey Mouse

The Fleischer Studios began operating in 1919, though the brothers had been independently making cartoons since 1914. Max Fleischer was also the inventor of the rotoscope, which simplified the animating process for generations to come. The company was suffering financially in the 1930s when Paramount came to the rescue as a partner.

By the time of the takeover, Dave and Max had been feuding to the point they no longer spoke to each other. It was on the strength of characters like Betty Boop (before the Hayes Office undermined her sexy ways), Popeye the Sailor and the Man of Steel that the Fleischers were able to keep up with Mickey Mouse and the Disney Studios as long as they did.

Answer: He was never a human

While cartoons from 'The Simpsons' to 'Family Guy' have offered their own forensic theories, the official line from Paramount was always that Casper was the son of parents who were already ghosts. Additionally, the 1995 film release of 'Casper' also gave him a last name...McFadden.
'Casper' was originally created as a childrens book in 1939 by author Seymore Reit and artist Joe Oriolo. When Reit entered the military during World War II (and the book was still waiting for a publisher), Oriolo sold the rights to Paramount/Famous Studios, where he periodically worked as an animator.
For most of Casper's run at Paramount, his voice was provided by Cecil H. Roy.

Answer: Little Audrey

'Audrey', who made her debut in 'Santa's Surprise', was drawn dramatically different from the stick-figure Lulu. Despite a number of similarities, most of Audrey's adventures stemmed from the dreamworld, where she would often go to escape reality or rectify a previous harm. Another similarity to note...both Lulu and Audrey were voiced by the same actress, the legendary Mae Questal, who also voiced Betty Boop and Olive Oyl.
'Little Dot', considered by many a dot-obsessed clone of Audrey, made her comic debut for Harvey Comics in 1949 and the behemoth 'Little Lotta' appeared first in 1953.

Answer: Baby Huey

Depending on who you ask, Huey may have been inspired by artist Chuck Jones, who created a unique variation of the 'Three Bears' for Warner Brothers...medium sized parents and a grotesquely huge infant. Huey's family also fit this motif.
Most cartoons would find Baby Huey trying to join in with his similar-aged (but normal-sized friends) to no avail. Then a fox, hungry for a giant duck dinner, would feign friendship until Huey finally caught on. The voice of Baby Huey was provided by Sid Raymond, who also voiced Katnip the Cat.
'Baby Herman' was a character created specifically for the film 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' in 1988.

Answer: Herman and Katnip

Herman the Mouse actually got the jump on Katnip the Cat by appearing solo in three cartoons from 1944 to '47, when he was finally paired with the slow-thinking cat in 'Naughty But Mice'. Most of the cartoons featured Herman's mouse relatives being brought down and banged up by the nasty cat till Herman shows up to save the day. Unlike Tom and Jerry's pantomime, Herman's New York accented-voice was provided by long-time radio actor Arnold Stang, while Katnip was voiced by Sid Raymond. 'George and Lenny' were the tragic duo in John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men', 'Hans and Fritz' made up the Katzenjammer Kids while 'Stan and Ollie' were the first names of legendary film duo Laurel and Hardy.

Answer: Buzzy the Crow

Because of changing racial perceptions, the practice of stereotyping was in its final stage by the time Buzzy the Crow came on the scene, usually as an ingredient for a 'miracle cure' for one of Katnip's ailments like baldness, insomnia, etc.
Buzzy appeared in only eight cartoons before being 'retired' in 1954. He was originally voiced by Jackson Beck (better known for his voice work as Popeye's nemesis, Bluto), but subsequent releases dubbed over his work for a more 'caucasian' sound.

Answer: Moe Hare

Tommy and Moe made only four cartoons together, but were popular enough to be shown on every official Harveytoons opening along with Casper, Herman & Katnip, Little Audrey, Baby Huey and the other characters. Jackson Beck did the voice of Tommy, while Sid Raymond voiced Moe Hare (a take-off on the term 'mohair').

Answer: A Jack-in-the-Box

The harlequin jack-in-the-box actually had a name, the unoriginal 'Joker'. The logo was almost a carbon-copy of a very similar character that introduced Paramount's 'Noveltoon' line of cartoons.
The purchase by Harvey gave Paramount's characters a chance to shine not only on the big (or small) screen, but also in comic book form. Harvey Publishing was created in 1941 by Alfred Harvey, who was later joined by brothers Robert and Leon.

Answer: Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness

Along with Wendy, Spooky and Hot-Stuff, Harvey also gave Casper a horse named Nightmare and a girlfriend named Pearl (or 'Poil', using Spooky's Brooklyn accent). Following Casper from Paramount was a trio of mischievous ghosts called the Ghostly Trio (Fatso, Stinky and Stretch), who have been portrayed as Casper's uncles.

Answer: Scooby-Doo

Richie Rich first appeared in the early 1950s as a back-up character to 'Little Dot' (the 'Little Audrey' clone with the dot fixation). Harvey Comics' founder, Alfred Harvey, actually claims to have created Richie back in the 1930s, but a claim can also go to long-time artist Warren Kremer, who created the look unique among the Harvey characters (and had a son named Richie as well). The 'Poor Little Rich Kid' finally got his own comic book in 1960 and became part and parcel to more than 50 other titles under the Harvey banner.

He made his animated debut in Hanna-Barbera's 'Richie Rich Show' with the famous sleuthing dog. In 1994, he became the subject of a Warner Brothers live-action movie, with Macaulay Culkin in the lead role.