Gabby Series (Fleischer Studios)

Gabby was a Max Fleischer animated cartoon series distributed through Paramount Pictures. Gabby debuted as the town crier in the 1939 animated feature Gulliver’s Travels produced by Fleischer. Shortly afterward Paramount and Fleischer gave Gabby his own Technicolor spinoff cartoon series, eight entries of which were produced between 1940 and 1941. Gabby was voiced by Pinto Colvig, the voice of Walt Disney's Goofy, and Grumpy and Sleepy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Jack Mercer (the voice of Popeye and King Little, Sneak, Snoop, Snitch, and Twinkle Toes in Gulliver’s Travels) was regularly cast alongside Colvig, as either a king, mayor, snitch, fish, castle worker, fire chief/fireman, or sometimes even as Gabby's humming.

The Gabby cartoons were sold to U.M. & M. TV Corporation in 1955, which later became part of National Telefilm Associates, which became Republic Pictures, and was then sold to Paramount's current parent Viacom in 1999. Today, the Gabby cartoons are in the public domain. For official releases, the cartoons are currently syndicated on television by Trifecta Entertainment & Media (inherited from CBS Television Distribution and other companies), original distributor Paramount owns the theatrical rights, and Olive Films owns the DVD rights. However, most Gabby cartoons can be found in faded public domain television prints, usually featuring National Telefilm Associates openings.

1940

 * "King for a Day" (October 18, 1940)
 * "The Constable" (November 15, 1940)

1941

 * "All's Well" (January 17, 1941)
 * "Two for the Zoo" (February 21, 1941)
 * "Swing Cleaning" (April 11, 1941)
 * "Fire Cheese" (June 20, 1941)
 * "Gabby Goes Fishing" (July 18, 1941)
 * "It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day" (August 15, 1941)

Why It Sucks

 * 1) The main protagonist; Gabby, is very annoying and unlikable. He has no sympathy for others, thinks he can teach others how to do right and causes trouble in the process.
 * 2) Gabby's voice is incredibly annoying and ear-piercing. The Fleischers chose to pitch shift Pinto Colvig's voice to make him sound comical, but failed.
 * 3) Most of the writing is very dull and predictable, with not enough inventiveness to keep the audience entertained.
 * 4) The series barely follows nor mention any of the events of "Max Fleischer’s Gulliver’s Travels". Neither Princess Glory nor Prince David appear in any of the shorts.
 * 5) In "The Constable", a guard commits suicide after seeing Gabby dressed as a pig (albeit done off-screen).
 * 6) The designs for the Rubber-Neck Kangos from "Two for the Zoo" are uncreative and feel like hybrids of Kangaroos, Elephants, and Giraffes.
 * 7) Most of the jokes are unfunny and weak, to the point where the Fleischers consider the idea of screaming as acting and characters being overly violent to each other without any charm or likeability.
 * 8) * In "Two for the Zoo", Gabby stretches a baby Rubber-Neck Kango to see if it can grow big again, this is animal cruelty at it’s worst.
 * 9) * In fact, during their Miami years, the Fleischers were trying too hard to be funny for the most part. What got them to do the opposite was the licensing of Superman at the end of the studio's run.
 * 10) Alongside Animated Antics and the Stone Age series, it was the cause of the decline and eventually the rebranding of Fleischer Studios to Famous Studios.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The animation and music are still good for it’s time.
 * 2) The pilot short; "King for a Day" was decent.
 * 3) Funny moments here and there.