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Froggy

Froggy Laughlin

Profile[]

Name: Harold William Laughlin
Nicknames: Froggy, "Puddin' Tane" (in Surprised Parties)
Played By: William Laughlin
Born: February 29, 1932
Relatives: Father (name unrevealed), Julia (mother), Walter (uncle), Minnie (aunt), Tess (aunt)
Clubs: One-For-All-And-All-For-One Club, 1-2-3-Go Safety Society
First Short: The New Pupil
Last Short: Tale Of A Dog

Character[]

Bio: Harold William Laughlin is a late addition to the gang. Arriving in Greenpoint in 1940, he wears thick glasses to correct his crossed eyes and speaks with a deep raspy "Popeye" voice, thereby earning the name "Froggy," although he is once called "Harold" by his teacher in The New Pupil. It's unknown as to who gave him the "Froggy" moniker (possibly Alfalfa behind the scenes who gave Cornelius his "Corny" moniker), but he very much becomes a member of the gang in their adventures. His voice is enough to cause microphone wires to explode in 1-2-3-Go!.
Like Alfalfa before him, Froggy is an erstwhile little singer in the shows created to raise money. He and the gang play football, go fishing, run a newspaper called "The Greenpoint Flash" in Going To Press and go to war with Slicker Walburn over practical jokes in Fightin' Fools. He also runs against Mickey Gubitosi to be president of the One-For-All-And-All-For-One Club in Election Daze.
In Surprised Parties, it is revealed that Froggy is a Leap Year baby, which means he would have to have been born on February 29, 1932. (Since 1933 was not a Leap Year, this would make him one year older than the actor that plays him.) Not getting to celebrate his real birthday bothers him so much that the gang briefly kicks him out of the club to give him a surprise birthday party in Surprised Parties, but he slips back in disguised as a girl name "Puddin' Tane" and sabotages the party of which he is not a part. When he learns the truth behind the deception, he has to race ahead and set off all his own booby traps.
Froggy dreams of being a comedian, and with the voice, he's almost there. The gang tries to get him started by backing him in his act at the dentist office and at a funeral home in Radio Bugs, but things don't work out for him. It's also discovered that he has a crush on Marilyn Lee, but he can't dance and faints when she tries talking to him in Dancing Romeo.
Quotes:

  • "I don't have no money, and besides, it's too hot in here!" - Froggy in Waldo's Last Stand
  • "What's a hypochondriac?" - Mickey
  • "Never do unto others what we'll make you undo!" - Froggy in Fightin' Fools
  • "You know our motto: the pen is mightier than the sword." - Mickey
  • "Illegal? It's worse than that; it's against the law!" - Froggy in Going To Press

Notes/Trivia[]

  • Froggy's first name is confirmed as Harold; the teacher calls him by that name in The New Pupil. In other shorts, he's usually referred to by the Rascals as his "Froggy."
  • Froggy sings "When Big Profundo Sang Low C" in Ye Olde Minstrels, "The Flag of Freedom" in Doin' Their Bit, and "Oh What a Pal Was Whoozis!" in Melodies Old And New.
  • Froggy seems to have been intended to be Alfalfa's replacement; Alfalfa's last appearance was in Kiddie Kure.
  • Froggy, Mickey and Janet are three main characters to star in the 1940-1944 shorts.
  • Froggy and Janet are the only Rascals who had already appeared in the series before being added to the main cast.
  • Froggy (along with Alfalfa, Stymie, Chubby, Farina, Echo, Ernie, Mickey and Joe) are the only Rascals to not miss any shorts during their run on Our Gang.
  • William Laughlin was struck and killed while riding his motorcycle in 1948. If the series was still in production at that point, it's unrevealed if the character would have been quietly phased out or if his passing would have been written in the shorts.
  • Froggy, Spanky, Buckwheat and Alfalfa are the only characters to cross-dressed.
  • Froggy is the only member of the 1940s Rascals to be featured in later iterations of the series
  • Froggy has the last line of the series.
    • Alfalfa almost had the last line of the series if Hide And Shriek was the last episode instead of Dancing Romeo.
    • Froggy, Mickey, Janet, Happy and the adults who all appeared in 1940-1944 episodes wouldn't exist.

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