The crazy bird with with a wild hairdo and the most recognizable laugh ever heard burst into the animated scene in 1940, as a supporting character in an Andy Panda theatrical short, Knock Knock. Woody Woodpecker stole the scene and the show.

One of many screwball cartoon animals popular in the 40s, Woody was brash, arrogant and down right violent. In his breakout role, he harassed and annoyed two panda just for the fun of it, only to be carted off to the loony bin. More theatrical shorts in that vein followed with Woody as the crazed star. The legendary voice talent, Mel Blanc, gave life to Woody in the first few films but then the job went to Ben Hardaway who laughed as Woody for the rest of the decade.

A few more actors would voice Woody later on but there wasn't much to say, other than the famous laugh and the stock woodpecking sound. The lack of dialogue led to Woody's overseas fame since there was no language barrier to overcome.

Woody had many friends to share the spotlight with, including Wally Walrus, Chilly Willy the Penguin (adorable and always lusting after fish and pancakes), Smedley the dog and Gabby Gator.

Later films saw a different woodpecker, more streamlined and less insane. His look continued to evolve throughout the 50s until his move from the theaters to TV. ABC packaged a collection of Woody Woodpecker shorts for The Woody Woodpecker Show. Each half-hour episode contained three shorts, hosted by creator Walter Lantz who showed audiences different aspects of animation, like drawing Woody, coloring cels, etc.

Notably, the theatrical shorts were substantially edited for TV audiences, in order to remove much of the violence and 'inappropriate' action. Woody had been one of the wilder toons out there and many theatrical shorts featured heavy alcohol use, smoking and gambling.

The show ran on network TV for three years before going off the air; the red-headed bird resurfaced in 1970, and then appeared in syndication for the next 20 years. The New Woody Woodpecker Show debuted in 1999 with all new content and ran for four years on Saturday mornings.