Heckle and Jeckle were a pair of black magpies who were best friends and identical in their appearance, if not their personality. Heckle had a streetwise background, as was evident in his Brooklyn accent, while Jeckle was the more sophisticated orator of the two. They both shared the same razor-sharp wit and enormous vocabulary, which they wielded unmercifully on their unsuspecting victims. Not surprisingly, they spent their days as con artists, always convincing the upper class residents of the city to provide them with free food and shelter.

Created by Paul Terry and animated by his company, Terrytoons, Heckle and Jeckle made their first television appearance on the CBS Cartoon Theater in 1956 (which, incidentally preceded The Flintstones as the first animated prime time series.) Their segments (a collection of previously created film shorts) were introduced each week by the show’s host, Dick Van Dyke, who “conversed” onscreen with his animated friends (perhaps in preparation for his later roles in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.)

Heckle and Jeckle would make a comeback in 1979, appearing in a new Saturday morning offering, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle. An odd pairing, to say the least, but the show introduced a whole new generation to the wisecracking antics of the street-smart bird buddies always looking for a free ride.    

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