“Guess Who?!?” That’s what a woodpecker who is pestering Andy Panda and his Papa shouts when he bursts through the roof of their house in the 1940 short subject, Knock Knock.

After this short, there would be no guessing who the character is – Woody Woodpecker, making his debut eighty-five years ago in Knock Knock, bringing with him not just that catchphrase question of “Guess Who?!?,” but his iconic laugh, which would burst forth here, along with the character, for the very first time.

From producer, director, and animator Walter Lantz, who had been working in animation since the silent era, came one of the most famous animated characters of all time. The eighty-fifth anniversary, this fall, of his debut in Knock Knock is the perfect time to look back at how Woody first flew into popularity.

The short is actually “An Andy Panda Cartoon,” as the opening credits tell us. Andy had been starring in Lantz cartoons since 1939 and headlines this short. Knock Knock begins with Andy (the voice of Sara Berner) and his father, known simply as Papa (Mel Blanc), at home. Andy is studying, but Papa is reading the racing form, when a constant knocking disturbs their day.

Andy informs Papa that “…it’s that Woodpecker again.” A beak pokes through the ceiling, spilling sawdust. This is followed by the appearance of Woody asking “Guess Who?” and honking Papa’s nose, and then letting loose, for the first time, with what would become his oh-so-familiar laugh. Blanc also provided Woody’s voice here in his first cartoon, and would do so for the next two cartoons before working exclusively at Warner Bros. Others, including comedians Danny Webb, Kent Rogers and Dick Nelson, took over, before Lantz’s wife, actress Grace Stafford, voiced the character from 1950 to 1991.

The remainder of Knock Knock finds Andy and Papa attempting to rid themselves of Woody, while Woody finds new and creative ways to thwart their plans and drive them to madness.

Papa attempts to use a stick on Woody, but the Woodpecker uses it on him. He then tries to use a shotgun on Woody, which doesn’t work, but, of course, does when Woody uses it. The gun backfires for Papa, sending him down the drainpipe.

Andy then tries to sneak up on Woody and put salt on his tail, but Woody threatens to tear Andy limb from limb.

So, Papa puts a time bomb in a decoy female bird (we know it’s a time bomb because it says “Time Bomb” on it) and sends it off after him.

Woody is smitten with the fake bird, but when he attempts to kiss her, she explodes. It’s at this point that Andy tries to salt again, but Woody pulls out a beer, Andy puts the salt on the beer, causing the head to disappear, and Woody downs the brew.

Papa then goes after Woody, trying to trap him inside his hat, but instead, Woody flies away, taking Papa with him. They trash the yard and fly up in the air with Andy firing the shotgun at them.

They both crash through the roof, and Andy is finally successful in putting salt on Woody’s tail. It works; he’s trapped, and two other woodpeckers from what looks like a psychiatric institution come to take Woody Woodpecker away, causing more havoc for Andy and Papa as the short concludes.

Knock Knock was quite the debut for Woody Woodpecker, who looked different in his first film, a little thinner, with differently designed legs, before he evolved, like many animated characters through the years.

Lantz co-created Woody with storyboard artist Ben “Bugs” Hardaway, who had come over from Warner Bros., where he had helped craft similar characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

A story circulated for years about the initial inspiration for Woody Woodpecker. In his seminal book, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Leonard Maltin noted that this backstory, while nice, was actually more mythology than fact, writing: “Lantz has made a legend out of the story of his honeymoon at Sherwood Lake, California, when a woodpecker hammered away at his roof and inspired the creation of the character. This delightful story has apparently undergone some showmanly embellishment, since the honeymoon occurred one year after the production of the cartoon.”

Another noted writer and historian, Michael Barrier also revealed in his book, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, information about who was at the helm for Knock Knock, when he wrote: “The Lantz studio records listed Lantz as the director of Knock Knock, but the actual director was almost certainly Alex Lovy (who has screen credit as one of two artists; no one is credited as director). Lovy had gone to work for Lantz in 1937, drawing story sketches for Lantz’s principal writer in the thirties, Victor McLeod; he began directing soon after that.”

The artists behind Knock Knock craft some creative and humorous gags, from a story by Hardaway and Lowell Elliot. Of note are the names of horses on Papa Panda’s Racing Form: “Eczema…Scratch This One, Bustle…Will Bring Up the Rear, Opium…This is a Dope, Noon Hour…Twelve to One.”

There are also fast-paced sight gags – when Woody kisses the decoy bird, he is sent into such a tizzy that he soars through a forest of trees, leaving multiple holes and even saws off nearby telephone poles.

Knock Knock, released November 25, 1940, definitely connected Woody with audiences. He would return the following year in his own cartoon, aptly titled Woody Woodpecker, and would go on to star in over 200 cartoons.

His laugh inspired “The Woody Woodpecker Song” (by George Tibbles and Ramey Idriss), which was recorded by bandleader Kay Kyser and became one of the biggest hits of 1948. In 1957, The Woody Woodpecker Show, sponsored by Kelloggs, introduced Woody to a new audience. The series went on to have successful runs on NBC and in syndication.

A new version of the series debuted in 1999, and again in 2018, with a full-length, live-action Woody Woodpecker feature debuting in 2017. The classic cartoons continue today as part of the MeTV Toons line-up.

The famous Woodpecker has also been seen on countless pieces of merchandise, appearances in Universal’s theme parks, and even as a high-flying balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

In the eight and a half decades since his debut in Knock Knock, Woody Woodpecker has become one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable animated characters of all time. He really doesn’t need to ask, “Guess Who?!?” anymore.