Droopy first appeared in the MGM cartoon "Dumb-Hounded", released on March 20, 1943. Droopy's first scene is when he saunters into view, looks at the audience, and declares, "Hello, all you happy people ... you know what? I'm the hero." In the cartoon, Droopy is tracking an escaped convict and is always waiting for the crook wherever he turns up. Avery had used a similar gag in his "Merrie Melodies" short "Tortoise Beats Hare" (1941), which in turn was an expansion/exaggeration of the premise of his "The Blow Out" (1936). In fact, this cartoon shows that early ideas about Droopy's personality were already germinating, as that film's Cecil Turtle has similarities to Droopy.