List of breakout characters
Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the 1940 Andy Panda short, "Knock Knock", but Woody ended up becoming a global success, and the audiences loved him. Universal Studios and Walter Lantz are so thrilled with the zany woodpecker, that Woody Woodpecker not only became so popular with the all-American moviegoers, but he was also a favorite among the US soldiers. Since Woody was immediately rewarded his own solo series of cartoon shorts the following year, Walter Lantz quickly decided to blocked Andy Panda's popularity. Due to his massive popularity during WWII, Woody Woodpecker finally became Walter Lantz's most legendary megastar, as well as the official mascot of Universal Pictures.