Willoughby first appeared in the 1940 cartoon
Of Fox and Hounds. He was created and voiced by
Tex Avery. According to
Chuck Jones, the character was based on Lennie, from
Of Mice and Men (of which the title of
Of Fox and Hounds is a knockoff). Critic Steven Hartley described this short as lacking in creativity, originality, excitement, and story construction, particularly compared to Avery's seminal earlier work
A Wild Hare. Willoughby later appears in other Warner Brothers animated shorts, including
The Crackpot Quail (1941),
The Heckling Hare (1941), and
Nutty News (1942), as the lead dog of a fox hunting party. A fundamentally similar character, Laramore, appears in
To Duck or Not to Duck (1943), albeit with a fully brown coat of fur. Willoughby's brief career was essentially over before the end of
World War II. These dogs were mostly similar character design in ''
Porky's Bear Facts (1941), Ding Dog Daddy (1942), To Duck or Not to Duck
(1943), A Corny Concerto (1943), Hare Ribbin' (1944), The Goofy Gophers (1947), and possibly Inki at the Circus'' (1947). ==Appearances==