Q: I have a red plastic Woody Woodpecker toy about 5 inches tall with a wobble head and a harmonica on the back. When blown across, it imitates his laugh. This was purchased in 1949 or 1950.

For that was the day Woody Woodpecker made his big-screen debut, as a guest star in an Andy Panda cartoon called "Knock Knock." Woody was the creation of animator Walter Lantz, who told his ...