Foghorn Leghorn: Looney Tunes' Famous Chicken Hawk

what is the chicken hawks name on looney tunes

Henery Hawk is a tiny, brown chicken hawk and a Looney Tunes character. He is very small, even compared to other chicken hawks, and is about the size of a sparrow or a baby owl. Henery has a forelock of feathers, a boisterous gangster-style voice, and an oddball accent. He is known for his love for chicken and his desire to capture and eat one. Henery often succeeds in capturing his prey, mostly Foghorn Leghorn, an anthropomorphic rooster. Foghorn often tricks Henery into believing that he is another animal, and the two have a dynamic of protagonist and antagonist.

Characteristics Values
Name Henery Hawk
Species Chicken Hawk
Colour Brown
Size Very small, about the size of a sparrow or a baby owl
Voice Boisterous gangster-style voice, similar to Tweety
Personality Naive, loudmouthed, obnoxious, annoying
Favourite food Chicken
Appearances Cartoons, comic books, films, TV series
Voice actors Mel Blanc, Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey, Greg Burson, Frank Gorshin, Jeff Bennett, Bill Farmer, Eric Bauza
Creators Robert McKimson, Warren Foster
Cartoon directors Robert McKimson, Charles McKimson, Phil DeLara, Rod Scribner, J.C. Melendez, Emery Hawkins

cychicken

Henery Hawk's appearance and personality

Henery Hawk is a tiny brown chicken hawk with a forelock of feathers. He is very small, even compared to other chicken hawks, about the size of a sparrow or a baby owl. His parents are several times taller than him. From his size and the fact that he doesn't know what a chicken looks like, it can be assumed that he is very young. Despite this, he has a boisterous gangster-style voice and attitude. His voice is similar to that of Tweety, but without the speech impediment.

Henery is a blustery loudmouth with an oddball accent, which makes him a somewhat odd foil for Foghorn Leghorn. Many of the more "classic" protagonist/antagonist pairs feature characters with opposing personalities, and Henery and Foghorn are no exception. Henery is obnoxious and egotistical, and he often picks fights with Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dawg. He is also incredibly stupid and naive, which often leads to him being tricked by Foghorn.

In a typical Foghorn/Henery cartoon, Henery strikes out on his own for the first time, eager to capture (and presumably consume) a chicken. However, because he has led a sheltered life, he does not know what a chicken looks like, only that chicken hawks eat them. Foghorn, seeing the potential for annoyance, points Henery in the direction of Barnyard Dawg. The remainder of the cartoon is usually consumed by Dawg and Leghorn alternately assuring Henery that the other is a chicken and encouraging him to attack the "chicken" mercilessly.

Many cartoons end with Henery capturing one or both of his tormentors, shrugging his shoulders over whether his prey is an actual fowl. Typically, he would decide that one of them must be a real chicken, knock them both out and capture them both, threatening them with the catchphrase, "Are you comin' quietly, or do I have to muss ya up!?". Unlike most Looney Tunes animal antagonists, who often fail to catch their prey, Henery often succeeds in capturing his prey, mostly Foghorn Leghorn.

cychicken

Henery's confusion about what a chicken looks like

Henery Hawk is a tiny, brown chicken hawk and a supporting character in the Looney Tunes cartoons. He is very small, about the size of a sparrow or a baby owl, and lives at home with his parents. Henery has a boisterous gangster-style voice and an oddball accent, which makes him a somewhat odd foil for Foghorn Leghorn.

Henery has led a sheltered life and does not know what a chicken looks like, only that chicken hawks eat them. In a typical Foghorn/Henery cartoon, Henery sets out on his own for the first time, eager to capture (and presumably consume) a chicken. Foghorn, the large anthropomorphic rooster, presumes that this diminutive, naïve troublemaker is no real threat. However, seeing the potential for annoyance, he points Henery in the direction of Barnyard Dawg. The remainder of the cartoon usually involves Dawg and Leghorn alternately assuring Henery that the other is a chicken and encouraging him to attack the "chicken" mercilessly.

In the cartoon "The Foghorn Leghorn", Foghorn tries to convince Henery that he is a chicken, but Henery believes Foghorn is merely a "loud-mouthed shnook", a separate creature. This is because Henery has been misled by his grandfather about what chickens look like following a failed encounter with Foghorn. In this cartoon, Henery finally wises up when Barnyard Dawg calls Foghorn a "good-for-nothing chicken".

In another episode, "Fish and Visitors", Henery sings about loving and eating chicken in a Merrie Melody. Foghorn tries to remove Henery's craving for chicken, and succeeds in getting him to enjoy beans. However, Henery then says that chicken would go well with beans, so he chases Foghorn with a knife and fork. In the end, Henery usually decides that one of his tormentors, Foghorn or Barnyard Dawg, must be a real chicken and knocks them both out to take them home. Despite his confusion about what a chicken looks like, Henery often succeeds in capturing his prey, mostly Foghorn Leghorn.

cychicken

Henery's desire to eat Foghorn Leghorn

Henery Hawk, also spelled Henry Hawk, is a major antagonist in the Looney Tunes franchise. He is a young chicken hawk who seeks to prove himself as an accomplished predator by catching and eating a chicken. However, due to his sheltered life, he does not know what a chicken looks like, only that chicken hawks eat them.

In a typical Foghorn/Henery cartoon, Henery sets out on his own for the first time, eager to capture and eat a chicken. Foghorn, a large anthropomorphic rooster, initially presumes that Henery is no real threat due to his small size and naivety. However, Foghorn soon realises that Henery could be a nuisance, so he points him in the direction of Barnyard Dawg. The rest of the cartoon usually involves Dawg and Leghorn alternately assuring Henery that the other is a chicken, encouraging him to attack the "chicken" relentlessly.

In one cartoon, "The Foghorn Leghorn", Foghorn tries to convince Henery that he is a chicken, while Henery believes Foghorn is merely a "loud-mouthed shnook", a separate creature. Eventually, when Barnyard Dawg calls Foghorn a "good-for-nothing chicken", Henery realises the truth. This dynamic is reversed in another cartoon, where Foghorn wants Henery to believe he is a chicken, while Henery sees Foghorn as a loud and annoying person.

Henery Hawk's character is unique among Looney Tunes antagonists as he often succeeds in capturing his prey, mostly Foghorn Leghorn. This sets him apart from other animal villains like Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester, who typically fail to catch their targets. Henery's persistence in pursuing Foghorn Leghorn as a meal, despite his confusion over what a chicken looks like, showcases his strong desire to prove himself as a predator.

cychicken

Foghorn Leghorn's attempts to trick Henery

Foghorn Leghorn is an anthropomorphic rooster who first appeared in the 1946 Henery Hawk short, "Walky Talky Hawky". Foghorn's voice was created and originally performed by Mel Blanc. Foghorn Leghorn was directly inspired by the character of Senator Claghorn, a blustery Southern politician played by Kenny Delmar on Fred Allen's popular 1940s radio show. Foghorn adopted many of Claghorn's catchphrases, such as "I say..." and "That's a joke, son!".

Foghorn Leghorn often fancies himself as a mentor figure to the smaller and younger characters he encounters, particularly Henery Hawk. Foghorn frequently tosses off bits of self-styled sagacity, such as "Pay attention, son" and "Look at me when I'm talkin' to ya, boy". In a typical Foghorn/Henery cartoon, Henery strikes out on his own for the first time, eager to capture (and presumably consume) a chicken. However, having led a sheltered life, he does not know what a chicken looks like, only that chicken hawks eat them. Foghorn, seeing the potential for annoyance, points Henery in the direction of Barnyard Dawg, and the remainder of the cartoon is usually consumed by Dawg and Leghorn alternately assuring Henery that the other is a chicken and encouraging him to attack the "chicken" mercilessly.

In the 1948 short "The Foghorn Leghorn", Foghorn tries to prove to Henery that he, Foghorn Leghorn, is in fact a chicken and not a "schnook". Henery's father had previously told him that Foghorn was not a chicken but a "snook", which deflated Henery's ego. In this cartoon, Foghorn wants Henery to believe he is a chicken, but Henery believes he is merely a "loud-mouthed shnook", supposedly a separate kind of creature. Later, when Barnyard Dawg calls Foghorn a "good-for-nothing chicken", Henery finally wises up.

In the 2010s series The Looney Tunes Show, Henery Hawk appeared in the episode "Fish and Visitors", in which he tries to eat Foghorn Leghorn, while Foghorn tries to break him of his craving. In another episode, "Father Figures", Porky Pig becomes a father figure to Henery Hawk, who wants Porky to get him chicken.

cychicken

Henery's catchphrase and capture of his prey

Henery Hawk, the Looney Tunes character, is a tiny brown chicken hawk with a forelock of feathers. Henery is very small, even compared to other chicken hawks, and is about the size of a sparrow or a baby owl. He has a high-pitched voice with a New York accent and a tough-guy attitude.

Henery's catchphrase is, "Are you comin' quietly, or do I have to muss ya up!?". In the cartoons, Henery often succeeds in capturing his prey, mostly Foghorn Leghorn. He typically ends up capturing one or both of his tormentors, shrugging his shoulders over whether his prey is an actual fowl. Henery decides that one of them must be a real chicken and knocks out and captures both.

In a typical Foghorn/Henery cartoon, Henery sets out on his own for the first time, eager to capture and eat a chicken. However, due to his sheltered life, he does not know what a chicken looks like, only that chicken hawks eat them. Foghorn, the large anthropomorphic rooster, assumes that Henery is no real threat because of his small size and naivety. He points Henery towards Barnyard Dawg, and the remainder of the cartoon involves Dawg and Leghorn alternately assuring Henery that the other is a chicken, encouraging him to attack.

In the cartoon "The Foghorn Leghorn", Foghorn tries to convince Henery that he is a chicken, while Henery believes Foghorn is merely a "loudmouthed schnook". In the end, Henery captures Foghorn, deciding that he must be a chicken.

Frequently asked questions

The chicken hawk on Looney Tunes is called Henery Hawk.

Henery Hawk is a tiny, brown chicken hawk with a forelock of feathers. He is very small, even compared to other chicken hawks, about the size of a sparrow or a baby owl.

Henery Hawk has a boisterous gangster-style voice and attitude. He is naive, annoying, and loudmouthed. He is also confused about what a chicken looks like, but he loves to eat them.

Henery Hawk has appeared in several Looney Tunes cartoons, including "Walky Talky Hawky", "The Foghorn Leghorn", and "Strangled Eggs". He has also appeared in the Merrie Melodies segment "Chickenhawk" and the episode "Fish and Visitors".

Written by
Reviewed by
Share this post
Print
Did this article help you?

Leave a comment