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Meet the woman behind Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Jokey Smurf, and many more!
"And now, here's something we hope you really like!"
June Foray was born to be an old lady. Literally, one of her first roles was playing a grandmother in a radio play when she was 12! Over the course of her 85-year career, Foray was Hollywood's go-to for witches, grandmothers, mice, and many more. Her voice acting contributed to cartoon shorts, television, movies, video games, and even toys.
Foray's first role came through her speech teacher, who happened to have a radio show and cast Foray in it as an elderly woman. From there, she went on to write and act in her own radio show "Lady Make Believe" which got her discovered by the film studios. She then went on to do movie voiceovers and more radio shows.
Her first foray into cartoons was playing the role of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Walt Disney's "The Egg Cracker Suite". From there, she went on to star in a number of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, beginning with The Unbearable Bear in 1943.
Her career is often compared to Mel Blanc, but sadly we will never know how many voices she did because much of her early work went uncredited. Looney Tunes animator, and lifelong friend of Foray's, Chuck Jones once said “June Foray is not the female Mel Blanc, Mel Blanc was the male June Foray.” Let's take a look at a few of June Foray's most famous cartoon characters.
Little Red Riding Hood
This Little Red Riding Hood is from Loopy de Loop but Foray voiced Little Red Riding Hood in three other productions (and voiced the grandmother in two other productions).
Granny from Little Red Riding Hood
She also voiced Granny in the Loopy de Loop retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Granny from "Looney Tunes"
While Foray did not originate the role of Granny, she picked it up from Bea Benadaret, but she played the role from 1955 to 2013. That's right, she is the Granny in Space Jam. June Foray played 11 different grandmothers! In addition to Granny, she also played the grandmother in The Flintstones, Mulan, and many more!
Jerry the Mouse
Ever wonder who was the voice behind Jerry's screams, giggles, and gasps? One of those voices was June Foray! Jerry has had over 23 voice actors. Foray voiced Jerry from 1965 to 1967 and at the time she shared the role with the famous Mel Blanc!
Witch Hazel
Another role Foray inherited from Bea Benaderet, but Foray voiced Witch Hazel from 1956 to 2002. She starred in the famous shorts A Witch's Tangled Hare and Broom-stick Bunny. Like her frequent grandmother roles, Foray played nine other witches throught her career.
Fortune Teller in "Scooby-Doo! Where Are You?"
Foray made an appearance as a fortune teller in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? The fortune teller turns out to be a disguise for "Big Bob" Oakley, a fugitive wanted in seven states.
Constance McSnack
Another appearance Foray made in the Scooby-Doo world was in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. She played Constance McSnack, inventor of Scooby Snacks and owner of the Scooby Snack factory.
Natasha Fatale
International spy and nemesis of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Natasha hails from the fictional country of Pottsylvania. The show aired at the height of the Cold War and tension with the Soviet Union, so Foray made up an accent so that Natasha wouldn't sound Russian.
Jokey Smurf
"Hey, I've got a little surprise for you!" Ever the class clown of the Smurfs, Jokey loved pulling pranks on his friends and usually played the role of moral booster in Smurf Village. Jokey's signature prank was giving another Smurf a present that would explode on them. Foray voiced Jokey Smurf from 1981 to 1989.
Mother Nature in "The Smurfs"
While Foray primarily voiced Jokey, she also filled in for other guest roles on The Smurfs. One recurring guest role was Mother Nature, who is kind of like a fairy godmother character to the Smurfs.
Honorable Mentions
June Foray also played:
-Cindy Lou Who in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-Talky Tina in The Twilight Zone "Living Doll"
-Karen and Teacher in Frosty the Snowman
-Jane Kangaroo in Horton Hears a Who
-Raggedy Ann in the Raggedy Ann and Andy television specials
-Magica De Spell in DuckTales
-Lucifer the cat in Cinderella
-Grandmother Fa in Mulan
Rocky the Flying Squirrel
One of June Foray's most famous roles was Rocky in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Foray was instructed by showrunners to voice Rocky as an All-American boy and instead she made him into an All-American squirrel! Rocket J. Squirrel was meant to anchor the young audience's attention. Foray voiced Rocky from 1959 up until 2014.