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Cartoon characters often have unique voices, but Porky Pig’s speech is unmistakable. His habit of repeating letters and syllables has been a trademark since his first appearance in Merrie Melodies in 1935. This trait originated from his first voice actor, Joe Dougherty, who had a pronounced stutter. Watch his debut in I Haven’t Got a Hat, where both Porky and Dougherty made their mark:
Dougherty voiced Porky for two years but was eventually let go because, ironically, his stuttering caused him to miss cues, leading to expensive delays in production.
Mel Blanc, the legendary voice behind Bugs Bunny, took over the role in 1937 and continued for 52 years. Blanc’s approach to Porky’s stutter was unique. He explained, “I visited a pig farm and observed their behavior. If pigs could talk, they’d grunt—and that’s exactly how Porky speaks.”
The National Stuttering Project of San Francisco expressed dissatisfaction with Blanc’s portrayal of Porky Pig. In 1991, the group organized a protest outside Warner Bros., arguing that Porky’s speech pattern trivialized the struggles of those with real stuttering issues. Despite this, Porky’s stutter remains unchanged even today. However, Warner Bros. responded by donating $12,000 to the Stuttering Foundation of America and producing public service announcements condemning the bullying of individuals who stutter.
