Play Ball

Willie spins a yarn about how he got to pitch a World Series baseball game, helping a lesser-known team (the Chicago Cubs) beat the New York Yankees and one of their top hitters, Babe Ruth. It's pretty much a braggadacio tale of how the local baseball team was in dire straits until the desperate manager yanked him out of the crowd to pitch. The finale has him facing off against a grotesquely caricatured Babe!

Willie Whopper, Babe Ruth, New York Yankees

This was the very first cartoon to be released in the "Willie Whopper" series, though not the first produced. This is the first incarnation of Willie, who looks more than a little bit like Our Gang's Alfalfa. The character was given a whole different look afterwards: that of a roly-poly character in coveralls.