Iris Out Variations
(and other ending variants)
This list shows the WB shorts that featured characters interacting with the iris out, this includes characters walking to the "other side" of the iris, characters that stop the iris to say a few words, iris with different shapes, and other similars. Also noted are cartoons with unique ending seuqences, even if that doesn't involve the iris at all. Additions, errors, and omissions are gladly welcome.
A note on redrawn black and white prints: Some cartoons that were made originally in black & white, were colorized in the 60s using cheap and bad techniques, this caused the quality of these cartoons to decrease tremendously. There were at least two cases in which fake iris outs were added to the original endings ("Porky's Hare Hunt", "Slap Happy Pappy"), both of those cartoons had heart-shaped irises in their redrawn versions, yet the original had normal endings. These changes are not considered part of the list.
"All This and Rabbit Stew" (Avery, 1941)
Bugs strips the hunter after winning all of his clothes in a dice game, with nothing but a leaf to cover his groin, as the iris closes, Bugs comes from the other side and retrieves the leaf to show it to the audience.
"Ballot Box Bunny" (Freleng, 1951)
You may have never seen this one, since almost every TV print of this cartoon cuts the end gag, but here goes: After Bugs and Sam lose against a horse the title of Mayor, Bugs hands Sam a gun and suggests they play russian roulette, Sam tries to shoot himself, but nothing happens. Bugs then tries to shoot himself, and the iris closes, we hear the shot, then the iris reopens, Bugs has ducked the shot, and it was Sam who got it!
"Cinderella Meets Fella" (Avery, 1938)
Cinderella and Egghead go through the iris out in order to join the audience and watch the newsreel.
"Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs" (Clampett, 1943)
Features a unique "That's All, Folks!" card, with an animated shot of Mammy and the little girl rocking in the armchair.
"Crazy Cruise" (Avery and Clampett, 1942)
After Bugs makes his cameo at the end, he uses his ears to make a "V for Victory" along with the iris out.
"Crowing Pains" (McKimson, 1947)
Foghorn Leghorn Stops the iris out so he can finish his speech.
"Daffy Doodles" (McKimson, 1946)
Instead of a regular iris out, Daffy paints the screen black.
"Daffy Duck Hunt" (McKimson, 1949)
The iris closes on Daffy's eye, then Daffy closes his eye, and the iris out, therefore.
"Duck Amuck" (Jones, 1953)
During the middle of the cartoon, the mysterious animator paints a fake iris out that Daffy struggles with even to the point of tearing it apart. The real end of the cartoon has a normal iris out.
"Fagin's Freshman" (Hardaway and Dalton, 1939)
After the kitten wakes up from his dream and joins his mother and brothers for singing, he sticks his head out of the iris, as an angel ring appears on top of him.
"A Fractured Leghorn" (McKimson, 1950)
Again, Foghorn stops the iris to finish his speech, "I wouldn't tell him I was hungry!".
"Hare Ribbin'" (Clampett, 1944)
After the dog shoots himself (or gets shot by Bugs, depending on the version you're watching) Bugs places a flower on top of him and goes away, the iris begins to close but the dog retains it for a moment to say "This shouldn't even happen to a dog", then he lets the iris go, only to get his nose caught in it.
"A Hick, A Slick and a Chick" (Davis, 1948)
The iris out has the shape of a fur coat, to match the cut the Hick Mouse made on the cat.
"Hop, Skip, and a Chump" (Freleng, 1942)
The grasshopper jumps through the closing iris, and brags how the two crows (caracitures of Laurel and Hardy) can never catch him. Then the iris opens up again, and the two crows grab the grasshopper and drag him back into the cartoon. The iris closes again and the cartoon ends.
"I Love to Singa" (Avery, 1936)
The trophy remains in the other side as the iris closes, but Owl Jolson reopens it and snags his trophy.
"I Wanna be a Sailor" (Avery, 1937)
Mother Parrot faints after realizing Junior hasn't changed his mind on becoming a sailor, the iris begins to close, but she stops it to say "what would you do with a boy like that?", then the iris closes.
"Injun Trouble" (Clampett, 1938)
At the end, the iris begins to close as Sloppy Moe and Porky shake hands (after Moe had finished tickling Injun Joe). Injun Joe yells "WAIT!!" and the iris opens again. Joe says "Do 'um some more!" and Sloppy Moe starts tickling him again. Then the iris out closes for good.
"Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas" (Avery, 1938)
After getting married and having lots of kids, one of Johhny Smith (Egghead) and Poker-Huntas' babies gets his (her?) bottom trapped in the iris out before it can finally close.
"Little Red Walking Hood" (Avery, 1937)
The iris closes after Egghead clobbers the wolf with the mallet, yet reopens for a brief moment to show Egghead kissing Red Riding Hood.
"Nelly's Folly" (Jones, 1961)
No "That's All Folks!" ending card. The card reads "Merrie Melodies/A Warner Bros. Cartoon/A Vitaphone Release" on a black background.
"The Old Grey Hare" (Clampett, 1944)
Not sure if it counts, but anyway: Bugs hands Elmer a bomb that's about to explode, the iris closes, and the resulting explosion rocks the "That's all, Folks" card.
"Porky the Rain Maker" (Avery, 1936)
The iris out traps a goose, choking him, but then he gets yanked back.
"Porky's Duck Hunt" (Avery, 1937)
The first Daffy Duck cartoon features a very special ending, with Daffy jumping and dancing around the "That's All, Folks!" card. (This was chopped for the redrawn version, but restored for the computer-colorized print.)
"Porky's Garden" (Avery, 1937)
After the iris closes on the Italian man's hens, Porky opens it back up and grabs the money out of his hand and the iris closes again.
"Shamrock and Roll" (McKimson, 1969)
At the end, Merlin holds back the iris to say "oh, drat!".
"The Stupid Cupid" (Tashlin, 1944)
This cartoon is known for having many abrupt jumps and an ending without a real punchline. There are three scenes (two in Cartoon Network version) that end with a heart-shaped, pink-colored iris out. The end however, has a very abrupt fade out while Daffy is kissing the hen. Theories have been formuled that this cartoon may have had a special closing given the theme of the story, but unless an original print (non-Blue Ribbon) is discovered, we might never know for sure.
"The Turn-Tale Wolf" (McKimson, 1952)
At the end, after the iris has closed, Poppa wolf reopens a squared window to hint to us that his whole story was a fake.
"Two Crows From Tacos" (Freleng, 1956)
The "That's All, Folks!" card features a shot of the two crows singing while on a tree.
"Uncle Tom's Bungalow" (Avery, 1937)
Uncle Tom rolls the dice which fall through the iris out and sit in the blackness. They flip over to "sevens" from snake eyes, then the iris opens back up and his hands grab them back into the cartoon, then the iris closes out again.
"We, the Animals, Squeak!" (Clampett, 1941)
The iris out is shaped like a four-leaf clover.
"The Wearing of the Grin" (Jones, 1951)
Again, the iris is shaped like a four-leaf clover.
"Weasel Stop" (McKimson, 1956)
After the iris closes, The Weasel runs through the black screen.
This guide was written and compiled by Javier Vera. Thanks to Jon Cooke, Howard Fein, Andrew Gilmore, Matthew Hunter, J Lee, Pietro Shakarian, Jack Tatay, Larry Tremblay, Chris, Absolutpaul, Looneymarty, and other posters from
The Termite Terrace Trading Post.
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