George Pal's Puppetoons (lost theatrical short films)

In 1932, a Hungarian animator named George Pal made a stop-motion animated theatrical commercial for cigarettes called ''Midnight. This was the first of what would become of the Puppetoons ''series. These shorts soon started to be made for clients such as Philips in the Netherlands and Horlick's malted milk in England. The Puppetoons were unique. Instead of being made using clay or poseable puppets, these films were made using something called replacement animation, which is were different carvings of the parts were replaced to create the illusion of movement. In 1939 or 1940, Pal got an invitation to come to America to make a series of Puppetoons for Paramount Pictures. The first of these was Dipsy Gypsy in 1941. Some of these shorts kept the wholesome, gentle feel of the European Puppetoons, while others felt more like the Looney Tunes of the time.

(more later)