The Chicks are characters featured in the 1934 Silly Symphony short The Wise Little Hen.
Background[]
Personalities[]
The chicks are shown in a group of several hatchlings. Despite their like for corn, they are shown to be obedient to the Wise Little Hen, working with her in cooperation in planting and harvesting the corn in teamwork. In spite of this, they even felt bad whenever no one wanted to help them and their mother plant corn as in the case of Donald Duck and Peter Pig who lied to them about having a belly ache, showing that they dislike anyone who decides not to help them.
Physical appearances[]
True to their name, the chicks are diminutive-sized chicken hatchlings. Most of them are shown to have a yellow plumage around their body, orange beaks, orange legs, and white shoes.
Appearances[]
The Wise Little Hen[]
The chicks are introduced in the beginning of the short looking for food while they approach the Wise Little Hen who offers them that she will give them corn if she helps plant the corn for her, so they decide to accept her offer. Just as the Little Hen and her chicks approach Peter Pig who would help her plant her corn, Peter then feigns to her that his belly hurts, causing the Little Hen and the chicks to feel bad that Peter didn't want to help her, planning to look for someone else who would help her. The Little Hen and her chicks approach Donald Duck, whom they believe he would help the Little Hen plant her corn. Just as Donald approaches the Little Hen who offers him to plant her corn, Donald claims to her that his belly aches, causing the Little Hen and the chicks to feel bad that Donald didn't want to help him. As a result, the Little Hen and the chicks decide to plant the corn by themselves.
Later, the Little Hen and the chicks plant the corn together in cooperation with soil and water. Suddenly, thanks to this, the Little Hen and the chicks felt optimistic that they were able to plant the corn altogether. Later, the chicks and the Little Hen begin to ask Peter and Donald together, only for the two to claim that they both have a belly ache, just as the chicks and the Little Hen plan to cook the corn by themselves. At home, the Little Hen and the chicks prepare dinner together with recipes made of corn - namely corn fritters, cornbread, or corn on the cob. As the Little Hen plans to invite Peter and Donald to try her corn, the chicks then give the two a bowl for them to enjoy, only to find a bottle of castor oil instead of corn for their belly aches, showing that the two did not help the Little Hen and the chicks with the corn at all. As a result, the Hen and the chicks then enjoy the corn feast by themselves.
Printed material[]
In the Silly Symphonies comic adaptation of The Wise Little Hen (which is Donald Duck's first appearance in the comics), the chicks were tasked by their mother the Little Hen in a plan for them to help her plant corn. Said adaptation also includes a singular chick with black plumage all around him named Blackie who is the one who particularly goes into mischief, unlike the other chicks who have good intentions. Like in the short, neither Donald nor Peter helped the chicks plant and harvest the corn for them, leading the Little Hen and the chicks to have a corn feast by themselves.
Trivia[]
- In some variations of the Little Red Hen story, the Red Hen had chicks helping her out in making the bread for her, similar to the cartoon - albeit with other products made from corn aside from having cornbread.