“There’s a gorilla for sale.” That jingle is the whole pitch for Magilla Gorilla, the big purple cartoon gorilla who sat in a pet shop window waiting for someone, anyone, to take him home. He is one of Hanna-Barbera’s most lovable misfits, and his 1964 show built a small universe of side characters around him.
Here is my full guide to Magilla: who he is, the pet-shop gag that powers the show, the three segments, the cast, and a piece of trivia that quietly changed the entire cartoon business.
Magilla Gorilla: Quick Facts
| Show | The Magilla Gorilla Show |
| Premiered | January 1964 (first-run syndication) |
| Ran until | 1967 (31 Magilla segments) |
| Studio | Hanna-Barbera for Screen Gems |
| Sponsor | Ideal Toy Company |
| Voiced by | Allan Melvin |
| Composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Created by | William Hanna and Joseph Barbera |
| Catchphrase | “We’ll try again next week.” |
💡 TRIVIA
Magilla Gorilla was arguably the first “toy-first” cartoon. Ideal Toys co-funded the show and had a full Magilla merchandise line ready to ship before episode one aired, flipping the usual order where toys only followed a hit. The theme song even sneaks in a plug: “He’s really ideal.” That model later became the blueprint for 80s toy cartoons like He-Man.
Who Is Magilla Gorilla?
Magilla is a big, friendly, slightly clumsy gorilla with a heart to match his size. Like most Hanna-Barbera animals, he is dressed in human gear. The quick version:
- He is a purple gorilla in a bow tie, suspenders, shorts, and a tiny derby hat.
- He lives in the window of Mr. Peebles’ pet shop, always up for sale.
- He means well, but his attempts to fit into the human world go sideways.
- He ends most episodes with a hopeful “We’ll try again next week.”
His purple coat lands him on my list of purple cartoon characters, and he is one of the all-time great cartoon apes and monkeys too.
Magilla is one of dozens of studio stars. See how he stacks up on my guide to the most iconic Hanna-Barbera characters.
Mr. Peebles and the Pet Shop Gag
Every episode runs on the same simple, funny engine:
- Mr. Peebles marks down Magilla’s price to almost nothing, desperate to sell him.
- A buyer takes him home, usually for the wrong reasons. Think thieves who need a gorilla for a heist, or an agency hunting a new mascot.
- It never works out, so they bring Magilla back and demand a refund.
- Magilla returns to the window, still smiling.
His one true fan is Ogee, a little red-headed girl who sings “How much is that gorilla in the window?” in the opening. Her parents never let her buy him.
The Three Segments of The Magilla Gorilla Show
Like Hanna-Barbera’s other package shows, each half-hour held three short cartoons. The original lineup was:
- Magilla Gorilla, the headliner and the pet-shop star.
- Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long, a fast sheriff rabbit who bounces around yelling “ping, ping, PING!” with his slow coyote deputy.
- Punkin’ Puss & Mushmouse, a hillbilly cat chasing a clever mouse, very much in the Tom and Jerry mold.
One thing a lot of write-ups get wrong: Breezly and Sneezly were not an original Magilla segment. That polar bear and seal duo started on the sister series, The Peter Potamus Show. When both shows moved to ABC in 1965, Hanna-Barbera swapped Breezly and Sneezly into Magilla and shifted Ricochet Rabbit over to Peter Potamus. Mixing segments between shows became a regular studio trick.
The Magilla Gorilla Song
The theme is half the reason people remember the show. A few things worth knowing about it:
- The “gorilla in the window” hook spoofs the old standard “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?”
- Ogee sings the question in the opening titles.
- The closing slips in the sponsor plug “He’s really ideal,” a wink at Ideal Toys.
- Hoyt Curtin, Hanna-Barbera’s go-to composer, wrote the music.
Cast and Voice Actors
A small group of voice legends handled the whole show. Allan Melvin, who played Magilla, is also famous as Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch.
| Voice Actor | Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Allan Melvin | Magilla Gorilla, Punkin’ Puss |
| Howard Morris | Mr. Peebles (1964 to 1965), Mushmouse |
| Don Messick | Mr. Peebles (1966 to 1967), Ricochet Rabbit |
| Mel Blanc | Droop-a-Long Coyote |
| Jean Vander Pyl | Ogee |
Later voices of Magilla include Jeff Bergman, Maurice LaMarche (Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law), Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?), and Paul F. Tompkins (Jellystone!).
Where to Watch Magilla Gorilla
Your options today:
- The Magilla Gorilla Show: The Complete Series on DVD (Warner Home Video, 2006).
- A high-definition Complete Series Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection (2025).
- Reruns on MeTV Toons, plus clips and full segments on YouTube.
Magilla also kept popping up for decades, from Yogi’s Gang (1973) to a guest spot on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
Magilla Gorilla FAQ
What color is Magilla Gorilla?
He is purple, with a red bow tie, a green derby hat, and suspenders. The purple coat is part of why he stands out.
What does “Magilla” mean?
The name comes from the Yiddish word “megillah,” which means a long, drawn-out story, as in “the whole megillah.” Joseph Barbera reportedly heard from a rabbi about borrowing the word.
Who voiced Magilla Gorilla?
Allan Melvin created the voice. He also voiced Punkin’ Puss on the same show.
When did The Magilla Gorilla Show air?
It premiered in first-run syndication in January 1964 and ran through 1967, with ABC airing reruns from 1966.
What is Magilla’s catchphrase?
“We’ll try again next week,” usually said with a smile after another sale falls through.
Related Reading
- The Most Iconic Hanna-Barbera Characters
- The Peter Potamus Show
- Purple Cartoon Characters
- Monkey and Ape Cartoon Characters
- Saturday Morning Cartoons
Sources and further reading: Cartoon Research, IMDb, Hanna-Barbera Wiki.