Tweet Zoo
1957 film by Friz Freleng
Tweet Zoo is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. Originally released on January 12, 1957 (before being re-issued on May 26, 1962), this short stars Tweety and Sylvester.
Audio from this cartoon was sampled by Paul McCartney on the song "Check My Machine", released in 1980 as the B-side to the single "Waterfalls".
Plot
The cartoon, set in a city zoo, begins with a tour guide showing various animal exhibits to visitors. The final stop (at least as far as viewers can see) is the exhibit featuring the "one and only example" of the Tweety Bird species. This draws tag-along tourist Sylvester's interest and becomes separated from the group. After the requisite "I tawt I taw a puddy tat" lines, Sylvester begins his latest pursuit.
The attempts, all unsuccessful, are as follows:
Tweety taking refuge in the bear pit. Sylvester uses a net to try to capture the bird, but as the shifty Tweety dodges the net, the cat hits a bear with the net.
The public source identifies “Tweet Zoo” as 1957 film by Friz Freleng. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Tweet, film and Friz.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Tweet Zoo”, the useful work is to connect “1957 film by Friz Freleng” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7857525. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1957, 1962 and 1980.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Tweet Zoo” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.