as Toonerville. Mickey McGuire is a tough, street-wise lower class kid of Irish descent. He usually wears a shirt with a tablecloth pattern, a pair of pants rolled up to his knees, a pair of shoes that are two sizes too big, and a derby with a large hole at the top. He has greasy black hair, which according to Mickey Rooney was actually something similar to coal dust, as his mother could not afford to dye his hair properly for the role. He said that "it wasn't fun, but I did it anyway". He is the leader of the Scorpions club, and often leads the club into mischief. Mickey doesn't take back talk from anybody, no matter how big they may be. Though Mickey is extremely tough in the series' earlier years, he progresses into more of a heartfelt character as time goes on. In the series' later years, Mickey often tries to assist the less fortunate people in town any way he can. In the silent era, Mickey is often stuck babysitting his baby brother (referred to as "Mickey's Kid Brudder"). During the talkie era, the baby disappeared and was replaced by "Billy McGuire". Mickey McGuire was played by Mickey Rooney from 1927 until the series' end in 1934. For reasons unknown, Rooney was absent from the series during the 1931-1932 season. Co-star Marvin Stephens took over for the role for that season in Rooney's absence. Hambone Johnson is Mickey's best friend. Hambone (or "Ham" for short) is an African-American kid. He usually wears a short sleeve shirt, shorts, overgrown shoes, and a sack hat with a clothespin pinned to it. Because of the time the series was produced, Hambone was sometimes forced to be depicted as an exaggerated African American stereotype. However, Hambone proved to have more dignity than most characters who were in this sort of a role. Hambone is often taken advantage of by Mickey. However, Hambone has sometimes questioned Mickey's ways, asking him, "Why do I always have to do everything?". Nonetheless, Hambone clearly has a close friendship with Mickey. Whenever Mickey feels he needs somebody to go with him for one reason or another, he almost always chooses Hambone. Despite the fact that Mickey takes advantage of Hambone, he has also shown worry for Hambone's safety. One example is in Mickey's Ape Man (1933), where Ham is in danger, and calls out for