Spanky and The Little Rascals

08/24/2026

Who remembers castor oil in the Little Rascals episodes?
They’d give a spoonful to the children at these orphanages and nurses would give it to sick kids as well.

08/24/2026

Our Gang 1930

08/23/2026

One of the most enduring scene is the a toddler name “Spanky” and his dog Petey (almost the same size) and the toddler’s funny hoarse laugh each time Petey does something “bad”. Lol !!

08/23/2026

Caption for this photo.

08/23/2026

STYMIE: Uh, uh, brother...I don't want no wild man nibbling on me!

08/23/2026

George Robert Phillips McFarland was simply a little boy from Dallas, Texas.
Born on October 2, 1928, George was already in front of the camera before Hollywood came calling. As a small child, he modeled children’s clothing for a Dallas department store and appeared in print advertisements and on highway billboards, including advertising for Wonder Bread.

His path to Our Gang began when his Aunt Dottie responded to an advertisement from Hal Roach Studios, which was looking for photographs of “cute kids.” She sent in pictures of young George, and before long he was brought to the studio and became part of Our Gang.

But where did the name “Spanky” come from?

According to the story associated with McFarland, the nickname was born during his early days at Hal Roach Studios. Little George had a habit of reaching out and grabbing things around him. While they were in Roach’s office, his mother repeatedly tried to stop him, warning:

“Spanky, mustn’t touch!”

The nickname caught on — and soon George McFarland became Spanky to millions of moviegoers.

What began as a mother's warning to her mischievous little boy eventually became one of the most famous names in Our Gang history.

As McFarland grew older, friends and those close to him would sometimes affectionately shorten the famous nickname to simply “Spank.”

08/23/2026

Spanky: Do you like weenies?

08/23/2026

They worked together as little boys in Our Gang. Decades later, Jackie Condon and Joe Cobb found themselves working together again — this time far away from Hollywood.

Jackie Condon, born in 1918, joined Our Gang in 1922, when he was only about four years old. He became one of the most recognizable children of the series’ silent-film era and remained with the gang until 1929.

Joe Cobb, born in 1916, also belonged to that earliest generation. He began appearing with Our Gang in the early 1920s, with his first films released in 1923, when he was about six. Famous as the gang’s lovable “fat boy,” Joe stayed long enough to witness an important moment in movie history: Our Gang’s transition from silent pictures to sound. He also left the regular cast in 1929.

So by the end of the 1920s, their childhood careers together were over, and both eventually built lives outside Hollywood.

But their paths would cross again.

Many years later, Jackie worked as an accountant for Rockwell International, while Joe also spent decades working in the aerospace industry with North American Aviation, which later became part of Rockwell.

Just imagine that: two boys who had once stood together before Hal Roach’s cameras in the 1920s eventually found themselves connected again as grown men working for the same aerospace company.

Jackie Condon died in 1977, at age 59. Joe Cobb lived until 2002, passing away at 85.
Jackie Condon (1918–1977)
Joe Cobb (1916–2002)

08/22/2026

08/22/2026

Which one do you prefer?
Our Gang from the 1930s or Our Gang from 1994?