List of The Ren & Stimpy Show characters

Last updated

Over its five seasons, The Ren & Stimpy Show featured a varied cast of characters, some who appeared in as few as one episode, and some who were practically regulars.

Contents

Ren and Stimpy

Ren Höek

Marland "Ren" T. Hoëk (voiced by John Kricfalusi in Seasons 1–2 and Adult Party Cartoon , Billy West in Seasons 3–5 and most laughter and screaming, and Chris Edgerly in Nicktoons MLB ) is a scrawny "Asthma-Hound" Chihuahua with a fairly long, rat-like, pink tail (which constantly disappears due to the character's animation limits), pink eyes and tan fur. Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Ren as "scrawny", "dyspeptic", and "violently psychotic". On some occasions, Ren "lost his mind" in a "cumulative process", resulting in Ren becoming, in Goodman's words, a "screaming klaxon, neon-pink eyes dilating into twin novae inches above his jagged, monolithic teeth". Andy Meisler of The New York Times described Ren as "adventurous", "intelligent", and "emotionally brittle".

Kricfalusi originally voiced Ren in a manner that he describes as "a bad imitation of Peter Lorre". Billy West said that he auditioned to play Ren; the creators of the series believed that having West voice Ren and Stimpy would give him too large of a workload. West would, however, take over Ren's voice after Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi. Kricfalusi would return for the Spike TV episodes and unaired episodes of The Ren and Stimpy Show. In the pilot, Pierre Decelles provided Ren's signature diabolical laughter, while West performed Ren's maniacal laugh in the series.

Kricfalusi complained about Nickelodeon executives requesting for Ren to have "a softer side".

Bill Wray said that Ren was his favorite character to write for; Wray described Ren as "fun" because "you can make him mean". In 1993, he added that, "It drives me crazy when I tell people I work on the show and they always say, 'Make Ren meaner'".

Stimpson "Stimpy" J. Cat

Stimpson "Stimpy" J. Cat (voiced by Billy West in the series, Eric Bauza in Adult Party Cartoon ) is a 3-year-old fat, red and white Manx cat (described by George Liquor as a "Cornish Rex Hound" to enter him in a dog show) [1] with a large blue nose, purple eyelids, no tail, white gloves with fingernails on them, human-style buttocks, flat feet and a brain the size of a peanut (despite some intelligence, such as when cooking and inventing). Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Stimpy as "obese" and "brain-damaged". Andy Meisler of The New York Times described Stimpy as "barrel-chested" and "good-natured".

Stimpy's trademark facial expression is a blissfully ignorant smile with his tongue flopping out. Most of the time when he gets excited, he says his famous catchphrase, "Oh, joy!" or simply "Joy". He also has a strong attachment to his "first material possession" which is a litter box (given to him in the pilot episode) and even though Ren destroys it (by bashing it on his head in "Fire Dogs" or dumping it in acid in "Ren's Bitter Half"), Stimpy always reacts strongly to it by crying, panicking or fainting, though it always appears again in some later episode. Stimpy is named after an art school classmate of Kricfalusi, whose nickname was "Stimpy Cadogen" ("Killer Cadogen" was Stimpy's pseudonym in several episodes, and in a few others he is referred to as Stimpleton Cadogen). Billy West, who voiced Stimpy, said that he based Stimpy's voice on a "sped up" Larry Fine of The Three Stooges. West described Stimpy as one of his favorite characters. Eric Bauza voiced Stimpy in the Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" because West believed that the series had no humor and that voicing Stimpy in it would damage his career, as West later said in an interview.

Stimpy likes to create destructive electronic devices and feels a fixation for "sensory pleasures of fresh kitty litter".

Bill Wray described Stimpy as his favorite character to draw. Wray said that Stimpy has "a huge range of emotion".

Mr. Horse

Mr. Horse (voiced by John Kricfalusi in Seasons 1–2 and Adult Party Cartoon , Billy West in Seasons 3–5) was one of the most popular characters, appearing in many episodes in a wide variety of non-continuous roles. Mr. Horse has variously been a victim of a fall from a skyscraper, a GI returning from war in love with a sheep, a dog-show judge, a neighbor hiding a dark past, and a tester for Gritty Kitty cat litter. He has also been portrayed as a psychiatrist.

Mr. Horse is anthropomorphic, similar to the title characters—he is physically a full-sized male horse, but he usually stands on two legs and speaks. Mr. Horse is typically depicted as a straight-talking, thoughtful and serious character. He can also be cynical and disgruntled, and on occasion is merely a horse. His catchphrase is "No sir, I don't like it". He in fact does say other things in response to Stimpy in the Gritty Kitty Litter commercial.

Appearances

Powdered Toast Man

Powdered Toast Man (voiced by Gary Owens [2] in most appearances, Darrin J. Sargent in the first "Powdered Toast Man" commercial, Corey Burton in Nicktoons MLB , David Kaye in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway , Michael Berger in Smite ), is a melodramatic superhero and a spokesperson for Powdered Toast, a breakfast treat that "tastes just like sawdust". He was based on a Frank Zappa-inspired character called Studebacher Hoch, from the song "Billy the Mountain". The character appeared in Powdered Toast commercials on The Ren & Stimpy Show, and starred in two of its episodes: "Powdered Toast Man vs. Waffle Woman" and "Powdered Toast Man" (with Frank Zappa as "the Pope"). Powdered Toast Man hides his true identity as Pastor Toastman, a youth deacon.

Powers and abilities

Powdered Toast Man has a number of abilities and, like many superheroes, has a mysterious background and an alter ego. The character's catchphrase is "Leave everything to me".

Powdered Toast Man can fly by flatulence, by inserting his head into a special toaster and launching from it, or by pushing off from the ground. He also flies backwards, and can hover in mid-air. His powers include projection of offensive weapons: high-velocity raisins shot from his mouth, hyper-corrosive croutons fired from his armpit, butter pats launched from the top of his head, and acidic marmalade from his navel. There are several signals that alert Powdered Toast Man to danger: his tongue phone, the inflation of his briefs, the dissipation of toast particles in his head, or the reading of emergency messages encoded in slices of olive loaf.

He is apparently made entirely of powdered toast, since he can produce fully-formed toast by flicking his wrist or separating his head (which is made of two pieces of toast) and scraping the interior with a butter knife. His head is depicted as two identical pieces of toast, each with a face.

By day, Powdered Toast Man is Pastor Toastman: a "cool youth deacon". His disguise is a pair of thick black spectacles and a pastor's collar reminiscent of Superman's thinly-disguised alter ego, Clark Kent. Pastor Toastman's office is his headquarters; he is served by a lovely young female assistant named "Catholic High School Girl", and it is suggested that they have a romantic relationship.

Accomplishments

Most of Powdered Toast Man's accomplishments are dubious and pyrrhic; if he succeeds, it is usually accidentally and unintentionally inflicts havoc on someone else. He saves a kitten from being run over at the cost of an airliner (which he shot down) and a truck flattened by the airliner. No one is apparently killed in the crash, since the passengers seem happy to see Powdered Toast Man despite their injuries. Responding to another mission, he throws the kitten off screen (where it is presumably run over by another vehicle; the screech of tires and a crash are heard. He fights Spider-Man once, after being turned evil by the evil Dr. Dough-naught. Spider-Man gets Powdered Toast Man working for good again by using milk, which stops PTM from being crunchy. He saves the pope (voiced by Frank Zappa) from the clutches of Muddy Mudskipper. Why (or how) Muddy kidnapped the pope is unclear, but after Powdered Toast Man frees the pope from the barrel of TNT he was strapped to, he places Muddy there in his stead and ties him up. When the president of the United States accidentally gets his private parts caught in his pants zipper, Powdered Toast Man painfully frees him. The grateful president is incapacitated, and Powdered Toast Man steps in as commander-in-chief. In office (having avoided the entire line of succession to fill in for the Chief Executive), he heats the Oval Office with dusty old papers which include the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Powdered Toast Man responds a number of times to Ren and Stimpy when the dog and cat run out of powdered toast, producing it with a flick of his wrist or a scrape of his head. It is implied that this is the usual method Ren and Stimpy get powdered toast when they run out, because it doesn't "taste right" unless Powdered Toast Man exits with his traditional passing of gas. He is a popular figure with children. Responding to a request from sickly "Little Johnny" to meet the president, he brings the president to him. In trying to get to Little Johnny before his nap, the president is vaporized by Powdered Toast Man's speed. He saves the child from his apparent nemesis, Waffle Woman, at the cost of destroying most of Earth. In a Powdered Toast commercial, he encounters a little boy and a girl who are flying and reminds them that children can't fly. The children panic and plummet, and Powdered Toast Man saves them at the last second. When carrying passengers on his backside, he asks them "Are you clinging tenaciously to my buttocks?" before flying off.

Muddy Mudskipper

Muddy Mudskipper (voiced by Harris Peet) is a mudskipper (a species of fish capable of crawling out of water and breathing air through its skin) with the voice and personality of a grizzled vaudeville comedian who hosts an afternoon kids' show.

Muddy is an archetype — the old, jaded comedian who is outstanding at being "on" when on stage but sour and dissatisfied off-stage. There are certain parallels between Muddy and Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons — both have television shows that may or may not be for children, both shower their co-stars with abuse, and behind the scenes they are less than pleasant to be around. He calls everyone he meets "a lousy bum". [3]

Besides being a huge television star, Muddy has dabbled in villainy, at one point kidnapping the Pope (voiced by Frank Zappa) before being foiled by Powdered Toast Man. His name is a parody of Woody Woodpecker.

The show's theme song (written by John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp & Charlie Brissette) plays up Muddy's particular physical traits.

Appearances

Muddy's lines would also be used as archive recording from these last three episodes for Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker .

Mr. and Mrs. Pipe

Mr. and Mrs. Pipe (voiced by Billy West and Cheryl Chase) are a 1950s' sitcom-styled white suburban couple who are seen only from the waist down. Mr. Pipe is typically seen with a pipe and clad in a bathrobe, slippers and black socks supported by sock-suspenders. He loves to wear rubber nipples on his knees and farts at inappropriate moments. Mrs. Pipe appears to wear a dress and nondescript women's shoes. Their first appearance was in "The Boy Who Cried Rat", in which Ren and Stimpy got a job catching mice for them. In "Big Baby Scam", it seems they have two children named Eugene and Shawn.

The Announcer Salesman

The Announcer Salesman (also known as "That Guy") serves as the multi-purpose loudmouth in the Ren and Stimpy show. Sometimes, he is a salesman ("Feud for Sale", "To Salve and Salve Not!".) Other times, he is a narrator, an announcer, a dog-show judge, a real estate agent, etc. The character is never referred to by any name in the series, but the name of "Hey, It's That Guy" seems to be the official name given by West, who also voiced him. He first appeared in "Space Madness" provoking Stimpy to press the history eraser button. He bears a slight resemblance to the Genie from Disney's Aladdin . He had a moustache in "House of Next Tuesday". He was voiced by Billy West.

Haggis MacHaggis

Haggis MacHaggis is a short, bald stereotypical Scotsman. At one point, he was a cartoon star, but low ratings forced him out into the street. He is voiced by Alan Young, who utilizes the same voice as Scrooge McDuck.

Wilbur Cobb

Wilbur Cobb is a demented, decaying old man who was once the foremost cartoon producer in the world. He speaks in malapropisms and suffers from a malady that results in body parts falling off. In the episode "Stimpy's Cartoon Show", Ren and Stimpy show Cobb their own film "I Like Pink" (with Explodey the Pup) in hopes the powerful producer will give them their big break. Voiced by Jack Carter, his final appearance was in "The Last Temptation", where he was the gardener for God. John Kricfalusi originally wanted his name to be Raymond Spum (a reference to the pseudonym that he used in episodes he considered unsatisfactory), but after his termination from the series Nickelodeon renamed him Wilbur Cobb after the story editor.

The Fire Chief

The Fire Chief has a psychotic hatred for circus midgets and a penchant for slamming his fire axe into concrete as a response to answering the door.

He was voiced by Harris Peet in the entire original series and at the beginning of the character's appearance in the Adult Party Cartoon. After transforming into a caricature of Ralph Bakshi, Bakshi himself voiced the character. Kricfalusi had originally based the character on Bakshi.

Mrs. Buttloaves

Mrs. Buttloaves is a morbidly obese and homely old woman dressed in a bulging pink night gown and hair curlers. She first appeared in "Fire Dogs". She is voiced by John Kricfalusi for the show's first two seasons and subsequently by Billy West.

George Liquor, American

George Liquor is an ultra-patriotic American and is so conservative that he thinks Republicans are Communists. When episodes featuring him were aired on Nickelodeon, his family name was edited out. Instead, the scene would pause and a record-scratching sound effect would be played in place of the word "Liquor". Many story pitches featuring Liquor were vetoed by Nickelodeon due to their dislike for the character. After Kricfalusi's termination from the show, the rights to the character were returned to him.

According to Kricfalusi, he's Ren and Stimpy's official owner. He was voiced by Michael Pataki, but Harris Peet voiced him as two pre-George characters in "The Boy Who Cried Rat" and "Black Hole".

Other characters

Related Research Articles

<i>The Ren & Stimpy Show</i> American animated television series

The Ren & Stimpy Show, commonly referred to as simply Ren & Stimpy, is an American comedy animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. Originally produced by Spümcø, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to December 16, 1995, spanning a total of five seasons and 52 episodes. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotionally unstable and psychopathic chihuahua dog; and Stimpy, a good-natured and dimwitted Manx cat. It is the third cartoon to be aired of the original three Nickelodeon animated series known as "Nicktoons", alongside Doug and Rugrats, and is considered to be one of the progenitor series of the brand.

<i>2 Stupid Dogs</i> American animated television series

2 Stupid Dogs is an American animated television series created and designed by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It originally ran from September 5, 1993, to May 15, 1995, on TBS as a part of their Sunday Morning in Front of the TV block and in syndication. The show's main segments feature two unnamed dogs, called the "Big Dog" and the "Little Dog" in the credits. The show entirely used digital ink and paint in every episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spümcø</span> American animation studio

Spümcø, Inc. was an American animation studio that was active from 1989 to 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. The studio was best known for working on the first two seasons of The Ren & Stimpy Show for Nickelodeon and for various commercials. The studio won several awards, including an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject for the music video of the song "I Miss You" by Björk.

<i>Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"</i> Adult animated television series

Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" is an animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for the cable network TNN / Spike TV. The series was developed as a more "extreme" revamp and spin-off of The Ren & Stimpy Show, which previously aired on the American cable network Nickelodeon. The series premiered on June 26, 2003, and was removed from the network on July 24, after airing only three episodes; the remaining episodes were released on DVD. During its run, Adult Party Cartoon was heavily panned by critics, audiences and fans of the original series. It has been referred to as one of the worst animated series of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Liquor</span> Cartoon character

George Liquor is a cartoon character created by John Kricfalusi. Liquor is most famous for his appearances on The Ren & Stimpy Show. He is considered Kricfalusi's signature character and was a mascot for Kricfalusi's defunct animation studio, Spümcø. Kricfalusi portrayed George Liquor as a patriotic, outspoken, politically conservative blowhard. Kricfalusi described Liquor as his favorite character to animate.

<i>You Eediot!</i> (album) 1993 soundtrack album by Ren and Stimpy

You Eediot! is the debut album by Nickelodeon cartoon characters Ren & Stimpy that was released on August 31, 1993. The album featured several popular songs from the series, including "Kilted Yaksmen Anthem" and "Happy Happy Joy Joy". A promotional album with the tracks "Happy Happy Joy Joy", "Kilted Yaksmen Anthem" and "Don't Whiz On the Electric Fence" was sent out to radio stations across North America that September. "Fire Dogs" and "Ren's Pecs" had an accompanying music video. The album peaked at #156 on the Billboard 200 in October 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ren and Stimpy (characters)</span> Animated cartoon characters

Marland T. "Ren" Höek and Stimpson J. "Stimpy" Cat, created by John Kricfalusi, are the title characters in the Nickelodeon animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show, and its 2003 spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". Kricfalusi created the characters during his stay at Sheridan College and they first appeared on film in the pilot episode "Big House Blues". Ren is a scrawny, emotionally unstable, and sociopathic "Asthma Hound" Chihuahua, and his best friend Stimpy is a dim-witted, good-natured Manx cat. The show portrays their wacky, bizarre, and often surreal misadventures.

Mans Best Friend (<i>The Ren & Stimpy Show</i>) 2nd episode of the 2nd season of The Ren & Stimpy Show

"Man's Best Friend" is an episode from the second season of the American animated television series The Ren and Stimpy Show. It was originally intended to air on Nickelodeon on August 22, 1992, as the second half of the second episode of Season 2, but was pulled before airing and replaced by the original theatrical pilot. It eventually aired on the soft launch of Spike TV on June 23, 2003. In the episode, Ren and Stimpy learn about obedience after George Liquor takes them home with him and swears to make them "champions".

Hard Times for Haggis is the 13th episode of the third season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 30 1994.

Ren's Retirement is the 11th episode of the third season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 2 1994.

Fire Dogs is the 8th episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show of the first season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 29 September 1991.

Big House Blues is the pilot episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired at a film festival on 10 August 1990.

Space Madness (<i>The Ren & Stimpy Show</i>) 5th episode of the 1st season of The Ren & Stimpy Show

"Space Madness" is the 5th episode of the first season of The Ren & Stimpy Show. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 8, 1991. Along with Marooned and Black Hole, the episode is part of a loose trilogy in the first season known as the "space episodes" centering around the show-within-the-show, the Star Trek-like science fiction show The Adventures of Commander Höek and Cadet Stimpy.

Rubber Nipple Salesmen is the 5th episode of the second season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 29 August 1992.

Powdered Toast Man is the second episode of the second season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 15 August 1992.

Dog Show is the 10th episode of the second season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 12 December 1992.

Jerry The Bellybutton Elf is the 12th episode of the third season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 9 1994.

Stimpy's Big Day is the first episode of the first season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 11 August 1991.

The Big Shot! is the second episode of the first season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 11 August 1991.

References

  1. "The Ren & Stimpy Show: Big Baby Scam / Dog Show Episode Trivia". TV.com . Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  2. "Gary Owens". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  3. "Cartoon King #2: Ren & Stimpy | Retro Junk Article". www.retrojunk.com. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  4. "A Shameful Ignorant Stereotype". John K. Stuff!. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  5. "Fake Dad". Ren and Stimpy Reviews Blog. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  6. The Big Country (1958) - Memorable quotes
  7. Blevins, Joe (2015-10-05). "Ren, Stimpy, and the Horrors of Manliness". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  8. "Ren and Stimpy character", Bob Camp Cartoonist