List of TaleSpin characters facts for kids

This is a list of characters from the Disney animated TV show TaleSpin. TaleSpin first appeared on The Disney Channel in 1990. It then started showing regularly in September of that year. The show follows the adventures of pilot Baloo and his friends. They run an air cargo business called "Higher for Hire."

Main Characters of Higher for Hire

Baloo: The Best Pilot Around

Baloo von Bruinwald XIII is the main character. He is a sloth bear who loves flying. Baloo wears a flight cap and a yellow shirt. He is a fantastic pilot. He can do amazing tricks in his cargo plane, the Sea Duck.

Even though Baloo can be lazy and often has no money, he always helps others. For example, in "Your Baloo's in the Mail," he almost lost Rebecca $100,000. This happened because he didn't mail a winning ticket correctly. Sometimes, he even dresses up in funny costumes for different situations. His young friend, Kit, calls him "Papa Bear." Baloo calls Kit "Li'l Britches." Baloo's full name is "Baloo, Baron von Bruinwald XIII." He found this out when he inherited a lot of money. However, he lost it all to pay old family taxes. The name "Baloo" means "bear" in Hindi.

Kit Cloudkicker: The Cloud Surfer

Kit Cloudkicker is a 12-year-old brown bear cub. He is the navigator on Baloo's plane, the Sea Duck. Kit first appeared in the show's pilot movie, Plunder & Lightning. He wears a green sweater and a baseball cap backward. Kit is famous for his skill called "cloud surfing." This is also known as "cloud skiing." Baloo gave him the baseball cap as a sign of their friendship. Kit is about 3 feet 9 inches tall.

Before meeting Baloo, Kit lived with the air pirates for a year. He left them because he didn't like their leader, Don Karnage. Kit met Baloo when he crashed into Louie's Place. He later joined Baloo to escape the pirates. Kit's dream is to become a pilot and own his own plane.

Kit sometimes thinks about his own dreams first. He didn't trust adults easily. He only started to like Baloo after getting to fly the Sea Duck. But he still saw the "Higher for Hire" team as his family. He often called Baloo "Papa Bear." He also cared a lot for Molly, Rebecca's daughter. He would give her piggyback rides and even rescue her.

Kit cloud-surfs using a special crescent-shaped metal board. He attaches it to the Sea Duck with a cord. This lets him "surf" in the air like someone wakeboarding. Baloo trusts Kit's skills. He lets Kit cloud surf for fun. Baloo also knows Kit can stay safe even when under attack.

It's not clear how Kit became an orphan. In the comics, he lived on the streets for a while. He also lived in a village of homeless people. He says he never knew his parents. This means he might have lost them when he was very young.

Rebecca Cunningham: The Business Brain

Rebecca Cunningham is a smart brown bear. She has long brown hair and usually wears a white sweater. She also wears a purple-red jacket and matching pants. Baloo calls her "Becky" or "Beckers." She didn't like it at first, but later she did. She has a business degree. Rebecca bought Baloo's Air Service and his plane. This happened because Baloo couldn't pay his bank loan. She renamed the business "Higher for Hire."

Rebecca mainly handles the office work and sales. But she learns to be a good pilot herself. Baloo's lazy habits often make her angry. However, she sometimes shows she cares for him. She can also be quick to judge people. Rebecca lives with her daughter Molly in a nice part of Cape Suzette. She often comes up with wild ideas to make money quickly. For example, she once bought a pig to find truffles. This was instead of buying a new part for the Sea Duck. She also acts like a mother figure to Kit.

In one episode, Rebecca blamed Kit unfairly. Molly, her daughter, accidentally got separated from Kit. Rebecca accused Kit of being "reckless." But Kit later saved Molly from a giant squid. Rebecca then realized her mistake and said sorry.

Molly Cunningham: Danger Woman!

Molly Elizabeth Cunningham is Rebecca's 6-year-old daughter. She has yellow fur. Molly is an adventurous child. She is not afraid to speak her mind, just like her mom. Rebecca calls her "Honey" or "Pumpkin." Baloo calls her "Button Nose." Molly loves her favorite ice cream, "Frosty Pep." She often pretends to be "Danger Woman." This is a hero from a kids' radio show. She carries a doll named "Lucy." Molly is very clever. She can often outsmart bad guys much older than her. Her middle name, Elizabeth, is the only one revealed in the show. Molly loves snow, but it never snows in Cape Suzette. The show doesn't say what happened to Molly's father.

Wildcat: The Genius Mechanic

Wildcat is a friendly and tall lion. He usually wears a mechanic's outfit. Wildcat might seem a bit clueless. But he is a mechanical genius. He can fix a broken phone in less than ten seconds! He speaks with a slight lisp. Wildcat loves dinosaurs. They are his favorite animals. He also likes pets and toys. He is very honest. Sometimes, he is too honest, which can annoy Baloo.

Air Pirates: Villains of the Skies

Don Karnage: The Pirate Captain

Don Karnage is the leader of a group of air pirates. He is the captain of a huge airship called the Iron Vulture. This ship acts like a flying aircraft carrier. Don Karnage is the main bad guy in the show. He is a wolf with orangish-brown fur. He wears a blue captain's coat, a red belt, and dark-gray boots. He carries a cutlass.

Don Karnage speaks with a mix of Spanish, Italian, and French accents. He is a skilled pilot. He is also very cunning. But his huge ego often makes him mess up his plans. When fighting or raiding, he flies a special fighter plane. It looks like a triplane.

Other Pirates: Karnage's Crew

• Mad Dog is a skinny dachshund. He has a "Fu Manchu" mustache and wears aviator goggles. He is Don Karnage's second-in-command. He is smarter than Dumptruck, but that's not saying much. He has a whiny voice.
• Dumptruck is a big, strong canine. He is the third-in-command. He is not very smart. He is a huge Mastiff with a Swedish-Dutch accent. He wears a top hat with a purple feather.
• Gibber is a pirate who whispers advice to Karnage. He never speaks loudly.
• Hacksaw is a big, yellowish husky pirate. He has dynamite strapped to his arms. He speaks with an Australian accent.
• Ratchet is the group's mechanic. He helped build the lightning gun in the pilot episode.
• Hal is a large, overweight tan cat. He only appeared in a few episodes. His name is a joke about the computer HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• Sadie is a short, fat brown pirate. He has a grey mustache and wears a Viking helmet.
• Jock is a black Scottish terrier. He is the head engineer of the Iron Vulture. He speaks with a thick Scottish accent. Don Karnage sometimes calls him "Scotty." This is a joke about a character from Star Trek.
• Will is a pirate who appeared once. Don Karnage told his crew to "Fire at will!" They started shooting at Will instead of the Sea Duck.

Thembrians: The Military Nation

The Thembrians are a group of characters from a military country. They are all bluish-colored warthogs.

• Colonel Ivanod Spigot is short and has a Napoleon complex. He also has a lisp. He is the head of Thembria's Air Force. He thinks he is very famous. He always asks, "Perhaps you've heard of me?" Baloo and Kit can easily outsmart him.
• Sergeant Dunder is Spigot's second-in-command. He is friendly but a bit slow. He is good friends with Baloo and Kit. He often takes the blame for Spigot's mistakes.
• The High Marshal is the highest military official in Thembria. He is serious and doesn't like Spigot's mistakes. He often solves problems with threats.
• Professor Crackpotkin is a mad scientist. He was in prison for bad acts.
• Warden Slammer is the strict warden of a prison. He seems tough but is fair.
• Bobbo is a 12-year-old boy. He becomes friends with Kit at a Thembrian flight school. He is 3 feet 2 inches tall.
• Wally is a manager at a Thembrian bomb factory. He tried to trick Baloo into delivering a bomb. He wanted to start a war to sell more bombs.
• Mick is Wally's partner. He also works at the bomb factory.

Khan Industries: The Powerful Corporation

Shere Khan: The Rich Tiger

Shere Khan is a Bengal tiger. He also appeared in The Jungle Book. In TaleSpin, he stands upright and wears a business suit. He is a very rich businessman. He runs Khan Industries. This company is very powerful in Cape Suzette. He enjoys putting smaller companies out of business. He also likes to feed tiny insects to his meat-eating plants. He once even worked with Don Karnage to create an oil shortage. This was so he could charge higher prices.

Khan has his own air force and navy. These protect his business around the world. Even though he can be ruthless, he sometimes acts nobly. For example, he sends his forces to protect Cape Suzette from pirates. He also respects Baloo's flying skills. He once called Baloo "a pilot to be reckoned with." The name "Shere Khan" means "tiger king" in Hindi and Urdu.

Others at Khan Industries

• Buzz is a short, purple-haired bird. He is Khan's inventor and an old friend of Baloo's. His most famous invention is a prototype helicopter.
• Mrs. Snarly is Khan's loyal and tough elderly secretary. She is a shrew.
• Doctor Debolt is Khan's main scientist. He is a nervous rabbit. He created a device that was later stolen by Don Karnage.
• Douglas "Dougie" Benson is a tabby cat investor. He lost his job for bad investments and misusing Khan's air force. He gets very angry when people laugh at him.
• Walters is a gray panther investor. He was Douglas Benson's helper.
• Mr. Perry is a sneaky cheetah employee. He secretly worked with Khan's rival to steal a helicopter.
• Garth and his unnamed partner are Khan's panther and tiger goons. They were sent to teach Baloo a lesson.
• Captain Hotspur is a tough lion commander of Khan's gunships. He was impressed by Baloo's flying skills.

Other Interesting Characters

• Louie is a fun-loving orangutan. He also appeared in The Jungle Book. In TaleSpin, he wears a Hawaiian shirt. He owns an island nightclub and motel called "Louie's Place." It's a place for pilots to refuel. He is Baloo's best friend. But sometimes they compete for women or treasure.
• Louise L'Amour is Louie's rich and wild aunt. She is an ace aviator. She loves to party and causes chaos wherever she goes. She chases handsome men with accents. Her name is a play on a famous writer.
• The Jungle Aces Secret Midnight Club is a club for young pilots. Kit is a member. The leader is Ernie (a hyena). Members must have had an adventure to join.
• Oscar Vandersnoot is a short, nerdy yellow bear cub. He wears glasses and wants to join Kit's club. Don Karnage tried to kidnap him for ransom. Oscar outsmarted Karnage and became a hero.
• Trader Moe is a small, short-tempered criminal alligator. He is always with his two big, not-so-smart helpers, "The Goons."
• El Gato is a large, wild-looking feline. He has a thick Spanish accent. He flies on a giant condor and wants a magical idol.
• Professor O'Bowens is a chimpanzee archaeologist. He finds ancient treasures. His look and whip are like Indiana Jones.
• Ignatius, also known as Ignatz, is a smart parrot. He knows where a big treasure is hidden. He doesn't get along with Baloo but likes Kit.
• Seymour is the red wolf owner of an aquarium. He treats his animals badly, especially a whale named Moby Dimple. Kit and Baloo help Dimple escape.
• Inspector Burrow is an otter inspector. He works for an agency that cares about ocean animals. He helps arrest Seymour.
• Barney O'Turret is a short, friendly retired pig cliff gun guard. He worked on the cliffs for 50 years. He is a bit clueless but helps save the day.
• MacKnee is a large, child-hating koala hunter. He tries to catch a mythical creature named Henry, who Molly befriends.
• Covington is a smooth-talking panther con artist. He tries to trick Rebecca to get a hidden treasure. Molly sees through his tricks.
• Daring Dan Dawson is the owner of an aerial circus. He is a ferret who tried to trick Kit into joining his circus.
• Prince Neverhasbeenbroke is a kind hyena ruler. He asks Higher for Hire to deliver a huge iceberg to his desert country.
• Howard Huge is a rich but crazy hippopotamus airplane designer. He kidnaps pilots to get parts for his giant flying wing. His name is a joke about a famous aviation pioneer.
• Jack Case is a rabbit who pretends to be a spy. He is actually a mailman who caused trouble for Baloo and Rebecca.
• Doctor Axolotl is a crazy lizard inventor. He wants revenge on Shere Khan with his destructive robot, M.E.L..
• Doctor Zibaldo is a short, wild fox mad scientist. He invented a shrink ray. He accidentally shrunk Molly.
• Colonel Grogg is a very worried military intelligence officer spaniel. He is obsessed with alien invasions.
• Professor Martin Torque is a Doberman inventor. He created robots to replace all pilots in Cape Suzette.
• Babyface Half Nelson is a bulldog gangster. He tricked Baloo into helping him escape from the police.
• Mrs. Half Nelson is Babyface Half Nelson's mother.
• Detective Thursday is a tough canine detective. He runs a secret police branch. His name is a joke about a famous detective.
• Heimlich Menudo is a leopard criminal. He loves diamonds and has diamonds for teeth. He tried to steal all the diamonds in Cape Suzette.
• Officer Gertalin is a dog police officer. He works for Detective Thursday.
• Officer Malarkey is a pig police officer with an Irish accent.
• Tiny is a very large polar bear. He owns "Tiny's Grill," a restaurant for gangsters.
• Mr. Sultan is an elderly tiger. He is the head of a rival company to Khan Industries.
• Kitten Kaboodle is a beautiful blond feline actress. She is a femme fatale who manipulates men. She sabotaged her own films for fame.
• Katie Dodd is a vixen archaeologist. She discovered a lost city. She is feisty and smart.
• Myra is a kind and smart brunette vixen. She is the State Archaeologist for a desert country. She asks Baloo and Wildcat to find a lost pyramid.
• Princess Lotta L'Amour is a smart and strong vixen princess. She is the crown princess of Macadamia. She is a target for Baloo and Louie's attention.
• King Amuck is the old and friendly rabbit king of Macadamia. He is Princess Lotta L'Amour's father.
• Chancellor Trample is a sneaky vulture. He tries to take over King Amuck's throne.
• Owl Capone is a small gangster. He takes over a giant airplane and steals jewelry. He is a parody of the real gangster Al Capone.
• Thaddeus E. Klang is the leader of a cult. He is a green cobra with metal parts. He seeks a secret weapon in a lost city.
• Ace London is a very arrogant gray wolf test pilot. He went to school with Baloo. He lies about Baloo switching cargo.
• Whistlestop Jackson is Baloo's childhood hero. He is a legendary pilot. He helps Higher for Hire win a big contract.
• Finance Minister LaFong is the finance minister of Clopstokia. He works with Shere Khan.
• Joe Magee is an old ace pilot and flight instructor. He helps Baloo regain his flying memories after an accident. Baloo later learns Magee died 20 years ago.
• Doctor Cooper is a tortoise doctor. He tells Baloo the truth about Joe Magee.
• Rick Sky is an ace fighter pilot with a British accent. He was the leader of the "Squadron of Seven" from a past war. He was frozen in ice for 20 years.
• Cool Hands Luke is a polar bear pilot. He is aggressive and cheats in races. His name is a joke about a famous movie.
• Mr. Pomeroy is the principal at Kit's school. He gives Baloo a test to get his diploma.
• Mrs. Morrissey is a teacher at Kit's school. She was also Baloo's teacher when he was a child.
• Clementine Clevenger is a tall, smart blonde feline. She works as a secretary in a mining town. She helps Baloo and Kit stop a corrupt sheriff. She falls in love with Wildcat.
• Sheriff Gomer is a hog sheriff in a mining town. He forces people to work in his mines.
• Wendell is Sheriff Gomer's not-so-smart wolf deputy.
• Wan Lo is the evil panda emperor of Panda-La. He tries to invade Cape Suzette.
• Muffy and Buffy Vanderschmere are a fox con artist couple. They try to trick Higher for Hire to get their plane.
• Broadcast Sally is a popular female hippopotamus disc jockey. She tries to get Baloo to go on a date with her.
• Ralph Throgmorton is a strict coypu flight instructor. He is known for failing students. Baloo has trouble renewing his license with him.
• Airplane Jane, also called Plane Jane, is a very skilled female hippopotamus pilot. She learned to fly from Baloo. She is competitive but has a good heart.
• Princess Grace is a white swan princess. She is first in line to the throne of Walla Walla Bing Bang.
• Prince Rudolf is a black swan. He tries to steal Princess Grace's throne.
• Captain William Stansbury is a 19th-century lion sea captain. His ship crashed on Louie's island 100 years ago.
• Crazy Edie is a wild-eyed bird mechanic. She sabotages planes to charge high prices for repairs. She uses small, furry creatures called gremlins.
• Hans and Helga are the servants of Baloo's family castle. They try to kill Baloo to get his inheritance.
• Austin Featheridge is the von Bruinwald family lawyer. He tells Baloo about his noble family.
• O'Roarke is an obnoxious bull. He tricks Baloo and Wildcat into taking him to a land of dinosaurs. He wants to start a hunting business.
• Nanuk is a large polar bear who lives in the Arctic. Baloo delivers pizzas to him.
• Bob is a pelican fishmonger. He sells bad anchovies to Baloo and Kit.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Personajes de TaleSpin para niños