Muttley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Muttley |
|
|---|---|
Muttley as seen in Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines
|
|
| Created by | Iwao Takamoto |
| Voiced by | Don Messick (1968–1991, 2020; Scoob!, archival laugh recordings) Scott Innes (Cartoon Network Toy Blowout bumper, Lasso of Truth bumper, The Summer of Goodwill Passport) Billy West (2000–present) Daren Tillinger (Web Premiere Toons) Jeff Bergman (Boomerang UK bumper) Joe Alaskey (Duck Dodgers) Lewis MacLeod (Müller commercial) |
| Information | |
| Species | Dog |
| Gender | Male |
Muttley is a famous cartoon dog created in 1968 by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He was first voiced by Don Messick. Muttley is best known as the sidekick to the cartoon villain Dick Dastardly. They appeared together in the 1968 TV show Wacky Races and its spin-off from 1969, Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. Muttley is famous for his funny, raspy laugh.
Contents
Muttley's Character and Look
Muttley first appeared in Wacky Races in 1968. He was the loyal sidekick to the villain Dick Dastardly, who often caused accidents. Dastardly and Muttley often worked together as villains in many Hanna-Barbera shows, though they usually messed things up.
Muttley is a mixed-breed dog who loves to snicker. In an episode of Wacky Races, it was said he was a mix of a bloodhound, pointer, Airedale, and a hunting dog. His birthday is April 16, as shown in the Dastardly and Muttley episode Sappy Birthday. The people who designed Muttley said he was shaped like a tank-style vacuum cleaner!
Muttley doesn't really speak words. His main ways of communicating are his famous "wheezy snicker." He usually snickers when Dick Dastardly messes up, which sometimes makes Dick hit him on the head! Muttley also makes a quiet grumbling sound when Dick is being mean to him. The voice actor, Don Messick, used this unique laugh for other cartoon characters before Muttley.
In Wacky Races, Muttley was a bluish color and only wore a collar. But in Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines, he changed to a dusty brown color. He also started wearing a World War I-style pilot's cap and a scarf. In this show, he was a flying ace with Dastardly and two other pilots in the "Vulture Squadron." Muttley loved getting medals and often demanded new ones from Dastardly for following orders. But Dastardly would also rip medals off Muttley's chest if he was unhappy with him. In this show, Muttley also gained the amazing ability to fly short distances by spinning his tail like a propeller!
Muttley even had his own short cartoons called Magnificent Muttley. In these, he would imagine himself as a hero, like in a dream. The designers thought Muttley was so popular that they wanted him to have some solo adventures.
Muttley and Mumbly: Are They the Same?
Sometimes, people confuse Muttley with another cartoon dog named Mumbly. Mumbly was a crime-fighting dog from The Mumbly Cartoon Show. Mumbly looked a lot like Muttley and had the same wheezy snicker. However, Mumbly had different ears, blue fur, and wore a trenchcoat.
Mumbly later appeared as a villain in Laff-A-Lympics. He was the captain of the "Really Rottens" team, along with "The Dread Baron," who looked very much like Dick Dastardly. The Dread Baron and Mumbly also appeared in the TV movie Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose. It's not clear why Mumbly became a villain or why he and Dread Baron seemed to replace Dastardly and Muttley. In that movie, Mumbly could even fly by spinning his tail, just like Muttley! One reason for this might be that Hanna-Barbera didn't fully own the Wacky Races characters because the show was made with another company.
An early version of Muttley, named "Mugger," appeared in the 1964 Hanna-Barbera movie Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!. This dog was mean and liked to bite people's legs. Muttley's laugh might also have been inspired by "Precious Pupp" from The Atom Ant Show, who also had a similar laugh.
Other Appearances of Muttley
Muttley and Dick Dastardly have appeared in many other cartoons and media:
- They were villains in Yogi's Treasure Hunt, using their submarine called the SS. Dirty Tricks.
- Muttley made a short appearance in The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound.
- In the "Fender Bender 500" part of Wake, Rattle, and Roll, Muttley and Dick Dastardly raced together, just like in Wacky Races. Their car was called "The Dirty Truckster."
- Muttley appeared as a teenager in Yo Yogi! with Dick Dastardly.
- In an episode of Duck Dodgers called "MMORPD," Duck Dodgers briefly turned into Muttley.
- Muttley also appeared briefly in Dynomutt.
- Muttley and Dick Dastardly are main characters in the 2016 Wacky Raceland comic book. In this version, Muttley is a wild dog with robot parts.
- Another version of Muttley appeared in the Dastardly & Muttley comic book. Here, he is a pilot named Cpt. Dudley "Mutt" Muller, who gets fused with his pet dog.
- In the 2000 Wacky Races video game, Billy West voiced Muttley.
- Muttley appeared with Dick Dastardly in the 2020 Scooby-Doo movie, Scoob!. In the movie, Muttley was trapped in the underworld. Dick Dastardly spent most of the film trying to save him. They were reunited at the end but were then caught by the good guys. During the movie's end credits, Muttley is shown helping Dick Dastardly escape from prison!
Images for kids
-
Muttley as seen in Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines
-
Muttley (right) with Dick Dastardly in The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
