Penelope Pitstop facts for kids
Penelope Pitstop is a fun cartoon character from the Hanna-Barbera animated series Wacky Races. She also had her own show called The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. She was first voiced by Janet Waldo.
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About Penelope
In Wacky Races, Penelope Pitstop drives a special car called the Compact Pussycat. It's a pink car with a very girly style. Penelope has blonde hair in a ponytail. She wears a bright pink racing suit, white gloves, maroon tights, and white go-go boots. The race announcer even called her the "Glamour Gal of the Gas Pedal"!
Penelope was created by Iwao Takamoto and Jerry Eisenberg. They designed her and her car very quickly after Joseph Barbera asked for a female racer.
Her Adventures in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
In her own show, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, the story is set in the 1920s. Penelope often finds herself in tricky situations, like a "damsel in distress" from old movies. Her famous catchphrase is "Help, help!"
Even though she often needs rescuing, Penelope is also very clever and athletic. She can figure out smart ways to escape dangers. She was even a champion in many sports in college! But when her enemy, the Hooded Claw, grabs her, she just yells for help. The Hooded Claw is secretly her guardian, Sylvester Sneekly.
Luckily, Penelope always has help! The tiny Ant Hill Mob and her trusty old car, Chuggaboom, are always there to save her.
The Compact Pussycat Car
Penelope's car, the Compact Pussycat, is number 5. It's bright pink and has front bumpers that look like big red lips. It even has an umbrella on top! Inside, the car is full of beauty supplies. It's like a beauty salon on wheels, ready for any race or rescue!
Other Appearances
Penelope Pitstop has appeared in many other cartoons and even commercials!
- Janet Waldo also voiced Penelope in the Wacky Races video game.
- She made a quick appearance in another Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Yogi's Treasure Hunt.
- Penelope was in a web cartoon called Penelope Pitstop GT. In this version, she was much better at defending herself. She could even defeat attackers and win races at the same time!
- She had a cameo in a MetLife commercial in 2012.
- Penelope appeared in a car commercial for Peugeot in 2013. The cartoon characters were shown in a real-life world.
- She is a main character in the 2016 Wacky Raceland comic book. In this story, she is from Greece. She races to find a paradise called Utopia, hoping to see her family who were lost in a big disaster.
- Penelope Pitstop is also in the 2017 Wacky Races series. Here, she has a twin sister named Pandora Pitstop, who is sometimes even meaner than Dick Dastardly! Penelope's outfit has hearts on it, and she is much more confident. She even knows martial arts, but still keeps her kind Southern accent.
- She made a quick appearance in the 2020 Animaniacs revival.
- Penelope Pitstop was a spectator in the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.
See also
In Spanish: Penélope Glamour para niños
