Butch (animated character)
Butch (formerly known as Spike) is an animated cartoon character: an anthropomorphic Irish dog. Spike or Butch was a short-lived animation cartoon series featuring Butch Dog. The title character was also a recurring antagonist in the Droopy shorts. His name was changed to Butch to avoid confusion with Spike from the Tom and Jerry cartoons. All of the original 1940s and 1950s shorts were directed by Tex Avery.[2] And like Barney Bear, Butch would not appear in new material again until Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring in 2002.
Butch | |
---|---|
MGM Cartoons character | |
![]() Butch in the cartoon Grin and Share It (1957) | |
First appearance | Bad Luck Blackie (early version) January 22, 1949 Wags to Riches (official version) August 13, 1949 |
Created by | Tex Avery |
Voiced by | Tex Avery (1949–1950, 1955–1957) William Hanna (1949) Sara Berner (briefly)[1] Daws Butler (1950, 1957)[1] Bill Thompson (1951–1958) Carlos Julio Ramírez (1952) Paul Frees (1955) Jim Cummings (2002) Jeff Bergman (2010) Joe Alaskey (2011–2016) Bill Farmer (2019) |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Spike Poochini |
Species | Canine |
Gender | Male |
He was created in 1949 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio.
Butch solo cartoons
# | Title | Release Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bad Luck Blackie | January 22, 1949 | Butch's debut. |
2 | The Counterfeit Cat | December 24, 1949 | |
3 | Ventriloquist Cat | May 27, 1950 | |
4 | Garden Gopher | September 30, 1950 | |
5 | Cock-a-Doodle Dog | February 10, 1951 | |
6 | Magical Maestro | February 9, 1952 | Named as Poochini. |
7 | Rock-a-Bye Bear | July 12, 1952 | |
8 | Cellbound | November 25, 1955 | |
9 | Cat's Meow | January 25, 1957 | The final Butch cartoon; a remake of Ventriloquist Cat directed by Tex Avery and produced by Hanna and Barbera with different coloring for the cat, the dog, and some of the scenery.[2] |
Appearances in Droopy cartoons
- Wags to Riches (1949) – Academy Award shortlist; first time Spike appears as Droopy's rival.
- The Chump Champ (1950)
- Daredevil Droopy (1951)
- Droopy's Good Deed (1951)
- Droopy's Double Trouble (1951)
- Deputy Droopy (1955)
- Millionaire Droopy (1956) – a CinemaScope remake of Wags to Riches directed by Tex Avery.
- Grin and Share It (1957)
- Blackboard Jumble (1957) – cameo appearance as teacher at the beginning.
- One Droopy Knight (1957) – a remake of Señor Droopy, Academy Award nominee.
- Mutts About Racing (1958)
- Droopy Leprechaun (1958)
Later appearances
Butch reappeared in direct-to-DVD movies such as Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring and Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes, alongside Droopy.
Voice actors
- Tex Avery (1949–1950, 1955–1957)
- William Hanna (1949; screams)
- Sara Berner (briefly)[1]
- Daws Butler (1950, 1957)[1]
- Bill Thompson (1951–1958)
- Carlos Julio Ramírez (1952)
- Paul Frees (1955)
- Jim Cummings (2002)
- Jeff Bergman (2010)
- Joe Alaskey (2011–2016)
- Bill Farmer (2019)
References
- ""Hello All You Happy Tax Payers": Tex Avery's Voice Stock Company |". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- Adamson, Joe, Tex Avery: King of Cartoons, 1975, De Capo Press