List of Animaniacs characters

Animaniacs had a large cast of characters, most of whom appear here.

This is a list of characters in the Warner Bros. animated television series, Animaniacs.

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, the "Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister)", are voiced by Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille respectively.^[1] Yakko (the oldest child) is a wise-cracking smart-aleck and usually acts as the leader of the trio; Wakko (the middle child) has a Liverpool accent, a huge appetite and a gag bag filled with tricks, and Dot (the youngest child) is cute and sassy.

Their personalities in comical-humor-wise are similar, yet unique, mostly if not counted comic-wise. In the show, the siblings often appear in other characters' skits, usually chased by Ralph the security guard; most other characters are confined to their own segments. They are usually referred to as the "Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister" if all three, though since one is female, the proper term is actually "Warner siblings". Their last name "Warner" is named after the real-life studios "Warner Bros." or "Warner Brothers". They were drawn in the "Warners Studio" supposedly their age from Yakko to Dot, oldest-to-youngest are labeled in age by who was drawn first, middle, and last; at least because the theme intro shows Yakko being drawn first, Wakko middle, and Dot last. The show usually follows these characters' zany skits, and usually portrays them to have low intelligence. However, this may only be internal whit and the ability to see the humor in every situation around them, never taking anything seriously. (They are regularly shown to be very clever and knowledgeable in many areas, usually causing events that should have been impossible to predict).

Major supporting characters

• Dr. Otto Scratchansniff – German-accented studio psychiatrist, voiced by Rob Paulsen, who attempts to force the Warners to be less zany. He often loses patience with the Warners and goes insane, pulling his hair out until he is bald.^[2] He becomes fonder of the Warners and takes more responsibility for them, occasionally acting as a father figure.

• Hello Nurse – Buxom blonde studio nurse (who also appears in other occupations) voiced by Tress MacNeille, over whom Yakko and Wakko fawn. Her appearance usually prompts the boys into affectionate greetings ("Hellooooooo, Nurse!") and leaps into her arms; Dot does the same when an attractive man enters the picture. Hello Nurse appears in a few Slappy cartoons as a running gag. In Wakko's Wish, it is learned that her "mean IQ [is] 152" and she laments that she is respected for her looks and not her mind.^[2]

• Ralph – A dim-witted Warner Studio security guard, voiced by Frank Welker, who is charged with recapturing the Warners and confining them to the water tower. He first appeared in Tiny Toon Adventures as the Fat Guard.^[3]

• Thaddeus Plotz – Short, hot-tempered, money-grubbing CEO of Warner Bros., voiced by Frank Welker.^[2]

Minor supporting characters

• Slam Fondlesome – Vain anchorman for the fictitious Newstime Live programme, voiced by Phil Hartman, who is a parody of Sam Donaldson and appears in Broadcast Nuisance. His name was changed to Dan Anchorman when the episode was censored for Kids WB to make the Warners kinder to the character.

• Duanne Sewer – Rival newsreader of Newstime Live, featured in Broadcast Nuisance, and a parody of Diane Sawyer. Voiced by an uncredited Tress MacNeille, she is a Washington, D.C. anchorwoman.

• Wolf Spritzer – Newstime Live reporter who is a parody of Wolf Blitzer.

• Mr. Director – Caricature of Jerry Lewis (voiced by Paul Rugg), who first appears in Hello Nice Warners; in later episodes, he parodies Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now and (as a clown) frightens Mr. Plotz and Wakko in "Clown and Out".

• Ms. Flamiel – The Warners' prim, easily frustrated teacher, voiced by Tress MacNeille. When angry, she doles out "F" grades.

• Dot's Pet – Monstrous, changeable creature in a small, white box in Dot's pocket. Manifestations include a large bull-like creature, a plant parodying The Little Shop of Horrors, and a hairy form with enormous teeth.

• Miles Standish – Pilgrim antagonist from the Thanksgiving special, "Turkey Jerky", voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

• Mr. Gobble – Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's pet turkey in "Turkey Jerky", who runs and dances to "Turkey in the Straw".

• Sodarn Insane – Parody of Saddam Hussein, voiced by Frank Welker, who appears briefly in "Hot, Bothered and Bedeviled" and is the antagonist in "Baghdad Cafe" (a crossover episode between the Warners and Slappy Squirrel).

• Francis "Pip" Pumphandle – Dwarf-like man, voiced by Ben Stein, who annoys Yakko, Wakko, and Dot in "Chairman of the Bored".

• The Survey Ladies – Two women, voiced by Deanna Oliver and an uncredited Sherri Stoner, who pester Yakko, Wakko, and Dot with a survey about beans, movies, and George Wendt in "Survey Ladies".

• Wally Llama – Parody of the Dalai Lama, voiced by Richard Libertini, in "Wally Llama".

• Satan – Voiced by Ron Perlman. Based on the deity of the same name, he kicks the Warners out of Heck when they annoy him too far.

• The Protestor – Parody of Bob Dylan, voiced by Jess Harnell, who tortures Satan's victims with 1960s protest songs in "Hot, Bothered and Bedeviled".

• Professor Otto von Schnitzelpusskrankengescheitmeier – Fat, jolly Bavarian, voiced by Jim Cummings, who taught the Warners an international-friendship song. Also appeared in Wakko's Wish.

• Baloney the Dinosaur – Spoof of Barney the dinosaur, voiced by Jeff Bennett, in "Baloney and Kids". One of the few people the Warners can not deal with.

• Howie Tern – Stork parody of Howard Stern, voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

Pinky and the Brain

Pinky and the Brain are an imbecilic white mouse and his genius companion, voiced by Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche. The Brain is clearly the leader, and attempts to take over the world; Pinky is eccentric and unintelligent, but loyal to the Brain. In 1995, they were spun off into a series.

Supporting characters

• Snowball – Genetically-altered hamster, voiced by Roddy McDowall, who appears in the three-part "Brain Drained" episode of Pinky and the Brain.
• Billie – Female mouse, voiced by Tress MacNeille, who appeared in "The World Can Wait" and "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again".
• Pharfignewton – White race horse, voiced by Rob Paulsen and Frank Welker. Her name refers to Phar Lap, Fig Newtons and Fahrvergnügen, an advertising slogan used by Volkswagen.

Slappy Squirrel

• Slappy Squirrel – Grumpy cartoon veteran, voiced by series writer Sherri Stoner, who lives in a tree with nephew Skippy Squirrel. The music played during her segments is an excerpt from Antonín Dvořák's "Humoresque No. 7".
• Skippy Squirrel – Voiced by Nathan Ruegger, Skippy's chipper personality is the opposite of his aunt's. His character varies, from slightly naive ("Slappy Goes Walnuts") to innocent ("Bumbie's Mom") to complicit partner of Slappy ("Critical Condition").

Supporting characters

• Walter Wolf – Slappy Squirrel's longtime nemesis, voiced by Frank Welker in his first appearance and Jess Harnell for the remainder of the series, is a parody of the Big Bad Wolf characters of Disney and Tex Avery. In "Justice For Slappy", he has an adult grandson.
• Sid the Squid – Villain, voiced by Jack Burns, who appeared in five Slappy cartoons: "Hurray for Slappy", "Scare Happy Slappy", "Rest in Pieces", "Star Warners", and "Macadamia Nut".
• Beanie the Brain-Dead Bison – Villain similar to Pete Puma, voiced by Avery Schreiber, who appeared in "Hurray for Slappy", "Scare Happy Slappy", "Rest in Pieces", "Macadamia Nut", and "Star Warners".
• Bumpo Bassett – Stinkbomb's grandson, voiced by Luke Ruegger (younger brother of Nathan Ruegger), who appears in "Smell Ya Later".
• Stinkbomb D. Bassett – Slappy Squirrel foe, voiced by Jonathan Winters, who appears in "Smell Ya Later".
• Candie Chipmunk – Slappy's self-centred neighbour, voiced by Gail Matthius, who appears in "I Got Yer Can". An excerpt of the "Dance of the Reed Flutes", from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, plays when she appears.
• Charlton Woodchuck – Cartoon director and former child actor who appears in "Nutcracker Slappy".
• Codger Eggbert – Parody of Roger Ebert, voiced by Chuck McCann in "Critical Condition" and Billy West in "Hurray for North Hollywood (Part II)"
• Lene Hisskill – Parody of Gene Siskel, voiced by Maurice LaMarche in "Critical Condition"
• Doug the Dog – Large bulldog, voiced by Frank Welker in "Slappy Goes Walnuts"
• Vina Walleen – Old friend of Slappy, voiced by Tress MacNeille in "Bumbie, The Dearest Deer"
• Daniel Boone – Self-proclaimed "best frontiersman that ever lived", voiced by Jim Cummings in "Frontier Slappy"
• Hello Nurse – Appears in "Bumbie's Mom".
• Yakko, Wakko and Dot – Also appear in "Bumbie's Mom"
• Duke – School bully, voiced by Corey Burton in "Bully for Skippy"

Goodfeathers

Goodfeathers are an Italian American trio of pigeons: Squit (gray), Bobby (turquoise), and Pesto (lavender), who were voiced by Maurice LaMarche, John Mariano and Chick Vennera, influenced by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci's characters in Goodfellas.

Supporting characters

• The Godpigeon – Parody of Marlon Brando's Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather
• The Girlfeathers are their girlfriends. Sasha, voiced by Tress McNeille, is Squit's girlfriend and Pesto's sister. Lana (voiced by Gail Matthius) is Bobby's girlfriend, a parody of Cathy Moriarty's character in Raging Bull. Kiki, Pesto's girlfriend, is a stereotypical dumb blonde.
• Pipsqueak – Tiny great horned owl, voiced by Gabriel Luque
• Ma – Pesto and Sasha's mother, who lives in Miami Beach, Florida
• Steven Seagull – Pesto and Sasha's stepfather, a parody of Steven Seagal voiced by David Kaufman

Rita and Runt

Rita and Runt are a singing cat (voiced by Bernadette Peters, with vocal effects by Frank Welker) and a loyal dog (voiced by Welker) who thinks Rita is also a dog. Like "Minerva Mink", these segments were discontinued (in part, because of Bernadette Peters' salary). Welker remained a series regular, voicing other characters, and Rita and Runt returned toward the series' end.

Supporting characters

• Dr. Phrankenstein – Stumpy mad scientist, voiced by Adrienne Alexander in "Phranken-Runt"
• Scout – Dr. Phrankenstein's creation, voiced by Frank Welker in "Phranken-Runt"
• Mr. Squeak – Dr. Phrankenstein's pet rat in "Phranken-Runt"
• Pinky – Appears in a short crossover episode, in which Rita eats him.
• Brain – Appears in Animaniacs episode 43 segment 3 (a Rita and Runt cartoon).
• Mrs. Mumphead – Eccentric old lady, voiced by Paul Rugg, in "No Place Like Homeless"
• Crackers the Parrot – Mrs. Mumphead's pet, voiced by Frank Welker in "No Place Like Homeless"
• Pesto – Paired with Runt in the crossover episode, "No Place Like Homeless"
• Kiki the Angry Ape – Ill-tempered gorilla, voiced by Frank Welker, who appears in "Kiki's Kitten"
• Missy "Ma" McCoy -Elderly farm cat, voiced by Tress MacNeille
• Mr. Politician - Parody of Ross Perot, voiced by Frank Welker
• Schnapsie – Schnauzer owned by an SS commander

Buttons and Mindy

Buttons is a Rough Collie who takes care of Mindy and is voiced by Frank Welker. Mindy, voiced by Nancy Cartwright, is a young girl who is constantly getting into trouble.

Supporting characters

• Mindy's mother – In brief off-camera appearances, she is usually called "Lady" by Mindy in the series; in Wakko's Wish, Mindy calls her "Mom".
• Mindy's father – Never seen, Mindy calls him "Mr. Man".

Minerva Mink

Minerva Mink is an attractive young mink, voiced by Julie Brown, who was called Marilyn Mink in pre-production.

Supporting characters

• Newt – Faithful dachshund of his lazy owner, who also appears in "Puttin' on the Blitz" with Rita and Runt as "Schnappsie". Voiced by Arte Johnson (Newt) and by Frank Welker (Schnappsie).
• Wilford B. Wolf – Nerdy wolf who becomes a handsome werewolf every full moon, voiced by Peter Scolari. His werewolf alter-ego is built like one of the Chippendales & dresses like one, and is very affectionate to Minerva. Minerva once asked him about his werewolf changes. Unfortunately, he was in his nerd alter-ego and launched into a long, boring explanation replete with mathematical diagrams and charts.

Other supporting characters

• The Baby Bluebird ("Birdie") – Voiced by Cody Ruegger
• Chicken Boo – Six-foot-tall chicken, voiced by Frank Welker. His minimal disguises somehow fool people -until somebody realizes the truth -and people go ballistic.
• Steven (voiced by Frank Welker) – The show's executive producer, often mentioned by the cast
• Colin (the Randy Beaman Kid) – Wide-eyed boy who tells improbable stories which allegedly happened to his (never-seen) friend, Randy Beaman
• The Flame – Childlike candle flame, voiced by Luke Ruegger, who is present at important historical events and teaches fire safety.
• Flavio and Marita – Also known as the Hip Hippos, a wealthy, Spanish hippo couple voiced by Frank Welker and Tress MacNeille
• Dr. Jane Embryo-Zoologist who studies the Hip Hippos and tries in vain to protect them, a parody of Joan Embery and Jane Goodall voiced by Tress MacNeille
• Mr. Skullhead – Mute skeleton seen in the "Good Idea-Bad Idea" segment narrated by Tom Bodett and a parody of Edward Scissorhands.
• The Mime – Nameless mime who appears in "Mime Time", also narrated by Bodett.
• Katie Ka-Boom – Teenaged girl, voiced by Laura Mooney,^[4] who overreacts to trivial situations, morphing into terrifying & powerful forms.
• Mary Hartless – Parody of Mary Hart, voiced by Valri Bromfield and Tress MacNeille, who appears as a newsreader with a variety of hairstyles in "Hurray for Slappy", "Chairman of the Bored", "Bubba Bo Bob Brain", and "Critical Condition".
• Death – Archetypical Grim Reaper with black robe, skeletal appearance, and scythe. In "Meatballs or Consequences" the Warner siblings challenge him to a game of checkers, reminiscent of the chess game with Death in Ingmar Bergman's 1956 The Seventh Seal.^[5][6]
• The Narrator – Offscreen narrator (voiced by Jim Cummings) whose voice resembles Sterling Holloway, the original voice of Winnie The Pooh, who appears in "Nighty Night Toon", "Gift of Gold", and "Warners and the Beanstalk".

Wakko's Wish characters

• King Salazar – Dictator of Ticktockia, the main antagonist in the film and the main adversary of the Warners.
• The Warners' parents – King William the Good and Queen Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Second. After William's death, the country fell into chaos before it was conquered by Salazar.

Fan-fiction has postulated many different origin stories for the Warners, incl.this royal family.

References