History WesternAnimation / WallyGator

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Oh Fuddle De Doo!" "(insert phrase here), [don't] y'know!" "Like I always say sometimes..." He's also fond of singing out short bursts of scat once in a while, some of which ends up sounding startlingly like [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo another Hanna-Barbera icon]]'s catchphrase.

%%* AnimatedSeries

%% * RingAroundTheCollar

One of the series created by Creator/HannaBarbera after the success of WesternAnimation/YogiBear and ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow''. Created in 1962 as part of ''The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series'', a syndicated package which also contained ''WesternAnimation/ToucheTurtle'' and ''WesternAnimation/LippyTheLionAndHardyHarHar''. Wally Gator (Creator/DawsButler) was an alligator who craved going outside the confines of his zoo's walls, and as such tried to escape in almost every episode. Stopping him was his zookeeper, Mr. Twiddle (Creator/DonMessick), whose success varied greatly between episodes. Having any other character appear in more than one episode was itself a rarity.

One of the series created by Creator/HannaBarbera after the success of WesternAnimation/YogiBear and ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow''. Created in 1962 as part of ''The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series'', a syndicated package which also contained ''Touché Turtle'' and ''WesternAnimation/LippyTheLionAndHardyHarHar''. Wally Gator (Creator/DawsButler) was an alligator who craved going outside the confines of his zoo's walls, and as such tried to escape in almost every episode. Stopping him was his zookeeper, Mr. Twiddle (Creator/DonMessick), whose success varied greatly between episodes. Having any other character appear in more than one episode was itself a rarity.

One of the series created by Creator/HannaBarbera after the success of WesternAnimation/YogiBear and ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow''. Created in 1962 as part of ''The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series'', a syndicated package which also contained ''Touché Turtle'' and ''Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har''. Wally Gator (Creator/DawsButler) was an alligator who craved going outside the confines of his zoo's walls, and as such tried to escape in almost every episode. Stopping him was his zookeeper, Mr. Twiddle (Creator/DonMessick), whose success varied greatly between episodes. Having any other character appear in more than one episode was itself a rarity.

* {{Sidekick}}: A notable aversion in the Creator/HannaBarbera CivilizedAnimal roster; Wally doesn't have a sidekick, and his solitude is a plot point in a couple of episodes.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Oh Fuddle De Doo!" "(insert phrase here), [don't] y'know!". "Like I always say sometimes...". He's also fond of singing out short bursts of scat once in a while, some of which ends up sounding startlingly like [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo another Hanna-Barbera icon]]'s catchphrase.

!!This series provides examples of:

One of the series created by Creator/HannaBarbera after the success of WesternAnimation/YogiBear and ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow'', and one of the first to directly lift its premise from an existing show. Created in 1962 as part of ''The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series'', a syndicated package which also contained ''Touché Turtle'' and ''Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har''. Wally Gator (Creator/DawsButler) was an alligator who craved going outside the confines of his zoo's walls, and as such tried to escape in almost every episode. Stopping him was his zookeeper, Mr. Twiddle (Creator/DonMessick), whose success varied greatly between episodes. Having any other character appear in more than one episode was itself a rarity.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Oh Fuddle De Doo!". "(insert phrase here), [don't] y'know!". "Like I always say sometimes...". He's also fond of singing out short bursts of scat once in a while, some of which ends up sounding startlingly like [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo another Hanna-Barbera icon]]'s catchphrase.
* CivilizedAnimal: Wally has both human and animal characteristics. He walks bipedally, is an AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal, smokes cigars on occasion, and can talk to humans -- but his home is a zoo, he relies on humans for sustenance, and he seems capable of swamp living.

* EscapeArtist: Wally is seen as a regular Houdini by the other zoo animals, and rightly so as he runs off from the zoo in nearly every episode. This forms the extended basis of the plot in "Ape Scrape," where one of the zoo's apes tries to run off with Wally's help. Naturally, Wally's assistance instead proves disastrous.

* InflatingBodyGag: When Wally tries to have his blood pressure taken, ''he'' inflates instead of the arm cuff.

* CivilizedAnimal: Wally has both human and animal characteristics. He walks bipedally, is an AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal, smokes cigars on occasion, and can talk to humans -- but his home is a zoo, he relies on humans for sustenance, and seems capable of swamp living.

* TheBully: The bear in "Bear With Me", Ella (his supposed girlfriend) in "Bachelor Buttons," and Beauregard in "Swamp Fever" and "Rebel Rabble" all push Wally around with impunity. Although Wally does try to fight back against the former two, Beauregard puts Wally through so much hell in the Everglades before his capture that Wally doesn't even attempt to mount any kind of defense against him.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Oh Fuddle De Doo!". "(insert sentence here), [don't] y'know!". "Like I always say sometimes...". He's also fond of singing out short bursts of scat once in a while, some of which ends up sounding startlingly like [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo another Hanna-Barbera icon]]'s catchphrase.
* CivilizedAnimal: Wally has both human and animal characteristics. He walks bipedally, is an AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal, smokes cigars on occasion, and can talk to humans -- but his home is a zoo, he relies on humans for sustenance, and in at least one episode seems capable of swamp living.

* DeepSouth: Whenever Wally goes to the Everglades, a US Southern stereotype or two invariably shows up. Examples include SouthernBelle Harmony and self-styled Confederate Rebel Beauregard.

* EscapeArtist: Wally is seen as a regular Houdini by the other zoo animals. It forms the basis of the plot in "Ape Scrape."
* EverybodySmokes: Wally has been known to puff on a stogy at times. This was pretty normal for 1962/63, even though the crackdown was just on the horizon.

* PaperThinDisguise: Wally often uses rather transparent attempts at camouflage when he tries to escape the zoo. Both DisguisedInDrag and AdultsDressedAsChildren ("Bachelor Buttons") are not out of the question as approaches.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Inverted since Wally is essentially quite harmless and friendly, even if he is mischievous. Part of Twiddle's concern about his frequent escapes is that he can't survive in the wild.
* RingAroundTheCollar

* TimeTravel: "Knight Nut".
* WickedWitch: "Which is Which Witch".

* AngryGuardDog: Subverted with Snowzer, who is always lethargic. He's still very good at his job, much to Wally's annoyance.

** "Birthday Grievings" shows Wally at various stages of his life in the zoo (marked by the number of candles on the cake) and illustrates the fact that Wally had made life hell for Mr. Twiddle ever since he was a baby. Mr. Twiddle becomes so bitter over the flashbacks that he ends up throwing the birthday cake in Wally's face.

* BlackComedy: Many jokes in the show itself relate to people either wanting to make Wally into a bag or mistaking him for luggage because it's all alligator-skinned.

* TheBully: The bear in "Bear With Me", Ella (his girlfriend) in "Bachelor Buttons" and Beauregard in "Swamp Fever" and "Rebel Rabble" all push Wally around with impunity. Although Wally does try to fight back against the former two, Beauregard puts Wally through so much hell in the Everglades before his capture that Wally doesn't even attempt to mount any kind of defense against him.
-->[[MadnessMantra You're the head gator!]]

* DeepSouth: Whenever Wally goes to the Everglades, a US Southern stereotype or two invariably shows up.

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: In "Bachelor Buttons," Wally gets physically abused by his new girlfriend Ella right out of the crate -- she slugs him in the nose, conks him on the head, and body slams him to the ground by the tail. Things get so bad that he runs off to hide in the lion's cage, hoping to deter her (it doesn't work). Later in the episode, Wally uses a mouse to scare off his new girlfriend -- but we shortly after see the mouse being chased and whacked on the head with a broom by his spouse. Ironically, Wally finds this hilarious.

-->A little croc humour, don't y'know!

* KnightInShiningArmor: An eccentric rich man believes he's a knight in "Droopy Dragon," and a literal example appears in "Knight Nut." Needless to say, the dragons they have each tried to slay in the past are remarkably alligator-shaped.
* LoveInterest: Wally falls in love with a female Everglades alligator named Harmony in "Rebel Rabble." As usual, his infatuation does not end well.

* NeckLift: A common way for the characters to lift Wally. Wally does it to other characters on occasion.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Wally's voice was modeled after Ed Wynn.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mr. Twiddle, when not at wit's end, is a fair-minded fellow to his zoo charges.

* TheRival: Beauregard, again. Snowzer is also arguably one, but his rivalry is much more one-sided.

* TheBully: The bear in "Bear With Me", Ella in "Bachelor Buttons" and Beauregard at the end of "Swamp Fever" all push Wally around with impunity. Although Wally does try to fight back against the former two, Beauregard puts Wally through so much hell in the Everglades before his capture that Wally doesn't even attempt to mount any kind of defense against him.

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: In "Bachelor Buttons," Wally gets physically abused by his new girlfriend right out of the crate -- she slugs him in the nose, conks him on the head, and body slams him to the ground by the tail. Things get so bad that he runs off to hide in the lion's cage, hoping to deter her (it doesn't work). Later in the episode, Wally uses a mouse to scare off his new girlfriend -- but we shortly after see the mouse being chased and whacked on the head with a broom by his spouse. Ironically, Wally finds this hilarious.

* KnightInShiningArmor: An eccentric rich man thinks of himself as this in "Droopy Dragon", and there's a literal one in "Knight Nut". Needless to say, the dragons they each try to slay are remarkably alligator-shaped.
* LoveInterest: Harmony. [[FlatCharacter And that's her only role.]]
** Unlike most love episodes of his animal brethren, the focus isn't really on the love interest in this case, so much so that Harmony isn't even given a resolution.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Although it's not like there's much of a difference when you're already driven up the wall.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Beauregard to Wally in "Rebel Rabble".

* NiceHat: Wally wears a stylish hat.

* RuleOfFunny: The interaction between Wally and the humans outside the zoo. Everyone can recognise him as an alligator, but the humans' reactions differ a lot depending on the plot. In some episodes, humans will react to Wally with screams of terror and disbelief at a bipedal alligator in a collar. hat and cufflinks, whereas in others a human will treat him like any other person. In "Accidentally on Purpose", the whole plot is about a ConMan trying to sell accident insurance to Wally. Wouldn't the liability lie with the zoo for all its animals?
* {{Sidekick}}: A notable aversion in Hanna-Barbera's CivilizedAnimal roster; Wally doesn't have a sidekick, and his solitude is a plot point in a couple of episodes.
* SouthernBelle: Harmony.

* AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: Wally sports a hat and collar, but no other clothing.

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: The fate of the mouse in "Bachelor Buttons". Wally finds it hilarious.

* EverybodySmokes: Wally has been known to puff on a stogy at times. Smoking a discarded cigar causes Wally to be mistaken for a dragon in "Droopy Dragon." When his attempt at easy fame works in "Gladiator Gator," he enjoys a celebratory cheroot. Cigar smoking is also used as a gag in "Bachelor Buttons." This was pretty normal for 1962/63, even though the crackdown was just on the horizon. The same "mistaken for a dragon" plot is used for a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se1gpsntG6s piece of official merchandise]] as well.

* ParodyEpisode: "Little Red Riding Gator" is an eccentric take on the classic fairy tale ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood''. Unusual for a parody (but typically for a Wally Gator episode), the wolf in the story never suffers once; Wally catches the brunt of ButtMonkey abuse, both from the wolf (as payback for Wally warning the little girl about him) and Grandma (who misinterprets her granddaughter's description of the perpetrator and thinks Wally was the villain).
* PaperThinDisguise: Wally often uses rather transparent attempts at camouflage when he tries to escape the zoo. Both DisguisedInDrag and AdultsDressedAsChildren are not out of the question as approaches.

* NiceHat: Wally wears one.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Wally's voice was modelled after Ed Wynn.
* ParodyEpisode: "Little Red Riding Gator" is an accentric take on the classic fairy tale ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood''. Unusual for a parody (but typically for a Wally Gator episode), the wolf in the story never suffers once; Wally catches the brunt of ButtMonkey abuse, both from the wolf (as payback for Wally warning the little girl) and Grandma (who misinterprets her granddaughter's description of the perpetrator and thinks Wally was the villain).
* PaperThinDisguise: A very common tactic, with DisguisedInDrag and AdultsDressedAsChildren not out of the question.
* ProtagonistTitle
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mr. Twiddle, when not at wit's end.