Line #21 WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_3462.jpeg]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:"¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!"]]
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8	->''"The fastest mouse in all of Mexico."''
9
10	''Speedy Gonzales'' is a recurring character of the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]]'' franchises, starring in 46 short cartoons. He is a Mexican mouse endowed with SuperSpeed. He was the antepenultimate of the "classic" Looney Tunes characters to be created[[note]]behind the Tasmanian Devil and Witch Hazel[[/note]], not making his debut until 1953's ''Cat-Tails for Two'' by Creator/RobertMcKimson, where he looked much different from the more familiar Speedy by Creator/FrizFreleng and Hawley Pratt two years later. Initially being the nemesis of two cats based on [[Literature/OfMiceAndMen George and Lennie]], he eventually got into escapades with [[WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird Sylvester the Cat]] followed by less popular conflicts with WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck. He shares with Daffy the distinction of starring in the last Golden Age theatrical Looney Tunes short to feature any of the classic characters, which was 1968's ''See You Later, Gladiator''.
11
12	While his shorts are fairly popular, the series has come under fire for accusations of ethnic stereotyping--not Speedy himself, mind you, but rather his many acquaintances, who are portrayed as lazy, pejorative stereotypes of Mexican culture. As such, the shorts were not aired on network TV in the United States from 1985-2002, including the duration of ''The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show'''s run on ABC. Fortunately, thanks to Speedy's [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales large Mexican fanbase]] (who perceive him as a good role model) petitions persuaded Creator/WarnerBros to put the cartoons back on the air.
13
14	Speedy appeared occasionally in ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', taking up residence in the house of WesternAnimation/BugsBunny.
15
16	See also the video games ''VideoGame/SpeedyGonzalesLosGatosBandidos'' and ''VideoGame/CheeseCatAstrophe''.
17
18	----
19	[[folder:Filmography]]
20	[[index]]
21	!1953
22	* Cat-Tails for Two (MM): Features a completely different character design for Speedy.
23
24	!1955
25	* WesternAnimation/{{Speedy Gonzales\|1955}} (MM) -- Co-starring Sylvester. First appearance of his current design. Won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
26
27	!1957
28	* WesternAnimation/TabascoRoad (LT). Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
29	* Gonzales' Tamales -- Co-starring Sylvester. (LT)
30
31	!1958
32	* Tortilla Flaps (LT)
33
34	!1959
35	* WesternAnimation/MexicaliShmoes (LT): Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
36	* Here Today, Gone Tamale (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
37
38	!1960
39	* West of the Pesos (MM) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
40
41	!1961
42	* Cannery Woe (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
43	* WesternAnimation/ThePiedPiperOfGuadalupe (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
44
45	!1962
46	* Mexican Boarders (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
47
48	!1963
49	* Mexican Cat Dance (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
50	* Chili Weather (MM) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
51
52	!1964
53	* A Message to Gracias (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
54	* Nuts and Volts (LT) -- Co-starring Sylvester.
55	* Pancho's Hideaway (LT)
56	* Road to Andalay (MM)-- Co-starring Sylvester.
57
58	!1965
59	* It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House (LT)--Co-starring Daffy, Granny and Sylvester.
60	* WesternAnimation/CatsAndBruises (MM)--Co-starring Sylvester.
61	* WesternAnimation/TheWildChase (MM)—Co-stars Sylvester. {{Crossover}} with WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner.
62	* WesternAnimation/MobyDuck (LT)--Co-starring Daffy.
63	* WesternAnimation/AssaultAndPeppered (MM)--Co-starring Daffy.
64	* WesternAnimation/WellWornDaffy (LT)--Co-starring Daffy.
65	* Chili Corn Corny (LT)--Co-starring Daffy.
66	* Go Go Amigo (MM)--Co-starring Daffy.
67
68	!1966: All cartoons co-star WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck and Speedy.
69	* WesternAnimation/TheAstroduck (LT)
70	* Muchos Locos (MM)- The one cartoon Speedy is unambiguously defeated.
71	* Mexican Mousepiece (MM)
72	* WesternAnimation/DaffyRents (LT)
73	* WesternAnimation/AHauntingWeWillGo (LT)-featuring Witch Hazel.
74	* Snow Excuse (MM)
75	* A Squeak in the Deep (LT)
76	* Feather Finger (MM)
77	* Swing Ding Amigo (LT)
78	* A Tase of Catnip (MM)
79
80	!1967: All cartoons co-star Daffy and Speedy.
81	* [[WesternAnimation/DaffysDiner Daffy's Diner]] (MM)
82	* Quacker Tracker (LT)
83	* The Music Mice-Tro (MM)
84	* The Spy Swatter (LT)
85	* Speedy Ghost to Town (MM)
86	* Rodent to Stardom (LT)
87	* Go Away Stowaway (MM)
88	* Fiesta Fiasco (LT)
89
90	!1968: Both cartoons co-star Daffy and Speedy.
91	* Skyscraper Caper (LT)
92	* See Ya Later Gladiator
93
94	!1980
95	* The Chocolate Chase (part of ''Daffy Duck's Easter Show'' (AKA ''Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-citement''))
96	[[/folder]]
97	[[/index]]
98
99	-----
100	!Tropes, ándale!:
101	* AdaptedOut: The only major character who never appears or is never involved in ''WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes'' and ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed''.
102	* AgelessBirthdayEpisode: ''Fiesta Fiasco'' is one for Daffy.
103	* AllLovingHero: Even after all the times Daffy turned on him, Speedy still eagerly set up a surprise party for him in ''Fiesta Fiasco''. Being the staple NoRespectGuy of the ''Looney Tunes'' universe, [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther Daffy is sincerely touched]].
104	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: ''Rodent to Stardom'', a pseudo remake of ''WesternAnimation/AStarIsBored'' where Speedy replaces Bugs as the rival of a jealous Daffy.
105	* ArchEnemy: Sylvester is this to him, but it doesn't work both ways (Sylvester's ArchEnemy being Tweety Pie). Later on, he is this to Daffy.
106	* AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: At one point in ''Road to Anadaly'', Sylvester sics Malcolm Falcon on Speedy, but the falcon, clinging to Sylvester's gloved hand, carries the cat aloft as he flies into the air. Sylvester yells for Malcolm to let go. Malcolm obliges, removing his talons from Sylvester's gloves, only for the cat to discover that [[GravityIsAHarshMistress he is several feet in the air]]. As he falls, Sylvester yells for Malcolm to grab him again.
107	* BadassAdorable: Speedy himself is a cute, cheerful little mouse who is incredibly strong for his size.
108	* {{Bandito}}: Pancho Vanilla (a thinly disguised WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam) in ''Pancho's Hideaway''.
109	* BarefootCartoonAnimal
110	* BewareTheNiceOnes: The plot of ''A Message to Gracias'' has Speedy tasked by a general mouse named El Supremo to deliver a message to General Gracias. Naturally, Speedy outruns and outwits Sylvester, but when he delivers the message, not only does he learn that it’s a birthday card, El Supremo had taken a shortcut to surprise Gracias with a birthday cake! Speedy is so miffed that he actually frees Sylvester from a tree that he’d tied the cat up to earlier and sics Sylvester on the general mice! It’s surprising considering how helpful Speedy usually is to his fellow mice, though it might have something to do with the fact that ten other mice died trying to deliver that birthday card, and Speedy might have been expressing his displeasure of El Supremo's WeHaveReserves attitude towards his men.
111	* BlindIdiotTranslation: In ''The Pied Piper of Guadalupe'', one of the mice carries a "Loco El Gato" sign. This is a wrong translation of "Crazy Cat", reading "Crazy The Cat" ([[ComicStrip/KrazyKat O rly?]]). It should have said "El gato loco", or, even better "¡El gato está loco!" ("the cat is crazy!") or "¡Qué gato tan loco!" ("what a crazy cat!").
112	* BumblingSidekick: Oddly enough plays this role for Daffy in ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDucksFantasticIsland''.
113	* CatsAreMean: Sure, El Supremo's anger towards Daffy in ''Daffy's Diner'' for serving him a piece of fake food is understandable. However, his actions afterward easily fall under DisproportionateRetribution; he threatens to ''murder'' him if he didn't catch one mouse for a mouseburger. Moreover, his CardCarryingVillain-esque speech heavily implies Daffy is ''not'' his only victim.
114	* CharacterCatchphrase: "¡Ándale, ándale!" (Come on, come on!) and "¡Arriba, arriba!" ("Get up, get up!") usually shouted vigorously as he ran about. Also "Yeehaw!" when he gives a JumpScare in the back of his adversaries.
115	* ChivalrousPervert: Speedy Gonzales is a friend of everybody's sister Carmella! And in one cartoon he proves to be quite the romantic, serenading a female mouse with a guitar. (Until Sylvester interrupts his date.)
116	* ComicallyInvincibleHero: It plays a lot into the gags however.
117	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In one cartoon, Daffy calls a Roman Centurion a "fathead", but regrets it when the guy, who takes offense to it, comes to confront them. Daffy tries to save face by saying the insult was directed at Speedy, but Speedy gets them in even ''more'' trouble by being a little too honest about it...
118	* {{Crossover}}: ''The Wild Chase'' has Speedy competing in a race against the [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner Road Runner]] with Sylvester and Wile E. trying to catch their respective foes, the emphasis being on “trying”, as Sylvester and Wile E. both fail spectacularly.
119	* DashingHispanic: Both figuratively and literally.
120	* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Speedy's early design by Creator/RobertMcKimson[[note]][[WriteWhatYouKnow which is inspired by a pair of Mexican brothers [=McKimson=] played polo with]][[/note]], in which Speedy wore a pink shirt, had no pants, had a gold front tooth, and looked stereotypically Mexican with his mop of greasy black hair and broken Spanish [[note]]the latter of which stayed when the character was changed into the way he is seen now[[/note]], looks ''nothing'' like his current self.
121	* EruditeStoner: Speedy's cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez. He moves slow and talks slower, but he's "fast upstairs in the cabeza". Also, he carries a [[HandCannon gun that's bigger than he is]]. It is implied that he is a stoner when he sings about marijuana to the tune of "La Cucaracha."
122	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: He's the fastest mouse of all Mexico for a reason.
123	* FastestThingAlive: It's right there in his title.
124	* FriendlyEnemy: Has moments of this with Daffy. At the very least he ''tries'' to play nice with the mean spirited duck most of the time.
125	* FunnyForeigner: A perfectly competent hero who speaks in GratuitousSpanish
126	* GracefulLoser: While he didn't lose a whole lot, he tended to take it rather peacefully (in great contrast to Bugs who often [[SoreLoser couldn't take what he dished out]]). In ''Moby Duck'' and ''Assault and Peppered'', he is actually willing to back down to Daffy out of sheer pity (though LaserGuidedKarma makes sure it is a moral victory for Speedy).
127	* GratuitousSpanish: ¡Por supuesto!
128	* GuileHero: When his SuperSpeed fails, Speedy can often outsmart his foes as easily. Especially apparent in the [=DePatie=]–Freleng era.
129	* HatDamage: In ''Speedy Gonzales'', Speedy is working as a living target in a shooting gallery when he gets a bullet through his hat thanks to being distracted by another mouse who needed his help.
130	* HeroAntagonist: Like a lot of other ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' protagonists, he flip flopped with this, a lot of shorts giving the main focus to the blundering of foes such as [[VillainProtagonist Sylvester or Daffy]]. Granted there were a fair few pairings against [[TookALevelInJerkass Daffy]] where it seemed you were ''really'' [[TheWoobie meant to root for him]].
131	* InvincibleHero: The amount of times a villain actually defeated Speedy can be counted on one hand. The amount of times a villain so much as challenged him actually aren't much larger than that. Daffy could make Speedy sweat a ''little'' at times, but still usually proved out of his league.
132	* JerkassBall: He’s usually heroic, but ''Go Away Stowaway'' is a major exception. All Daffy wants in this cartoon is for Speedy to stop singing "La Cucaracha" while playing his guitar, but Speedy tricks him into trying to take a vacation and then stows away inside Daffy’s suitcase for no good reason! ''The Music Mice-Tro'' is a downplayed version, since Speedy and his band harass Daffy (a film star here) in hopes that he will get them into motion pictures but Daffy’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown and just wants peace and quiet.
133	* JumpScare: In a gag borrowed from the WesternAnimation/RoadRunner, Speedy often comes from behind his enemies and shouts "Yeehaw!" to make them jump in the air.
134	* KarmaHoudini:
135	** Some of the [=DePatie=]–Freleng era Daffy/Speedy cartoons would have incidental characters that conned Daffy into chasing Speedy but got away with it at the end. Examples include Mayor Katt in ''Feather Finger'' and El Supremo in ''WesternAnimation/DaffysDiner''. The Loco Crow in ''Chili Corn Corny'' got away with screwing over both Daffy ''and'' Speedy. One should note in ''Daffy's Diner'' that Daffy was trying to cheat El Supremo by advertising a mouse burger but placing a foam rubber mouse in the burger. El Supremo ''loathed'' being cheated, and threatened Daffy as a result! Had Daffy not tried to cheat El Supremo, the whole thing might have been avoided.
136	** While usually benevolent, ''Speedy'' is this in ''Gonzales' Tomales'', oddly portrayed as a homewrecker stealing the rest of the town's girlfriends. The vengeful mice sic Sylvester onto him by pretending Speedy challenged him for a fight. Since neither discover the other mice's plot, and Speedy [[CurbstompBattle blatantly outmatches Sylvester]], only the cat gets punished.
137	* KarmicTrickster: He often wins through his SuperSpeed, though when that fails he can outsmart his opponents pretty swiftly as well. Especially apparent in the Daffy shorts.
138	* KnightOfCerebus: Astonishingly enough, Daffy is actually this to the rest of Speedy Gonzales' Rogues Gallery. While still highly bumbling in tone, the situations Speedy was placed in were sometimes a lot more dire against Daffy, who stands as the only villain competent (and malicious) enough to hold ground against the mouse, even beating him a couple of times.
139	%%* NiceGuy: Especially during the [=DePatie=]–Freleng era shorts.
140	* NiceMice: A mouse who pretty much only steals cheese to help his compadres.
141	* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: The [=DePatie=]–Freleng shorts made Speedy slightly more fallible, even losing a couple of times. In ''Muchos Locos'' and (to some extent) ''Chilli Con Corny'', Daffy gets the last laugh.
142	* OutOfFocus: In modern adaptations, he gets this more than all the other major ''Looney Tunes'' characters. If not outright AdaptedOut (see above), he's DemotedToExtra, like in ''Film/SpaceJam'' and ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' where he only makes cameo appearances (and he has no lines in the former). This is averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'' where he's a recurring character but played straight again in ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'' where he only appeared in the two-part episode "Tweet Team". As of right now, the only episode of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons'' that Speedy appears in is the "Happy Birthday Bugs Bunny!" short.
143	* PingPongNaivete: Similar to Tweety, while often more a cunning Karmic Trickster ObfuscatingStupidity, there are times when Speedy genuinely comes off as incredibly naive. In cases like "The Music Mice-trio" he has sincere problems realizing that Daffy actually hates Speedy's guts ... or why Daffy might do so.
144	* PintSizedPowerhouse: His cousin, Lento ("Slowpoke") Rodriguez, the slowest mouse in Mexico... who packs a gun, ''and'' can hypnotize cats, even Sylvester. Cousin Ramone (the biggest rat in Tijuana) in ''Daffy Rents'', is actually an inversion.
145	* ResourcefulRodent: Speedy Gonzales is the fastest mouse in all of Mexico who outsmarts and humiliates his vastly stronger enemies to help his friends and outrun his enemies. It's the reason why he's so idolised Mexico, he's a smooth-talking hero who always outsmarts others and always wins at the end of the story.
146	* RoadRunnerVsCoyote: Along with Tweety Bird, Speedy serves as the Road Runner to Sylvester's Coyote, which should come as no surprise, since his franchise also features [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner the trope namers themselves]]. In ''WesternAnimation/TheWildChase'', [[VillainTeamUp Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote team up]] to catch both Speedy and the Road Runner during a race they have.
147	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Given that Sylvester and Daffy had already previously been established as rivals to Tweety and Bugs respectively before their initial encounters with Speedy, they definitely qualify as such.
148	* SignatureHeadgear: Other than his first appearance (which was sort of a prototype of the character) he always wears a sombrero as befitting his role as a Mexican stereotype.
149	* {{Spexico}}: Another reason Mexicans didn't mind it much was because it was an obvious intentional exaggeration of Mexican stereotypes, which even they love to use. For example, the mice weren't lazy, they just like taking Siestas (naps).
150	* StockAnimalDiet: The most common Speedy plot was the starving mice of Mexico asking him for help to get food that is guarded by Sylvester or Daffy. Usually the food in question is cheese (though ''The Chocolate Chase'' had him going for Easter candies instead).
151	* SuperSpeed: The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico!
152	* ATasteOfDefeat: On ''very'' rare occasions Speedy actually lost a short (eg. ''Mucho Locos'' and ''Chilli Con Corny''). In a few others he defeated the villain, but got his victory soured in some manner (eg. He thwarts the bandit in ''Pancho's Hideaway'', but the latter still gets a small last laugh). He also shares the DownerEnding with Daffy in ''Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island''.
153	* TokenMinority: One of the few Mexican characters in the Looney Tunes cast.
154	* TookALevelInJerkAss: Daffy Duck, in his encounters with Speedy.
155	* VillainousUnderdog: Speedy's SuperSpeed more or less made him completely invincible, leading all his foes without a hope of capturing him. The Daffy shorts seemed to weaken Speedy slightly so Daffy was marginally threatening, but being a ''Looney Tunes'' series, it's still blatantly there at times.
156	* VitriolicBestBuds: With Daffy. In some of their latest cartoons (like ''Fiesta Fiasco'' and ''Skyscraper Caper'') they appear to be somewhat friends.
157	* WeHaveReserves: In ''A Message to Gracias'', El Supremo doesn't care that he got ten of his men killed trying to deliver a dispatch to General Gracias before his surviving couriers convinced him to send Speedy to do it instead. And after Speedy got past the blockade and delivered the dispatch, it turned out to be of utterly trivial importance - a birthday card! That might explain why Speedy sent Sylvester after El Supremo and General Gracias at the end.
158	* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: In the original shorts, Speedy's general solution against all the villains that opposed him was...[[SuperSpeed running fast]]. [[TheAllSolvingHammer And it worked]]. On more than one occasion Sylvester successfully ate Speedy, but it did nothing to slow him down since Speedy could run with enough force to just ''burst through the other end''. The [=DePatie=]–Freleng era shorts toyed more with antagonists being able to overpower Speedy, forcing him to utilise KarmicTrickster tactics against them.
159	* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: In ''Quacker Tracker'', the head of the Tooth and Nail Hunters Society announced that whoever captured Speedy would receive a lifetime membership. One heavily-bandaged guy, presumably one of the many who tried and failed to bag Speedy, said that [[TemptingFate only a "stupid, idiotic, foolhardy ignoramus" would go after Speedy.]] Naturally, Daffy volunteered and failed spectacularly.
160	* WithFriendsLikeThese: With Daffy.
161	* YourSizeMayVary: His scale against the other characters changes, particularly in the later shorts and specials, where he'll sometimes size up to Daffy's waist.

Context WesternAnimation / SpeedyGonzales