"And now here they are! The most daredevil group of daffy drivers to ever whirl their wheels in the Wacky Races! Competing for the title of the World's Wackiest Racer. The cars are approaching the starting line:"
The character page for the original Wacky Races. For the character page from the 2017 reboot, click here.
open/close all folders
Peter Perfect (Driver of the Turbo Terrific)
Peter Perfect
Car: Turbo Terrific (#9)
"First is the Turbo Terrific driven by Peter Perfect."
— The Announcer
The Turbo Terrific
Voiced by: Daws Butler (1968 cartoon), Greg Burson (2000 video game), Jeff Bennett (Wacky Races Forever pilot), Diedrich Bader (2017)
A gentlemanly racer in the Turbo Terrific who's extremely strong but also very vain, and he often boasts about the virtues of his high-tech race car—which regularly falls to pieces seconds after he's praised it. He is fond of Penelope and often helps her.- The Alleged Car: The Turbo Terrific seems to fall to pieces at least once per episode.
- Alliterative Name: Peter Perfect.
- Butt-Monkey: He regularly suffers particularly embarrassing accidents or mechanical failures
. - Character Catchphrase: Usually "Oh, fiddlesticks!" whenever something goes wrong.
- Dogged Nice Guy: He frequently attempts to flirt with or help Penelope Pitstop, although she rarely encourages him.
- Dub Name Change: He's Pedro Bello in Spanish, Pedro Perfeito in Portugal, Pierre de Beau-Fixe in France, and Kizatoto -kun ( キザトト君) in Japan.
- Dudley Do-Right Stops to Help: He often stops to do a good deed or help someone in need in almost every episode. This cost him the race at least once, as he screeched to a halt just before the finish line to avoid running over a cat that had wandered onto the track. It did earn him a new cat, though.
- Expy: His counterpart in The Great Race is "The Great Leslie" as played by Tony Curtis.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: A superficially handsome hero named "Perfect", who is actually wildly unlucky and barely competent.
- Fragile Speedster: The Turbo Terrific is quite fast, but easily falls apart from the slightest touch.
- Glass Cannon: Peter's car is fast, but can't take ANYTHING before shattering into pieces.
- Ironic Name: Not only is Peter Perfect pretty arrogant, things tend to not go well for him.
- Lantern Jaw of Justice: Yep, he's got a big chin.
- My Car Hates Me: Almost every time he boasts about how great it is, it falls to bits or throws a chunk of its engine out.
- Old-School Chivalry: How he behaves towards Penelope, even when it threatens to cost him the race.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: If you consider the Wacky Races Forever pilot as canon, he does eventually get to marry and have kids with Penelope.
- Top-Heavy Guy: An inverted triangle of muscle.
Rufus Ruffcut & Sawtooth (Drivers of the Buzzwagon)
Rufus Ruffcut & Sawtooth
Car: Buzzwagon (#10)
"Next, Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth in the Buzzwagon."
— The Announcer
The Buzzwagon
Voiced by: Daws Butler (Rufus Ruffcut, 1968 cartoon), Don Messick (Sawtooth, 1968 cartoon), Greg Burson (Rufus Ruffcut, 2000 video game)
Rufus Ruffcut, a lumberjack, and his companion Sawtooth, a beaver, drive the Buzzwagon, which is entirely made of wood, features four circular saw blades as wheels, and Sawtooth is able to cut through obstacles (such as trees and other objects) at super-high speed.- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Sawtooth wears a yellow helmet, a yellow scarf, goggles, and yellow gloves.
- Alliterative Name: Rufus Ruffcut.
- Bamboo Technology: The Buzz Wagon appears to basically be a kart made out of wood with saws for wheels.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: Rufus and Sawtooth, respectively.
- Dub Name Change:
- Rufus is Brutus in Spanish, Rufus Lenhador in Brazil, Rufus la Rondelle in France, and Don Kappe (ドン・カッペ) in Japan.
- Sawtooth is Listus in Spanish, Serra-Dentuças in Portugal, Dentes-de-Serra in Brazil, Saucisson in France, and Jinbei (甚平) in Japan.
- The Mexican dub changed the car's name to Troncoswagen, as a pun on Volkswagen being the most popular car company at the moment.
- Mighty Lumberjack: Their car is made from logs and has circular saws for wheels, and Rufus has the stereotypical muscles, plaid shirt and coonskin cap.
- Moose and Maple Syrup: Stereotypically Canadian lumber workers.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Sawtooth is a beaver.
- Solid Cartoon Facial Stubble: Rufus Ruffcut has a tanny section of solid stubble that takes a slight lift on each cheek before curving back down to his jawline.
- Top-Heavy Guy: Rufus has a wide frame, especially around his chest, and thick, muscular arms. His legs, however, are short and comparatively thin.
- Weaponised Car: With circular saws for wheels. And they use them.
Sergeant Blast & Private Meekley (Drivers of the Army Surplus Special)
Sergeant Blast & Private Meekley
Car: Army Surplus Special (#6)
"Maneuvering for position is the Army Surplus Special."
— The Announcer
The Army Surplus Special
Voiced by: Daws Butler (Sergeant Blast, 1968 cartoon), Paul Winchell (Private Meekley, 1968 cartoon), Greg Burson (Sergeant Blast, 2000 video game), Jim Cummings (1952) (Private Meekley, 2000 video game)
A pair of soldiers who drive in an armored half-track called the Army Surplus Special. The Sergeant uses "fire power" (i.e., shooting cannon balls from his turret), to power up the car.- Abnormal Ammo: The Surplus Special can shoot different types of ammo, such as bubble gum to stop other racers.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Blast is loud, aggressive, and usually patronizing to Meekley.
- Dub Name Change:
- Blast is Sargento Bombarda in Portuguese, Sergent Grosse-Pomme in France, and Gunsō Kakka (軍曹閣下) in Japan.
- Meekley is Soldat Petit-Pois in France and Shinpei-kun (新兵くん) in Japan.
- The Mexican dub changed the car's name to Super Chatarra Especial (Super Junk Special); it counts as Cultural Translation, because army surplus is not a thing in Latin America.
- Fat and Skinny: Blast and Meekley, respectively.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Meekley's voice is based on Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle from The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..
- Recoil Boost: The Special can use its cannon to give it an extra boost in speed.
- Southern-Fried Private: Meekley has a noticeable Southern accent.
- Tank Goodness: The Special is a half-track.
The Ant Hill Mob (Drivers of the Bulletproof Bomb)
The Ant Hill Mob (Clyde, Ring-A-Ding, Rug Bug Benny, Mac, Danny, Kirby & Willy)
Car: Bulletproof Bomb (#7)
"Right behind is the Ant Hill Mob in their Bulletproof Bomb."
— The Announcer
The Bulletproof Bomb
Voiced by: Paul Winchell (Clyde, 1968 cartoon), Don Messick (Ring-A-Ding, 1968 cartoon), Jim Cummings (1952) (Clyde, 2000 video game)
A group of seven pint-sized 1920s-style gangsters composing of Clyde, their leader, Ring-A-Ding, Rug Bug Benny, Mac, Danny, Kirby and Willy who race in the Bulletproof Bomb. They are constantly preoccupied with getting caught by the police and are able to use "getaway power", which involves all members, except for Clyde, extending their legs through the bottom of the car and running.- Bank Robbery: When Dastardly uses a police siren to trick the other racers into stopping, Clyde tells his companions to remember their "alibi" for a bank robbery.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Clyde is based on Edward G. Robinson.
- Divergent Character Evolution: Except for Clyde and Ring-A-Ding (who was renamed Dum-Dum), all of them gain separate personalities once they appear in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop.
- The Family for the Whole Family: Considering they’re gangsters in a children’s cartoon, this should be obvious.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clyde is somewhat an imitation of Edward G. Robinson.
- No Name Given: Clyde and Ring-A-Ding are the only ones named in-show. Supplementary material has the others named as Rug Bug Benny, Mac, Danny, Kirby, and Willy.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Somehow, they always can fool the cops (and some of the racers) with obvious disguises. Only Dick Dastardly can tell it's still just them.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Supposedly gangsters, but spend all their time racing. Subverted in that they had trouble with the police at least once and were seen casting away quite a lot of loot to make their car lighter once. When this happened Ring-a-ding is clearly heard confirming the stuffs ill-gotten and wonders why anyone ever said crime pays as they toss the items away. This does suggest they are a bit more fond of racing than crime however...
- Punch-Clock Villain: As noted above, despite their gruff gangster personas, they do not come off as particularly evil. In one episode, they do not hesitate to rescue a Wood Scout from being swept over a waterfall, despite being in a hurry to get away from a sheriff.
- The Roaring '20s: The Bomb is a twenties sedan, and their dress sense is that of the stereotypical Prohibition gangster.
- Recoil Boost: One of their methods of going faster is firing their Tommy Guns out the back window. Typically, this goes poorly for whoever is unfortunate enough to be behind them.
- Running on the Spot: Their "getaway power" has their legs and feet extend through the car's floor, for extra speed. When they start, they do the "whirl in place" cartoon thing.
- Solid Cartoon Facial Stubble: Each member of the Anthill Mob has a gray patch encircling their mouth.
Prof. Pat Pending (Driver of the Convert-a-Car)
Prof. Pat Pending
Car: Convert-a-Car (#3)
"And there's ingenious inventor Pat Pending in his Convert-a-Car."
— The Announcer
The Convert-a-Car
Voiced by: Don Messick (1968 cartoon), Scott Innes (2000 video game)
An inventor in the Convert-a-Car. He can transform his car into pretty much anything that moves.- Alliterative Name: Professor Pat Pending.
- Dudley Do-Right Stops to Help: He frequently stops and uses his car's inventions to help the other racers, or uses it to deal with whatever trap Dastardly has set up.
- Laughing Mad: Wacky Races Forever depicts him as a cackling lunatic. He does laugh a bit on occasions in the main series itself, but he's clearly capable of lucid thought there.
- Mad Scientist: Unworldly inventor of weird devices.
- Mechanically Unusual Fighter: The Convert-A-Car doesn't have any outright offensive weapons — such as firing projectiles or laying traps — in the Dreamcast/PS2 game, but has a lot of transformations that provide protection (including a turtle shell, bumper car and bowling ball), making it a great defensive racer.
- Punny Name: "Pat. Pending" is an abbreviation for "Patent Pending".
- Secret Character: In the Dreamcast/PS2 game, Pat is the first of the three boss racers, along with the Red Max and Dastardly & Muttley. You race him in Snow Top Drop, and you'll unlock him if you beat him twice.
- Transforming Vehicle: The Convert-a-Car usually looks like a car/houseboat hybrid, but can turn into a wide range of ridiculous vehicles, including some that only qualify in the loosest definition (such as a bowling ball).
Penelope Pitstop (Driver of the Compact Pussycat)
Penelope Pitstop
Car: Compact Pussycat (#5)
"Oh, and here's the lovely Penelope Pitstop, the glamour girl of the gas pedal."
— The Announcer
The Compact Pussycat
Voiced by: Janet Waldo (1968 cartoon and 2000 video game), Kath Soucie (Wacky Races Forever pilot), Nicole Parker (2017)
The lone female, in a 1930s racing costume in the Compact Pussycat. A southern belle, Penelope is more concerned with her looks than with racing and often gets herself into trouble.- Action Girl: In "Idaho A-Go-Go", when lured by Dastardly into a Red Riding Hood trap, Dastardly has Muttley dress as the Wolf, and, as Grandma, asks her to hide in the closet. But she answers the door and gives everyone who answers, including Peter Perfect, the old Frying Pan of Doom.
- Affectionate Nickname: She is called "Pretty Penny" for short, especially by Peter Perfect.
- Alliterative Name: Penelope Pitstop.
- Breakout Character: Like Dastardly and Muttley, Penelope is popular enough to get her own spin-off series.
- Depending on the Writer: She can be either a stereotypically useless Woman Driver or a very girly Wrench Wench, depending on what the writer thought would be funnier at the time.
- Dub Name Change: Changed in the Brazilian Portuguese Dub to "Penelope Charmosa" (Penelope Charming).
- Expy: Her counterpart in The Great Race is Maggie Du Bois, played by Natalie Wood.
- Girly Girl: She's very stereotypically feminine.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only female racer.
- Southern Belle: Pretty and innocent, with a heavy Southern accent, with a tendency to use "little ol'" and "Ah do declare", and, of course, "Hay-ulp! Hay-ulp!"
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: A car with lipstick and big eyelashes.
- Verbal Tic: Her heavy Southern accent aside, it'll be easier to count the times she doesn't describe something as "lil' ol'", including herself and other people.
- Women Drivers: A few episodes have gags with her not knowing how to fix the car, doing make-up (or even showering) at the wheel, cooking on the engine, and so forth.
The Slag Brothers (Drivers of the Bouldermobile)
The Slag Brothers (Rock and Gravel Slag)
Car: Bouldermobile (#1)
"Next we have the Bouldermobile with the Slag Brothers: Rock and Gravel."
— The Announcer
The Bouldermobile
Voiced by: Daws Butler (Rock Slag, 1968 cartoon), Don Messick (Gravel Slag, 1968 cartoon), Jim Cummings (1952) (2000 video game)
Two cavemen, Rock and Gravel, who drive in the Bouldermobile. Their car is made out of rock, the brothers, who talk in caveman-like gibberish but with occasional intelligible words, power it up by hitting it with their clubs and are also able to re-build it from bare rock, always using their clubs.- Contemporary Caveman: Hairy guys in loincloths, in a stone car.
- Percussive Maintenance: Constantly hitting their car and each other with their clubs.
- Primitive Clubs: They wield big wooden clubs, which serve as their main way of powering up their car (by hitting it to make it move) and to make replacements for it (by hitting rocks with their clubs until they're roughly car-shaped).
- Stone Punk: Their car appears to be just a rock on wheels.
- The Unintelligible: Their usual conversations are mumbles or Angrish, sometimes with the last couple of words comprehensible.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: When one of the brothers is about to hit a passing Penelope with a club, the other stops him and hits him with his club.
The Gruesome Twosome (Drivers of the Creepy Coupe)
The Gruesome Twosome (Big Gruesome & Little Gruesome)
Car: Creepy Coupe (#2)
"Lurching along is the Creepy Coupe with the Gruesome Twosome."
— The Announcer
The Creepy Coupe
Voiced by: Daws Butler (Big Gruesome, 1968 cartoon), Don Messick (Little Gruesome, 1968 cartoon), Jim Cummings (1952) (Big Gruesome, 2000 video game), Billy West (Little Gruesome, 2000 video game)
Two monsters, Big Gruesome and Little Gruesome who race in the Creepy Coupe. Their horror-themed car includes a small belfry tower inhabited by a fire-breathing dragon, bats and other creatures.- Bigger on the Inside: The small belfry of their car houses a gigantic dragon and sea serpent.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: Big Gruesome and Little Gruesome, obviously.
- Captain Ersatz: Of Herman Munster and Grandpa—a big phlegmatic Frankenstein's Monster and a creepy little vampire.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite their macabre nature, they're actually among the racers who are more likely to help their competitors out of trouble. Justified in that the Creepy Coupe is behind only the Convert-a-Car and the Mean Machine in terms of resources; Pat Pending will usually help everyone else with gusto and ease, whereas Dick Dastardly... well, won't.
- Eyes Out of Sight: Big Gruesome has a Beatles hairdo that completely hides his eyes.
- Karloff Kopy: Big Gruesome emulates Boris Karloff.
- Lorre Lookalike: Little Gruesome sounds like Peter Lorre.
- Monster Mash: Big Gruesome is a Frankenstein's Monster, Little Gruesome is a vampire, and their car also houses ghosts, a Wicked Witch, a dragon and a sea serpent.
The Red Max (Driver of the Crimson Haybaler)
The Red Max
Car: Crimson Haybaler (#4)
"And right on their tail is the Red Max."
— The Announcer
The Crimson Haybaler
Voiced by: Daws Butler (1968 cartoon), Greg Burson (2000 video game)
A Manfred von Richthofen-styled aviator who speaks with a German accent, in a car/biplane hybrid called the Crimson Haybailer. His vehicle is able to fly, although for short distances.- Ace Pilot: Max's appearance and vehicle are themed on World War I fighter pilots and post-WWI barnstormers, and uses a lot of aviation slang and terminology in his dialogue.
- Family-Friendly Firearms: In the Dreamcast/PS2 game, the Haybailer's machine gun actually fires paintballs, and the car can also directly launch its propeller as a homing projectile.
- Flying Car: The Crimson Haybailer is a downplayed version of this in the cartoon, in that it can jump and temporarily fly, but not for very long. Played straight in the Dreamcast/PS2 game, in which it's the only vehicle that flies all the time and has a power-up to temporarily drive on the ground instead.
- Funny Foreigner: Has a weird Franco-German accent.
- Mechanically Unusual Fighter: The Crimson Haybailer is this in the Dreamcast/PS2 game. It's always hovering just off the ground—like the other racers temporarily can when using a power-up that grants flight—so it has minimal traction, but can easily circumnavigate terrains such as deep water to clear gaps and use shortcuts. It also gets a power-up that causes it to temporarily land and drive on the ground; the polar opposite to all the other cars.
- Secret Character: In the Dreamcast/PS2 game, Max is the second of the three boss racers, along with Pat Pending and Dastardly & Muttley. You race him in Wood Stockade, and you'll unlock him if you beat him twice.
- Shout-Out: Red Max's name is a reference to The Blue Max, a 1966 film about a German Flying Ace.
- What a Piece of Junk: The Haybailer straddles the line between this and The Alleged Car. It is an old fashioned plane-based car that can fly... just not terribly well.
Lazy Luke & Blubber Bear (Drivers of the Arkansas Chuggabug)
Lazy Luke & Blubber Bear
Car: Arkansas Chuggabug (#8)
"And there's the Arkansas Chuggabug with Luke and Blubber Bear."
— The Announcer
The Arkansas Chuggabug
Voiced by: John Stephenson
Lazy Luke, a hillbilly, and Blubber Bear, a fearful, timid bear, drive in the Arkansas Chugabug. Luke maneuvers the steering wheel with his feet and his car is steam-powered from an old and rickety boiler.- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Blubber wears a blue helmet with goggles and a green scarf.
- Alliterative Name:
- Lazy Luke.
- Blubber Bear.
- Bamboo Technology: Not quite as bad as the Slag Brothers or Rufus Ruffcut, but their car is powered by a steam boiler made out of an old-fashioned potbellied stove. One episode reveals that their engine is assisted by a squirrel on an exercise wheel.
- Beary Funny: Blubber may be a bear, but he's hardly scary.
- Dirty Coward: Blubber, as his name implies, is a nervous wreck, panicking whenever the slightest thing goes wrong and usually doing very little to help. Luke puts up with it as best he can, but he does yell at Blubber a few times.
- Eyes Always Shut: Luke almost always has his eyes closed, even while driving.
- Fat and Skinny: Blubber and Luke, in that order.
- The Fool: Luke steers with his bare feet and almost always has his eyes shut, yet rarely crashes.
- Hayseed Name: Luke, obviously.
- Hillbilly Moonshiner: At least two episodes imply that Lazy Luke is a moonshiner. He displays a jug at the start of "The Great Cold Rush Race", and another episode has him mistaking Dick Dastardly's siren for that of the revenuers.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Blubber is a bear.
- Punny Name: Their car, the "Chuggabug", is a play on words of the "Doodlebug", a colloquial term for improvised tractors made out of old cars, popular during the 1940's due to the war making factory-produced tractors in short supply. Much like Doodlebugs, the Chuggabug appears to be an older Ford Model-T or similar car with a custom body in place of its chassis.
- Speech-Impaired Animal: Blubber mostly just whimpers in terror.
Dick Dastardly & Muttley (Drivers of the Mean Machine)
Dick Dastardly & Muttley
Car: Mean Machine (#00)
"Sneaking along last is that Mean Machine with those double-dealing do-badders, Dick Dastardly and his sidekick Muttley. And even now they're up to some dirty trick. And they're off! To a standing start. And why not? They've been chained to a post by shifty Dick Dastardly... who shifts into the wrong gear."
— The Announcer
The Mean Machine
Dastardly voiced by: Paul Winchell (1968 cartoon), Jim Cummings (1952) (2000 video game, Wacky Races Forever pilot, and Wacky Races: Crash and Dash for Wii and DS), Peter Woodward (2017), Jason Isaacs (SCOOB!)
Muttley voiced by: Don Messick (1968 cartoon, SCOOB!*), Billy West (2000 video game, Wacky Races Forever pilot, Wacky Races: Crash and Dash for Wii and DS, the 2017 version and SCOOB!)
The villains of the series, Dick Dastardly and his dog sidekick Muttley are in the Mean Machine, which is a purple, rocket-powered car with an abundance of concealed weapons and the ability to fly. Dastardly's usual race strategy revolves around using the Mean Machine's great speed to get ahead of the other racers, and then setting a trap to stop them and maintain the lead; but most of his plans backfire, causing him to fall back into last place. Dastardly (almost) never sees victory.- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Muttley wears a red collar.
- Alliterative Name: Dick Dastardly.
- Angrish: When not snickering, Muttley's dialogue mainly consists of muttered grumbling such as "Sassarassafrassa..."
- Breakout Character: Dick Dastardly and Muttley are easily two of Wacky Races' most notable characters, enough that the two got their own series, a recurring villain role in Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Yo Yogi!, and they are the main villains of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and SCOOB!. The two also almost always show up in revival efforts or similar Hanna-Barbera racing series (with one of the outliers being Laff-A-Lympics, which couldn't use Dastardly due to legal issues).
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Implied with Dick, who is a genuinely good racer but would rather cheat than win fairly.
- Butt-Monkey: Dick is constantly getting injured and humiliated.
- Card-Carrying Villain:
- Their car is called the Mean Machine, highlighting their pride in being villains.
- In the Wacky Races Forever pilot, Muttley sensibly points out that they are three feet away from the finish line. Does Dick listen? Of course not! He proudly declares that they are villains; therefore, they have to cheat.
- Cartoon Creature: According to "Dash to Delaware", Muttley is a mixed breed of bloodhound, pointer, Airedale and "hunting dog", but doesn't show any characteristics of those breeds.
- Character Catchphrase:
- Dick Dastardly's "Drat, drat and double drat!", and "Muttley, do something!!!"
- Muttley's Evil Laugh.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Dick Dastardly is based on the English actor Terry-Thomas.
- Cool Car: The Mean Machine, naturally. Not only does it look badass, it's also a high-tech, jet-propelled armored car with lots of hidden weapons at its disposal, enough to give the Batmobile a run for its money.
- Contractual Genre Blindness: The unaired pilot for Wacky Racers Forever reveals this is Dick Dastardly's motivation for invoking Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat.Dastardly: We are villains. Ergo, we have to cheat!
- Dastardly Whiplash: The joint Trope Namer, mixing the mustache, Edwardian style, and parodic Card-Carrying Villainy.
- A Day in the Limelight: In the NES game, Muttley is the playable character, and the goal of the game is to rescue Dastardly. The Wacky Racers serve as the game's bosses.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Trope Namer, as he constantly wastes time trying to set traps for people when he has a legitimate lead.
- A Dick in Name: Dick Dastardly is the villainous member in the cast, and proud of it, too.
- The Dog Bites Back: A literal example; Muttley will take physical abuse from Dastardly just so far before he bites back, and he enjoys it, too. Not just in Wacky Races, but also in Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines and Yogi's Treasure Hunt.
- Dub Name Change:
- The Spanish dub renamed Dastardly as Pierre Nodoyuna (from "no doy una", meaning "I can't get anything right", a reference to his cheating constantly backfiring on him) and gave him a French accent, while Muttley was named Patán ("Lout").
- The Brazilian Portuguese dub changed his name to Dick Vigarista ("Dick Crook"), though Muttley remained the same.
- Muttley and him are respectively called Diabolo and Satanas in all of the French dubs.
- In Japan, Dick Dastardly is "Black Demon King (ブラック魔王)", while Muttley is "Kenken (ケンケン)".
- Expy:
- Dastardly's villainous habits, personality and costume are based on Professor Fate from The Great Race.
- And later on, H-B had to create a few expies of this guy for various other shows to use, chiefly because of legal issues with Heatter-Quigley.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Muttley seems to be the least mean of the duo, as Dick's cheating has gotten to the point he tries to warn him that cheating is a very bad idea.
- Expy: His counterpart in The Great Race is Professor Fate, portrayed by Jack Lemmon.
- French Jerk: The Latin American translation turned him into one, with the name "Pierre Nodoyuna" and the Maurice Chevalier Accent and occasional Gratuitous French to boot.
- Harmless Villain: Too incompetent to actually harm anyone.
- His Own Worst Enemy: Really, when you get down to it, Dick should've won every single race out there. His car is faster, stronger, and more versatile than almost everyone else's, and there's a good argument to be made that he's also the best racer among them. If only his mind wasn't plagued with such a self-destructive obsession to cheat...
- The Hyena: Muttley's signature snicker.
- Irony: Dick would have probably won every single race he participated in if he didn't stop to cheat (see His Own Worst Enemy above for details).
- Last-Name Basis: Dick Dastardly is either referred to by this or by his full name, but never by his first.
- Leitmotif: A fast-paced Vaudevillian piano track usually played when he was trying to cheat while driving.
- Lightning Bruiser: In the Dreamcast/PS2 game, the Mean Machine is among the fastest vehicles and has great acceleration—along with a good spread of weapons—but had the worst handling.
- Meaningful Name: A name like "Dick Dastardly" doesn't exactly sound heroic.
- Meaningless Villain Victory: Most notably the race where Dastardly and Muttley crossed the finish line first, fair and square... while driving the wrong car, thus disqualifying themselves and the others who were swapped in the home stretch. Played straight in a few other post series appearances where they do win, but there's usually a catch.
- Near-Villain Victory: Constantly, due to their own actions, like a trap backfiring or stopping for a victory pose inches from the finish line. Muttley often tries to warn Dick that cheating won't work, but he never listens.
- Never My Fault: He usually blames his losses on Muttley. "Muttley, this is all your fault!" On occasion, he's actually right thanks to Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He was inspired by Terry-Thomas.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Muttley is a dog.
- Obviously Evil: Smug grin, stereotypical villainous mustache, and his car of choice is the Mean Machine—Dastardly isn't "evil" per se, but he's clearly not a good guy.
- Only Sane Man: Zig-Zagged in bizzare fashion—compulsive cheating aside, Dastardly and Muttley are the most likely to note the ludicrousness of other racer's antics, see through lame tricks like the Ant Hill Mob's Paper-Thin Disguises, and point out that everyone else is technically cheating too.
- Reused Character Design: Muttley is based after Mugger from Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, though Muttley would become the more-recognized of the two, eventually being recycled himself into Mumbly.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Both of them go through antagonizing different Hanna-Barbera heroes from Yogi Bear to Scooby Doo.
- Scary Teeth: In Wacky Races Forever, Dastardly's teeth look ghastly and neglected.
- Secret Character: In the Dreamcast/PS2 game, Dastardly & Muttley are the last of the three boss racers, along with Pat Pending and the Red Max. You race them in Up Sand Downs, and you'll unlock them if you beat them twice...
and complete a whole lot of challenges along the way. It's absolutely worth it to unlock them just to hear the disgusted/bewildered reactions of the commentator when they win. - Smug Snake: Dastardly is far too confident in his (lack of) cheating capabilities for his own good.
- Spanner in the Works: Muttley constantly sabotages Dick's plans just to mess with him.
- Speech-Impaired Animal: Muttley's mutterings, giggles and growls are probably the Trope Codifier. Although he occasionally has a few moments of speaking, notably in "Mish Mash Missouri Dash", when Dastardly instructs him to put the Mean Machine back together, after his trademark Angrish grumbling, he begins muttering in the style of the song "Dem Bones", "Grrrrseddasassarassa, Da side bolt connected to da front bolt... da front bolt connected to da back bolt... da back bolt connected to da neck bolt... da rrrr...."
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Never in the main series, but on a few occasions in spinoffs they manage to win races (in spite of their best efforts) generally through things like the other competitors being eliminated by their own misfortunes on the race course.
- Villain Protagonist: Gets the most screentime out of all the racers.
"And away they go! On the way-out Wacky Races!"
