Wishbone
- Portrayed by: Soccer (primary dog actor), Larry Brantley (voice)
Wishbone is a well-read Jack Russell Terrier whose thoughts are expressed to the audience through a running voice-over. Every episode is divided between the "real world," in which people perceive him as an ordinary dog, and Wishbone's imagination, in which he plays the role of a hero from a work of classic literature.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: For one thing, he apparently knows how to read.
- Character Catchphrase: Wishbone's are "Hellooo!" and "Whoocha!"
- Deadpan Snarker: Wishbone can be quite witty, but none of the humans can understand him. Kind of like Garfield.
- Detective Animal: Wishbone has played the role of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles and "A Scandal in Bohemia", C. Auguste Dupin in "The Purloined Letter", and Franklin Blake in The Moonstone.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Not a cartoon, but Wishbone's costumes usually only cover his top half. In this behind-the-scenes interview
, it's mentioned that it was difficult to get Soccer to wear pants. - Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": Wishbone narrating the week's story tends to refer to the character he plays as "dashingly handsome" and such. It helps that he usually plays The Hero.
- Heroic Dog: Wishbone has done some pretty cool feats. They include stopping a bulldozer from taking down an ancient tree in the park, infiltrating a thief's hideout to save Wanda's flamingo, leading the kids to a bloodhound framing him, getting the adults for help when Joe, Sam, and David are trapped in a burning barn, and showing Sam the sabotaged bleacher in The Wishbone Mysteries #15: Stage Invader. He's a good boy.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Often in earlier episodes. And occasionally done deliberately, as Wishbone will drop whatever accent he's adopted for his character to make a snarky comment.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: While the opening credits of both seasons credit Larry Brantley for voicing Wishbone, the second season adds a credit for the dog Soccer.
- Ventriloquist Animal: Wishbone doesn't move his mouth when talking.
Joe
- Portrayed by: Jordan Wall
Joe Talbot is Wishbone's middle school-aged owner and the primary human protagonist of the series. He is a jock and especially fond of basketball. Joe lives with his widowed mother Ellen. His late father Steve was a basketball coach who died several years prior to the start of the series.
- Book Dumb: Joe isn't stupid, but he seems to be the least academically inclined out of the show's central trio.
- Disappeared Dad: Joe's father died of a rare blood disease when Joe himself was six.
- Generation Xerox: Joe is into basketball, the same sport that his late father coached.
- Jerkass Ball: Joe gets handed this in certain episodes, namely "A Terrified Terrier" and "The Entrepawneur," so that he can learn An Aesop.
- Lovable Jock: Joe is a basketball-loving jock and is generally a Nice Guy.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Joe nearly ruins his friendship with David and Sam on two separate occasions, due to either his selfishness or unwillingness to speak up for his friends.
- Tragic Keepsake:
- Joe has a basketball card from his dad. It gets stolen in "Twisted Tail."
- Wishbone himself serves as this for Joe as well, as revealed in the tie-in novels. When Joe was around six years old, he made a wish on a wishbone for a puppy. Shortly after, his dad gave him Wishbone as a pet.
Sam
- Portrayed by: Christie Abbott
Samantha "Sam" Kepler is one of Joe's close friends. She is a sporty and adventurous tomboy. Her parents are divorced, and while we're told that she splits her time between both parents, we only ever see her when she's with her father Walter.
- Academic Athlete: Sam participates in every sport her male friends do and is picked for her class team captain spelling bee because she's always reading.
- The Ace: Sam is a skilled athlete and a well-read student.
- All Girls Like Ponies: Sam loves horses. "Salty Dog" centers on her finding an alleged lucky horseshoe in an abandoned barn. She also has a treasured glass unicorn, as recounted in "The Hunchdog of Notre Dame."
- Missing Mom: We only ever see Sam with her divorced father Walter. It's established in dialogue that her mother is still involved in her life, even that Sam splits her time between the homes of both parents, but the time that Sam spends with her mother apparently occurs exclusively offscreen.
- One of the Boys: Sam is a tomboy who hangs out with two actual boys, Joe and David.
- Passionate Sports Girl: Sam participates in every sport her male friends do and would much rather be taking karate lessons than dance lessons.
- Tomboyish Name: Or nickname, rather — Samantha Kepler goes by "Sam" for short.
- Tragic Keepsake: Sam has a glass unicorn that was the last gift she received from her parents before their divorce. She's notably (though subduedly) sad talking about it and horrified at the prospect of it being broken.
David
- Portrayed by: Adam Springfield
David Barnes is one of Joe's close friends. He is a nerd enamored with math, science, and technology. David lives with his parents Nathan and Ruth as well as his mischievous little sister Emily.
- Academic Athlete: Despite being primarily characterized by his nerdy interests, David participates in all the same sports as Joe and Sam.
- Black and Nerdy: He is of African-American descent and is primarily interested in all things science.
- Gadgeteer Genius: David builds several inventions over the course of the show.
- Lovable Nerd: He's a nerd and, like the other main characters, generally a Nice Guy.
- The Smart Guy: He's the show's resident science genius.
Ellen
- Portrayed by: Mary Chris Wall
Ellen Talbot is Joe's widowed mother and the reference librarian at the town library.
- Glamorous Single Mother: She can apparently balance single motherhood and her library career without any difficulty, at least none that we hear about.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She's a caring and approachable mother who is always willing to give Joe help when he asks for it.
Wanda
- Portrayed by: Angee Hughes
Wanda Gilmore is the Talbots' kooky neighbor who frequently complains about Wishbone digging up her yard. She has a very boho aesthetic, makes wacky art, and is involved in several community organizations.
- A Day in the Limelight: Generally, Wanda plays a supporting role in the kids' stories, but she does get to be the focus of "Mixed Breeds" and "Pup Fiction."
- Drop-In Character: She often drops in to visit the Talbots.
- Friendly Enemy: Wanda is this to Wishbone. As long as he isn't digging up her lawn, she is very amicable to him.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: To Wishbone, who likes digging up her garden, which she doesn't like. However, Wanda is friendly with the rest of the main cast, and she gets friendlier to Wishbone in later episodes.
Damont
- Portrayed by: Joe Duffield
Damont Jones is Joe's sports rival and the resident bully of Oakdale.
- Jerk Jock: In contrast to Joe, who is a Lovable Jock, Damont is an obnoxious, bullying jock who serves as Joe's rival in all things sports.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: In the second season, Damont's actor, Joe Duffield, is added to the opening credits.
- The Rival: For Joe, particularly in basketball. "The Count's Account" indicates that Damont is also jealous of David for the attention he gets for his scientific accomplishments.
