Entry #17 in the Disney Animated Canon. The Hundred and One Dalmatians was adapted for animation by Walt Disney Pictures and it was the second Disney animated film to be set unambiguously in contemporary times. Furthermore, the 1961 production was the first to use xerography to ease the inking process and make a film with this much technical complexity (the 101 dogs and their collective innumerable spots) possible. Unfortunately, this technology became the norm and its limitations trapped all Disney animation into a hard scratchy outline look for 16 years until The Rescuers, which finally was able to use further advancements for allow for a softer look again.Disney adapted it again into live-action in 1996, casting Glenn Close as Cruella and setting the story in more modern times. The remake was mixed in critical terms, but it turned out such a big monetary profit that it spun off an Animated Series that ran in both Syndication (as part of what remained of The Disney Afternoon) and on Saturday mornings (as part of ABC's One Saturday Morning) in the 1997-98 season. Did we mention it was made by the same studio that made Doug? Then the live-action version got a sequel in 2000, as did the animated version three years later.The television show was seen briefly as part of the Disney Junior lineup on Disney Channel and is now airing on the Disney Junior network, for whatever reason. While the show isn't a preschool show, it still has good morals at the end of the episodes, plus little kids probably are already familiar with the characters. Not to mention, it has given fans of the series a chance to watch it again (at least those who get the Disney Junior channel), and a new chance for those who missed it the first time. Unfortunately, Disney Junior seems, for whatever reasons, to have a highly limited library of episodes.The original children's novel is far less remembered than the Walt Disney movie based on it. (And it had a sequel, too.)In addition to the movies, the show, and the book, a video game called "102 Dalmatians: Puppies To The Rescue" was made.
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The Disney Adaptation (1961) and its sequel (2003)
Adaptation Distillation: Both the original author and Disney himself praised the story's streamlining.
Adaptation Name Change: Mr. and Mrs. Dearly were changed to Roger and Anita Radcliffe for the animated movie. Later adaptations give them the given names from the movie and the surname from the book. Also, Saul Badun becomes Horace, Roly Poly becomes simply Rolly, and Lt. Tib becomes Sgt. Tibbs (with that particular cat also getting a sex change in the process).
Adult Fear: The kidnapping of the puppies is very much presented as if it was Roger's and Anita's children who were taken as well as Pongo and Perdita's.
Angrish: When Cruella comes to claim the puppies, Roger starts stuttering in anger.
Ascended Extra: Pongo and Perdita's son Patch and TV-star dog Thunderbolt, a background and a one-scene character respectively in the first film, are primary characters in the sequel.
Becoming the Mask: Thunderbolt in the sequel. At first, he just wants to use Patch's fanboy knowledge of his show to get some press but ends up becoming genuine friends with the pup and helps him rescue his family.
Beware the Nice Ones: Pongo and Perdita are as charming and adorable as animated dogs can be. But if you mess with any of their kids, they will find out where you live, they will find you, and they will kick your ass.
Big Damn Heroes: Pongo and Perdita crashing into Hell Hall just in time to stop Horace and Jasper from killing their puppies.
Played with in the sequel when Thunderbolt arrives to save the puppies.
Thunderbolt: I always arrive in the nick of time...(whispering to Patch) Hey, I may not be a real hero, but I can act like one. I'll distract them.
Big Eater: Rolly, who continually remarks that he's hungry.
Big "Shut Up!": Spoken by Jasper to Cruella at the very end in response to her yelling at him and Horace from the ditch for letting the dogs get away and breaking down crying.
Butt Monkey: Cruella often treats Horace and Jasper this way. Also, Jasper treats Horace like this, too.
The Cameo: Jock and Peg (along with the bulldog from the pound who seems to have had puppies with her) from Lady and the Tramp make cameos during the citywide dog barking scene.
Tramp and Lady themselves show up in the very same scene, Tramp on top of a car and Lady in the street.
Catchphrase: One really gets the sense that the dialogue editors loved the word "idiot."
To help get the point across: Early in the movie there's a gag where a character on the phone with Cruella says "You idiot!" to someone else in the room, but Cruella hears it and thinks she's being called an idiot. A little while later, still not even halfway through the film, the exact same gag is repeated with different characters (but still Cruella on the other line).
Cats Are Mean: Completely averted with Sergeant Tibbs; he's perfectly fine around dogs and vice versa and turns out to be one of the more heroic characters in the film. In fact, he was about to die protecting the puppies from Horace and Jasper just before Pongo and Perdita arrive.
Cat Scare: Happens twice. The first time, Jasper tries to take a swig from a bottle and mistakenly tries to drink the cat. The second time is when Tibbs is helping the puppies to hide. Tibbs can't take on Horace and Jasper on his own, but when Jasper looks under the bed, the ensuing MEEEOOWWWW and wild leap from Tibbs startles Jasper enough for the puppies to run by him.
Ceiling Banger: Nanny did this to get Roger to take a break from writing songs.
Clothes Make the Legend: One of the most famous fur coats ever. Ironic considering it never actually gets made.
Combat Pragmatist: As fierce as they were against Horace and Jasper, Pongo and Perdita actually despose of them by barely touching them at all, instead using their lair's surroundings against them or fooling them into hurting themselves in their own buffoonery.
Horace and Jasper had the gall to whine about Pongo and Perdita not playing fair. Sure, they did not play fair with people who was just going to smash their pups' skulls open after having kidnapped them. Who would have thought about it.
In a way, Horace and Jasper; they're given a somewhat expanded role compared to the book, and replace the nameless group of significantly more competent professional thieves who steal the puppies in the original.
Also, Lucky/Cadpig; as Cadpig does not appear in the movie, her role and main traits have been given to Lucky.
Cool Car: Cruella's car. A lot of people have put effort into trying to figure out what model it is. It's just too bad that Cruella's obsession with making a fur coat out of the dalmatians led her to trash the car...
It looks like it's part Duesenberg, but what would one of those be doing in London?
Cowardly Lion: Stg. Tibbs is easly scared, but that doesn't stop him from protecting the puppies in the slightest.
CPR Clean Pretty Reliable: One of the 15 (the eventual "Lucky") was apparently stillborn, leading Roger to get an idea, rubbing the pup to stimulate it to breathe.
This isn't the usual Disney invokation of Never Say "Die": It actually happened in the book as well.
Cut Song: Some alternate songs about Cruella (one of which, "The Creation of Cruella de Vil," is full of terror), a Drunken Song for Horace and Jasper, and some marching songs for the dogs' return to London.
The Dark Age of Animation: Somewhat overlaps with The Golden Age of Animation, but this is clearly where the Dark Ages found solid rooting in Disney animation. Still one of the most entertaining Disney features from any era.
Demoted to Extra: In a similar vein to the TV series, Pongo and Perdita are largely secondary characters in the sequel with their puppy Patch taking the foreground.
Determinator: Sergeant Tibbs won't give up, even if it nearly kills him.
Deus ex Machina: Ever notice how the Dalmatians had nothing to do with their final escape from the villains? It was only by pure luck that the Baduns lost control of their truck and collided with Cruella's car.
Dinky Drivers: The Dalmatian Puppies do this to a London double-decker bus at the end of 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure.
The Dog Bites Back: Not one of the dogs, but at the end as Cruella is having her sobbing Villainous Breakdown which involves verbally assaulting Horace and Jasper some more, Jasper finally has enough and says "Awww, SHADDAP!".
Dogs Are Dumb: Subverted with most of them but played straight with the Colonel.
Doomed New Clothes: Anita has a new spring suit on as she walks Perdita. Cue the Meet Cute, and she's sopping wet in a pond. What we go through for love, huh?
Drives Like Crazy: Cruella. Big time. Horace and Jasper go a little crazy at the end as well.
Dumbass Has a Point: Horace is clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed, but by assuming that dogs think the way people do (which in this movie, they do), he is constantly suggesting what the dogs are actually up to when trying to evade them. He's almost always right, but Jasper will have none of it.
Even Evil Has Standards: As they search for the dogs, between the lack of any footprints and their freezing, Horace and Jasper understandably want to call it quits, but Cruella will have none of it. Finally, at the very end, as Cruella yells at her henchmen from the ditch and breaks down crying, Jasper just says, "Aw, shaddup!"
Lars in the Sequel, however considering he isn't as "evil" as Cruella or Jasper and Horace, it's more or less a Mook Face Turn in his case
Evil Laugh: Roger has one when he sings about Cruella.
Failure Is the Only Option: Sadly, Cruella's obsession with the dalmatian fur coat she will never have ultimately lands her in this trope.
Fairytale Wedding Dress: Averted. Anita's wearing what looks like a modest dress similar in style to her Spring outfit.
Fake Brit: In the 1st film, Cruella, Nanny, the Captain and some of the Dalmatian puppies' voice actors were all American, and Pongo's was Australian. In the 2nd film, everyone but Patch and Pongo's voice actors.
False Friend: Lil' Lightning in the sequel. He informs Thunderbolt that his character is being killed off the show, when in fact, soon revealed to be a lie just to trick Thunderbolt into getting out of the picture in order so Lightning can have the spotlight for himself having grown tired of being in Thunderbolt's shadow.
Then upon hearing about Thunderbolt still gaining fame while on a real heroic mission, Lil' Lightning then decides to join forces with him, along with the pup, obviously just to stop them from succeeding as to prevent Thunderbolt from reclaiming the spotlight. Once they reached the bad guys' hideout, as expected, Lightning betrays them and gets them both locked up. He even reveals to them his true nature and intentions before leaving them behind in their cages.
Gender Flip: The character of Sergeant Tibbs (Tibb, in the novel) is changed in this adaptation from female to male. And on a more minor level, so is the puppy whose life Mr. Dearly/Roger saves at birth.
Genre Savvy: Dimwitted henchman Horace actually guesses what the dogs are doing on two occasions by attributing to them human-level intelligence; however, both times this is dismissed by Jasper who says that "dogs ain't that smart."
Lilliput was a real-world magazine of humor, short stories, photography, and the arts. Word Of God is that it was simply a graphic design magazine that featured the kind of art that inspired the style of film. According to The Other Wiki, it was known for including what were for the time period daring photos of female nudes. Apparently it eventually merged with another magazine and later became explicitly pornographic.
Cruella also lists a bunch of ways to kill puppies (poison them, drown them, bash them in the head).
At the end, when Pongo and Perdita return to the flat with their own puppies plus 74 extra, Anita asks "But where did they all come from?". Roger responds by patting Pongo on the head and saying "Pongo, you old rascal!".
Ironic Name: Lucky, especially in the original movie, has a very notable habit of not being lucky. If something bad happens, it tends to happen to him.
Just in Time: The moment when the Baduns have cornered Sgt. Tibbs and the puppies and are about to kill them, Pongo and Perdita smash through a window and attack the would-be murderers.
Karma Houdini: Jasper and Horace in the sequel. Not only do they SOMEHOW escape the police that are seen arresting them at the film's end, but they also become artists themselves, selling sundresses. But this is only seen during the film's end credits.
Knight of Cerebus: The film is a sweet romantic comedy before Cruella rolls in.
Laughably Evil: As ruthless as she and her goons are in stealing (and attempted murder of) the puppies, their overblown whimsy and bumbling make up a lot of the movie's humor.
Large Ham: Thunderbolt in the sequel. And Cruella.
The Load: The fat puppy in the first movie- he almost gets the puppies caught several times, yelping when Tibbs grabs his tail, being the only one to slip on the ice and almost slides in line of Jasper's torch and complains constantly about being hungry.
Mama Bear / Papa Wolf: As if traveling through the English countryside in the middle of winter to save their puppies wasn't enough, Pongo and Perdita are scary when they face off against Horace and Jasper, teeth bared and eyes red! Considering they just interrupted the Baduns as they were about to bludgeon their children to death, who can blame them?
Meet Cute: Pongo was probably going for more of a conventional Boy Meets Girl scenario, but his intervention leads to Roger and Anita's (and consequently his and Perdita's) first meeting starting out as this.
Men Can't Keep House: Commented on by Pongo at the beginning of the film, Roger's flat is a horror.
Mondegreen: Jasper says what is apparently supposed to be "I've got the nog for this job!" ("nog" as in "noggin"), but it's hard not to hear it as "knob", especially with the rhyme.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Segeant Tibbs has the horse Captain kick Horace and Jasper into a wall... and from there, the two see the dogs' footprints in the snow.
Nightmare Face: Cruella makes a particularly frightening one during the last minute(s) of the Car Chase before Jasper and Horace crash into her.
Not Good With Rejection: Cruella makes this abundantly clear to the Radcliffes after they refuse to sell her the puppies and she promises to have her revenge.
Oh Crap: After Sgt. Tibbs (the cat) has finished counting the puppies by the TV in the first scene in the old De Vil mansion and realizing they're the 15 stolen puppies, Jasper grabs him by the neck, thinking he's the wine bottle. Cue the look on his face.
One Head Taller: Cruella with Lars, in the sequel. Gender reversed from the usual form of this trope and avoiding stereotypes associated with taller woman shorter man pairings, actually!
The Other Darrin: In the 2003 sequel. What is the deal with the white-eared Lucky?
Rotoscoping: Sort of. Cruella's car was a white model with outlines drawn on the edges shot in stop-motion in front of a white background with a high exposure; the result was then photocopied onto the cells.
Sarcasm Mode: When Horace suggests to Jasper that the puppies have disguised themselves using soot, Jasper says jokingly, "Say now! Horace, that's just what they did. Dogs is always paintin' themselves black! (hits Horace in the head) YOU IDIOT!"
Scenery Porn: In a retro and colorful way that perfectly complements the characters' angular designs.
Taught by Television: In the sequel, Patch has every episode of "Thunderbolt" memorized and uses the show's plots to first help Thunderbolt do "big hero stuff" and then to rescue his family.
Think Nothing of It: In the sequel, after the puppies are safe and sound, Pongo thanks Thunderbolt for saving his family to which he responds "Oh, don't thank me. Thank your son. He's the real hero."
Through a Face Full of Fur: In the original film, Horace's face turns three shades of red from the heat of the flames in the fireplace on his rear, when Perdita and Patch snatch a rug out from under him and cause him to fall back there.
Villainous Breakdown: Cruella during the climactic Chase Scene. This is especially acute after she accidentally drives her car into a ditch and, in driving it out, accidentally trashes it on some thorny brush. By now, she is plenty pissed off, and it's become clear that it's the dalmatians or her.
The Villain Sucks Song: You know the one. It probably got published either because Cruella's universally acknowledged as a horrible person, or the publishers thought it was a made up name.
Watch the Paint Job: Cruella epically trashes and then wrecks her own presumably-valuable classic car in her rage-induced pursuit of the puppies. It even returns in the sequel, having apparently been very cheaply slapped back together. (Guess she's not as rich as she comes across.)
You Keep Using That Word: Almost every main character calls one another an "idiot" at least once, especially Cruella to her henchmen, and Jasper to Horace.
The Live Action Adaptation (1996) and its sequel (2000)
Animated Adaptation: Sort of. Cartoon versions of these movies' unique puppies have been featured on tie-in merchandise, and a few characters from the first movie made it into the cartoon series.
Ascended Extra: Alonzo was a one-scene character in the first movie. But the character (and the actor who played him) returns in the sequel in a major role.
Banana in the Tailpipe: Raccoons put a large nut in the tailpipe of the bad guys' truck. The pressure does shoot the nut out eventually - when the bad guy is examining the tail pipe.
Cone of Shame: Lucky in one episode had to wear a cone after falling from a high tree branch and getting stitches. Cue humiliation from the other dogs.
Conspicuous CG: Any scene where the dogs could be in a dangerous situation. The drainpipe scene is particularly conspicuous.
Horace: Crikey! Look at the size of that scar! No bloody wonder you can't talk, mate! Skinner:(Death Glare) Jasper: Excuse me. (closes the door and decks Horace)
Easily Forgiven: In the end of the second live-action film, Allonzo was still free and there was no mention of him being on probation. Also, he was on friendly terms with the heroes.
In the first park scene with Roger and Pongo one of the dogs walking by is a bulldog with very large (and noticeable) testicles.
In the park scene, Roger realizes that the female Perdy is not his male Pongo when he lifts her hind leg and checks her genitalia.
When Roger and Anita tell Cruella they're having a baby, she's less than interested. When Roger adds that they're also having puppies (meaning Pongo and Perdy were) Cruella grins and says, "Well, you have been a busy boy, haven't you?" Yes, ladies and gentlemen, they made a bestiality joke in a Disney movie.
Gross Out Show: A pig farts in Cruella's face, she falls into a vat of molasses and is kicked by a horse into a pigsty.
Harmless Freezing: Horace, though he's still blue and shivering in the next scene.
His character could very well be an American living in England, however (as a video game designer, it's possible a British company brought over a Silicon Valley hotshot for one reason or another.)
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Glenn Close. Her American accent is constantly poking through in the vowels.
And right before that when Anita tells Cruella that she's having a baby, "You know what they say, accidents may happen!"
Pimped-Out Dress: Some of Cruella's outfits and the fashion show in the second film.
Polly Wants A Microphone: One of the funniest things in 102 is Eric Idle as a parrot who thinks that he's a dog.
Punny Name: The puppy who constantly pees is named Wizzer.
Revenge by Proxy: In the second live-action film, Cruella planned to get even with Dipstick by turning his puppies into a hood for her coat.
Setting Update: Among other things, Roger is a video game designer.
Shipper on Deck: Waddlesworth in the sequel ships himself and Oddball.
In the sequel, Cruella wanted to add Dipstick's three puppies to her coat so, instead of 99 Dalmatians like she had originally planned, the coat would be made of 102.
Worst News Judgment Ever: Why do National Newspapers like The Independent have reports on two relative nobodies getting married? Or make the kidnapping of fifteen puppies front page headline news? Though Anita did work as a fashion designer for Cruella's fashion house, nothing on screen implies she is particularly notable within in the company - Cruella only notices her when she designs the coat (her original idea being for FAKE fur).
In "Home is Where the Bark Is", Spot is out of commission, but she is shown for a split second at one point in the episode.
Spot is absent in "You Slipped a Disk" and in "Cadpig Behind Bars".
In "Horace and Jasper's Big Career Move", the main pups are absent for a majority of the episode. They do appear in the flashback sequences, but they also appear briefly at the very end, and Lucky has one little speaking part.
The Artifact: The prominent "One-oh-one"s in the theme song is apparently a holdover from when the show was going to be titled Dalmatians 101 which they changed at the last minute.
Author Guest Spot: Jim Jinkins appears in the final episode as the leader of a cult of alien followers. He also provides a Shout Out by dressing up like his Author Avatar, Doug.
Beware the Nice Ones: Cadpig is usually sweet and innocent, but if she ever gets mad, watch out!
Brainwashed: The townspeople (and, for much of the episode, the Dearlys and the puppies) in "de Vil-Age Elder".
Brother-Sister Incest: In the episode, "Love 'Em and Flea 'Em", Lucky takes Two-Tone out to the pups' Fall Ball. Presumably, the makers of the show were either trying to be sweet, they mistook Two-Tone as one of the adopted puppies and assumed she wasn't Lucky's blood-related sibling, or since the series is a separate continuity she genuinely isn't Lucky's real sister in-series. The episode doesn't address the matter any way it can be looked at regardless.
Cant Get Away With Nuthin / Downer Ending: In "Mall Pups," three of the pups and the chicken sneak away from class to attend a mall event featuring the first lady and first dog. They are eventually caught up by the Colonel, do not get to meet either the first lady or the first dog, and are sentenced to a three-week grounding and other punishments.
Catchphrase: Rolly has two known catchphrases: "Oh, papa!" and "Are you calling me fat?" The pups have also said, "Holy Chimichanga!" a couple of times.
Characterization Marches On: Compared to the original movie, Lucky is a lot closer in temperament and personality to his book-counterpart.
Composite Character: The whole show is a mix of the animated film and the live-action one. For instance, Cruella still owns a fashion company and employs Anita (like in the remake), but she apparently never went to prison (like in the cartoon... maybe).
The series has Cadpig who was in the book, but was never mentioned in either the animated or live action movies.
Cross-Dressing Voices: Lucky, Rolly and Wizzer are all male characters, but their voices are all provided by female actors: Pamela Segall Aldon (Lucky - later, Debbi Mae West), Kath Soucie (Rolly) and Christine Cavanaugh (Wizzer).
Cultural Translation: The show is clearly set in the U.S. judging from the accents and the presence of a mailbox reading "US MAIL" at one point. All the characters from the movie jarringly have their British accents and mannerisms altered according to this (this is particularly noticable with the Colonel, originally an uptight Britannic officer parody, now a Southern Fried Private).
The large majority of the animal cast from the original movie for that matter, most episodes focusing mainly on Lucky, Rolly, Cadpig and Spot as the leads.
Evil Brit: While the rest of the characters are Americanized, Cruella, judging by her accent, remains British. Hmm...
Expressive Ears: The dogs' ears droop when they are upset about something.
Expy: Being by the same creators and all, Mooch and his gang are very similar to Roger and his gang.
Eyedscreen: When Lt. Pug decides to face his nemesis in "Howl Noon," the scene is presented in letterbox widescreen, but then switches box to the normal aspect ratio when Cadpig (who is chained to Pug) pulls them underground to hide.
Granola Girl: Cadpig is arguably the closest a (non-anthropomorphized) dog can get to this.
Great Detective: Spot's alter-ego — Pullet Marlow, Private Chick.
Green Around the Gills: In "The Dogs of De Vil", Lucky and Cadpig turn entirely green in a seasickness moment.
Growling Gut: Each one of the four main pups suffers one of these at some point in the series, but it most frequently happens to Rolly for obvious reasons.
Huge Rider, Tiny Mount: Cadpig has shown several times in the series that she can easily support Lucky's weight despite being much smaller than him.
Human Ladder: The main pups do this quite regularly. Most traditionally, the lineup is Lucky on top, Cadpig in the middle, and Rolly on the bottom, for obvious reasons. It's even shown twice in the show's opening sequence - curiously, though, in both cases it's Rolly who is on top.
Hypocritical Humor: Cadpig believes in world peace and preaches non-violent solutions to problems but then beats up other dogs for insulting her friends or family members or attacks Cruella right after stating her opposition to violence.
Idea Bulb: Lucky gets one in Barnboozled when he figures out to drive Cruella out of the barn.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Cruella is downgraded to one for the more slapstick tone of the show (Jasper and Horace are even worse). Several other one shots are also added to the mix.
Interspecies Romance: Rolly fell in love with Dumpling the pig, and she was also attracted to Lucky.
It Runs on Nonsensoleum: When Lucky needs a needle, he finds one by tearing apart the nearest haystack. Cue groans.
Jerkass: Lt. Pug, Mooch, Swamp Rat, and the De Vil family.
Lucky was a very mild example who was usually nice. Cruella, on the other hand, was quite clearly a lonely Jerk With A Heart Of Gold.
Kangaroo Court: "12 Angry Pups," complete with a public defender who openly states that he believes the defendant to be guilty and a judge who doesn't even try to hide that he's taking bribes
Keep Circulating the Tapes: Dalmatian Vacation was released onto video CD in the late 90's very quietly, as did the VHS of 101 Dalmatians Christmas. And after Toon Disney pulled it, it was gone... until it was announced that it would be part of the new Disney Jr channel. And now it looks like Disney Junior has a very limited number of episodes available to repeat... so, back to circulatng the tapes until Disney decides to release the series on DVD, which is likely never going to happen due to the show's lack of popularity and support from viewers.
Laugh Track: In "You Slipped a Disk," one is briefly played after Lucky accidentally pounces Rolly and Cadpig suggests "Um... Lucky? Next time, why don't you tackle the bad guy?" It comes up again in the episode's second half, "Chow About That?," when she suggests that Rolly is having a "psychic sugar rush."
Lost In Imitation (again): The premise and cast are a motley mix of all three previous versions. The characters all look (more or less) like the ones from the 1961 film, and Cruella apparently never went to jail, but Anita works for Cruella's fashion company, Roger is a video game developer, their last name is Dearly, and all the new puppies from the 1996 film get secondary roles. And Cadpig, who only appeared in the original book, is one of the lead characters!
Missing Episode: Alive N' Chicken/Prima Doggy. There was nothing wrong with Prima Doggy, but the climax of the former episode caused it to be recognized as the series' lost episode. The plot dealt with Spot thinking she was going to die, and Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig try to help her make the most of her last few moments. Near the end, Spot gets into a makeshift airplane, flies it over the farm and crashes it into a windmill. This episode was pulled from syndication after 9/11.
The Movie: The final three episodes of the series were also released as a direct-to-video movie, Dalmatian Vacation (but only in foreign countries), bringing the total number of 101 Dalmatian-themed Disney movies up to five.
My Name Is Not Durwood: A Running Gag with Cruella is that she usually refers to Roger by other names that begin with "R", generally out of apathy. Interestingly, she actually seems to remember his name when she's particularly scheming against the Dearlys.
Out of Order: Since the program began airing on the Disney Junior channel in repeats, the broadcasts began with an episode in the middle of the program's second season and then have been airing in what seems to be an order picked by throwing darts at a board. The recap episode "Humanitarian of the Year" was aired before many of the stories it recaps, while the third part of "Dalmatian Vacation" aired with the first two parts not even anywhere in sight on the schedule. They have also started airing repeats of episodes they have already aired, even though there are still numerous episodes that they haven't, and it's beginning to look like they just don't have those episodes to air.
Picked Last: Lt. Pug picks Lucky and Tripod as team leaders for cohesian drils in one episode. Spot is the last picked and Lucky even tries to pick a bucket instead because she is a chicken and the rest are dogs. She gets her own back later in the episode, though.
Pounds Are Doggy Prison: The pound that Cadpig gets sent to in "Cadpig Behind Bars" is situated on an island and actually does have cages with bars, a security card system to raise & lower the drawbridge, and a prison yard.
Previously On: "Dalmatian Vacation", the three-parter.
Punny Name: A three legged dalmatian has the name Tripod, and Cruella's relatives P.H. de Vil (a Mad Scientist) and Cecil B. de Vil (a film director). And, oh yeah, Spot.
Rent A Zilla: Chockzilla, rented from an ad agency by Cecil B. de Vil to destroy the Dearly farm.
Skyward Scream: Rolly in "Chow About That?" "We... missed... LUNNNNCH!!!"
Spin Offspring: In a way. Pongo and Perdita, the stars of the film, are Demoted To Extras, while their puppies Lucky, Rolly (both of whom were supporting characters themselves in the film) and Cadpig (who was only named in the book) take the spotlight.
The episode "The Making Of..." hangs a lampshade on this with a scene where Pongo and Perdita remark that they thought they were were going to star in the show but were told that the studio "decided to go for a younger look".
Stealth Insult: Cadpig, Lucky, and Spot's defense of Rolly against Mooch's accusation of cowardice in "Bad to the Bone" boils down to Rolly being "allergic to risk", preferring sleeping over fighting, and being a "cream puff". Rolly takes offense with being called a "cream puff".
Stealth Pun: During one of the group's attempts to break up Cadpig and Mooch in "My Fair Moochie", Lucky sets up a bogus ring toss booth while dressed as an old-timey boardwalk barker.
Sudden Anatomy: Characters tend sprout thumbs whenever a pose or action requires them.
Super Strength: A lot of times, the main pups show that they're a lot stronger than they look, mainly Cadpig.
Sweet Home Alabama: Parodied in "Southern Fried Cruella," in which Cruella De'vil tried to convince a magazine editor giving out an award for humanitarianism that she was just a "good ol' sugar borrowing neighbor" of the Dearlys and failing miserably.
Theme Tune Roll Call: While technically this may not count, during the show's intro, each of the main pups gets their own character title card.
This Is Reality: Spot gives the line "This is a real life, not television," in "On the Lamb" when Lucky decides they should pursue Lambo.
Those Two Bad Guys: Jasper and Horace. There is even one episode of the series called "Horace and Jasper's Big Career Move" which focuses on the two of them applying for work. This episode takes the focus off Lucky, Cadpig, Rolly and Spot (who don't even physically appear until the end) to focus on Cruella's henchmen who aren't particularly interesting to start with, runs for a whole half-hour, and to top it all off, it's a clip show. This episode tends to be many fans' pick for the series' worst episode. Watch it if you're in desperate need of sleep.
Through a Face Full of Fur: In "Spots And Shots", Lucky's fur eventually turns green and his spots turn pink, as well as his nose turning blue and swelling up. This is a result of him not getting the vaccination needed to prevent these symptoms of a highly contagious condition from happening, after he spent the day attempting to avoid seeing the vet.
In "Beauty Pageant Pandemonium", an irate Ivy's face turns red when her chances at winning the contest (due to her aunt Cruella's not-so-full-proof plan) turn bust.
In "Love 'Em And Flea 'Em", Lucky's fur is turned pink from pink food coloring that Mooch spills intentionally (in an effort to be Two-Tone's date at the dance instead), mixed with water and soap, after being bathed by Nanny. And at the end of the episode/segment, a steamed Mooch gradually turns red from bottom to top and steam comes out of his ears when his sabotage fails and Lucky tells him, "Cheer up, Mooch. You look so blue".
Time Travel Romance: "De Vil-Age Elder" features the main cast (and Cruella) arriving in a time and space-transcending village cursed by a witch as a response to Cruella's ancestor's harshness. The witch's spell reduces all but Cruella and Spot to become mindlessly happy and never want to leave. During their stay, Lucky meets up with a carriage pup named Rebecca and becomes smitten with her. When the spell is broken and the main cast are making their escape before the village disappears, Lucky still shows legitimate feelings for Rebecca and asks her to come with them. While the feeling is mutual, Rebecca chooses to remain to keep an eye on Cruella's ancestor. And because it wasn't enough of a Bittersweet Ending, Laser-Guided Amnesia kicks in, leaving Lucky completely unaware of her existence not long afterwards.
You Get Me Coffee: When Lucky first meets Thunderbolt in "Watch for Falling Idols," Thunderbolt tells Lucky to get him some lunch - "a mineral water and a croissant, if you can find it." Unlike most instances of this trope, however, Lucky is thrilled to do it, because he's so starstruck.
The game " 102 Dalmatians: Puppies To The Rescue" (2000)
alternative title(s): One Hundred And One Dalmatians; One Hundred And One Dalmatians The Series; One Hundred And One Dalmatians II Patchs London Adventure
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