Characters that appeared in the novels written by Mordecai Richler, and the animated adaptation by Nelvana.
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Jacob and his Family
Jacob Two-Two
- Played by: Stephen Rosenberg (1978 Movie), Max Morrow (1999 Movie), Billy Rosemberg (Animated Series)
- Brutal Honesty: Jacob always tells the truth, depending on and regardless of the outcome.
- Cowardly Lion: Jacob is not the bravest of kids, but he's willing to face his fears when the moment calls for it.
- Height Angst: He is rather self-conscious about being short for his age.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: He's the Feminine Boy to Renée's Masculine Girl. Jacob is very sweet and polite, while Renée is snarky and short-tempered.
- Nice Guy: Jacob is a sweetheart who frequently saves in the day in the show.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Jacob has a very girly scream in the cartoon. It's the same audio clip every time.
- Verbal Tic: The source of his nickname; he often says things twice because no one can hear him the first time.
- Weirdness Magnet: Bizarre things tend to happen around him, especially in the show.
Morty and Florence
- Morty is played by: Walter Massey (1978 Movie), Harvey Atkin (Animated Series)Florence is played by: Jill Frappier (1978 Movie), Janet-Laine Green (Animated Series)
The parents of Jacob and his siblings. Morty is a writer famous for authoring The Amazing Ronald book series, while Florence is a housewife.
- Author Avatar: Morty is directly based on Mordecai Richler; his appearance in the animated series is a caricature of him.
- Bespectacled Cutie: Florence, who is rather soft-spoken, wears a pair of old-fashioned cat-eye glasses.
- Big Fun: Morty has a large gut, and he is one of the kindest adults in the show.
- Good Parents: They're both loving parents who are willing to help their kids when they need assistance.
- Impossible Hourglass Figure: Florence has a very curvaceous figure in the cartoon. It's more noticeable when she isn't wearing her standard outfit.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: They're definitely among the more helpful adults on the show towards Jacob and will try and help him with his conflicts when they can.
- The Slacker: Morty sometimes naps when he's supposed to be writing. In the first episode of the cartoon, his first appearance involves Jacob waking him up.
Jacob's Siblings
From left to right: Marfa, Daniel, Noah, and Emma.
- Daniel is played by: John Wildman (1978 Movie), Shawn Roberts (1999 Movie), Jeff Berg (Season 1-2) Robert Tinkler (Season 3-5) (Animated Series)Marfa is played by: Kirsten Bishopric (1978 Movie), Jocelyn Barth (Animated Series)Noah is played by: Thor Bishopric (1978 Movie), Joe Dinicol (1999 Movie), Marc McMulkin (Animated Series)Emma is played by: Marfa Richler (1978 Movie), Alison Pill (1999 Movie), Kaitlin Howell (Animated Series)
- Aloof Big Brother: Daniel is this for the rest of his siblings.
- AM/FM Characterization: Daniel is a fan of classic rock from the '60s and the '70s.
- And You Were There: Noah and Emma show up in Jacob's child prison dream as their alter egos, the Fearless O'Toole and the Intrepid Shapiro, in the original film version of Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang.
- Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Marfa is more feminine than Emma, and her outfit in the animated series exposes her stomach.
- Big Brother Bully:
- Noah spends most of his time teasing Jacob, with Emma occasionally joining in on Noah's antics.
- Marfa is very prone to losing her temper every time Jacob touches and ruins any of her stuff, even though it's always an accident.
- Big Brother Instinct: Despite the grief they give Jacob, if you decide to try to hurt him, they will make you regret it.
- Brother–Sister Team: Noah and Emma; or as they call themselves, the Fearless O'Toole and the Intrepid Shapiro.
- Everyone Has Standards: They all have their limits when in come to picking on their younger brother; they're just rough on him at worst. They wouldn’t go so far as wanting him in serious danger, showing signs of genuine concern for his well-being.
- In the pilot episode, Noah and Emma were stunned when the Hooded Fang was about to harm Jacob in front of the audience during the match.
- In another episode, when their Auntie Goodforyou was tricked by Carl Fester King out of her cookie recipe to make a fortune for himself, Jacob and his siblings team up to sabotage the process.
- Girlish Pigtails: Jacob's sisters both sport these in the cartoon, though in Emma's case she isn't girly at all.
- Half-Identical Twins: The only differences between Noah and Emma are their hair, noses, and teeth.
- Hollywood Genetics: Marfa and Noah are blonde despite Morty having brown hair and Florence being a redhead.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In spite of treating Jacob as a nuisance (often calling him "squirt", "small fry", and "pipsqueak"), they genuinely love and care for him and wouldn’t want him to get serious trouble or even hurt.
- Kiddie Kid: Noah and Emma are old enough to be in middle school, yet they like to play pretend.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Emma and Marfa count as this, respectively. Emma is a wrestling fan who loves to play pranks with her twin brother. Marfa is a stereotypical boy-crazy teenage girl.
- Trickster Twins: Noah and Emma love playing pranks on people, especially Jacob.
Auntie Goodforyou
Jacob's aunt, who is (in)famous for her obsession with all things healthy and frequently forcing her ultra-healthy lifestyle upon the kids.- Babysitter from Hell: She forces the kids to do calisthenics every morning, and she feeds them unappetizing health shakes. She also doesn't allow them to do things that aren't good for them, such as watching TV and eating junk food. Daniel compares the experience to being in prison.
- Granola Girl: Her entire personality revolves around natural, healthy living.
- Hartman Hips: Her hips are very wide. Given her age, this isn't played for Fanservice.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": In the animated series, "Auntie Goodforyou" is her actual name. This is averted in the books, where her real name is Ida.
- Prone to Tears: It doesn't take a lot to make her cry Tears of Joy.
Zadie Saul
- Played by: John Stocker (Animated Series)
- Alter Kocker: Zadie is a stereotypical elderly Jewish man.
- Cool Old Guy: He's very cool for an old Jewish grandfather.
- Stage Magician: Only Jacob is amazed by Zadie's stage magic tricks. One of Zadie's tricks (i.e., the old hanky up your nose trick) proves useful for warding off Wilson, Quiggley, and Duschane.
Friends
Buford Orville Gaylord Pugh
- Played by: Kristopher Clarke (Animated Series)
- Birds of a Feather: He and Jacob are both new kids at school and they get along quite well.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Buford's brain works... oddly to say the least.
- Ditzy Genius: While clever for his age, his eccentric nature means that he tends not to think straight.
- Hidden Depths: Buford may be a bit odd, but he is still pretty smart for his age. He's part of the school's quiz bowl team, for example.
- Perpetual Smiler: If he's frowning, it usually doesn't last long.
- The Pollyanna: Buford always looks on the bright side.
Renée Ratelle
- Played by: Julie Lemieux (Animated Series)
- Catchphrase: "Incroyable!" ("Incredible!") and "Zut!" ("Damn!")
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Jacob and Renée used to hate each other, but they became friends over time.
- In-Series Nickname: Her classmates call her "Rattlesnake Ratelle" for her skateboarding skills and for being so quick to anger.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Renee could be pretty catty in early episodes, and (much like Jacob's siblings) occasionally refers to Jacob as a "pipsqueak". However, she cares deeply for her friends and befriended Jacob overtime.
- The Lad-ette: She's a tough-as-nails skater who prefers the company of boys.
- Little Miss Snarker: She’s got a dry sense of humor.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: She's the Masculine Girl to Jacob's Feminine Boy. Renée is snarky and short-tempered, while Jacob is very sweet and polite.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She doesn't mind wearing a dress, and she politely curtsies after being introduced to The Hooded Fang.
Melinda Green
Jacob's nerdy classmate.- Abhorrent Admirer: She briefly becomes one towards Jacob after being bitten by the Love Bug.
- Nerds Love Tough Schoolwork: When Superintendent Fussbudget shuts down the gymnasium, Melinda is the only student who looks forward to taking the replacement double math classes. Even as the students raise money to fix the gym, Melinda is in favor of double math classes in addition to gym class.
X. Barnaby Dinglebat
- Played by: James Rankin (Animated Series)
- Overt Operative: He has a habit of wearing outlandish disguises that draw attention to himself.
Miss Darling Sweetiepie
A kindly old lady who lives next door to Jacob and his family. While best known around the neighborhood for her superb desserts and baked goods, she lives a double life as a secret agent.- Cool Old Lady: She's a sweet old granny who makes scrumptious treats and lives a badass double life.
The Hooded Fang
- Played by: Alex Karras (1978 Movie), Gary Busey (1999 Movie), Bret Hart (Animated Series)
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even if he's just playing one when being the warden of the children's prison, the original film version of Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang clearly shows him as a mother's boy, with him asking her for advice in how to cure Jacob's tendency to say things twice, believing the myth about how stepping on a crack can break his mother's back, and wanting her after he's exposed to actually be a child at heart and learns that the child prisoners were only pretending to find him scary.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold / Mean Character, Nice Actor: Depends on the version that features him. He's the former in the Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang book and film adaptations (where he's depicted as the warden of a children's prison), while he's the latter in the animated series.
- Kayfabe: The book and film adaptations of Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang depicts the time when it was strictly enforced, as The Hooded Fang maintains his Heel wrestler persona after leaving the business and becoming the warden of the children's prison.
Claude LaToque
The ghost of a coureur des bois
who befriends Jacob centuries after his death.- Old Shame: He used to believe he accidentally burned down his trading post while slipping on moose dung. This ruined his friendship with the trading post's co-owners. Thanks to Jacob, Claude realizes it wasn't his fault.
Dreary Meadows Faculty
Principal I. M. Greedyguts
- Played by: Dwayne Hill (Animated Series)
- Adaptation Name Change: In "Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case", his full name was revealed to be Isadore Monty Greedyguts. In the cartoon, his first name is Ignatz.
- Big Bad: The most reoccurring out of all the antagonists and the main source of strife at Jacob's school.
- Big Eater: Has catered buffet breakfasts, 16-course lunches, 5-course afternoon snacks everyday and still manages to gorge himself when on the job.
- Dean Bitterman: He's a greedy, arrogant, and self-centered man who prefers to spend the school budget on personal luxuries and cares very little about the quality of his school or the well-being of his students.
- Evil Principal: His schemes usually involve making the school even more of a living hell for his own self-benefit.
- Fat Bastard: Overweight, gluttonous, and short-tempered to boot.
- Gonk: Has a very unattractive design with his yellow eyes, pink skin and pig-like nose.
- Greed: As his name suggests. While it's most obvious in his Big Eater qualities, he's also greedy in the material sense, embezzling the school's budget to support his lavish lifestyle and constantly trying to find ways to acquire more money.
- Hate Sink: Frequently antagonistic to Jacob and his friends, and a greedy, disgusting, and very unpleasant man overall, so he's definitely this.
- Jerkass: A very greedy and selfish elementary school principal who's got no qualms abusing and mistreating kids.
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: He constantly gets put through the wringer but deserves it for being a Jerkass to everyone.
- Laser-Guided Karma: He almost always gets his comeuppance whenever his greetings goes too far.
- Villainous Glutton: When Greedyguts isn't spending his school's funds on expensive stuff to lavish his home and office with, he's blowing it all on extravagant meals.
Leo Louse
- Played by: Howard Jerome (Animated Series)
- The Dragon: He's Principal Greedyguts' chief henchman and helps him out with most of his evil plans.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Despite his weasel-like ways, he's extremely loyal to his mother and would never dare disobey her.
- In-Series Nickname: "Perfectly Loathsome" Leo Louse. In the books, the narration always refers to him by this name.
- Jerkass: Like Greedyguts he's got no qualms abusing and mistreating kids whatsoever.
- Pet the Dog: He may be a sneaky weaselly janitor but despite this he does care about his mom whom he treats with respect.
Miss Sour Pickle
- Played by: Fiona Reid (Animated Series)
- Adaptation Name Change: Her first name was Natasha in the books. In the cartoon, she has No Full Name Given.
- Perpetual Frowner: Always seen with a sour (no pun intended) frown on her face.
- Pet the Dog: She adores her poodle, Dustmop. She gets upset with Jacob when Dustmop chokes on one of Jacob's raspberry ruggles, which is one of the few times her anger at Jacob is justifiable.
- Sadist Teacher: The only things she hates more than teaching kids is the kids themselves, and she expresses her discontent by making their lives as difficult as she can.
- Villain Respect: Despite her sour demeanour, she isn't beneath giving her students credit where it's due - in the cartoon, at least, and when she's sure Principal Greedyguts is out of earshot. At the end of "...and Scholars for Dollars," Jacob is unable to answer the final question on the show, upsetting Greedyguts, but she congratulates Jacob after Greedyguts leaves:Sour Pickle: You did a surprisingly good job. (looks around, then smiles) Congratulations, Two-Two.
Mr. Moleculus
The brilliant but eccentric science teacher of Dreary Meadows Academy. He's one of the few members of the school staff who isn't antagonistic to Jacob or the other students.- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's one of the few non-evil teachers at the school, and Jacob often goes to him when in need of help.
- Token Good Teammate: One of the few teachers at Dreary Meadows who isn't abusive or cruel to the students.
Nurse Bunion
The school nurse at Dreary Meadows Academy. She is known for her romantic feelings towards Leo Louse.- Abhorrent Admirer: To Leo Louse, who is repulsed by her ghastly appearance (although he's far from a looker himself).
Miss Bella Bountiful
The school's cafeteria lady at Dreary Meadows Academy. She serves the students healthy and nutritious meals, much to the dismay of Principal Greedyguts, who is a huge junk food enthusiast.- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She is one of the few decent staff members at Dreary Meadows.
- Supreme Chef: Her cooking is as nutritious as it is delicious.
- Token Good Teammate: Like Mr. Moleculus she's one of the few grown ups in Dreary Meadows who's not abusive or cruel to the students.
Other Antagonists
Principal Y. B. Greedyguts
I. M.'s twin brother and the principal of Cheery Meadows Elementary School. Though nice on the surface, he's even worse than his brother.
- Evil Principal: His brother claims that he is even worse than he is despite seemingly being the complete opposite of I. M. in personality. He's right, the niceness is all an act Y. B. puts on to trick students and teachers into coming to his school that's actually a power plant where they are forced to run endlessly on hamster wheels to generate electricity for him to sell, and they don't even get coffee breaks.
Carl Fester King
A greedy entrepreneur and con artist who will do anything to make a quick buck.
- Punny Name: It's a play on Charles Foster Kane, the eponymous businessman of Citizen Kane.
Fish and Fowl
- Fish Played by: Guy L'Écuyer (1978 Movie), Mark McKinney (1999 Movie)Fowl Played by: Joy Coghill (1978 Movie), Miranda Richardson (1999 Movie)
- And You Were There: In the original film version of Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang, Fish and Fowl are normal customers in a grocery store (who happen to be carrying a fish and bird, respectively) who show up in Jacob's dream, sporting their animal-based features, as workers of the children's prison island.
- Fat and Skinny: Fowl is skinny a very skinny lady who is paired with Fish, who is chubby.
- Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: In the cartoon, Fowl is tall and slender while Fish is stout and wide.
- Villain Love Song: The 1999 version of Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang has Fowl singing about her admiration for The Hooded Fang.
Wilson, Quiggley and Duschane
The local bullies of Dreary Meadows Academy. Their favorite pastime is picking on Jacob and Buford. Wilson is the one with the hockey jersey and the lollipop in his mouth, Quigley is the one with the blonde hair covering his eyes, and Duschane is the tall and lean one with the braces.- The Bully: Naturally. They especially love picking on Jacob due to his runty size.
- Everyone Has Standards: One episode has Duschane and Jacob acting in a play together where Duschane's character drops a rock on Jacob's character. Duschane starts carrying a real boulder for practice making Jacob think he's Lost in Character and is going to drop it on him instead of the prop. When the scene comes, he does in fact just drop the prop on Jacob and thought dropping a real one would've been insane.
- Hidden Depths: In "Jacob Two Two and the Too Big Tomato" it's revealed they have an algorithm for giving a proper wedgie.
- Jerkass: A group of bullies who go out of their way to bully Jacob anytime they interact with him.
- Terrible Trio: A trio of nasty kids who spend their spare time making Jacob's life miserable.
Miss Louse
Leo Louse's mother and the only person he's more loyal towards than Principal Greedyguts.- Strong Family Resemblance: She looks like Leo if he dressed in drag.
