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Sylvester the Cat

Sylvester Pussycat, Sr. is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons.[1] Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper. He appeared in 103 cartoons in the golden age of American animation, lagging only behind superstars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Daffy Duck.[2] Three of his cartoons won Academy Awards, the most for any starring a Looney Tunes character: they are Tweetie Pie, Speedy Gonzales, and Birds Anonymous.

Sylvester
Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies character
First appearanceNaughty but Mice (early version; 1939)
Life with Feathers (official version; 1945)
Created byFriz Freleng
Designed byPrototype
Bob Givens (1939–1941, 1943)
Robert McKimson (1941–1942)
Official
Hawley Pratt (1945–)
Dick Ung (1965–1966)
Voiced byMel Blanc (1945–1989)
Bill Farmer (1987, 1996)
Jeff Bergman (1989–1993, 1997–1998, 2002-2004, 2007, 2011–present)
Joe Alaskey (1990–2011)
Greg Burson (1993, 1995, 1997)
Terry Klassen (Baby Looney Tunes; 2002–2005)
Jeff Bennett (2003, 2006)
Eric Bauza (2018, 2021–2022)
(see below)
In-universe information
Full nameSylvester Pussycat, Sr.
AliasSylvester the Cat
SpeciesTuxedo Cat
GenderMale
FamilyUnnamed mother
Alan (brother)
Significant otherMrs. Cat
ChildrenSylvester Jr. (son)
RelativesSylth Vester (descendant)
NationalityAmerican
Died70 times

Animation history

Development

Sylvester predecessors appeared from 1939 to 1945. Naughty but Mice was the first, with the prototype appearing as a normal black cat.[3] Notes to You was remade in color in one of Sylvester's cartoons, Back Alley Oproar. The Hep Cat features another version, as well as Birdy and the Beast, which features Tweety. Before Sylvester's appearance in the cartoons, Blanc voiced a character named Sylvester on The Judy Canova Show using the voice that would eventually become associated with the cat.[4]

Personality and catchphrases

Sylvester's height is 60 or 72 inches (152.4 or 182.8 cm) or 5 or 6 feet (1.52 or 1.83 m) tall and his weight is 60 or 72 pounds (27.2 or 32.7 kg).

In many cartoons, Sylvester is shown intentionally sticking out his tongue while speaking, putting on emphasis that the lisp is intentional. He is also known for spraying people he is talking to with the saliva from his lisping, which is a trait rarely shared by Daffy. A common gag used for both Sylvester and Daffy is a tendency to go on a long rant, complaining about a subject and then ending it by saying "Sakes".

Sylvester's trademark exclamation is "Sufferin' succotash!", which is said to be a minced oath of "Suffering Savior".

He shows a different personality when paired with Porky Pig in explorations of spooky places, in which he does not speak, behaves as a scaredy-cat, and always seems to see the scary things Porky does not see and gets scolded by him for it every time.

For the most part, Sylvester has always played the antagonist role, but he's sometimes featured playing the protagonist in a couple of cartoons while having to deal with the canine duo of Spike and Chester after being chased around. In 1952's Tree for Two (directed by Friz Freleng), Sylvester is cornered in the back alley and this would result in Spike getting mauled by a black panther that had earlier escaped from a zoo without Spike and Chester knowing about it. In the 1954 film Dr. Jerkyl's Hide, Sylvester pummels Spike (here called "Alfie") thanks to a potion that transforms him into a feline monster. Both times after Spike's ordeal, Sylvester would have the courage and confidence to confront Chester, only to be beaten up and tossed away by the little dog.

Perhaps Sylvester's most developed role is in a series of Robert McKimson-directed shorts, in which the character is a hapless mouse-catching instructor to his dubious son, Sylvester Junior, with the "mouse" being a powerful baby kangaroo named Hippety Hopper which he constantly mistakes for a "giant mouse". His alternately confident and bewildered episodes bring his son to shame, while Sylvester himself is reduced to nervous breakdowns.

Sylvester also had atypical roles in a few cartoons:

  • Kitty Kornered (1946), a Bob Clampett cartoon in which a black-nosed, yellow-eyed Sylvester was teamed with three other cats to oust owner Porky Pig from his house.
  • Doggone Cats (1947), an Arthur Davis cartoon where Sylvester is teamed up with an orange cat (later retooled as Sylvester's brother Alan in The Looney Tunes Show) to stop a dog named Wellington from delivering a package to Uncle Louie's home.
  • Catch as Cats Can (1947), another Davis cartoon that portrays Sylvester as a slow-minded cat with a dopey voice, who has to eat a singing canary that's a caricature of Frank Sinatra.
  • Back Alley Oproar (1948), a Friz Freleng cartoon (actually a remake of the 1941 short Notes to You) wherein Sylvester pesters the sleep-deprived Elmer Fudd by performing several amazing musical numbers in the alley (and even a sweet lullaby ("go to sleep... go to sleep... close your big bloodshot eyes...") to temporarily ease Elmer back to the dream world, though very temporarily.
  • The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950), a Chuck Jones cartoon in which Sylvester plays the Basil Rathbone-like villain to Daffy Duck's Errol Flynn-esque hero.
  • Red Riding Hoodwinked (1955), another Freleng cartoon where Sylvester co-stars with an absent-minded Big Bad Wolf in which each not only tries to get their particular "prey" (Sylvester vs. Tweety and the Wolf vs. Little Red Riding Hood) but they both nearly come to blows with each other playing "Grandma". ("You're musclin' in on my racket!")
  • A Taste of Catnip (1966) When Daffy Duck blows up a catnip factory in Mexico, Sylvester and other enraged cats beat up Daffy Duck.


In the television series Tiny Toon Adventures, Sylvester appeared as the mentor of Furrball. He also starred in The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries. In the series, he plays the narrator at the beginning of episodes.

Filmography

The character debuted in Friz Freleng's Life With Feathers (1945). Freleng's 1947 cartoon Tweetie Pie was the first pairing of Tweety with Sylvester, and the Bob Clampett-directed Kitty Kornered (1946) was Sylvester's first pairing with Porky Pig.

He also appears in a handful of cartoons with Elmer Fudd, such as a series of three cartoons underwritten by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation extolling the American economic system.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Sylvester appeared in various Warner Bros. television specials, and in the 1980s, he appeared in the feature-film compilations.

He has died more times than any other Looney Tunes character, having died in Peck Up Your Troubles, I Taw a Putty Tat, Back Alley Oproar, Mouse Mazurka, Bad Ol' Putty Tat, Ain't She Tweet, Satan's Waitin', Muzzle Tough, Sandy Claws, Tweety's Circus, Too Hop To Handle, Tree Cornered Tweety, Tweet and Lovely, Trick or Tweet (along with Sam Cat), The Wild Chase (along with Wile E. Coyote), and Museum Scream. He was even cast in the role of the Jacob Marley-like ghost called Sylvester the Investor in Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas.

A baby version of Sylvester is part of the title cast of characters in Baby Looney Tunes, voiced by Terry Klassen.

Sylvester is featured in The Looney Tunes Show (2011–14), voiced by Jeff Bergman. He is shown living with Granny alongside Tweety. In "Point, Laser Point", it is revealed that Sylvester was attracted by a glowing red dot that was on his mother's necklace when he was young as experienced through hypnotic therapy done by Witch Lezah. It was also revealed that his mother (voiced by Estelle Harris) has retired to Florida. When Sylvester visits her, she reveals she's disappointed that Sylvester isn't married, doesn't have kids, never kept wearing his retainer, never remembered where she lives in Florida, and has not caught Tweety yet. This episode also introduced Sylvester's brother Alan (voiced by Jeff Bennett) who became more successful than Sylvester.

Sylvester also makes recurring appearances in both New Looney Tunes and Looney Tunes Cartoons. Jeff Bergman reprises his role for both.

Sylvester appeared in King Tweety. He was voiced by Eric Bauza, who also voiced him in Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem.[5]

Cameo appearances

In an episode of Press Your Luck, Sylvester (voiced by Mel Blanc) calls Peter Tomarken after Tomarken incorrectly said that Daffy Duck coined the catchphrase, “Suffering Succotash” during the question round.

Sylvester makes a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, where he provides the punchline for a double-entendre joke regarding Judge Doom's (Christopher Lloyd) identity. This was Mel Blanc's final time voicing him.

Sylvester appears as part of the Tune Squad team in Space Jam voiced by Bill Farmer. He bears the number 9 on his jersey where the Tune Squad and Michael Jordan competed against the Monstars.

He also has two cameo appearances in Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but the second time, "Sylvester" is really Mr. Smith in disguise.

A cat appears in Color Rhapsody shorts "Up and Atom" and "Boston Beanie" that bares a strong resemblance to Sylvester.

Sylvester appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn", voiced by Patrick Pinney. During Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement of illegal aliens from Mexico, Sylvester demonstrates a wired fence that will keep the aliens out, only for it to be penetrated by Speedy Gonzales.[6]

Sylvester makes a vocal cameo appearance in the 2020 Animaniacs revival segment "Suffragette City", with Jeff Bergman reprising his role.

Sylvester appears in Space Jam: A New Legacy voiced again by Jeff Bergman. He plays for the Tune Squad in their match against the Goon Squad. At one point before the second half, Sylvester thought he found Michael Jordan in the audience which he revealed to the Tune Squad only for LeBron James to find that he actually ran into Michael B. Jordan. This caused Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd to reprimand him for not noticing the difference as Sylvester thought he aged good.

Other appearances

From 1979 to 1983, Sylvester was the "spokescat" for 9 Lives' line of dry cat food. His face appeared on the product's boxes and Sylvester was also featured in a series of television commercials. These ads usually consisted of Sylvester trying to get to his box of 9 Lives dry cat food while avoiding Hector the Bulldog. Sylvester would always succeed in luring the dog away so he could get to his food, but would always find himself a target again by the end of the commercial, which generally ended with Sylvester calling 9 Lives dry cat food "worth riskin' your life for."[7][8]

In comic books

 
Tweety and Sylvester No. 9, published in 1955
 
Tweety & Sylvester No. 100, published in 1979

Western Publications produced a comic book about Tweety and Sylvester entitled Tweety and Sylvester, first in Dell Comics Four Color series #406, 489, and 524, then in their own title from Dell Comics (#4–37, 1954–62), and later from Gold Key Comics (#1–102, 1963–72). In most of the earlier comic books, Sylvester has white fur surrounding his eyes (similar to Pepé Le Pew) and green eyes. They both disappeared in the later comic books. The green eyes could be seen in some merchandise as well.

Sylvester and Tweety appeared in a DC Comics and Looney Tunes crossover comic called Catwoman/Tweety and Sylvester #1. In the issue, witches from the DC and Looney Tunes universes placed a wager where the existence of all birds and cats (as well as all bird- and cat-themed heroes and villains) depended on if Sylvester could eat Tweety. Sylvester (designed more realistically for the DC Universe) teamed up with Catwoman, while Tweety teamed up with the Black Canary.[9]

In video games

Sylvester has appeared in the video games Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers, The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle, The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout, Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage, Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal, The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Looney Tunes: Space Race, Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3, and Sylvester and Tweety: Breakfast on the Run.

Naming

The name "Sylvester" is a play on Felis silvestris, the scientific name for the European wildcat (domestic cats like Sylvester are in the species Felis catus). Sylvester was not named until Chuck Jones gave him the name Sylvester, which was first used in Scaredy Cat.[10] Although the character was named Sylvester in later cartoon shorts (beginning with 1948's Scaredy Cat), he was called "Thomas" in his first appearance with Tweety in Tweetie Pie, most likely as a reference to a male cat being called a tom. However, this name would never be used again because MGM already had a cat named Thomas from Tom and Jerry.[11] Mel Blanc had also voiced a human character named Sylvester on Judy Canova's radio show earlier in the 1940s.

Voice

Origin

Sylvester's trademark is his sloppy and yet stridulating lisp. In Mel Blanc's autobiography, That's Not All Folks!, it is worth noting that Sylvester's voice is similar to Daffy Duck's, only not sped up in post-production, plus the even more exaggerated slobbery lisp. Conventional wisdom is that Daffy's lisp, and hence also Sylvester's, were based on the lisp of producer Leon Schlesinger. However, Blanc made no such claim. He said that Daffy's lisp was based on him having a long beak and that he borrowed the voice for Sylvester.[12] He also said that Sylvester's voice was very much like his own, excluding the lisp (his son Noel Blanc has also confirmed this). In addition, director Bob Clampett, in a 1970 Funnyworld interview, agreed with Blanc's account concerning Schlesinger.[13] Greg Ford once asked Blanc what was the difference between Daffy and Sylvester's voices. Blanc said to him that Daffy is a Jew and Sylvester is a Gentile.[14]

Voice actors

Reception and legacy

Sylvester was #33 on TV Guide's list of top 50 best cartoon characters, together with Tweety.[61]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sylvester a.k.a. Sylvester J. Pussycat Sr. a.k.a. Puddy Tat". comicbookrealm. July 23, 2012.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 140–142. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ Sandler, Kevin (1998). Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation. Rutgers University Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780813525389.
  4. ^ The Judy Canova Show, September 7, 1943, as rebroadcast on XM Radio's Old Time Radio channel August 13, 2008.
  5. ^ "King Tweety Animated Film Trailer [EXCLUSIVE]". Screen Rant. 21 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Illegal Alien Problems - Robot Chicken - Adult Swim". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  7. ^ 1979 Sylvester The Cat 9 Lives Cat Food Commercial 1
  8. ^ 9-Lives Dry ad, 1983
  9. ^ Catwoman/Tweety and Sylvester #1
  10. ^ Jones, Chuck (1989). Chuck Amuck : the life and times of an animated cartoonist. p. 105. ISBN 0374123489.
  11. ^ Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood cartoons : American animation in its golden age. p. 405. ISBN 978-0-19-503759-3.
  12. ^ Blanc, Mel; Bashe, Philip (1988). That's Not All, Folks!. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-51244-3.
  13. ^ An interview with Bob Clampett
  14. ^ REVIEWS BY RICHARD CORLISS: Looney Tunes Golden Collection — Volume 5
  15. ^ "Puddy Tats here. . . Puddy Tats There!". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Bugs Bunny on Record". News From ME. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Golden Records' "Bugs Bunny Songfest" (1961)". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Bugs Bunny Breaks a Sweat". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  19. ^ "ABC Family Fun Fair". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  20. ^ "ABC Family Fun Fair planned at city mall". The Oklahoman. August 23, 1987. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h "Voice(s) of Sylvester the Cat".
  22. ^ "Tyson". Behind The Voice Actions. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  23. ^ "Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Cartoon Network". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  24. ^ "Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Boomerang". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  25. ^ "Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Family Guy". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  26. ^ "Daffy Duck Dance Off". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  27. ^ "Ani-Mayhem". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  28. ^ "Meet Bugs (And Daffy)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  29. ^ Weiss, Josh (July 15, 2021). "'TINY TOONS' REBOOT ON HBO MAX WILL FEATURE A 'DUMBLEDORE'-ESQUE BUGS BUNNY, RETURN TO LOONIVERSITY". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  30. ^ "You Rang? Answering Machine Messages Holiday". YouTube. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  31. ^ "Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis". VGMdb. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide: VHS: Misc". The Inernet Animation Database. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  33. ^ "Bugs Bunny's Silly Seals". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  34. ^ "Sing Along: Looney Tunes". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Looney Tunes: What's Up Rock?". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  36. ^ "The Looney Tunes Rockin' Road Show". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  37. ^ "THE LOONEY TUNES KWAZY CHRISTMAS". VGMdb. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  38. ^ "Looney Tunes Dance Off". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  39. ^ Bartlett, Jeff (27 September 2010). "Eh, what's up, Doc? TomTom offers Looney Tunes voices for GPS navigators". Consumer Reports. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  40. ^ "Looney Tunes Musical Revue". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  41. ^ "Warner Bros. Movie World Illuminanza". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  42. ^ "Kentucky Fried Chicken". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  43. ^ "Tazos". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  44. ^ "New Looney Tunes show unveiled at Movie World". Leisure Management. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  45. ^ "'CLASSROOM CAPERS'". Alastair Fleming Associates. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  46. ^ . Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  47. ^ "The Day I Met Bugs Bunny". Ian Heydon. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  48. ^ "Keith Scott: Down Under's Voice Over Marvel". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  49. ^ "Keith Scott". Grace Gibson Shop. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  50. ^ "Keith Scott-"The One-Man Crowd"". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  51. ^ "Cartoon Network Presentation Pitch". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  52. ^ "Cartoon Network Presentation 1991". Vimeo. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  53. ^ "The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  54. ^ "Looney Tunes B-Ball". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  55. ^ "The Voice Artist's Spotlight on Twitter: "Greg Burson was the go-to guy for all voices in all of the Looney Tunes games developed by Sunsoft. Also voiced Daffy, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and more."". Twitter. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  56. ^ "Warner Bros. Kids Club". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  57. ^ Monger, James. "A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas". AllMusic. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  58. ^ "Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Robot Chicken". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  59. ^ "Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Mad". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  60. ^ "Voice of Monster Sylvester in Wabbit". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  61. ^ "TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time". CNN. July 30, 2002.

External links

  •   Media related to Sylvester (Looney Tunes) at Wikimedia Commons
  • Sylvester's history at Warner Bros' official website (requires flash).
  • Sylvester Pussycat at Don Markstein's Toonopedia.
  • Archived from the original on January 1, 2018.
  • All about Sylvester the Cat on Chuck Jones Official Website.

sylvester, sylvester, pussycat, fictional, character, anthropomorphic, tuxedo, looney, tunes, merrie, melodies, series, cartoons, most, appearances, have, often, chasing, tweety, speedy, gonzales, hippety, hopper, appeared, cartoons, golden, american, animatio. Sylvester Pussycat Sr is a fictional character an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons 1 Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety Speedy Gonzales or Hippety Hopper He appeared in 103 cartoons in the golden age of American animation lagging only behind superstars Bugs Bunny Porky Pig and Daffy Duck 2 Three of his cartoons won Academy Awards the most for any starring a Looney Tunes character they are Tweetie Pie Speedy Gonzales and Birds Anonymous SylvesterLooney Tunes Merrie Melodies characterFirst appearanceNaughty but Mice early version 1939 Life with Feathers official version 1945 Created byFriz FrelengDesigned byPrototypeBob Givens 1939 1941 1943 Robert McKimson 1941 1942 OfficialHawley Pratt 1945 Dick Ung 1965 1966 Voiced byMel Blanc 1945 1989 Bill Farmer 1987 1996 Jeff Bergman 1989 1993 1997 1998 2002 2004 2007 2011 present Joe Alaskey 1990 2011 Greg Burson 1993 1995 1997 Terry Klassen Baby Looney Tunes 2002 2005 Jeff Bennett 2003 2006 Eric Bauza 2018 2021 2022 see below In universe informationFull nameSylvester Pussycat Sr AliasSylvester the CatSpeciesTuxedo CatGenderMaleFamilyUnnamed motherAlan brother Significant otherMrs CatChildrenSylvester Jr son RelativesSylth Vester descendant NationalityAmericanDied70 times Contents 1 Animation history 1 1 Development 2 Personality and catchphrases 3 Filmography 3 1 Cameo appearances 4 Other appearances 4 1 In comic books 4 2 In video games 5 Naming 6 Voice 6 1 Origin 6 2 Voice actors 7 Reception and legacy 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksAnimation history EditDevelopment Edit Sylvester predecessors appeared from 1939 to 1945 Naughty but Mice was the first with the prototype appearing as a normal black cat 3 Notes to You was remade in color in one of Sylvester s cartoons Back Alley Oproar The Hep Cat features another version as well as Birdy and the Beast which features Tweety Before Sylvester s appearance in the cartoons Blanc voiced a character named Sylvester on The Judy Canova Show using the voice that would eventually become associated with the cat 4 Personality and catchphrases EditSylvester s height is 60 or 72 inches 152 4 or 182 8 cm or 5 or 6 feet 1 52 or 1 83 m tall and his weight is 60 or 72 pounds 27 2 or 32 7 kg In many cartoons Sylvester is shown intentionally sticking out his tongue while speaking putting on emphasis that the lisp is intentional He is also known for spraying people he is talking to with the saliva from his lisping which is a trait rarely shared by Daffy A common gag used for both Sylvester and Daffy is a tendency to go on a long rant complaining about a subject and then ending it by saying Sakes Sylvester s trademark exclamation is Sufferin succotash which is said to be a minced oath of Suffering Savior He shows a different personality when paired with Porky Pig in explorations of spooky places in which he does not speak behaves as a scaredy cat and always seems to see the scary things Porky does not see and gets scolded by him for it every time For the most part Sylvester has always played the antagonist role but he s sometimes featured playing the protagonist in a couple of cartoons while having to deal with the canine duo of Spike and Chester after being chased around In 1952 s Tree for Two directed by Friz Freleng Sylvester is cornered in the back alley and this would result in Spike getting mauled by a black panther that had earlier escaped from a zoo without Spike and Chester knowing about it In the 1954 film Dr Jerkyl s Hide Sylvester pummels Spike here called Alfie thanks to a potion that transforms him into a feline monster Both times after Spike s ordeal Sylvester would have the courage and confidence to confront Chester only to be beaten up and tossed away by the little dog Perhaps Sylvester s most developed role is in a series of Robert McKimson directed shorts in which the character is a hapless mouse catching instructor to his dubious son Sylvester Junior with the mouse being a powerful baby kangaroo named Hippety Hopper which he constantly mistakes for a giant mouse His alternately confident and bewildered episodes bring his son to shame while Sylvester himself is reduced to nervous breakdowns Sylvester also had atypical roles in a few cartoons Kitty Kornered 1946 a Bob Clampett cartoon in which a black nosed yellow eyed Sylvester was teamed with three other cats to oust owner Porky Pig from his house Doggone Cats 1947 an Arthur Davis cartoon where Sylvester is teamed up with an orange cat later retooled as Sylvester s brother Alan in The Looney Tunes Show to stop a dog named Wellington from delivering a package to Uncle Louie s home Catch as Cats Can 1947 another Davis cartoon that portrays Sylvester as a slow minded cat with a dopey voice who has to eat a singing canary that s a caricature of Frank Sinatra Back Alley Oproar 1948 a Friz Freleng cartoon actually a remake of the 1941 short Notes to You wherein Sylvester pesters the sleep deprived Elmer Fudd by performing several amazing musical numbers in the alley and even a sweet lullaby go to sleep go to sleep close your big bloodshot eyes to temporarily ease Elmer back to the dream world though very temporarily The Scarlet Pumpernickel 1950 a Chuck Jones cartoon in which Sylvester plays the Basil Rathbone like villain to Daffy Duck s Errol Flynn esque hero Red Riding Hoodwinked 1955 another Freleng cartoon where Sylvester co stars with an absent minded Big Bad Wolf in which each not only tries to get their particular prey Sylvester vs Tweety and the Wolf vs Little Red Riding Hood but they both nearly come to blows with each other playing Grandma You re musclin in on my racket A Taste of Catnip 1966 When Daffy Duck blows up a catnip factory in Mexico Sylvester and other enraged cats beat up Daffy Duck In the television series Tiny Toon Adventures Sylvester appeared as the mentor of Furrball He also starred in The Sylvester amp Tweety Mysteries In the series he plays the narrator at the beginning of episodes Filmography EditMain article List of cartoons featuring Sylvester The character debuted in Friz Freleng s Life With Feathers 1945 Freleng s 1947 cartoon Tweetie Pie was the first pairing of Tweety with Sylvester and the Bob Clampett directed Kitty Kornered 1946 was Sylvester s first pairing with Porky Pig He also appears in a handful of cartoons with Elmer Fudd such as a series of three cartoons underwritten by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation extolling the American economic system In the 1970s and 1980s Sylvester appeared in various Warner Bros television specials and in the 1980s he appeared in the feature film compilations He has died more times than any other Looney Tunes character having died in Peck Up Your Troubles I Taw a Putty Tat Back Alley Oproar Mouse Mazurka Bad Ol Putty Tat Ain t She Tweet Satan s Waitin Muzzle Tough Sandy Claws Tweety s Circus Too Hop To Handle Tree Cornered Tweety Tweet and Lovely Trick or Tweet along with Sam Cat The Wild Chase along with Wile E Coyote and Museum Scream He was even cast in the role of the Jacob Marley like ghost called Sylvester the Investor in Bah Humduck A Looney Tunes Christmas A baby version of Sylvester is part of the title cast of characters in Baby Looney Tunes voiced by Terry Klassen Sylvester is featured in The Looney Tunes Show 2011 14 voiced by Jeff Bergman He is shown living with Granny alongside Tweety In Point Laser Point it is revealed that Sylvester was attracted by a glowing red dot that was on his mother s necklace when he was young as experienced through hypnotic therapy done by Witch Lezah It was also revealed that his mother voiced by Estelle Harris has retired to Florida When Sylvester visits her she reveals she s disappointed that Sylvester isn t married doesn t have kids never kept wearing his retainer never remembered where she lives in Florida and has not caught Tweety yet This episode also introduced Sylvester s brother Alan voiced by Jeff Bennett who became more successful than Sylvester Sylvester also makes recurring appearances in both New Looney Tunes and Looney Tunes Cartoons Jeff Bergman reprises his role for both Sylvester appeared in King Tweety He was voiced by Eric Bauza who also voiced him in Looney Tunes World of Mayhem 5 Cameo appearances Edit In an episode of Press Your Luck Sylvester voiced by Mel Blanc calls Peter Tomarken after Tomarken incorrectly said that Daffy Duck coined the catchphrase Suffering Succotash during the question round Sylvester makes a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit where he provides the punchline for a double entendre joke regarding Judge Doom s Christopher Lloyd identity This was Mel Blanc s final time voicing him Sylvester appears as part of the Tune Squad team in Space Jam voiced by Bill Farmer He bears the number 9 on his jersey where the Tune Squad and Michael Jordan competed against the Monstars He also has two cameo appearances in Looney Tunes Back in Action but the second time Sylvester is really Mr Smith in disguise A cat appears in Color Rhapsody shorts Up and Atom and Boston Beanie that bares a strong resemblance to Sylvester Sylvester appears in the Robot Chicken episode Werewolf vs Unicorn voiced by Patrick Pinney During Arnold Schwarzenegger s announcement of illegal aliens from Mexico Sylvester demonstrates a wired fence that will keep the aliens out only for it to be penetrated by Speedy Gonzales 6 Sylvester makes a vocal cameo appearance in the 2020 Animaniacs revival segment Suffragette City with Jeff Bergman reprising his role Sylvester appears in Space Jam A New Legacy voiced again by Jeff Bergman He plays for the Tune Squad in their match against the Goon Squad At one point before the second half Sylvester thought he found Michael Jordan in the audience which he revealed to the Tune Squad only for LeBron James to find that he actually ran into Michael B Jordan This caused Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd to reprimand him for not noticing the difference as Sylvester thought he aged good Other appearances Edit USS Alameda County Sylvester as emblem of the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron Sylvester as emblem of the 151st Fighter Interceptor Squadron Sylvester as seen in The Looney Tunes Show in this new design Sylvester and Tweety in I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat From 1979 to 1983 Sylvester was the spokescat for 9 Lives line of dry cat food His face appeared on the product s boxes and Sylvester was also featured in a series of television commercials These ads usually consisted of Sylvester trying to get to his box of 9 Lives dry cat food while avoiding Hector the Bulldog Sylvester would always succeed in luring the dog away so he could get to his food but would always find himself a target again by the end of the commercial which generally ended with Sylvester calling 9 Lives dry cat food worth riskin your life for 7 8 In comic books Edit Tweety and Sylvester No 9 published in 1955 Tweety amp Sylvester No 100 published in 1979 Western Publications produced a comic book about Tweety and Sylvester entitled Tweety and Sylvester first in Dell Comics Four Color series 406 489 and 524 then in their own title from Dell Comics 4 37 1954 62 and later from Gold Key Comics 1 102 1963 72 In most of the earlier comic books Sylvester has white fur surrounding his eyes similar to Pepe Le Pew and green eyes They both disappeared in the later comic books The green eyes could be seen in some merchandise as well Sylvester and Tweety appeared in a DC Comics and Looney Tunes crossover comic called Catwoman Tweety and Sylvester 1 In the issue witches from the DC and Looney Tunes universes placed a wager where the existence of all birds and cats as well as all bird and cat themed heroes and villains depended on if Sylvester could eat Tweety Sylvester designed more realistically for the DC Universe teamed up with Catwoman while Tweety teamed up with the Black Canary 9 In video games Edit Sylvester has appeared in the video games Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage Looney Tunes Acme Arsenal The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2 Looney Tunes Back in Action Looney Tunes Space Race Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 3 and Sylvester and Tweety Breakfast on the Run Naming EditThe name Sylvester is a play on Felis silvestris the scientific name for the European wildcat domestic cats like Sylvester are in the species Felis catus Sylvester was not named until Chuck Jones gave him the name Sylvester which was first used in Scaredy Cat 10 Although the character was named Sylvester in later cartoon shorts beginning with 1948 s Scaredy Cat he was called Thomas in his first appearance with Tweety in Tweetie Pie most likely as a reference to a male cat being called a tom However this name would never be used again because MGM already had a cat named Thomas from Tom and Jerry 11 Mel Blanc had also voiced a human character named Sylvester on Judy Canova s radio show earlier in the 1940s Voice EditOrigin Edit Sylvester s trademark is his sloppy and yet stridulating lisp In Mel Blanc s autobiography That s Not All Folks it is worth noting that Sylvester s voice is similar to Daffy Duck s only not sped up in post production plus the even more exaggerated slobbery lisp Conventional wisdom is that Daffy s lisp and hence also Sylvester s were based on the lisp of producer Leon Schlesinger However Blanc made no such claim He said that Daffy s lisp was based on him having a long beak and that he borrowed the voice for Sylvester 12 He also said that Sylvester s voice was very much like his own excluding the lisp his son Noel Blanc has also confirmed this In addition director Bob Clampett in a 1970 Funnyworld interview agreed with Blanc s account concerning Schlesinger 13 Greg Ford once asked Blanc what was the difference between Daffy and Sylvester s voices Blanc said to him that Daffy is a Jew and Sylvester is a Gentile 14 Voice actors Edit Mel Blanc 1945 1989 Bugs Bunny s Birthday Ball 1990 archive audio Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers meowing 1994 archive audio Boomerang bumper hiccup 2004 archive audio I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat 2011 archive audio Danny Kaye 1951 I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat cover 15 Gilbert Mack Golden Records records Bugs Bunny Songfest 16 17 Dave Barry Golden Records records Bugs Bunny Songfest 16 17 Dallas McKennon meowing sounds in Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies Richard Andrews Bugs Bunny Exercise and Adventure Album 18 Bill Farmer ABC Family Fun Fair Space Jam 19 20 21 Darrell Hammond Wappin Jeff Bergman 1989 Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade Tiny Toon Adventures Tyson Foods commercial 22 Bugs Bunny s Overtures to Disaster Cartoon Network bumpers 23 Boomerang bumper 24 Family Guy 25 The Looney Tunes Show Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes Cartoon Universe Looney Tunes Dash New Looney Tunes Daffy Duck Dance Off 26 Ani Mayhem 27 Meet Bugs and Daffy 28 Looney Tunes Cartoons Animaniacs Space Jam A New Legacy Bugs Bunny Builders Tiny Toons Looniversity 29 21 Noel Blanc You Rang answering machine messages 30 Joe Alaskey Tiny Toon Adventures Looney Tunes River Ride Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas Carrotblanca The Sylvester amp Tweety Mysteries Bugs amp Friends Sing Elvis 31 Father of the Bird Bugs Bunny s Learning Adventures 32 33 Warner Bros Sing Along Quest for Camelot Warner Bros Sing Along Looney Tunes 32 34 Looney Tunes What s Up Rock 35 The Looney Tunes Rockin Road Show 36 Tweety s High Flying Adventure The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas 37 Looney Tunes Back In Action Bah Humduck A Looney Tunes Christmas Looney Tunes Dance Off 38 TomTom Looney Tunes GPS 39 Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics various video games webtoons and commercials 21 Keith Scott Looney Tunes Musical Revue 40 Westfield commercial Spectacular Light and Sound Show Illuminanza 41 KFC commercials 42 Tazos Looney Tunes commercial 43 Looney Tunes We Got the Beat 35 44 Looney Tunes on Ice Looney Tunes LIVE Classroom Capers 45 Christmas Moments with Looney Tunes The Looney Tunes Radio Show 46 47 Looney Rock 21 48 49 50 J J Sedelmaier Cartoon Network presentation pitch 51 52 Greg Burson The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny 53 Looney Tunes B Ball 54 55 Warner Bros Kids Club 56 21 Terry Klassen Baby Looney Tunes Baby Looney Tunes Eggs traordinary Adventure 21 Jeff Bennett Museum Scream A Looney Tunes Sing A Long Christmas 57 21 Pat Pinney Robot Chicken 58 Kevin Shinick Mad 59 Seth MacFarlane Family Guy Dee Bradley Baker New Looney Tunes monster form 60 Eric Bauza Looney Tunes World of Mayhem Bugs Bunny in The Golden Carrot Space Jam A New Legacy live show King Tweety 21 Reception and legacy EditSylvester was 33 on TV Guide s list of top 50 best cartoon characters together with Tweety 61 See also EditTom and Jerry a similar type of duo Cartoon portal Animation portalReferences Edit Sylvester a k a Sylvester J Pussycat Sr a k a Puddy Tat comicbookrealm July 23 2012 Lenburg Jeff 1999 The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons Checkmark Books pp 140 142 ISBN 0 8160 3831 7 Retrieved 6 June 2020 Sandler Kevin 1998 Reading the Rabbit Explorations in Warner Bros Animation Rutgers University Press p 54 ISBN 9780813525389 The Judy Canova Show September 7 1943 as rebroadcast on XM Radio s Old Time Radio channel August 13 2008 King Tweety Animated Film Trailer EXCLUSIVE Screen Rant 21 March 2022 Illegal Alien Problems Robot Chicken Adult Swim YouTube Archived from the original on 2021 12 11 Retrieved 2020 09 22 1979 Sylvester The Cat 9 Lives Cat Food Commercial 1 9 Lives Dry ad 1983 Catwoman Tweety and Sylvester 1 Jones Chuck 1989 Chuck Amuck the life and times of an animated cartoonist p 105 ISBN 0374123489 Barrier Michael 1999 Hollywood cartoons American animation in its golden age p 405 ISBN 978 0 19 503759 3 Blanc Mel Bashe Philip 1988 That s Not All Folks Warner Books ISBN 0 446 51244 3 An interview with Bob Clampett REVIEWS BY RICHARD CORLISS Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 Puddy Tats here Puddy Tats There cartoonresearch com Retrieved 20 September 2020 a b Bugs Bunny on Record News From ME Retrieved September 20 2020 a b Golden Records Bugs Bunny Songfest 1961 cartoonresearch com Retrieved 20 September 2020 Bugs Bunny Breaks a Sweat cartoonresearch com Retrieved 20 September 2020 ABC Family Fun Fair Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2021 03 16 ABC Family Fun Fair planned at city mall The Oklahoman August 23 1987 Retrieved July 7 2021 a b c d e f g h Voice s of Sylvester the Cat Tyson Behind The Voice Actions Retrieved November 22 2021 Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Cartoon Network Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2021 04 04 Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Boomerang Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2021 04 04 Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Family Guy Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 Daffy Duck Dance Off Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved November 27 2021 Ani Mayhem Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved January 14 2022 Meet Bugs And Daffy Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved January 14 2022 Weiss Josh July 15 2021 TINY TOONS REBOOT ON HBO MAX WILL FEATURE A DUMBLEDORE ESQUE BUGS BUNNY RETURN TO LOONIVERSITY SYFY WIRE Retrieved August 6 2021 You Rang Answering Machine Messages Holiday YouTube Retrieved July 7 2022 Bugs amp Friends Sing Elvis VGMdb Retrieved November 26 2021 a b Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide VHS Misc The Inernet Animation Database Retrieved November 30 2021 Bugs Bunny s Silly Seals Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 1 October 2020 Sing Along Looney Tunes Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved November 25 2021 a b Looney Tunes What s Up Rock Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 07 10 The Looney Tunes Rockin Road Show Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 28 THE LOONEY TUNES KWAZY CHRISTMAS VGMdb Retrieved December 7 2021 Looney Tunes Dance Off Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved November 27 2021 Bartlett Jeff 27 September 2010 Eh what s up Doc TomTom offers Looney Tunes voices for GPS navigators Consumer Reports Retrieved 24 September 2016 Looney Tunes Musical Revue Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 Warner Bros Movie World Illuminanza Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2021 03 08 Kentucky Fried Chicken Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 Tazos Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 New Looney Tunes show unveiled at Movie World Leisure Management Retrieved 20 September 2020 CLASSROOM CAPERS Alastair Fleming Associates Retrieved 7 December 2020 That Wascally Wabbit Archived from the original on 17 March 2012 Retrieved 20 September 2020 The Day I Met Bugs Bunny Ian Heydon Retrieved 9 October 2020 Keith Scott Down Under s Voice Over Marvel Animation World Network Retrieved September 20 2020 Keith Scott Grace Gibson Shop Retrieved September 20 2020 Keith Scott The One Man Crowd Retrieved September 20 2020 Cartoon Network Presentation Pitch YouTube Archived from the original on 2021 12 11 Retrieved July 15 2021 Cartoon Network Presentation 1991 Vimeo Retrieved 15 July 2021 The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 27 Looney Tunes B Ball Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 12 06 The Voice Artist s Spotlight on Twitter Greg Burson was the go to guy for all voices in all of the Looney Tunes games developed by Sunsoft Also voiced Daffy Porky Pig Elmer Fudd and more Twitter Retrieved December 6 2020 Warner Bros Kids Club Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 27 Monger James A Looney Tunes Sing A Long Christmas AllMusic Retrieved November 26 2021 Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Robot Chicken Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 Voice of Sylvester the Cat in Mad Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 Voice of Monster Sylvester in Wabbit Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved 2020 09 20 TV Guide s 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time CNN July 30 2002 External links Edit Media related to Sylvester Looney Tunes at Wikimedia Commons Sylvester s history at Warner Bros official website requires flash Sylvester Pussycat at Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on January 1 2018 All about Sylvester the Cat on Chuck Jones Official Website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sylvester the Cat amp oldid 1127456595, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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