Ding Dong Daddy
Encyclopedia
Ding Dong Daddy is a fictional character
, a comic book
supervillain
published by DC Comics
and appearing as an enemy of the Teen Titans. He is based on legendary hot rod enthusiast/painter/pinstriper Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
. Further evidence of this is shown by DDD's minions, the Gremlins, who strongly resemble some of Roth's creations.
and bike shop. Uncovering evidence that Dowd's operation was a front for criminals, the Titans went undercover
as would-be high school drop-outs and exposed his schemes, and persuaded his teenage employees to return to school. This was a morality issue to stay in school.
Ding Dong Daddy later steals the Arrowcar from Speedy
after Green Arrow
allowed the young hero to borrow it.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
and appearing as an enemy of the Teen Titans. He is based on legendary hot rod enthusiast/painter/pinstriper Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
Ed Roth
"Big Daddy" Ed Roth was an artist, cartoonist, custom car painter, and pinstriper who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other extreme characters. As a custom car builder, Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 50's and 1960's...
. Further evidence of this is shown by DDD's minions, the Gremlins, who strongly resemble some of Roth's creations.
Fictional character biography
The President's Commission on Education asked the Teen Titans to help deal with the problem of high school dropouts. In the town of Harrison, the young heroes discovered dropouts being hired by Ding-Dong Daddy Dowd, proprietor of a custom hot rodHot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
and bike shop. Uncovering evidence that Dowd's operation was a front for criminals, the Titans went undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
as would-be high school drop-outs and exposed his schemes, and persuaded his teenage employees to return to school. This was a morality issue to stay in school.
Ding Dong Daddy later steals the Arrowcar from Speedy
Roy Harper (comics)
Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...
after Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
allowed the young hero to borrow it.
Television
- Ding Dong Daddy appears in the Teen TitansTeen Titans (TV series)Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
TV series voiced by David JohansenDavid JohansenDavid Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
. In his appearances in the series, Ding Dong Daddy makes use of a customized hot rodHot rodHot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
equipped with an arsenal of high-tech weaponry, including liquid nitrogen sprayers to ice up the roads, a flight power neutralizing laser, and front-mounted snapping jaws. He also employs a pit crew of gremlinGremlinA gremlin is an imaginary creature commonly depicted as mischievous and mechanically oriented, with a specific interest in aircraft. Gremlins' mischievous natures are similar to those of English folkloric imps, while their inclination to damage or dismantle machinery is more...
s that follows him around on what is essentially a giant rolling pit stopPit stopIn motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
, repairing his own vehicle and sabotaging competitors. He first appears in the episode "Homecoming, Part 2" as part of the assembled villains gathered by the Brotherhood of EvilBrotherhood of EvilThe Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
to fight the Titans. In "Revved Up", he steals RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
's most prized possession and challenges Robin and the Titans to race, winner take all. Besides racing the Titans, Ding Dong Daddy ends up racing against Red X, Dr. LightDoctor Light (Arthur Light)Doctor Arthur Light is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the third individual to have adopted the persona of Doctor Light, after a Golden Age foe of Doctor Mid-Nite and Arthur's associate Jacob Finlay...
, Johnny Rancid, Mumbo, Kitten and Fang, Puppet King, Mad ModMad ModMad Mod is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He was until recently an enemy of the superhero team, the Teen Titans.-Fictional character biography:...
, GizmoGizmo (comics)Gizmo is a fictional character, a supervillain from DC Comics. He was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, and he first appeared in The New Teen Titans #3 as a founding member of the Fearsome Five, a supervillain team that frequently fought the Teen Titans and the Outsiders.-Mikron...
, Control Freak, and Adonis. For Robin's saving his life, Red X disables the other cars, allowing Robin to beat Ding Dong Daddy and win back his prized possession. Ironically, Robin shows the other Titans what is in the case, but the viewers never learn what is in the caseMacGuffinA MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
. In the episode "Titans Together", Ding Dong Daddy is inside the Brotherhood of Evil base as one of the villains battling the Titans that escaped the Brotherhood. Ding Dong Daddy drives his car at them, but KoleKoleKole Duval is a girlKole Weathers is a fictional superheroine in the DC Universe. She is a former member of the Teen Titans.-Fictional character biography:...
and Gnarrk arrive and destroy it, sending Ding Dong Daddy flying. He is later frozen upside-down.