Stunt Dawgs
Encyclopedia
Stunt Dawgs is an animated comedic adventure series (1992 -1993) about a team of stunt performer
s and their bulldog
named Human who also solve problems heroically. The series was produced by DiC Entertainment
and Rainforest Entertainment and co-created by Jeff Franklin
, best known for co-producing Full House.
A short-lived comic adaptation from Harvey Comics
was written by Michael Gallagher and drawn by Nelson Dewey, who worked from scripts and model sheets from the series.
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
s and their bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
named Human who also solve problems heroically. The series was produced by DiC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
and Rainforest Entertainment and co-created by Jeff Franklin
Jeff Franklin
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Franklin is an American television producer, writer, and director, best known as the creator of the long-running TV series Full House.-Career:...
, best known for co-producing Full House.
A short-lived comic adaptation from Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
was written by Michael Gallagher and drawn by Nelson Dewey, who worked from scripts and model sheets from the series.
Stunt Dawgs
- Needham - the main character and level-headed hero of the series, with an exaggeratedly large chest and chin. He speaks with a TexanTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
accent and has his own theme, which is played in the end credits in some episodes and heard in an instrumental form throughout the series. Needham's battlecry is "T.T.K.B." which means "Time To Kick Butt". Needham was named after former stuntman/director Hal NeedhamHal NeedhamHal Needham is an American stuntman and film director.-Early years:Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May and Howard Needham. He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri...
. - Splat - the rich, laid-back financier of the Stunt Dawgs who speaks with a posh accent, denoting his cultured upbringing from a wealthy family. His parents do not approve of his choice of profession. He pilots a military-style helicopter.
- Sizzle - the hot red-haired woman of the Stunt Dawgs, she wears flame-colored spandexSpandexSpandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
and speaks with a stereotypical Southern accentSouthern American EnglishSouthern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
much like RogueRogue (comics)Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
of the X-MenX-MenThe X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
(who was played by Lenore Zann, the same actress in the 90's X-Men animated series). She occasionally flirts with Needham. She drives a racing-looking pink car with giant rear tires and also fires a pocket-fitting flamethrowerFlamethrowerA flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
. - Skidd - an "almost crazy" motorcycle driver who is often found pondering near-nonsensical themes. His mouth smells badly, as he is known for burping loudly with his terrible breath. His vehicle is a motor tricycleTricycleA tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
. - Crash - an afro-american bald stuntdriver who, as his name suggests, is known for getting into accidents. He is also often found running away from Velda, who has a crush on him. His vehicle is a black and white racing-style car with giant rear wheels just like Sizzle's.
- Human - the Stunt Dawgs' rather intelligent bulldogBulldogBulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
.
Stunt Scabs
- Richard P. Fungus - an egomaniacal director who is obsessed with pursuing money, fame and the destruction of the Stunt Dawgs. His battlecry is "Lights, Camera, Mayhem!!!". He is also known for saying, "I despise him!". He hates nothing more in all the world than to be called "Dick". Fungus was originally to have been named Peter Bogus, allegedly a parody of director Peter BogdanovichPeter BogdanovichPeter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
. Fungus also appears at the end of each show in the Franklin/Waterman Productions logo. - Airball (sometimes Hairball) - Fungus' short-statured second-in-command who affects Napoleon Bonaparte, frequently calling Fungus "Mon capitan". Fungus usually takes out his frustration on him, when things go wrong.
- Badyear - a sleazy, large construction worker who is frugal to the point of being cheap.
- Half-A-Mind - barely a human being and apparently a cyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
of some kind (with a wheel for a leg), Half-A-Mind is prone to falling apart after getting hit. Half-A Mind has the lowest intelligence in the group. He is briefly infused with intelligence in one episode, calling himself "Mind-and-a-Half", taking over the Stunt Scabs and electing Whizz Vid - who upgraded Half-A-Mind's body with high intellect and new cybernetic bodyparts - his second-in-command and personal assistant. - Lucky - a bushy-browed guy who suffers from luck of the worst kind. He always looks at his fortunes optimistically with his catchphrase "Could've been worse" (although they often get worse immediately after he says it).
- Whizz Vid (sometimes Whizz Kid) - a psychotic young genius whose inventions constantly backfire or work the exact opposite of what they should, often leading him to yell "Glitch!" His catchphrase is an odd laugh that sounds like "Whoo-hoy".
Other characters
- Slime - the sleazy lawyer of the Stunt Scabs.
- Bambi, Bumbi, Bombi - the three identical bimboBimboBimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
girlfriends of Fungus. - Nina Newscaster - a news reporter who is often present for the feuds of the Stunt Dawgs and the Stunt Scabs.
- Velda - a woman who has a crush on Crash. The theme song suggests that they were together once, although there's little in the series to suggest this.
Cast
- Neil CroneNeil CroneNeil Crone is a Canadian voice actor and comedian who does the voices of Gordon the Big Engine, Splatter and Diesel 10 from the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He does Phillip the Concierge in the My Secret Identity episode "Sour Grapes"...
as Whizz Vid and Needham - Harvey AtkinHarvey AtkinHarvey Atkin is a Canadian voice actor who has worked in feature films and television. He has also done voice-overs, and has voiced animations.- Early life :...
as Badyear and Half a Mind - Ron RubinRon Rubin (voice actor)Ron Rubin is a veteran voice actor whose voice is most easily recognized as that of Artemis from the English translation of Sailor Moon.-Career:...
as Slime and Airball - Barbara BuddBarbara BuddBarbara Budd is a Canadian actress, narrator and radio announcer. Between 1993 and April 30, 2010, she was the co-host of CBC Radio One's As It Happens....
as Nina Newscaster - Greg Morton as Crash, Velda and Splat
- John Stocker as Richard P. Fungus
- Greg Swanson as Skidd and Lucky
- Lenore ZannLenore ZannLenore Zann is a politician as well as a screen, television, stage, and voice actress who has appeared in numerous television shows and films...
as Sizzle and Bambi