Ren and Stimpy Show characters
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Over its five seasons, The Ren and Stimpy Show featured a varied cast of characters, some who appeared in as few as one episode, and some who were practically regulars. The following is an in-depth guide to these characters.
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[edit] Ren Höek
Ren is a scrawny "Asthma-Hound" chihuahua with a fairly long, rat-like, pink tail who often calls Stimpy an "eeediot" and slaps him around, quite literally. Ren is vain, spiteful, hyperactive, abusive, and he gets irritated (especially by Stimpy) very easily. Ren will often go completely insane during the course of an episode. His lifelong ambition is to have huge pectoral muscles, or implants just so he can be intimidating. Ren's name is the real name of Kricfalusi's building manager. Originally read (in a voice in homage to those of Peter Lorre and Kirk Douglas) by Kricfalusi, later by Billy West after Kricfalusi was fired, although Kricfalusi would return for the Spike TV episodes. Because of his accent and the fact that he is a Chihuahua, Ren is considered Mexican but is probably of either German or Swedish descent due to his last name and the fact that his cousin Sven is Swedish, although this was not Kricfalusi's intention. Ren was inspired by a postcard of a Chihuahua in a sweater. But he could be considered Hungarian since he was supposed to have the personality of Peter Lorre.
[edit] Stimpson J. Cat
Stimpy is a fat, red and white, rotund cat with a blue nose, purple eyelids, no tail, human-style buttocks, flat feet, and a brain the size of a peanut (despite some intelligence, such as cooking). Stimpy is undeniably stupid externally, idiotically yet adorably cheerful, and intelligent in some ways, and completely devoted to Ren, as he perceives Ren to be a good friend (despite Ren's constant abuse toward him; in one particular episode, he has Ren admitted to an insane asylum after finally being fed up with the abusive behavior). Though he is fat, he does most of the work around the house. His trademark facial expression is a blissfully ignorant smile with his tongue flopping out. Most of the time when he gets excited, he says his famous catchphrase, "Oh, Joy!" or simply "Jooooooy". Stimpy is named after an art school classmate of Kricfalusi, whose nickname was "Stimpy Kadogan" ("Killer Kadoogan" was Stimpy's pseudonym in several episodes, and in a few others he is referred to as Stimpson J. Kadogan). Voiced by Billy West (in a voice homaging that of Stooge Larry Fine) in the Nickelodeon series and later by Eric Bauza in the Spike TV Adult Party Cartoon episodes. Kricfalusi's first way he described Stimpy was that he had only one nerve ending, and that you had to hit him, you had to do it hard for him to feel it, and when he did, he would fall in love with you. That would probably be one of the main reasons Stimpy is lovable to Ren. Stimpy was inspired by the bulbous-nosed cats in a Bob Clampett-directed Tweety Bird cartoon called Gruesome Twosome.
[edit] Mr. Horse
Mr. Horse was one of the original and classic characters. He was one of the most popular characters, appearing in many episodes in a wide variety of non-continuous roles. Mr. Horse has variously been a victim of a fall from a skyscraper, a GI returning from war in love with a sheep, a dog-show judge, a neighbor hiding a dark past, and a tester for Gritty Kitty cat litter. He has also been portrayed as a psychiatrist.
Rumoured to have been based on Kirk Douglas, Mr. Horse was anthropomorphic, similar to the title characters - he is physically a full-sized male horse, but he usually stands on two legs and speaks. Mr. Horse is typically depicted as a straight-talking, thoughtful and serious character, though not always. He can also be cynical and disgruntled, and on occasion is merely a horse. His catchphrase was "No sir, I don't like it." He rarely ever said anything aside from this, however, in the episode "Fire Dogs" Mr. Horse says "No sir, I didn't like it." Mr. Horse was voiced by John Kricfalusi originally. After Kricfalusi's departure from the show, Mr. Horse was voiced by Billy West.
[edit] Appearances of Mr. Horse
- Mr. Horse first appeared on The Ren and Stimpy Show in the episode "The Big Shot" as a tester for Gritty Kitty Litter, a brand of kitty litter endorsed by Stimpy. After doing "his business", Mr. Horse greatly preferred Gritty Kitty over the other leading brand, proving that Gritty Kitty could stand up to use by a horse.
- He next showed up in "Fire Dogs", as part of the heavy-set woman's animal menagerie that needed saving; when she dropped him out of her high-rise apartment window, Ren and Stimpy attempted to catch him with a lifesaving net. Due to his size, Mr. Horse's fall was not softened by the net and both his legs were broken. He dragged himself away (to the tune "Battle Hymn of the Republic") and was then interviewed by a reporter. When asked about his feelings on the fall, Mr. Horse uttered his famous catch-phrase, "No, sir, I didn't like it".
- When Svën Hoëk came to visit Ren, Mr. Horse had a brief cameo. Upon depositing a quarter in a slot in the living room wall, Stimpy was treated to a powerful leg kick from Mr. Horse to his head that sent him careening across the room.
- When Ren and Stimpy were peddling rubber nipples, Mr. Horse was one of the prospective customers they spoke to. Mr. Horse was shown breaking character here, as his usual straightforward, stern demeanor was replaced by a nervous, panicky paranoia. He was seen wearing pants, gloves and a cap made of rubber, and was concerned that the FBI had sent Ren and Stimpy to find him. It appeared that he had a walrus captive with him, as the walrus whispered "call the police" to the salesmen.
- Mr. Horse was featured in two shorts at the beginning and end of the "Anthony" episode. In the first, he plays a GI (at the rank of Private E-1) returning from an unspecified war. He is interviewed by Ren Hoëk, Ace Reporter, who asks him a series of questions about the war. When asked by the reporter if the sheep in his arms is his fiancé, Mr. Horse snaps back, "No, man, it's my sheep!" In the second, he plays the spokesman for the United Nations, which highlights the complete lack of continuity between any Mr. Horse roles. The entire short is a set-up for him to say his catchphrase, but instead he says "Cockroaches check in, but they don't check out" in Spanish, which his translator repeats as "No, sir, I didn't like it".
- Mr. Horse appears as the horse of Abner and Ewalt when Ren and Stimpy travel out west. Abner and Ewalt are seeking horse thieves to hang, so they convince the pair to steal their horse. However, indicating that he's been stolen many times before, Mr. Horse grumbles about the "horse-stealing thing again" when the pair mount him and trudges on two legs (with Ren and Stimpy still on his back) to Abner and Ewalt, where he must carefully remind them he is stolen, and therefore the dog and cat duo are horse thieves.
- Mr. Horse returns in two Adult Party Cartoon episodes, appearing in major roles as a psychiatrist in "Ren Seeks Help" (In which Ren beats him to death with the butt of a revolver), and a doctor in "Stimpy's Pregnant".
[edit] Powdered Toast Man
Powdered Toast Man is a melodramatic and oblivious superhero of sorts and spokesperson for Powdered Toast, the breakfast treat that "tastes just like sawdust". He was based on a Frank Zappa inspired character. Powdered Toast Man appeared in various Powdered Toast commercials within The Ren and Stimpy Show, and starred in one episode of the show. Oddly, Powdered Toast doesn't taste right unless Powdered Toast Man farts on it before it is consumed.
He possesses traditional superpowers (such as flight) and some decidedly non-traditional ones (flatulence, the ability to scrape toast shavings from his head). He can fly by launching himself from a toaster, or dispensing a healthy amount of flatulence. He can fly backwards, or at an angle. His catch phrase is "Leave everything to me!" Powdered Toast Man hides his true identity behind the guise of Pastor Toastman, a "cool" youth deacon. His call to action is the shouting of his name, with significant stress on the "man": "Powdered Toast MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"
Powdered Toast Man's voice was provided by voice actor and disc jockey Gary Owens. The act of Powdered Toast Man shouting his name is a reference to how some of Gary Owens's superhero characters like Birdman and Space Ghost would often call out their names.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Powdered Toast Man is endowed with various abilities, and like many superheroes, has a mysterious background and an alter ego.
Powdered Toast Man can fly, either by releasing flatulence, by inserting his head into a special toaster and launching from it, or merely by pushing off from the ground. Importantly, he flies backwards. He can also hover in mid-air. His powers include some offensive weapons: high-velocity raisins shot from his mouth, hyper-corrosive croutons fired from his armpit, butter pats that are launched from the top of his head, and hyper-acidic marmalade from his navel. There are several signals that alert Powdered Toast Man to danger - his tongue phone, the inflation of his briefs, the dissipation of the toast particles in his head, or the reading of emergency messages encoded in slices of olive loaf.
He is apparently made entirely of Powdered Toast, as he can produce fully formed Powdered Toast by flicking his wrist or by separating his head (which is made of two pieces of toast) and scraping the interior with a butter knife. His head is therefore depicted as being made of two identical pieces of toast, each complete with a face.
By day, Powdered Toast Man is Pastor Toast Man, a "cool youth deacon". His disguise is composed of a pair of thick black spectacles and a pastor's collar, a possible parody of Superman's thinly-disguised alter ego, Clark Kent. Pastor Toast Man's office also serves as his headquarters, and he is served by a lovely young female assistant named "Catholic High School Girl" and it is strongly suggested that the two have a romantic relationship.
[edit] Accomplishments
- He saved a kitten from being run over, at the cost of an airliner (which he shot down), and a truck (which was flattened by the airliner). It appears no one was killed in the crash, as the occupants of the plane seem cheerful and happy to see Powdered Toast Man despite their wounds. Responding to another mission, he threw the kitten off-screen, where it was presumably run over by another vehicle, causing another big crash.
- He fought Spider-Man once.
- He saved the pope (voiced by Frank Zappa) from the clutches of Muddy Mudskipper. Why or how Muddy kidnapped the pope is unclear, but it is clear that after Powdered Toast Man freed the pope from the barrel of TNT he was strapped to, he placed Muddy there in his stead and tied him up. Muddy was killed in the ensuing explosion.
- When the President of the United States gets caught in his fly, Powdered Toast Man frees him. Though grateful, the President is incapacitated, and Powdered Toast Man steps in as Commander-in-Chief. While in office (having somehow avoided the entire line-in-wait to fill in for the Chief Executive), he heats the Oval Office with some dusty old papers, which include Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
- Powdered Toast Man responded on numerous occasions to the plight of Ren and Stimpy when the dog and cat duo had run out of Powdered Toast, producing more for them with a flick of his wrist or a scrape of his head. It is implied that this is the usual method that Ren and Stimpy get Powdered Toast when they run out, because it doesn't "taste right" unless Powdered Toast Man exits with his traditional passing of gas.
- He is also a very popular figure with children. Responding to a request from sickly "Little Johnny" about being able to meet the President, he actually manages to bring the President to him. Unfortunately in trying to get to Little Johnny on time before his nap, the President was vaporized by the massive speed of Powdered Toast Man. He also managed to save the child out of the hands of his apparent archnemesis "Waffle Woman", at the cost of destroying most of the Earth.
[edit] Powdered Toast
The product named after Powdered Toast Man (or vice versa) is true to its name - toast in powder form. Why anyone would want to eat powdered toast is unknown - after eating some, one character notes how "it tastes just like sawdust." Further throwing doubt as to its appeal, toast is usually served warm, but powdered toast is room temperature.
Powdered Toast comes in a can with an aerated top, allowing the toast to be "sprinkled" out in a manner similar to that of shredded Pamesean cheese. Amazingly, the powder somehow comes together, forming a piece of toast that can be consumed. Perhaps itself a commentary on the obsession of American culture with quickly prepared pre-made foods, it seems to take less time to "make" a piece of cold, sawdust-tasting Powdered Toast than it would to toast a piece of bread.
Powdered toast is never seen being consumed with butter, jam, or cream cheese, possibly because the fragile nature of the toast could not support such spreads.
[edit] Muddy Mudskipper
Muddy Mudskipper is a mudskipper (a species of fish capable of crawling out of water and breathing air directly) with the voice and personality of a grizzled vaudeville comedian who hosts an afternoon kids' show.
Muddy is an archetype—the old, jaded comedian who is outstanding at being "on" when on stage but sour and dissatisfied off-stage. There are certain parallels between Muddy and Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons—both have television shows that may or may not be for children, both shower their co-stars with abuse, and behind the scenes they are less than pleasant to be around. He calls everyone he meets "a lousy bum".
Besides being a huge television star, Muddy has dabbled in villainy, at one point kidnapping the Pope (voiced by Frank Zappa) before being foiled by Powdered Toast Man. His name is a parody of Woody Woodpecker. He is voiced by Harris Peet.
[edit] Appearances
- In Stimpy's Big Day, Muddy is the namesake star of The Muddy Mudskipper Show. After Stimpy's epic Gritty Kitty Litter poem lands him the co-star slot on the show, the actual cartoon is revealed to be a direct rip-off of Yogi Bear, with Stimpy as Yogi and Muddy as Ranger Smith. It is unknown what Muddy's role on the show was before or after Stimpy's arrival.
- In Powdered Toast Man, Muddy appears as a villain who has kidnapped the Pope.
[edit] Other characters
- George Liquor: A.k.a. George Liquor American, George is an ultra-patriotic American and is so conservative that he thinks Democrates are Communists. His last name was removed from being uttered in the episodes he appeared in by Nickelodeon. Instead, the scene would pause and a record-scratching sound effect would be played in place of the word "liquor". He was voiced by Michael Pataki, but Harris Peet voiced him in "The Boy Who Cried Rat", and "Black Hole", which was his first appearance.
- Mr. and Mrs. Pipe: A pair of square, white suburban parents who are seen only from the waist down (except in the "Big House Blues" pilot when Mrs. Pipe is shown in full form), similar to the appearances of Ms. Sara Bellum in The PowerPuff Girls and Cow and Chicken's mother and father in Cow and Chicken. Mr. Pipe (voiced by Billy West) is typically clad in a bathrobe, slippers, and black socks supported by sock-suspenders. He also loves to wear Rubber Nipples on his knees and farts at inappropriate moments. Mrs. Pipe (voiced by Cheryl Chase) appears to wear a dress and nondescript women's shoes. Their first appearance was The Boy Who Cried Rat, in which Ren and Stimpy got a job catching mice for them. In "Big Baby Scam," it seems they have two children named Eugine and Shawn.
- Abner and Ewalt: A pair of incredibly stupid hillbillies who are sheriff and deputy of a small Wild West town. They have a strong proclivity for hanging, so much so that they eventually hang themselves in absence of a suitable hangee. When Abner and Ewalt think about something, even on the most simple solutions, the theme from Jeopardy! plays.
- Svën Höek: Ren's Swedish cousin whom Ren has not seen since they were in the whelping box together. He longs to have an intellectual conversation with his cousin, but much to Ren's chagrin, Svën is even more stupid (and has a smaller brain, which is most presumably the size of a bread crumb) than Stimpy, who forms an instant bond with him. Last seen trapped in Hell, the end result of Ren's misguided cruelty. (Stimpy and Svën are playing "Don't Whiz on the Electric Fence". Ren comes home from work and sees the mess the other two have made of his possessions. In spite, Ren does the very thing the game says not to do.) Voiced by Billy West.
- Wilbur Cobb: A demented, decaying old man who was once the foremost cartoon producer in the world. He speaks in malapropisms. Voiced by Jack Carter. Spumco originally wanted his name to be Raymond Spum but after the firing of Spumco, Games renamed him Wilbur Cobb after the story editor.
- Mrs. Buttloaves: An incredibly obese and homely woman dressed in a bulging pink night gown. Voiced by Kricfalusi.
- Haggis MacHaggis: A short, bald stereotypical Scotsman. At one point, he was a cartoon star, but low ratings forced him out into the street. Voiced by Alan Young.
- The Fire Chief: Has a psychotic hatred for circus midgets and a penchant for slamming his fire axe into concrete as a response to answering the door. Voiced by Peet, and later by Ralph Bakshi in the Adult Party Cartoon episode Fire Dogs 2.
- The Gilded Yak: The shaven icon of Yak Shaving Day. Rides through the sky in a canoe; capable of emerging and disappearing into sink and tub drains. Although he is shaven, he is on a constant vigil against getting a five o'clock shadow.
- Dr. Stupid: A "show within a show" context pitted Stimpy as the host of a question-and-answer medical/science talk show called "Ask Dr. Stupid." As the titular doctor, Stimpy would read a letter from a loyal viewer asking a question, and then activate his "patented Stuponitron helmet," which appeared to give him a stiff electrical shock to his brain. Afterwards, he would offer strange advice, which was often wrong or had little to do with the question.
- Old Man Hunger: A strange, and always naked, skinny old man with a chicken drumstick leg on his head. He is the father of Mr. Pipe, and a part-time Tooth Fairy. He can be found showing up randomly at inopportune moments for Ren and Stimpy. Often refers to people as "fellers", and has a tendency to say that he loves skinny-dipping, or skinny-stomping, or whatever he may be doing at the time. One episode showed him as the supposed husband of Mrs. Buttloaves. Voiced by West. Appears as "Old Man Winter" in Altruists in the APC.
- Kowalski: Serving a 32-year life sentence for crimes against humanity, Kowalski is an extremely large and burly hulk of a man with incredible strength — and the mind of a 7-year-old boy. In his first appearance, Kowalski is temporarily adopted by Ren. His favorite food (according to the episode Fake Dads) is meat on toasted meat, washed down with a frothy glass of meat. In subsequent appearances, he is mostly seen as a general multipurpose goon. Not to be confused with Bubba, Ren's Kowalski-like nephew who featured in only one episode. Both Kowalski and Bubba are of the race known as a lummox. Kowalski is possibly based on a similar character of the same name from Fredrick Forsyth's political thriller The Day of the Jackal and professional wrestler Killer Kowalski.
- The Announcer Salesman: "That Guy" serves as the multi-purpose loudmouth in the Ren and Stimpy show. Sometimes, he is a salesman ("Feud For Sale", "To Salve Or Not To Salve".) Other times, he is a narrator, an announcer, a dog-show judge, a real estate agent, etc. The character is never referred to by any name in the series, but the name of "Hey, It's That Guy" seems to be the official name given by West, who also voiced him.
- Stinky Wizzleteats: A character whose design and voice characterization are based on the folk balladeer Burl Ives. He sings the recorded version of the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" song, occasionally digressing into furious rants ("I TOLD you I'd shoot! But you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME?!", taken from Ives' movie The Big Country [1]) in between the chorus. Voiced by John K. (Later by Billy West and Bob Camp after John K. was fired).
- Reverend Jack Cheese: A brooding deeply troubled intinerant preacher reminiscent of Reverend Harry Powell in the movie Night of the Hunter. He hires Ren & Stimpy to assist in his travelling minstrel show where they evangelize the gospel of meat. Plays a one-stringed guitar. Voiced by Frank Gorshin.
- Log: An inanimate piece of wood that appears in retro commercial inspired vignettes as a children's plaything, somewhat like a poor man's slinky. The jingle boasts, "It's better than bad, it's good!"
- Slinky Jingle - It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy/It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy
- Log parody Jingle - It's Log, Log, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood./It's Log, Log, it's better than bad, it's good!
- Jose Poo: An overweight Hispanic entrepreneur in the Adult Party Cartoon episodes. Owns a bar in "Onward and Upwards", a shop in "Naked Beach Frenzy", and makes cameos as "Mexican Elvis" and the owner of "Chunkey Butt" Ice Cream in "Altruists" and "Stimpy's Pregnant". Based on Spumco Canada artist Jose Pou.
- The Nerve Ending Fairy: This character appears in the episode that Ren loses all his teeth, leaving his mouth full of "stinky gum holes." Stimpy, who has perfect dental hygene, convinces Ren to pull out his nerve endings with tweezers and put them under his pillow for the Nerve Ending Fairy. As Ren and Stimpy sleep that night, out the window you can see a beautiful fairy appear, but a closer look shows that it's really a dirty old man who wiggles his toes when he says, "I smell something stiiiinky!" The Nerve Ending Fairy takes the nerve endings from under Ren's pillow and puts them on back side of his neck. He doesn't have any money, so instead gives him a ball of lint.
- Jasper the Dog: Usually appearing as a white-furred, red-nosed dog with blue spots, Jasper has been in a number of episodes. His first appearance ("Big House Blues") had him calmly explaining that "you don't wake up...from the big sleep". All the rest of his appearances were random cameos ranging from him being a normal dog, to the leader of the Hermit Union, and even as the senior officer of the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen. His first voice was fairly calm and monotoned, but in all other speaking appearances, he's been fairly emotional.
- Victor: A huge boy with orange hair, that always wears a white collar, black tie, and sweater vest. Though he dresses sharp, he is known as the school bully, who beats up Ren and Stimpy along with a young boy named Anthony. What he would normally do to Stimpy is give him stomach punches and every time he punched him he'd go, "Happy...Happy...Joy...Joy," and would sometimes love twisting Ren's head until his neck broke. Victor's first appearance was in "A Visit to Anthony."
- Anthony: A boy with unusually round glasses, probably noting that everyone thought he was a nerd. His favorite cartoon characters are Ren & Stimpy, who seem to come to his house after he writes a letter to them. Anthony's first appearance is in "A Visit to Anthony".
