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Speedy Gonzales (commonly shortened to just Speedy) is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent. He usually wears an oversized yellow sombrero, white shirt and trousers (Which is a common traditional outfit worn by men and boys of rural Mexican villages), and a red kerchief, similar to that of a reveler in the San Fermin festival. To date there have been 46 cartoons made either starring or featuring this character.

History[]

Early-Speedy

A prototype version of Speedy Gonzales as designed by his creator, Robert McKimson, in the 1953 short Cat-Tails for Two

Speedy debuted in the 1953 cartoon Cat-Tails For Two, directed by Robert McKimson. This early Speedy was a leaner, rattier-looking creation with a sizable gold front tooth and also wore a red Polo shirt. The cartoon featured him outwitting a smart-and-stupid pair of cats, George and Benny (parodies of George and Lenny from the novel Of Mice & Men), aboard a ship. Later on, this original version of Speedy is used as an unnamed background character a couple of times. Although he was created by McKimson, the majority of the cartoons with him were directed by Friz Freleng.

It would be two years before director Friz Freleng and animator Hawley Pratt redesigned the character into his modern incarnation for the 1955 Freleng short, Speedy Gonzales. The cartoon features Sylvester The Cat guarding a cheese factory at the American/Mexican border from a group of starving Mexican mice. The mice call in the plucky, excessively energetic Speedy to save them, and amid cries of "¡Ándele! ¡Ándele! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! Yeehaw!" (Spanish for "Go on! Go on! Up! Up!", although "Ándele arriba" may have been intended as meaning "hurry up") courtesy of Mel Blanc, Sylvester soon gets his comeuppance. The cartoon won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

While Speedy's last name is given as "Gonzalez" in Cat-Tails (on a printed business card shown in the cartoon), it is spelled with an 's' from Speedy Gonzales onward. Today, the earlier spelling is occasionally used by accident.

Friz and Robert soon set Sylvester up as Speedy's regular nemesis in a series of cartoons, much in the same way Chuck Jones had paired Wile E. Coyote and The Road-Runner in his Road-Runner cartoons. Sylvester (often called "El Gringo Pussygato" by Speedy) is constantly outsmarted and outrun by The Fastest Mouse In All Of Mexico, causing the cat to suffer all manner of pain and humiliation from mousetraps to accidentally consuming large amounts of Tabasco hot sauce and everything in-between. Other cartoons pair the mouse with his cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez, The Slowest Mouse In All Of Mexico. Slowpoke regularly gets into all sorts of trouble that often require Speedy to save him—=but one cat in Mexicali Shmoes says that as if to compensate for his slowness, "he pack a gun!" In the mid-1960s when DePatie-Freleng Enterprises took over the production of Looney Tunes, Speedy's main nemesis became Daffy Duck.

Censorship[]

In 1999, Cartoon Network ceased to air Speedy Gonzales. In an interview with Fox News on March 28, 2002, Cartoon Network spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg commented, "It hasn't been on the air for years because of its ethnic stereotypes." This is widely believed to refer to Speedy's fellow mice, who are all shown as being very slow and lazy, and sometimes even appear intoxicated. However, fan campaigns to put Speedy back on the air resulted in the return of the animated shorts to Cartoon Network in 2002, although the shorts are rarely shown.

In Gonzales' Tamales, the town mice instigate a feud between Speedy and Sylvester because the speedy rodent has been stealing the hearts of all the females. Much of the dialogue between Mexican characters is in English and the small amount of Spanish that peppers the dialogue consists of basic greetings, goodbyes, exclamations, and misplaced references to popular Mexican foods. This criticism prompted Cartoon Network to largely shelve Speedy's films when it gained exclusive rights to broadcast them in 1999. However, fan campaigns to put Speedy back on the air, backed by The League Of United Latin American Citizens, saw the shorts' return to air from 2002.

Despite the controversy in the U.S.A., Speedy Gonzales remains a very popular character in Latin America. In Mexico, The Speedy Gonzales Show has been on and off part of the regular programing of Televisia Canal 5 national channel ever since it was created, as well as the Mexican Cable children's network, ZAZ, where they show a still shot title card of Speedy Gonzales playing a guitar with the words "Buenas Noches" (Spanish for "good night") when they end their broadcast for the night.

In 2010, a Looney Tunes New Year's Day marathon the Cartoon Network showed the cartoon Mexican Boarders having both Speedy and Slowpoke.

Personality[]

Appearances[]

Filmography[]

WARNER BROS. WIKI LOGO
Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki has a listing of the appearances by Speedy Gonzales.

Relationships[]

WARNER BROS. WIKI LOGO
Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki has an article focusing on the relationships of Speedy Gonzales.

Quotes[]

WARNER BROS. WIKI LOGO
Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki has a collection of quotes said by Speedy Gonzales.

Gallery[]

WARNER BROS. WIKI LOGO
Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Speedy Gonzales.

Trivia[]

External links[]




v - e - d
Looney tunes and merrie melodies logo
Media
Franchises: Show-logo-looneyTunesMerrie Melodies logo

Shorts:
Television: The Bugs Bunny ShowThe Porky Pig ShowThe Road Runner ShowThe Merrie Melodies ShowSylvester and TweetyThe Daffy Duck ShowThe Daffy/Speedy ShowLooney Tunes on NickelodeonMerrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny and FriendsThat's Warner Bros.!Bugs N' Daffy
Feature Films: The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner MovieThe Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny MovieBugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit TalesDaffy Duck's Fantastic IslandDaffy Duck's QuackbustersSpace JamThe Looney Tunes Hall of FameLooney Tunes: Back in Action
Specials: Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie GhouliesCarnival of the AnimalsBugs Bunny's Easter FunniesBugs Bunny in SpaceBugs Bunny's Howl-o-Ween SpecialA Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's CourtBugs Bunny's ValentineBugs Bunny's Looney Christmas TalesHow Bugs Bunny Won the WestThe Bugs Bunny Mother's Day SpecialBugs Bunny's Thanksgiving DietDaffy Duck's Easter SpecialBugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All OverThe Bugs Bunny Mystery SpecialDaffy Duck's Thanks-For-Giving SpecialBugs Bunny: All American HeroBugs Bunny's Mad World of TelevisionAn Ounce of PreventionBugs vs. Daffy: Battle of the Music Video StarsBugs Bunny's Wild World of SportsHappy Birthday Bugs! 50 Looney YearsBugs Bunny's Overtures to DisasterBugs Bunny's Creature FeaturesBugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes

Characters
Main characters: Barnyard DawgBeaky BuzzardBugs BunnyCecil TurtleCharlie DogClaude CatDaffy DuckElmer FuddFoghorn LeghornGossamerGrannyHector the BulldogHenery HawkHippety HopperHubie and BertieLola BunnyMac and ToshMarc Anthony and PussyfootMarvin the MartianMichigan J. FrogMiss PrissyPenelope PussycatPepé Le PewPete PumaPorky PigRalph WolfRoad RunnerSam SheepdogSpeedy GonzalesSylvesterSylvester Jr.TazThe CrusherTweety BirdWile E. CoyoteWitch HazelYosemite Sam

Minor characters: Blacque Jacque ShellacqueBoskoThe CrusherGiovanni JonesYoyo DodoTasmanian She-DevilMelissa DuckHugo the Abominable SnowmanSpike and ChesterNasty CanastaThe GremlinPrivate SnafuPetunia PigPlayboy PenguinShropshire SlasherCount BloodcountMama BuzzardColonel ShuffleEgghead Jr.Owl JolsonToro the BullRocky and MugsyMinah BirdInkiBeansLittle KittyHam And ExOliver OwlPiggyGabby GoatBuddyHoneySlowpoke RodriguezThe Three BearsFoxyK-9A. FleaSnifflesConstruction WorkerFrisky PuppyRalph MouseHoney BunnyRoxyThe Martin BrothersRalph PhillipsClyde BunnyFauntleroy FlipDr. I.Q. HiGruesome GorillaSloppy MoeHatta MariBusinessmanThe WeaselWiloughbyThe Two Curious PuppiesCool CatBabbit and CatstelloInstant MartiansBobo the ElephantColonel RimfireSmokey The GenieJose and ManuelMerlin the Magic Mouse and Second BananaConrad the CatAngus MacRoryBanty RoosterThree Little PigsTom TurkeyGoopy GeerNelly the GiraffeAla BahmaDr. LorreCottontail SmithBunny and ClaudeClaude HopperThe Hep CatThe Drunk StorkThe CatSinging CatSouthern SheriffOld Woman's CanaryOld Woman's CatBluebeardPorky's Drunken FriendsOld WomanLittle Red Riding Hood's Grandma • Little Red Riding Hood (Little Red Walking Hood/Little Red Riding Rabbit/Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears) • Goldilocks (The Bear's Tale/Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears) • The CrowKing ArthurKing Arthur's Knights

Studios
Warner Bros. CartoonsDePatie-Freleng EnterprisesFormat FilmsChuck Jones EnterprisesReel FX
People
Dave BarryWarren BatchelderMel BlancTed BonnicksenArthur Q. BryanBill ButlerBob ClampettRuss DysonMilt FranklynFriz FrelengManny GouldGeorge GrandpreKen HarrisHugh HarmanRochelle HudsonRudolf IsingUb IwerksChuck JonesCarman MaxwellNorman McCabeChuck McKimsonRobert McKimsonTom McKimsonWillian LavaLou LillyMichael MalteseTedd PierceHawley PrattTom RayVirgil RossLeon SchlesingerRob ScribnerEddie SelzerCarl StallingLarry Storch
Music/Songs
A Hot Time in the Old Town TonightWhistle and Blow Your Blues AwayI Think You're DuckyThe Merry-Go-Round Broke DownMerrily We Roll Along
Other


v - e - d
Space Jam title (A New Legacy)
Media
Space Jam | Video game | Soundtrack | Video | Space Jam: A New Legacy
Characters
Space Jam: Bugs Bunny | Lola Bunny | Daffy Duck | Porky Pig | Michael Jordan | Elmer Fudd | Sylvester the Cat | Tweety | Tasmanian Devil | Mr. Swackhammer | The Nerdlucks | Yosemite Sam | Granny | Foghorn Leghorn | Marvin the Martian | Stanley Podolak | Wile E. Coyote | Road Runner | Pepé Le Pew | Speedy Gonzales | Sylvester Junior | Pete Puma | Toro the Bull | Henery Hawk | Porky's Drunken Friends | Hector the Bulldog | Gruesome Gorilla | The Crusher | Mama Buzzard | Witch Hazel | Three Bears | The Martin Brothers | Spike and Chester | Sniffles | Rocky and Mugsy | Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot | Ala Bahma | Angus MacRory | Barnyard Dawg | Beaky Buzzard | Bobo the Elephant | Slowpoke Rodriguez | The Weasel | Little Red Riding Hood | Michigan J. Frog | Charlie Dog | Cecil Turtle | Claude Cat | Giovanni Jones | Gossamer | Owl Jolson | Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog | Hippety Hopper | Angus MacRory | Juanita Jordan | Jeffery Jordan | Marcus Jordan | Jasmine Jordan | Bill Murray | Larry Bird

Space Jam: A New Legacy: LeBron James | Dom James | Al-G Rhythm | Batman | Parzival | Joker | Nolan Sorrento | I-R0k | Pete | Scooby-Doo | Shaggy Rogers | Superman | Gandalf | Harry Potter | The Mask | Iron Giant | King Kong | Emmet Brickowski | Wyldstyle | Max Rockatansky | Austin Powers | Rick Blaine | Ilsa Lund | Arya Stark | Drogon | Neo | Scorpion | Sub-Zero | Mumble | Osmosis Jones | Dorothy Gale | Toto | Scarecrow | Tin Woodman | Cowardly Lion | Sloth Fratelli | Gizmo | Fred Flintstone | Barney Rubble | Yogi Bear | George Jetson | Lloyd Garmadon | Unikitty | Benny | Willy Wonka | Frodo Baggins | Metalbeard | Samwise Gamgee | Legolas | Gimli | Hermione Granger | Ronald Weasley | Wonder Woman | The Flash | Aquaman | Cyborg | Green Lantern | Alfred Pennyworth | Kai | Cole | Jay | Zane | Master Wu | Nya | Leah Estrogen | Trinity | Imperator Furiosa | Shazam | Robin | Batgirl | Finn | Jake | Starfire | Raven | Beast Boy | Blossom | Bubbles | Buttercup | Rick Sanchez | Morty Smith | Mikey Walsh | Brand Walsh | Chunk Cohen | Mouth Devereaux | Data Wang | Andy Carmichael | Stef Steinbrenner | Lord Voldemort | Lex Luthor | Sauron | Agent Smith | It | The Wicked Witch of the West | Lord Business | Stripe | Immortan Joe | Dr. Evil | Dorian Tyrell | Freddy Krueger | Jason Voorhees | Jack Torrance | Mechagodzilla | Saruman | Gollum | Two-Face | The Penguin | Catwoman | The Riddler | Harley Quinn | Master Chen | Thrax | Shang Tsung | Sinestro | Bane | Scarecrow | Poison Ivy | Mr. Freeze | Black Adam | Deathstroke | Shao Kahn | Darkseid | Goon Squad

Music
Theme Song | Fly Like an Eagle | The Winner | I Believe I Can Fly | Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem) | I Found My Smile Again | For You I Will | Upside Down ('Round-N-'Round) | Givin' U All That I've Got | Basketball Jones | I Found My Smile Again | I Turn to You | All of My Days | That's the Way (I Like It) | Buggin'| We Win | Jump | Everybody Wants to Rule the World | Tom Sawyer | Run Wild | The Crowd Go Crazy | We're Not Gonna Take It | Space Jam Rap Battle | Everything's Not Awesome | Man in the Mirror | BBC | You Wouldn't Know (feat. Ellen McClain)
Locations
Moron Mountain | Looney Tune Land | The Tune Stadium | Schlesinger Gym | Server-verse | Harry Potter World | DC World | Mad Max World | Austin Powers World | Casablanca World | Game of Thrones World | The Wizard of Oz World | The Matrix World | Wonder Woman World | The LEGO Movie World | The Lord of the Rings World | The Mask World | Ready Player One World | Scooby-Doo World | The Flintstones World | The Jetsons World | Yogi Bear World | Gremlins World | The Goonies World | Beetlejuice World | Ninjago World | Adventure Time World | The Powerpuff Girls World | Teen Titans Go! World
See Also
Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies | Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Tune Squad | List of cameos in Space Jam | Space Jam/Gallery | Space Jam/Transcript | Dom Ball


v - e - d
Looney-tunes-back-in-action-56d9b780752e2
Media
Looney Tunes: Back in ActionSoundtrackVideo gameVideo
Characters
Live-action: D.J. DrakeKate HoughtonMr. ChairmanDamian DrakeDusty TailsBob Smith

Animated:

Locations
Temple of the Blue Monkey
Vehicles
Objects
Blue Monkey
Songs/Music/Soundtrack
See Also
Looney TunesMerrie MelodiesSpace Jam


v - e - d
Tiny toon adventures logo
Media
Shows: Tiny Toon AdventuresThe Plucky Duck ShowPinky, Elmyra & the BrainTiny Toons Looniversity

Film and Specials: How I Spent My VacationSpring BreakTiny Toons' Night Ghoulery

Video games: 1991 LCD video game1991 NES video gameCartoon WorkshopBabs' Big BreakTrouble in WackylandMontana's Movie MadnessBuster's Hidden TreasureBuster Busts Loose!Cancelled Atari Jaguar video gameWacky Sports ChallengeACME All-StarsBuster and the BeanstalkThe Great BeanstalkToonensteinPlucky's Big AdventureBuster Saves the DayDizzy's Candy QuestWacky StackersBuster's Bad DreamDefenders of the Universe (cancelled)

Characters
Main characters: Buster BunnyBabs BunnyPlucky DuckHamton J. PigDizzy DevilShirley the LoonFurrballSweetie BirdLittle BeeperCalamity CoyoteLi'l SneezerFifi La FumeElmyra DuffMontana MaxTyrone Turtle

Looney Tunes guest stars: Bugs BunnyDaffy DuckTweetySylvesterTasmanian DevilWile E. CoyoteMichigan J. Frog

Perfecto Prep alumni: Roderick RatRhubella RatDanforth Drake

Other villains: Duck VaderDr. Gene SplicerSilas WonderGotcha GrabmoreMr. HitcherTupelo ToadSandy Witch

Other notable characters: Ralph the GuardCooper DaVilleMelvin the MonsterMitziRoverMarcia the MartianGrovellySteven SpielbergBanjo the PossumJohnny PewOrson Whales

Episodes
Season 1: "The Looney Beginning" • "A Quack in the Quarks" • "The Wheel o' Comedy" • "Test Stressed" • "The Buster Bunny Bunch" • "Her Wacky Highness" • "Hollywood Plucky" • "Journey to the Center of Acme Acres" • "It's Buster Bunny Time" • "Stuff That Goes Bump in the Night" • "Looking Out for the Little Guy" • "Starting from Scratch" • "Citizen Max" • "Hare Raising Night" • "Furrball Follies" • "The Acme Acres Zone" • "Life in the 90's" • "Rock 'n' Roar" • "Prom-ise Her Anything" • "Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow" • "Cinemaniacs!" • "You Asked for It" • "Gang Busters" • "Wake Up Call of the Wild" • "Buster and the Wolverine" • "You Asked for It, Part II" • "Europe in 30 Minutes" • "The Wacko World of Sports" • "Rainy Daze" • "Fields of Honey" • "Sawdust and Toonsil" • "Spring in Acme Acres" • "Psychic Fun-Omenon Day" • "The Wide World of Elmyra" • "A Ditch in Time" • "Animaniacs!" • "Career Oppor-Toon-ities" • "Strange Tales of Weird Science" • "Inside Plucky Duck" • "The Acme Bowl" • "Dating, Acme Acres Style" • "Looniversity Daze" • "Best 'o Plucky Duck Day" • "Hero Hamton" • "Whale's Tales" • "Ask Mr. Popular" • "Son of Looniversity Daze" • "Mr. Popular's Rules of Cool" • "Fairy Tales for the 90's" • "Who Bopped Bugs Bunny?" • "Tiny Toons Music Television" • "The Return to the Acme Acres Zone" • "The Acme Home Shopping Show" • "Weirdest Stories Ever Told" • "Viewer Mail Day" • "Son of the Wacko World of Sports" • "Pollution Solution" • "You Asked for It, Again" • "Brave Tales of Real Rabbits" • "How Sweetie It Is" • "New Character Day" • "Here's Hamton" • "No Toon is an Island" • "K-ACME TV" • "High Toon"

Season 2: "Pledge Week" • "Going Places" • "Elephant Issues" • "Hog-Wild Hamton" • "Playtime Toons" • "Toon Physics" • "Acme Cable TV" • "Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian" • "Henny Youngman Day" • "Love Disconnection" • "Kon Ducki" • "Sepulveda Boulevard" • "Take Elmyra, Please"

Season 3: "Thirteensomething" • "New Class Day" • "Fox Trot" • "What Makes Toons Tick" • "Flea for Your Life" • "The Return of Batduck" • "Toons Take Over" • "Toons from the Crypt" • "Two-Tone Town" • "Buster's Directorial Debut" • "Washingtoon" • "Toon TV" • "Grandma's Dead" • "Music Day" • "The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain" • "Sports Shorts" • "Weekday Afternoon Live" • "A Cat's Eye View" • "Best of Buster Day" • "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toon Christmas Special"

Songs
Theme song
Objects
Locations
Acme AcresAcme LooniversityWackylandMontana Max's mansion
See also
AnimaniacsPinky and the BrainFreakazoid!Histeria!


v - e - d
The Looney Tunes Show logo 2011
Media
Characters
Bugs BunnyDaffy DuckPorky PigTina RussoLola BunnyPetunia PigGrannyYosemite SamMarvin the MartianElmer FuddThe CrusherPete PumaWitch HazelFoghorn LeghornMac and ToshSpeedy GonzalesGiovanni JonesCecil TurtleGossamerPepe Le PewSylvesterTweetyWile E. CoyoteRoad Runner
Episodes
Locations
Transportations
Songs
See also


v - e - d
New looney tunes logo
Media
Characters
Episodes
Locations
Objects
Songs
Transportations
See also
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