Bud and Lou are a pair of
spotted hyena
The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...
s that appear in
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
. Their names are references to the comedy duo
Abbott and Costello
Abbott may refer to:
People
* Abbott (surname)
*Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist
* Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act
Places Argentina
* Abbott, Buenos Aires United States
* Abbott, Arkansas ...
.
Fictional biography
Bud and Lou are spotted hyenas who are the pets of
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...
. When Harley Quinn wanted to go solo and formed her gang, their first mission was to free Bud and Lou from the
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List of Batman supporting characters#Bat-Family, allies and List of Batman fa ...
Zoo.
At some point, white collar criminals stole Bud and Lou from Harley Quinn so that they can auction them off as exotic pets. Upon locating the place of the auction, Harley Quinn reclaimed her hyenas and had
Poison Ivy wreck the place.
In
The New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
reboot of DC's continuity, Bud and Lou are still featured as Harley Quinn's pets. In the "
Death of the Family
"Batman: Death of the Family" is a 23-issue comic book story arc first published by DC Comics in 2012 featuring the fictional superhero Batman and his family of supporting characters. The arc spans several titles featuring characters of the Batman ...
" storyline in an attempt to drive Harley mad,
Joker gives them rabies and sics them on her, forcing Harley to (apparently) kill them in self-defense. In Harley Quinn's solo series it is revealed that Bud and Lou survived the ordeal and recovered at a zoo, where they sired puppies with several of the zoo's female hyenas.
Other versions
* Bud and Lou appear in ''
Scooby-Doo
''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are ...
! Team Up'' #42. While
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...
"teams-up" with
Mystery Incorporated
''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (also known as ''Mystery Incorporated'' or ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.'') is an American animated television series that serves as the eleventh incarnation of the '' Scooby-Doo'' media franchise created by H ...
, the Joker arrives with the Hyenas, to steal back a package from Harley that she assumed to be her Christmas present. Oddly enough, Harley calls them by the names of
Scooby and
Scrappy
Scrappy is a cartoon character created by Dick Huemer for Charles Mintz's Screen Gems Studio (distributed by Columbia Pictures). A little round-headed boy, Scrappy often found himself involved in off-beat neighborhood adventures. Usually paired ...
, much to the real Scooby's bewilderment.
* The
DCAU versions of Bud and Lou also make an appearance in the intercompany comic crossover ''
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'', where they have been turned into huge humanoid mutants after the Joker has taken over the
Foot Clan
The Foot Clan is a fictional ninja clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media and are the main antagonist faction. It is led by the devious Shredder and his second in command Karai. The Foot Clan was originally a parod ...
and its mutagen resources.
[''Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' #4: "To Laugh So Not to Cry". DC/IDW; February 15, 2017.] Additionally, two hyena mutants named Jester Jim and Jester Joe, apparently inspired by Bud and Lou, appear in the ''Summer Shorts'' special "Teenage Mecha Ninja Turtles" of the
2012 ''TMNT'' TV series.
In other media
Television
* Bud and Lou appear in four episodes of ''
Batman: The Animated Series'', and five more in ''
The New Batman Adventures
''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...
''. They first show up in "The Man Who Killed Batman". However, they are not named until the Joker refers to them in the episode "Joker's Millions". Before this, Harley Quinn simply refers to them as her "babies".
* Similar hyenas appear in ''
The Batman
Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.
Batman or The Batman may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
Characters
* Batman (Terry McGinnis)
* Batman (Thomas Wayne)
* Batman (Earth-Two)
* Bat ...
'' episode "The Laughing Cat". They appear as the gifts to Joker from hunter Kilgore Steed.
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she is ...
was able to get control over them since hyenas are related to cats.
* Bud and Lou appear in ''
Krypto the Superdog
''Krypto the Superdog'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on Superman's canine companion Krypto, which premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 (exactly 50 years after his comic debut), an ...
'' where Bud is voiced by
Peter Kelamis
Peter Kelamis (born December 11, 1967) is an Australian-Canadian actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He is known for playing Tail Terrier in ''Krypto the Superdog'', Dr. Adam Brody in ''Stargate Universe'', Goku in Ocean's English dubs ...
and Lou is voiced by
Lee Tockar. Both hyenas have red fur with black spots and black rings around their eyes. Bud wears a purple collar, has a black right front paw, and speaks in a higher voice. Lou wears a green collar, has a black left front paw and right hind paw, and speaks in a more gravelly voice. Both hyenas have a distinctive odor. This was first mentioned by
Ace in the episode "The Cat and the Bat". Later on, in the episode "Funny Business", Ace told
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional superhero dog appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the character Superman. In most continuities, Krypto is Superman's pet dog, usually dep ...
he could smell their evil. Like their master, Bud and Lou love to laugh maniacally and play jokes on their foes. Like the other animal characters on this show, they also seem to be quite intelligent (a reference to the intelligence of actual hyenas). For instance, in "Bat Hound and the Robin", while stealing pillowcases for The Joker to carry loot in, they deduced that the pillowcases made of one material would be better because pillowcases made from the other fabric would shrink in the wash, meaning less loot could be put in them. Also, the Joker has given the hyenas items to use in combating Bat-Hound. At one point in "The Dark Hound Strikes!", Bud pretended to give himself up. When Ace seized Bud's collar in his fangs, he received an electric shock. Bud then announced he had a joy-buzzer collar and laughed. In "Funny Business", the hyenas had a bubble shooter which shot special "giggle bubbles". These bubbles caused Ace to laugh uncontrollably, a mild version of
Joker's laughing venom.
* Bud and Lou appeared in the ''
Justice League Action
''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on Nov ...
'' episode "Garden of Evil". At the time when Poison Ivy was controlling
Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...
into helping her take control of Gotham City, Harley Quinn fought
Vixen
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
all the way to the Gotham City Zoo where Harley Quinn stated that Poison Ivy's plot was the advantage she needed to free Bud and Lou. Vixen uses the abilities of a lion to scare Bud and Lou back into their cages as Vixen states that hyenas are afraid of lions.
* Bud and Lou appear in season 2 of ''
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...
'' as Harley's pets.
* They also appear in the 2019 TV series ''
DC Super Hero Girls
''DC Super Hero Girls'' or ''DC Superhero Girls'' (in various countries) is an American superhero web series and franchise Produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the th ...
'' episode, #BeastsInShow, called Ethel and Lucy being females. They were stolen from the Metropolis Zoo by Harley Quinn until they got loose and made it to the Metropolis Annual Dog Show. After being defeated by Krypto the Superdog and Ace the Bat-hound, they are kicked out of the dog show until they arrive with Harley, being made up.
Film
* In the 2019 animated film ''
Batman: Hush'', three of Harley Quinn's pet hyenas appear. They are named Larry, Moe and Shemp, a reference to the comedy team
The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...
.
* In the film ''
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)'',
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...
"purchases" a pet hyena, who she names Bruce after "
that hunky Wayne guy". This is because the budget of the film could only afford one CGI hyena.
Video games
* Bud and Lou both also appear in ''
Batman: Arkham City''.
Penguin has them killed and stuffed at his base in The Cyrus Pinkney Institute for Natural History. They were on display as exhibits.
* Bud and Lou both appear in ''
Injustice 2
''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting video game it is the sequel to 2013's '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and is the second installment in the ''Injustice'' franchise based upon the DC Universe. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios and publishe ...
''. They have been trained by Harley Quinn and appear as one of Harley Quinn's character powers as well as her Supermove. They also occasionally appear in her battle intros. In one she threatens to make Red Hood their new chew toy, causing Red Hood to ask "''Where's the Bathound when I need him''", referencing Ace the Bathound's antagonist relationship with the hyenas in some media. In another she threatens to "make a mess of
lack Manta'scostume", causing Black Manta to respond with "''I'll feed you to your hyenas''", referencing her as the hyenas' master.
References
{{Batman characters
Fictional hyenas
DC Comics supervillains
Batman characters
Characters created by Paul Dini
DC Comics animals