Slowpoke Rodríguez ("Lento Rodríguez" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, though some more recent translations call him "Tranquilino") is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradit ...

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, part of the

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

' cast.

History and personality

He is described as "the slowest mouse in all

México Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatem ...

" and is a cousin to

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''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 fas ...

, who is known as the fastest. However, he mentions to his cousin that while he may be best known for his slow feet, he's not slow in "la cabeza" (the head). He speaks in a monotone voice and seems to never be surprised by anything. Due to being slow he is generally, unlike Speedy, unable to outrun the pursuing cats who try to capture the both of them, but he is shown to have alternative (more effective) methods of resistance, such as his possession and use of a gun.

Cartoon appearances

Slowpoke only appeared in two cartoons alongside his cousin. The first, "

Mexicali Shmoes ''Mexicali Shmoes'' is a 1959 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on July 4, 1959, and stars Speedy Gonzales and the singing cats Jose and Manuel. Voice actors include Mel Blanc as the voice ...

" (1959), ends with two lazy cats, José and Manuel, the former learning the hard way that Slowpoke carries a gun (though the gun bit has been edited out of this cartoon in recent years). The second, "

Mexican Boarders ''Mexican Boarders'' is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 12, 1962, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester. Voice actors are Mel Blanc (doing the voices of Sylvester and Speedy ...

" (1962), revolves around Speedy trying to protect Slowpoke from Sylvester the Cat, but in the end, Slowpoke demonstrates his ability to hypnotize Sylvester into becoming his slave. The other mice comment at this point that "Slowpoke Rodríguez may be the slowest mouse in all Mexico, but he has the

evil eye The Evil Eye ( grc, ὀφθαλμὸς βάσκανος; grc-koi, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός; el, (κακό) μάτι; he, עַיִן הָרָע, ; Romanian: ''Deochi''; it, malocchio; es, mal de ojo; pt, mau-olhado, olho gordo; ar ...

Other appearances

*Slowpoke makes an appearance as a plot catalyst in the

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...

video game '' Speedy Gonzales: Los Gatos Bandidos''. *Slowpoke also appears alongside Speedy in a commercial for

Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ventu ...

's broadband service in the UK, voiced by

Kerry Shale Kerry Shale is a Canadian actor and writer based in London, England. Filmography Film Television Video games References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shale, Kerry Living people 20th-century British male actors 20th-century Ca ...

. *Slowpoke appears in '' The Looney Tunes Show'' episode "The Black Widow", voiced by Hugh Davidson. While his relation to Speedy Gonzales remains intact, he is depicted as the Sheriff of Tacapulco. After

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

and

Porky Pig Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many criti ...

are arrested for streaking, Sheriff Slowpoke Rodríguez allows them to make a call. As Daffy Duck was unable to get through to

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

(who was helping

Lola Bunny Lola Bunny is a ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon character portrayed as an anthropomorphic female rabbit created by Warner Bros. Pictures. She is generally depicted as Bugs Bunny's girlfriend. She first appeared in the 1996 film ''Space Jam''. Develo ...

return a diamond that she unintentionally stole from the museum at the time), he asks Sheriff Slowpoke if he would mind that he tries to call someone else. Daffy gets through to Speedy Gonzales who speeds all the way to Tacapulco to negotiate their release. Once that was done, Sheriff Slowpoke invites Daffy, Porky, and Speedy to join in Tacapulco's fiesta.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Slowpoke Fictional mice and rats Looney Tunes characters Fictional Mexican people Male characters in animated films Stereotypes of Hispanic and Latino people Ethnic humour Film characters introduced in 1959 Animated characters introduced in 1959 Characters created by Friz Freleng Fictional hypnotists and indoctrinators