Sylvester Pussycat, Sr. is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

, an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

tuxedo cat Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

in 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. ...

'' and ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

'' series of cartoons. Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety,

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 ...

, or Hippety Hopper. He appeared in 103 cartoons in the

golden age of American animation The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the late 1960s, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the ...

, lagging only behind superstars

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. Three of his cartoons won Academy Awards, the most for any starring a Looney Tunes character: they are ''

Tweetie Pie ''Tweetie Pie'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester the Cat, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon. ''Tweetie Pie'' marks the first ...

'', ''

'', and '' Birds Anonymous''.

Animation history

Development

Sylvester predecessors appeared from 1939 to 1945. ''

Naughty but Mice ''Naughty but Mice'' is a 1939 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on May 20, 1939, and stars Sniffles in his cartoon debut. It is the only Sniffles cartoon not to be reissued, and therefore ...

'' was the first, with the prototype appearing as a normal black cat. '' Notes to You'' was remade in color in one of Sylvester's cartoons, ''

Back Alley Oproar ''Back Alley Oproar'' is a Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short directed by Friz Freleng The short was released on March 27, 1948, and features Sylvester and Elmer Fudd. The title is a play on "uproar" and "opera". This is a rare excep ...

''. '' The Hep Cat'' features another version, as well as ''

Birdy and the Beast ''Birdy and the Beast'' is a 1944 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on August 19, 1944, and stars Tweety. Plot Tweety is sitting in his nest, when a cat watches him. Tweety flies off and the cat ch ...

'', which features Tweety. Before Sylvester's appearance in the cartoons, Blanc voiced a character named Sylvester on '' The Judy Canova Show'' using the voice that would eventually become associated with the cat.

Personality and catchphrases

Sylvester's height is 60 or 72 inches (152.4 or 182.8 cm) or 5 or 6 feet (1.52 or 1.83 m) tall and his weight is 60 or 72 pounds (27.2 or 32.7 kg). In many cartoons, Sylvester is shown intentionally sticking out his tongue while speaking, putting on emphasis that the lisp is intentional. He is also known for spraying people he is talking to with the saliva from his lisping, which is a trait rarely shared by Daffy. A common gag used for both Sylvester and Daffy is a tendency to go on a long rant, complaining about a subject and then ending it by saying "Sakes". Sylvester's trademark exclamation is "''Sufferin' succotash!''", which is said to be a

minced oath A minced oath is a euphemistic expression formed by deliberately misspelling, mispronouncing, or replacing a part of a profane, blasphemous, or taboo word or phrase to reduce the original term's objectionable characteristics. An example is "gosh" ...

of "''Suffering Savior''". He shows a different personality when paired with

in explorations of spooky places, in which he does not speak, behaves as a scaredy-cat, and always seems to see the scary things Porky does not see and gets scolded by him for it every time. For the most part, Sylvester has always played the antagonist role, but he's sometimes featured playing the protagonist in a couple of cartoons while having to deal with the canine duo of Spike and Chester after being chased around. In 1952's ''

Tree for Two In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

'' (directed by

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...

), Sylvester is cornered in the back alley and this would result in Spike getting mauled by a

black panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...

that had earlier escaped from a zoo without Spike and Chester knowing about it. In the 1954 film ''

Dr. Jerkyl's Hide ''Dr. Jerkyl's Hide'' is a 1954 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 8, 1954, and stars Sylvester. It is the first of three cartoons that Friz Freleng made based on Robert Louis Stevenson's ...

'', Sylvester pummels Spike (here called "Alfie") thanks to a potion that transforms him into a feline monster. Both times after Spike's ordeal, Sylvester would have the courage and confidence to confront Chester, only to be beaten up and tossed away by the little dog. Perhaps Sylvester's most developed role is in a series of

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DeP ...

-directed shorts, in which the character is a hapless mouse-catching instructor to his dubious son, Sylvester Junior, with the "mouse" being a powerful baby

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

named Hippety Hopper which he constantly mistakes for a "giant mouse". His alternately confident and bewildered episodes bring his son to shame, while Sylvester himself is reduced to nervous breakdowns. Sylvester also had atypical roles in a few cartoons: * ''

Kitty Kornered ''Kitty Kornered'' is a 1946 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon, directed by Robert Clampett. The short was released on June 8, 1946, and stars Porky Pig Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie ...

'' (1946), a

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...

cartoon in which a black-nosed, yellow-eyed Sylvester was teamed with three other cats to oust owner

from his house. * ''

Doggone Cats ''Doggone Cats'' (reissued as ''Dog Gone Cats''), is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Arthur Davis. The short was released on October 25, 1947, and stars Sylvester. Plot Wellington the dog is given a package to delive ...

'' (1947), an Arthur Davis cartoon where Sylvester is teamed up with an orange cat (later retooled as Sylvester's brother Alan in '' The Looney Tunes Show'') to stop a dog named Wellington from delivering a package to Uncle Louie's home. * ''

Catch as Cats Can ''Catch as Cats Can'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoon directed by Arthur Davis. The short was released on December 6, 1947, and stars Sylvester. Plot An emaciated canary, singing like Frank Sinatra and attracting the ...

'' (1947), another Davis cartoon that portrays Sylvester as a slow-minded cat with a dopey voice, who has to eat a singing canary that's a caricature of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

. * ''

'' (1948), a

cartoon (actually a remake of the 1941 short '' Notes to You'') wherein Sylvester pesters the sleep-deprived

Elmer Fudd Elmer J.'' Hare Brush'' (1956) Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon panthe ...

by performing several amazing musical numbers in the alley (and even a sweet lullaby ("go to sleep... go to sleep... close your big bloodshot eyes...") to temporarily ease Elmer back to the dream world, though ''very'' temporarily. * '' The Scarlet Pumpernickel'' (1950), a

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

cartoon in which Sylvester plays the

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

-like villain to

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

-esque hero. * '' Red Riding Hoodwinked'' (1955), another Freleng cartoon where Sylvester co-stars with an absent-minded Big Bad Wolf in which each not only tries to get their particular "prey" (Sylvester vs. Tweety and the Wolf vs. Little Red Riding Hood) but they both nearly come to blows with each other playing "Grandma". ("You're musclin' in on my racket!") *''

A Taste of Catnip ''A Taste of Catnip'' is a 1966 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on December 3, 1966, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales with cameos by Sylvester the Cat and Hector the Bulldog (nam ...

'' (1966) When

blows up a

catnip ''Nepeta cataria'', commonly known as catnip, catswort, catwort, and catmint, is a species of the genus '' Nepeta'' in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of China. It is widely ...

factory in Mexico, Sylvester and other enraged cats beat up Daffy Duck. In the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation a ...

'', Sylvester appeared as the mentor of

Furrball The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...

. He also starred in '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries''. In the series, he plays the narrator at the beginning of episodes.

Filmography

The character debuted in

's '' Life With Feathers'' (1945). Freleng's 1947 cartoon ''

'' was the first pairing of Tweety with Sylvester, and the

-directed ''

'' (1946) was Sylvester's first pairing with

. He also appears in a handful of cartoons with

, such as a series of three cartoons underwritten by the

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then-president and chief executive officer of General Motors. The Sloan Foundation makes grants to suppor ...

extolling the American economic system. In the 1970s and 1980s, Sylvester appeared in various Warner Bros. television specials, and in the 1980s, he appeared in the feature-film compilations. He has died more times than any other Looney Tunes character, having died in ''

Peck Up Your Troubles ''Peck Up Your Troubles'' is a 1945 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on October 20, 1945, and stars Sylvester the Cat. The cartoon marked the first appearance of Sylvester's long-ti ...

'', ''

I Taw a Putty Tat ''I Taw a Putty Tat'' is a 1948 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 1, 1948, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. Both Tweety and Sylvester are voiced by Mel Blanc. The uncredi ...

'', ''

Mouse Mazurka 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'' ...

'', ''

Bad Ol' Putty Tat ''Bad Ol' Putty Tat'' is a 1949 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on July 23, 1949, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. Tweety must evade the titular "puddy tat," Sylvester, who is once ...

'', '' Ain't She Tweet'', '' Satan's Waitin''', ''

Muzzle Tough ''Muzzle Tough'' is a 1954 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on June 26, 1954, and stars Tweety, Sylvester and Granny. The title is a play on the Yiddish expression "mazel tov ...

'', ''

Sandy Claws ''Sandy Claws'' is a 1955 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 2, 1955, and stars Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Sylvester and Granny (Looney Tunes), Granny. The voices are performed by Mel B ...

'', ''

Tweety's Circus ''Tweety's Circus'' is a 1955 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on June 4, 1955, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. Plot The story centers on Sylvester visiting a circus, where he not on ...

'', ''

Too Hop To Handle Too or TOO may refer to: * Threshold of originality, a concept in copyright law * ''Too'' (Fantastic Plastic Machine album), the fourth studio album by Fantastic Plastic Machine * ''Too'' (FIDLAR album), the second studio album by American skate ...

'', ''

Tree Cornered Tweety ''Tree Cornered Tweety'' is a 1956 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 19, 1956, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. The title is a play on "three-cornered hat". The voices were performed ...

'', ''

Tweet and Lovely ''Tweet and Lovely'' is a 1959 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on July 18, 1959, and stars Tweety and Sylvester the Cat. Plot Sylvester (who lives in an apartment building next to Twe ...

'', '' Trick or Tweet'' (along with Sam Cat), '' The Wild Chase'' (along with

Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episode, ...

), and '' Museum Scream''. He was even cast in the role of the Jacob Marley-like ghost called Sylvester the Investor in '' Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas.'' A baby version of Sylvester is part of the title cast of characters in '' Baby Looney Tunes'', voiced by Terry Klassen. Sylvester is featured in '' The Looney Tunes Show'' (2011–14), voiced by

Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with '' Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera. Bergman was the first to rep ...

. He is shown living with Granny alongside Tweety. In "Point, Laser Point", it is revealed that Sylvester was attracted by a glowing red dot that was on his mother's necklace when he was young as experienced through hypnotic therapy done by Witch Lezah. It was also revealed that his mother (voiced by Estelle Harris) has retired to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. When Sylvester visits her, she reveals she's disappointed that Sylvester isn't married, doesn't have kids, never kept wearing his retainer, never remembered where she lives in Florida, and has not caught Tweety yet. This episode also introduced Sylvester's brother Alan (voiced by

Jeff Bennett Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in '' Gargoyles'' and Kowalski in the '' Penguins of Madagasca ...

) who became more successful than Sylvester. Sylvester also makes recurring appearances in both ''

New Looney Tunes ''New Looney Tunes'', originally titled ''Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production'' in the US and ''Bugs!'' in some markets for its first season, is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from ''Loo ...

'' and '' Looney Tunes Cartoons''.

reprises his role for both. Sylvester appeared in ''King Tweety''. He was voiced by

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian-American voice actor and comedian. His most-known roles include Stimpy on '' Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"'', Foop on '' The Fairly OddParents'' and its reboot '' Fairly Odder'', Thunderbol ...

, who also voiced him in ''Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem''.

Cameo appearances

In an episode of '' Press Your Luck'', Sylvester (voiced by Mel Blanc) calls

Peter Tomarken Peter David Tomarken (December 7, 1942March 13, 2006) was an American television personality primarily known as the host of the game show '' Press Your Luck''. Early life Tomarken was born in Olean, New York, the middle son of Barnett and Pearl ...

after Tomarken incorrectly said that

coined the catchphrase, “Suffering Succotash” during the question round. Sylvester makes a cameo appearance in ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...

'', where he provides the punchline for a double-entendre joke regarding Judge Doom's (

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

) identity. This was Mel Blanc's final time voicing him. Sylvester appears as part of the Tune Squad team in ''

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel ...

'' voiced by Bill Farmer. He bears the number 9 on his jersey where the Tune Squad and

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

competed against the Monstars. He also has two cameo appearances in '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', but the second time, "Sylvester" is really Mr. Smith in disguise. A cat appears in '' Color Rhapsody'' shorts "Up and Atom" and "Boston Beanie" that bares a strong resemblance to Sylvester. Sylvester appears in the ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The write ...

'' episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn", voiced by

Patrick Pinney Patrick Cullen Pinney (born June 30, 1952) is an American television, film and voice actor. Early life, family and education Pinney was born in San Francisco County, California. His mother's maiden name is his middle name. He attended college a ...

. During

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

’s announcement of illegal aliens from Mexico, Sylvester demonstrates a wired fence that will keep the aliens out, only for it to be penetrated by Speedy Gonzales. Sylvester makes a vocal cameo appearance in the 2020 '' Animaniacs'' revival segment "Suffragette City", with Jeff Bergman reprising his role. Sylvester appears in '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' voiced again by Jeff Bergman. He plays for the Tune Squad in their match against the Goon Squad. At one point before the second half, Sylvester thought he found Michael Jordan in the audience which he revealed to the Tune Squad only for

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

to find that he actually ran into Michael B. Jordan. This caused Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd to reprimand him for not noticing the difference as Sylvester thought he aged good.

Other appearances

File:2010-96-1 Plaque, Ship, USS Alameda County, AVB-1 (5062505993).jpg, USS Alameda County File:45th_Reconnaissance_Squadron.png, Sylvester as emblem of the

45th Reconnaissance Squadron The 45th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group and stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It is one of the most decorated squadrons of the active duty United States Air ...

File:151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron - Emblem.png, Sylvester as emblem of the

151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 151st Air Refueling Squadron (151 ARS) is a unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard 134th Air Refueling Wing located at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Knoxville, Tennessee. The 151st is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker. Histo ...

File:Sylvester (2011).jpg, Sylvester as seen in ''The Looney Tunes Show'' in this new design File:Sylvester and Tweety in I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat short.png, Sylvester and Tweety in "

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat ''I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat'' is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated ''Looney Tunes'' short film featuring the characters Tweety, Sylvester, and Granny. It is an adaptation of the 1950 song " I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" sung by Mel Blanc. It fea ...

" From 1979 to 1983, Sylvester was the "spokescat" for 9 Lives' line of dry cat food. His face appeared on the product's boxes and Sylvester was also featured in a series of television commercials. These ads usually consisted of Sylvester trying to get to his box of 9 Lives dry cat food while avoiding Hector the Bulldog. Sylvester would always succeed in luring the dog away so he could get to his food, but would always find himself a target again by the end of the commercial, which generally ended with Sylvester calling 9 Lives dry cat food "worth riskin' your life for."

In comic books

Western Publications produced a comic book about Tweety and Sylvester entitled ''Tweety and Sylvester'', first in

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...

'' series #406, 489, and 524, then in their own title from Dell Comics (#4–37, 1954–62), and later from

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

(#1–102, 1963–72). In most of the earlier comic books, Sylvester has white fur surrounding his eyes (similar to

Pepé Le Pew Pepé Le Pew is an animated character from the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons, introduced in 1945. Depicted as a French striped skunk, Pepé is constantly on the quest for love. However, his offensive ...

) and green eyes. They both disappeared in the later comic books. The green eyes could be seen in some merchandise as well. Sylvester and Tweety appeared in a

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 ...

and Looney Tunes crossover comic called ''Catwoman/Tweety and Sylvester'' #1. In the issue, witches from the DC and Looney Tunes universes placed a wager where the existence of all birds and cats (as well as all bird- and cat-themed heroes and villains) depended on if Sylvester could eat Tweety. Sylvester (designed more realistically for the DC Universe) teamed up with

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 ...

, while Tweety teamed up with the

Black Canary The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...

In video games

Sylvester has appeared in the video games ''

Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers ''Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers'' is a 2D computer graphics, 2D platform game featuring the Looney Tunes characters Sylvester (Looney Tunes), Sylvester and Tweety. It was released for the Sega Genesis, Genesis/Mega Drive console in 1994 an ...

'', '' The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle'', '' The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout'', ''

Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage ''Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage'' is an action video game developed by Viacom New Media (a then-sister company to Nickelodeon, who had broadcast ''Looney Tunes'' cartoons at the time of the game's release) and published by Sunsoft released exclusivel ...

'', '' Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'', '' The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2'', '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', '' Looney Tunes: Space Race'', '' Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3'', and '' Sylvester and Tweety: Breakfast on the Run''.

Naming

The name "Sylvester" is a play on '' Felis silvestris'', the scientific name for the

European wildcat The European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. Its ...

(domestic cats like Sylvester are in the species '' Felis catus''). Sylvester was not named until

gave him the name Sylvester, which was first used in '' Scaredy Cat''. Although the character was named Sylvester in later cartoon shorts (beginning with 1948's '' Scaredy Cat''), he was called "Thomas" in his first appearance with Tweety in ''

'', most likely as a reference to a male cat being called a tom. However, this name would never be used again because MGM already had a cat named

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

from

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the ...

. Mel Blanc had also voiced a human character named Sylvester on

Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...

's radio show earlier in the 1940s.

Voice

Origin

Sylvester's trademark is his sloppy and yet stridulating

lisp A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Types * A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lispin ...

. In

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

's autobiography, ''That's Not All Folks!'', it is worth noting that Sylvester's voice is similar to

's, only not sped up in post-production, plus the even more exaggerated slobbery lisp. Conventional wisdom is that Daffy's lisp, and hence also Sylvester's, were based on the lisp of producer

Leon Schlesinger Leon Schlesinger (May 20, 1884 – December 25, 1949) was an American film producer who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the Golden Age of American animation. He was a distant rel ...

. However, Blanc made no such claim. He said that Daffy's lisp was based on him having a long beak and that he borrowed the voice for Sylvester. He also said that Sylvester's voice was very much like his own, excluding the lisp (his son Noel Blanc has also confirmed this). In addition, director

, in a 1970 ''Funnyworld''

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

, agreed with Blanc's account concerning

Schlesinger Schlesinger is a German surname (in part also Jewish) meaning "Silesian" from the older regional term ''Schlesinger''; someone from ''Schlesing'' (Silesia); in modern Standard German (or Hochdeutsch) a '' Schlesier'' is someone from '' Schlesien'' ...

Greg Ford Greg Ford is an animator, director, historian and consultant to Warner Bros. Animation. He is perhaps best known for directing the films ''Daffy Duck's Quackbusters'', ''Weezer Slander: The Movie'', and '' (Blooper) Bunny''. Biography During ...

once asked Blanc what was the difference between Daffy and Sylvester's voices. Blanc said to him that Daffy is a Jew and Sylvester is a

Gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...

Voice actors

(1945–1989, '' Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'' (1990); archive audio, ''

'' (meowing) (1994); archive audio,

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

bumper (hiccup) (2004); archive audio, ''

'' (2011); archive audio) *

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

(1951 ''

I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat "I Taut I Taw A Puddy-Tat" is a novelty song composed and written by Alan Livingston, Billy May and Warren Foster. It was sung by Mel Blanc, who provided the voice of the bird, Tweety and of his nemesis Sylvester. The lyrics depict the basic ...

'' cover) * Gilbert Mack ( Golden Records records, ''Bugs Bunny Songfest'') *

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comi ...

(Golden Records records, ''Bugs Bunny Songfest'') *

Dallas McKennon Dallas Raymond McKennon (July 19, 1919 – July 14, 2009), sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American film, television and voice actor, who had a career lasting over 50 years. During World War II he served in the Army Signal Corps and wa ...

(meowing sounds in ''

Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies ''Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies'' is a 1972 animated one-hour TV-movie (with a live-action segment near the end) that was aired on December 16 as an episode of the anthology series '' The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie''. In this ...

'') * Richard Andrews (''Bugs Bunny Exercise and Adventure Album'') * Bill Farmer (''ABC Family Fun Fair'', ''

'') * Darrell Hammond (" Wappin'") *

( 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ''

'',

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

commercial, ''

Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster ''Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster'' is a 1991 Looney Tunes television special directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon. In new animation, Jeff Bergman voiced Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Elmer and Sylvester. Shorts used *"Baton Bunny" (the first event; r ...

'',

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

bumpers,

bumper, ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...

'', '' The Looney Tunes Show'', ''Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes: Cartoon Universe'', ''

Looney Tunes Dash ''Looney Tunes Dash'' was an endless running video game developed and published by Zynga and Eat Sleep Play, under the oversight of John vanSuchtelen. The game was released on December 17, 2014. Gameplay The gameplay is an endless running pl ...

'', ''

'', ''Daffy Duck Dance Off'', '' Ani-Mayhem'', ''Meet Bugs (and Daffy)'', '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'', '' Animaniacs'', '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', '' Bugs Bunny Builders'','' Tiny Toons Looniversity'') * Noel Blanc (''You Rang?'' answering machine messages) *

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his de ...

(''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''

Looney Tunes River Ride Looney Tunes River Ride (formerly known as the Looney Tunes Studio Tour) was a dark boat ride at the amusement park Warner Bros. Movie World at Gold Coast, Australia. The ride was unveiled on 3 June 1991, the same time as the park, and was ...

'', '' Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure'', ''

'', ''Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas'', '' Carrotblanca'', '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'', ''Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis'', '' Father of the Bird'', ''Bugs Bunny's Learning Adventures'', ''Warner Bros. Sing Along: Quest for Camelot'', ''Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Looney Tunes'', '' Looney Tunes: What's Up Rock?!'', '' The Looney Tunes Rockin' Road Show'', '' Tweety's High-Flying Adventure'', ''The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas'', '' Looney Tunes: Back In Action'', '' Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'', ''Looney Tunes Dance Off'',

TomTom TomTom N.V. is a Dutch multinational developer and creator of location technology and consumer electronics. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom released its first generation of satellite navigation devices to market in 2004 ...

''Looney Tunes'' GPS, ''Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics'', various video games, webtoons, and commercials) * Keith Scott ('' Looney Tunes Musical Revue'', Westfield commercial, '' Spectacular Light and Sound Show Illuminanza'', KFC commercials, Tazos ''Looney Tunes'' commercial, '' Looney Tunes: We Got the Beat!'', '' Looney Tunes on Ice'', ''Looney Tunes LIVE! Classroom Capers'', ''Christmas Moments with Looney Tunes'', ''The Looney Tunes Radio Show'', ''Looney Rock'')"Keith Scott-"The One-Man Crowd""
Retrieved September 20, 2020. * J. J. Sedelmaier (Cartoon Network presentation pitch) *

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained b ...

('' The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny'', '' Looney Tunes B-Ball'', '' Warner Bros. Kids Club'') * Terry Klassen ('' Baby Looney Tunes'', '' Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure'') *

('' Museum Scream'', ''A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas'') * Pat Pinney (''

'') * Kevin Shinick ('' Mad'') *

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...

(''Family Guy'') *

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' ...

(''New Looney Tunes'' (monster form)) *

(''Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem'', ''Bugs Bunny in The Golden Carrot'', ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' live show, '' King Tweety'')

Reception and legacy

Sylvester was #33 on ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

''s list of top 50 best cartoon characters, together with Tweety.

References

External links

*
Sylvester's history
at Warner Bros' official website (requires flash).

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

.
Archived
from the original on January 1, 2018.
All about Sylvester
the Cat on

Official Website. {{Authority control Looney Tunes characters Dell Comics titles Gold Key Comics titles Fictional characters with speech impediment Film characters introduced in 1945 Fictional anthropomorphic characters Fictional cats Anthropomorphic cats Children's television characters Male characters in animation

Animation history

Development

Personality and catchphrases

Filmography

Cameo appearances

Other appearances

In comic books

In video games

Naming

Voice

Origin

Voice actors

Reception and legacy

See also

References

External links