Sylvester J. Pussycat Sr. is a fictional character, 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 to ...

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

in the ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' and ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...

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

Tweety Bird Tweety is an animated character, a yellow Domestic canary, canary bird in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. His characteristics are based on Red Skelton's famous "Junior the Mean Widdle Kid". ...

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

golden age of American animation The golden age of American animation was a period that began with the popularization of Sound film, sound synchronized cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts started to lose popularity to the newer medi ...

, lagging only behind superstars

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...

Porky Pig Porky Pig is a cartoon 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 celebrity, star power, and the animators created man ...

, and

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

. Three of his cartoons won Academy Awards, the most for any starring a ''Looney Tunes'' character: they are '' Tweetie Pie'', '' Speedy Gonzales'', and '' Birds Anonymous''.

Animation history

Development

Before Sylvester's appearance in the cartoons,

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 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 come ...

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 is known for having a sloppy

lisp Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...

. To emphasize the lisp, as with Daffy's catchphrase "You're des''th''picable", 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''". (Daffy also says "Sufferin' succotash!" on a few occasions.) 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 shows a lot of pride in himself, and never gives up. Despite (or perhaps because of) his pride and persistence, Sylvester is, with rare exceptions, placed squarely on the "loser" side of the ''Looney Tunes'' winner/loser hierarchy. 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 is 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'' (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, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...

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

black panther A black panther is the Melanism, 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 Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

that had earlier escaped from a zoo without Spike and Chester knowing about it. In the 1954 film '' Dr. Jerkyl's Hide'', 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 DePa ...

-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 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 gre ...

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'' (1946), a

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

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

from his house. * '' Doggone Cats'' (1947), an Arthur Davis cartoon where Sylvester is teamed up with an orange cat (later reused as Sylvester's brother Alan in ''

The Looney Tunes Show ''The Looney Tunes Show'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation, and aired on Cartoon Network for two seasons from May 3, 2011, to November 2, 2013. The series featured characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Me ...

'') to torment a dog named Wellington the Dog as he delivers a package to Uncle Louie. * '' Catch as Cats Can'' (1947), another Davis cartoon that portrays Sylvester as a simple-minded cat with a dopey voice. While the cartoon essentially follows a cat-vs-canary plot, it takes a different approach as Sylvester is persuaded to eat the canary (caricatured as

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

) by a green parrot (caricatured as

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

). * '' Back Alley Oproar'' (1948), a

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

Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...

by performing several amazing musical numbers in the alley and even a sweet

lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...

("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, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...

cartoon in which Sylvester plays the

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African 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 drama ...

-like villain to

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

-esque hero. * '' Canned Feud'' (1951), another Freleng cartoon in which Sylvester tries to retrieve a can opener from a mouse out of fears he would starve to death. Unlike most cartoons, the mouse is portrayed as an instigator of the conflict or antagonist rather than Sylvester himself. * '' Red Riding Hoodwinked'' (1955), another Freleng cartoon where Sylvester co-stars with an absent-minded

Big Bad Wolf The Big Bad Wolf is a fictional wolf appearing in several cautionary tales, including some of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales''. Versions of this character have appeared in numerous works, and it has become a generic archetype of a menacing predatory ant ...

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'' (1966), a

cartoon that Sylvester cameos in. When

blows up a

catnip ''Nepeta cataria'', commonly known as catnip and catmint, is a species of the genus ''Nepeta'' in the mint family, native plant, native to southern and eastern Europe, northern parts of the Middle East, and Central Asia. It is widely naturalis ...

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

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...

'', Sylvester appeared as the mentor of Furrball. He also starred in '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries''. In the series, he plays the

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

at the beginning of episodes.

Filmography

The character debuted in

's '' Life With Feathers'' (1945). Freleng's 1947 cartoon '' Tweetie Pie'' was the first pairing of Tweety Bird with Sylvester, and the

-directed '' Kitty Kornered'' (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 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. Sylvester has been "killed" more times than any other Warner Bros. cartoon character, having "died" in '' Peck Up Your Troubles'', '' Back Alley Oproar'', '' I Taw a Putty Tat'', '' Mouse Mazurka'', '' Bad Ol' Putty Tat'', '' Tweety's S.O.S.'', '' Tweet Tweet Tweety'', '' Ain't She Tweet'', '' Cats a-Weigh'', '' Satan's Waitin''', '' Muzzle Tough'', '' Sandy Claws'', '' Tweety's Circus'', '' Too Hop To Handle'', '' Tree Cornered Tweety'', '' Tweet and Lovely'', '' Trick or Tweet'' (along with Sam Cat), '' The Wild Chase'' (along with Wile E. Coyote), '' Museum Scream'', and the Looney Tunes Cartoons episodes " Fully Vetted" and " Boo! Appetweet". He was even cast in the role of the

Jacob Marley Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. Marley has died seven years ago, and was a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, the novella's protagonist.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who i ...

-like ghost called Sylvester the Investor in '' Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas.'' Sylvester serves as the titular character in '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'', under the ownership of Granny and again having desires of eating Tweety and being tharwted by Butch. He helps solves mysteries and defeats the culprits in the end. In the finale of the series, he abandons his desire of eating Tweety following a dream and express his love for the bird. A baby version of Sylvester is part of the title cast of characters in '' Baby Looney Tunes'', voiced by

Terry Klassen Terry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor, ADR director and writer. Before animation, Klassen worked in radio in Winnipeg (CITI-FM), Toronto (Q107), Calgary (CFAC), Portage la Prairie (CFRY) and part-time at CFOX and CFMI. In animation, he is best ...

. Sylvester is featured in ''

'' (2011–14), voiced by Jeff Bergman. 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. 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 Jeff Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor. He voiced the titular character of ''Johnny Bravo'', Dexter and Dee Dee's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', List of The Powerpuff Girls characters#Ace, Ace, List of The Powerpuff Gi ...

) who became more successful than Sylvester. Sylvester also makes recurring appearances in both '' New Looney Tunes'' and '' Looney Tunes Cartoons''. Jeff Bergman 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 voice actor based in the United States. He is mostly known for voicing several ''Looney Tunes'' characters, for which he won three Emmy Awards for his performances in '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'' (20 ...

, who also voiced him in ''Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem''. Sylvester appears in '' Bugs Bunny Builders'' as one of the citizens/builders helpings Bugs and friends with building. In this series, he is more of being friends with Tweety and even lives with him.

Cameo appearances

In the movie '' Kitten with a Whip'', the Sylvester cartoon '' Canned Feud'' is shown playing on a television set that Jody Dvorak watches. Sylvester (as well as Speedy Gonzales and

) appeared in a skit seen at the end of an episode of the game show ''

Press Your Luck ''Press Your Luck'' is an American television game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn "spins" on a randomly cycling game board. The board's spaces display cash, prizes, extra spins, sp ...

''. Earlier in the episode,

was incorrectly listed as the correct answer to the question "Which well-known cartoon character is famous for uttering the immortal words 'Sufferin' Succotash!'?" At the end of the episode,

called the show in his Sylvester voice to correct host Peter Tomarken on the gaffe. Tomarken assured "Sylvester" that future ''Looney Tunes''-related questions would be run by Sylvester's office and that the three contestants in the episode would be given a second chance, as any spins that were to be awarded for the correct answer would have affected the course of the episode's gameplay. Sylvester makes a cameo appearance in ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. It is loosely based on the 1981 novel ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' by Gary K. Wol ...

'', 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 television shows since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future (franchise), ''B ...

) identity. This was Mel Blanc's final time voicing him. Sylvester appears as part of the Tune Squad team in '' Space Jam'', 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, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

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. Sylvester appears in the ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...

'' episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn", voiced by Patrick Pinney. During

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

'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 cameo appearance in the '' Tom and Jerry Tales'' episode "Kitty Cat Blues", on a poster in Miss Kitty's room. Sylvester makes a vocal cameo appearance in the 2020 ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company ...

'' 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 the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

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. Sylvester appears in the ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'' episode, "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary". He is among the Looney Tunes characters guests for the Warner Bros. centennial celebration.

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 File:151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron - Emblem.png, Sylvester as emblem of the 151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron File:Sylvester (2011).jpg, Sylvester's design in ''The Looney Tunes Show'' 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" From 1979 to 1983, Sylvester was the "spokescat" for 9Lives' line of dry cat food. His face appeared on the product's boxes, and Sylvester was also featured in a series of television commercials, directed by Duane Crowther at Duck Soup Productions and animated by Bob Carlson, Amby Paliwoda, Jeff Howard and Mark Kausler. 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 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', is 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 an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984. History Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when its ...

(#1–102, 1963–72). In most of the earlier comic books, Sylvester has white fur surrounding his eyes (similar to Pepé Le Pew) 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 (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

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 character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...

, while Tweety teamed up with the

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

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'', '' Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'', '' The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2'', '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', '' Looney Tunes: Space Race'', '' Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3'', '' Sylvester and Tweety: Breakfast on the Run'', '' Loons: The Fight for Fame'', and ''Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports''.

Naming

The name "Sylvester" is a play on ''

Felis silvestris The European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Great Britain, Turkey and the Caucasus. Its fur is brownish to grey with stripes on the forehead and on the sides and has a bushy tail with a b ...

'', the scientific name for the

European wildcat The European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Great Britain, Turkey and the Caucasus. Its fur is brownish to grey with stripes on the forehead and on the sides and has a bushy tail with a bl ...

(domestic cats like Sylvester are in the species ''

Felis catus The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the d ...

''). 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 Tweety is an animated character, a yellow canary bird in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. His characteristics are based on Red Skelton's famous "Junior the Mean Widdle Kid". He appeared in ...

in '' Tweetie Pie'', most likely as a reference to a male cat being called a tom. However, this name would never be used again because

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

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 cartoon, 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 ...

''. Mel Blanc had also voiced a human character named Sylvester on Judy Canova's radio show earlier in the 1940s.

Voice

Origin

Sylvester's trademark is his sloppy and yet stridulating

. In

's autobiography, ''That's Not All Folks!'', 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 Leonardo 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 The gold ...

. 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 the closest to his natural voice, 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" re ...

, agreed with Blanc's account concerning Schlesinger. Greg Ford once asked Blanc what was the difference between Daffy and Sylvester's voices. Blanc said to him that Daffy is a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

and Sylvester is a

Gentile ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synony ...

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 airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

bumper (hiccup) (2004); archive audio, '' I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat'' (2011); archive audio) *

(vocal effects in '' Kitty Kornered'') *

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

(imitating

in '' Catch as Cats Can'', Golden Records records, ''Bugs Bunny Songfest'') *

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

(1951 '' I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat'' cover) * Gilbert Mack (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 actor. With a career lasting over 50 years, McKennon's best known roles include Gumby for Art Clokey, Archie Andrews in several diffe ...

(meowing sounds in '' Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies'') * Richard Andrews (''Bugs Bunny Exercise and Adventure Album'') * Bill Farmer (''ABC Family Fun Fair'', '' Space Jam'') * Darrell Hammond (" Wappin'") * Jeff Bergman ( 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ''Bugs Bunny's 50th Birthday Spectacular'', ''

'',

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 broiler industry, chicken, beef, and pork after JBS ...

commercial, '' Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster'',

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

bumpers,

bumper, ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'', ''

'', ''Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes: Cartoon Universe'', '' Looney Tunes Dash'', '' New Looney Tunes'', ''Daffy Duck Dance Off'', '' Ani-Mayhem'', ''Meet Bugs (and Daffy)'', ''Little Red Tweety Hood'', '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'', ''

'', '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', '' Bugs Bunny Builders'', '' Tiny Toons Looniversity'', ''Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports'') *

Noel Blanc Noel Barton Blanc (born October 19, 1938) is an American commercial producer, retired voice actor, and the son of the late cartoon voice actor Mel Blanc. Early life and career Blanc was born on October 19, 1938, in Los Angeles, California. He ...

(''You Rang?'' answering machine messages, ''Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'') * Joe Alaskey (''Tiny Toon Adventures'', '' Mrs. Bush's Story Time'', '' Looney Tunes River Ride'', '' Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure!'', ''Tweety’s Global Patrol'' live show, '' Bugs Bunny Goin' Hollywood,'' ''

'', ''Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas'', ''Hip-Hop Hare'', '' Carrotblanca'' read-along, ''Carrotblanca'' short, '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'', ''The Looney West'', ''Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis'', '' Father of the Bird'', ''Bugs Bunny's Learning Adventures'', ''Warner Bros. Sing Along: Quest for Camelot'', '' Looney Tunes: What's Up Rock?!'', ''Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Looney Tunes'', '' The Looney Tunes Rockin' Road Show'', ''Crash! Bang! Boom! The Best of WB Sound FX'', ''

Tweety's High-Flying Adventure ''Tweety's High-Flying Adventure'' is a 2000 American animated musical slapstick comedy film produced by Tom Minton and James T. Walker, written by Tom Minton, Tim Cahill and Julie McNally, and directed by James T. Walker, Karl Toerge, Charles ...

'', ''The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas'', '' Looney Tunes: Back In Action'', '' Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'', ''Looney Tunes Dance Off'', TomTom ''Looney Tunes'' GPS, ''Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics'', additional vocal effects in ''I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat'', various video games, webtoons, and commercials) * Greg Burson (''Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'', ''Madcap Mardi Gras'', '' The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny'', '' Looney Tunes B-Ball'', '' Warner Bros. Kids Club'') * Keith Scott ('' Looney Tunes Musical Revue'', ''The Christmas Looney Tunes Classic Collecetion'', Westfield commercial, '' Spectacular Light and Sound Show Illuminanza'',

KFC KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's se ...

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) * Marc Silk (

bumpers,

CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...

bumpers) *

('' Baby Looney Tunes'', '' Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure'') *

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

'') *

Kevin Shinick Kevin Thomas Shinick ( ; born March 19, 1969) is an American writer, producer, director and actor, as well as a comic book creator. Shinick received an Emmy award for his work on the stop-motion animated series ''Robot Chicken'', and an Emmy nom ...

('' Mad'') *

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...

(''Family Guy'') *

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...

(''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'', ''ACME Fools'', '' Lights, Camera, Action: A WB100th Anniversary Celebration'', ''ACME Fools LIVE!'')

Reception and legacy

Sylvester was No. 33 on ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

''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 ...

.
Sylvester's Miracle Whip Promotional Crossover
YouTube.

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 disorders Film characters introduced in 1945 Animated characters introduced in 1945 Anthropomorphic cats Children's television characters Male characters in animated films Characters created by Friz Freleng