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Spike
Spike

First Apperance

Dog Trouble (1942) As an Unnamed Bulldog "The Bodyguard" (1944)

Last Appearance

The Karate Guard (2005)

Created By

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Portrayed by

William Hanna (1942-1955)
Billy Bletcher (1944–1949)
Daws Butler (1949–1958)
John Stephenson (1975)
Don Messick (1975)
Joe E. Ross (1975)
Frank Welker (1980-2005)
Lou Scheimer (1980)
Dick Gautier (1990–1993)
Alan Marriott (2000)
Maurice LaMarche (2002)
Marc Silk (2002)
Jeff Bergman (2004)
John DiMaggio (2005)
Dan Castellaneta (2006)
Michael Donovan (2006–2008)
Phil LaMarr
Rick Zieff (2014–present)
Spike Brandt (2015–present)
Bobby Cannavale (2021)
Daran Norris (2023) See below

Species

Dog

Breed

British Bulldog

Gender

Male

Children

Tyke

Relatives

Tyke (son)

What does he like

Tyke, Jerry, Peace and Quiet, Sleeping, Meat (Beef steak is his favorite)

Tyke
Tyke

First Apperance

Love That Pup (1949)

Last Appearance

Scat Cats (1957)

Created By

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Portrayed by

William Hanna (1949–1958)
Frank Welker (1980–2002, 2014, 2021-present)
Patric Zimmerman (1990–1993)
Alan Marriott (2000–2002)
Spike Brandt (2012–present)
Brianne Siddall (speaking)
Candi Milo (speaking)
Zeno Robinson (vocalizations)
See below

Species

Puppy

Breed

British Bulldog

Gender

Male

Relatives

Spike (father)

Spike (occasionally referred to as Butch or Killer) and Tyke are fictional characters from the Tom and Jerry series, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Spike is a stern but occasionally dumb British bulldog who is particularly disapproving of cats, but a softie when it comes to mice, and later, his son Tyke. In the shorts Jerry would often try to get Tom in trouble with Spike making him a shoo-in for a beating from the bulldog. Spike has a few weaknesses that Tom tries to capitalize upon: his possessiveness about his bone and his ticklishness. He made his first appearance in the 1942 Tom and Jerry cartoon Dog Trouble, and his first speaking role was in 1944's The Bodyguard, where he was voiced by Billy Bletcher up until 1949, from which point he was voiced by Daws Butler. Tyke is known as a cute, sweet, happy and a loveable pup. He is Spike's son, and they make the perfect father and son, with Spike spending much of his free time comforting his son, taking him out or teaching him the facts of life of being a dog. In Tom and Jerry Kids, Tyke has a speaking role and was the first time that Tom and Jerry fans were able to hear Tyke speak. They both appear in shows and movies with a red and yellow spiked collar and grey fur with a light pink chest.

History[]

The dog[]

In his early appearance, Dog Trouble, Spike as an unnamed Bulldog is the main antagonist, chasing and attacking both Tom and Jerry on sight, even trying to eat Jerry, which forced the two to work together to defeat him. In his very first appearance, The Bodyguard, The Bulldog has given his name, Spike. In all subsequent shorts, Spike becomes typecast as the stereotypical dumb brute who is always duped into becoming a shield for Jerry from Tom. It is only in two episodes where Jerry gets Spike out of a jam and the dog willingly protects him from Tom in well-earned gratitude. On most occasions, Jerry causes trouble for Tom by luring him near Spike and harming him to get him angry, and in some cartoons when its perfectly obvious that Tom is not responsible, as seen in The Invisible Mouse, Spike still blames Tom and hurts him instead of Jerry.

Spike, however, is not without a softer and sympathetic side: in the episode Pet Peeve, after believing that Tom is willing to leave the house in Spike's favour, Spike feels sorry for him to the point that he offers to leave instead, which Spike does until he realises that Tom is only using reverse psychology to trick him into leaving. In The Truce Hurts, Spike is portrayed as a very intelligent and equilibrated character when he convinces Tom and Jerry to stop the fighting among the three of them and sign a Peace Treaty, but their newfound friendship comes to an end when they argue over how to share a big steak, symbolised when Spike tears the truce contract to shreds and they go back to fighting again. From the 1942 cartoon Dog Trouble to 1948 cartoon Heavenly Puss he was voiced by Billy Bletcher. His name also varies in some shorts: in Solid Serenade he is named "Killer", and in The Truce Hurts he signs "Butch" on the treaty paper.

Enter the son[]

In Tom's later attempts to catch Jerry, he has to deal with Spike for bothering his son. In 1949's Love That Pup, Spike was given a puppy son, Tyke, who became another popular supporting character in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. His voice was taken over by Daws Butler, who styled Spike's voice after Jimmy Durante taking after his 1940s radio series with Garry Moore. He is named Spike from then on and is not changed again. When Tyke is introduced, Spike is given a softer approach (mainly towards his son) and is kinder and less aggressive, but is still portrayed as a dumb animal on more than one occasion. Spike's love and affection towards Tyke becomes Jerry's newest weapon against Tom, as his strategy goes from luring Tom towards Spike to inflicting harm on Tyke, and even when it is perfectly obvious that Jerry is responsible for harming Tyke and not Tom, as seen in Love That Pup. Spike fails to see this and still blames Tom and hurts him, not Jerry.

A short-lived Spike and Tyke cartoon series was produced by MGM in 1957; only two entries were completed. Within a year, the MGM cartoon studio had shut down, and Hanna and Barbera took Spike and Tyke and retooled them to create one the first television successes for Hanna-Barbera Productions, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. Spike and Tyke would not appear in new Tom and Jerry cartoons, until the 1970s The Tom and Jerry Show, the 1980s The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, and 1990s Tom & Jerry Kids (In which Tom and Jerry themselves were made younger, but Spike and Tyke remained the same age, and appeared both with Tom and Jerry, and in new episodes of their own). He had also made a cameo in the 1967 MGM Animation/Visual Arts production Matinee Mouse, which reused footage from Love that Pup and The Truce Hurts, and added some new animation in the final punchline. Spike would continue to appear in Tom and Jerry full length features released in the early 2000s and finally, Tom and Jerry Tales.

Spike and Droopy[]

Spike is not to be confused with another character of the same name who appeared in Tex Avery and Michael Lah's Droopy cartoons, and four solo shorts, for MGM. However, the two characters were essentially combined into one in the Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, where the Tom & Jerry version of Spike would also appear in the new Droopy cartoons, filling the role of the other Spike as an antagonist of Droopy. They were not separated as distinct characters again, until the feature Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring.

Featured cartoons[]

Tom and Jerry[]

Spike and Tyke[]

The Tom and Jerry (1975)[]

  • The Ski Bunny
  • No Bones About It
  • Beach Bully
  • Cosmic Cat and Meteor Mouse
  • The Kitten Sitters
  • Planet Pest
  • Watch Out, Watch Dog
  • Planet of the Dogs
  • Triple Trouble
  • Cruise Kitty

The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show[]

Tom & Jerry Kids[]

  • Dog Daze Afternoon (Cameo)
  • Super Duper Splke
  • Hoodwinked Cat
  • Crash Condor
  • Scrub-A Dub Tom (cameo in The Dog show)
  • The Little Ufturs (Tyke Only In Yellow spots)
  • Circus Antics as Elephants

Tom and Jerry Tales[]

  • Feeding Time
  • Joy Riding Jokers
  • Way Off Broadway
  • Tomcat Jetpack
  • Doggone Hill Hog
  • Spaced Out Cat
  • Beach Bully Bingo
  • Destruction Junction
  • Jackhammered Cat
  • Beefcake Tom (cameo appearance)
  • Spook House Mouse (appeared as a ghost dog)
  • More Powers to You (appeared as a super villain)
  • Catch Me Though You Can't
  • Power Tom (appeared without his collar)
  • Zent Out of Shape (His face was on a Godzilla)
  • I Dream of Meanie (appeared as a genie dog)
  • The Cat Whisperer
  • Bend It Like Thomas
  • Game Set Match (only one with Tyke)
  • The Declaration of Independunce
  • 24 Karat Kat
  • DJ Jerry
  • Game of Mouse & Cat
  • Catfish Follies (appeared as a dogfish)

Direct-to-video and TV special[]

Voice actors[]

Spike[]

Tyke[]

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