List of The Ren & Stimpy Show characters

Over its five seasons, The Ren & Stimpy Show featured a varied cast of characters, some who appeared in as few as one episode, and some who were practically regulars.

Ren and Stimpy

Ren Höek

Ren Höek is a scrawny "Asthma-Hound" Chihuahua with a fairly long, rat-like, pink tail (which constantly disappears due to the character's animation limits) and tan fur. Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Ren as "scrawny," "dyspeptic," and "violently psychotic." On some occasions Ren "lost his mind" in a "cumulative process," resulting in Ren becoming, in Goodman's words, a "screaming klaxon, neon-pink eyes dilating into twin novae inches above his jagged, monolithic teeth." Andy Meisler of The New York Times described Ren as "adventurous," "intelligent," and "emotionally brittle."

John Kricfalusi originally voiced Ren in a manner that he describes as "a bad imitation of Peter Lorre." Billy West said that he auditioned to play Ren; the creators of the series believed that having West voice Ren and Stimpy would give him too large of a workload. West would, however, take over Ren's voice after Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi. Kricfalusi would return for the Spike TV episodes and unaired episodes of The Ren and Stimpy Show. In the pilot, Pierre Decelles provided Ren's signature diabolical laughter, while West performed Ren's maniacal laugh in the series.

Kricfalusi complained about Nickelodeon executives requesting for Ren to have "a softer side."

Bill Wray said that Ren was his favorite character to write for; Wray described Ren as "fun" because "you can make him mean." In 1993 he added that, "It drives me crazy when I tell people I work on the show and they always say, 'Make Ren meaner'."

In Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" Ren has a more darker, abusive side to him preferably Ren Seeks Help and Stimpy's Pregnant. The Adult Party Cartoon also portrays Ren as a smoker and alcoholic.

Stimpson "Stimpy" J. Cat

Stimpson "Stimpy" J. Cat is a fat, red and white Cornish Rex cat (described by George Liquor as a "Cornish Rex Hound" to enter him in a dog show)[1] with a large blue nose, purple eyelids, no tail, white gloves with fingernails on them, human-style buttocks, flat feet and a brain the size of a peanut (despite some intelligence, such as when cooking and inventing). Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Stimpy as "obese" and "brain-damaged". Andy Meisler of The New York Times described Stimpy as "barrel-chested" and "good-natured".

Stimpy's trademark facial expression is a blissfully ignorant smile with his tongue flopping out. Most of the time when he gets excited, he says his famous catchphrase, "Oh, joy!" or simply "Joy". He also has a strong attachment to his "first material possession" which is a litter box (given to him in the pilot episode) and even though Ren destroys it (by bashing it on his head in "Fire Dogs" or dumping it in acid in "Ren's Bitter Half"), Stimpy always reacts strongly to it by crying, panicking or fainting, though it always appears again in some later episode. Stimpy is named after an art school classmate of Kricfalusi, whose nickname was "Stimpy Cadogen" ("Killer Cadogen" was Stimpy's pseudonym in several episodes, and in a few others he is referred to as Stimpleton Cadogen). Billy West, who voiced Stimpy, said that he based Stimpy's voice on a "sped up" Larry Fine of The Three Stooges. West described Stimpy as one of his favorite characters. Eric Bauza voiced Stimpy in the Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" because West believed that the series had no humor and that voicing Stimpy in it would damage his career, as West later said in an interview.

Stimpy likes to create destructive electronic devices and feels a fixation for "sensory pleasures of fresh kitty litter".

Bill Wray described Stimpy as his favorite character to draw. Wray said that Stimpy has "a huge range of emotion".

Mr. Horse

Mr. Horse was one of the most popular characters, appearing in many episodes in a wide variety of non-continuous roles. Mr. Horse has variously been a victim of a fall from a skyscraper, a GI returning from war in love with a sheep, a dog-show judge, a neighbor hiding a dark past, and a tester for Gritty Kitty cat litter. He has also been portrayed as a psychiatrist.

Mr. Horse is anthropomorphic, similar to the title characters—he is physically a full-sized male horse, but he usually stands on two legs and speaks. Mr. Horse is typically depicted as a straight-talking, thoughtful and serious character. He can also be cynical and disgruntled, and on occasion is merely a horse. His catchphrase is "No sir, I don't like it." He in fact does say other things in response to Stimpy in the Gritty Kitty Litter Commercial. Mr. Horse was voiced by John Kricfalusi originally. After Kricfalusi's departure from the show, he was voiced by Billy West.

Appearances

Powdered Toast Man

Powdered Toast Man is a melodramatic and oblivious superhero of sorts and spokesperson for Powdered Toast, the breakfast treat that "tastes just like sawdust". He was based on a Frank Zappa-inspired character called Studebacher Hoch, from the song "Billy the Mountain". Powdered Toast Man appeared in various Powdered Toast commercials within The Ren & Stimpy Show, and starred in two episodes of the show: "Powdered Toast Man vs. Waffle Woman" and "Powdered Toast Man" (with Frank Zappa as "the Pope"). He possesses superpowers (such as the ability to fly) and some decidedly non-traditional ones (e.g. flatulence, the ability to scrape toast shavings from his head). He can fly by launching himself from a toaster, or dispensing a healthy amount of flatulence. He can fly backwards, or at an angle. His catch phrase is "Leave everything to me!" Powdered Toast Man hides his true identity behind the guise of Pastor Toastman, a youth deacon.

Powdered Toast Man's voice was provided by voice actor and disc jockey Gary Owens.

Although usually voiced by Owens, according to IMDb, Darrin J. Sargent (a regular player in the first season) voiced Powdered Toast Man in the first commercial, at the beginning of Robin Höek/Nurse Stimpy.

Powers and abilities

Powdered Toast Man is endowed with various abilities and like many superheroes, has a mysterious background and an alter ego.

Powdered Toast Man can fly, either by releasing flatulence, by inserting his head into a special toaster and launching from it, or merely by pushing off from the ground. Importantly, he flies backwards. He can also hover in mid-air. His powers include some offensive weapons: high-velocity raisins shot from his mouth, hyper-corrosive croutons fired from his armpit, butter pats that are launched from the top of his head, and hyper-acidic marmalade from his navel. There are several signals that alert Powdered Toast Man to danger — his tongue phone, the inflation of his briefs, the dissipation of the toast particles in his head, or the reading of emergency messages encoded in slices of olive loaf.

He is apparently made entirely of Powdered Toast, as he can produce fully formed Powdered Toast by flicking his wrist or by separating his head (which is made of two pieces of toast) and scraping the interior with a butter knife. His head is therefore depicted as being made of two identical pieces of toast, each complete with a face.

By day, Powdered Toast Man is Pastor Toastman, a "cool youth deacon". His disguise is composed of a pair of thick black spectacles and a pastor's collar, a possible parody of Superman's thinly disguised alter ego, Clark Kent. Pastor Toastman's office also serves as his headquarters, and he is served by a lovely young female assistant named "Catholic High School Girl" and it is strongly suggested that the two have a romantic relationship.

Accomplishments

Most of Powdered Toast Man's accomplishments are dubious and pyrrhic - if he ever succeeds it is usually accidentally, and at the cost of unintentionally inflicting havoc on someone else. Additionally, he fights for the sake of Ignorance and Prejudice.

Powdered Toast

The product named after Powdered Toast Man (or vice versa) is true to its name — toast in powder form. Why anyone would want to eat powdered toast is unknown — after eating some, one character notes how "it tastes just like sawdust." Further throwing doubt as to its appeal, toast is usually served warm, but powdered toast is room temperature.

Powdered Toast comes in a can with an aerated top, allowing the toast to be "sprinkled" out in a manner similar to that of shredded Parmesan cheese. Amazingly, the powder somehow comes together, forming a piece of toast that can be consumed. Perhaps itself a commentary on the obsession of American culture with quickly prepared pre-made foods, it seems to take more time to "make" a piece of cold, sawdust-tasting Powdered Toast than it would to toast a piece of bread.

Powdered Toast is never seen being consumed with butter, jam, or cream cheese, possibly because the fragile nature of the toast could not support such spreads. Though it's "jam-packed with Vitamin F," Powdered Toast doesn't make children smarter.

In the first commercial, at the beginning of Robin Höek/Nurse Stimpy, Ren asks Stimpy, "Isn't he wonderful?" Stimpy then says, "Why, He's TOAST-A-RIFIC!"

Muddy Mudskipper

Muddy Mudskipper is a mudskipper (a species of fish capable of crawling out of water and breathing air directly) with the voice and personality of a grizzled vaudeville comedian who hosts an afternoon kids' show.

Muddy is an archetype — the old, jaded comedian who is outstanding at being "on" when on stage but sour and dissatisfied off-stage. There are certain parallels between Muddy and Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons — both have television shows that may or may not be for children, both shower their co-stars with abuse, and behind the scenes they are less than pleasant to be around. He calls everyone he meets "a lousy bum".

Besides being a huge television star, Muddy has dabbled in villainy, at one point kidnapping the Pope (voiced by Frank Zappa) before being foiled by Powdered Toast Man. His name is a parody of Woody Woodpecker. He is voiced by Harris Peet.

The show's theme song (written by John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp & Charlie Brissette) plays up Muddy's particular physical traits:

Who's the greatest mudskipper of them all? Who can skip thru the mud with the greatest of ease? What kind of wonderful guy? Who can crawl like a dog without scraping his knees? Who's got segmented eyes? It's Muddy Mudskipper! It's Muddy! Mudskipper! It's the Muddy! Mudskipper show!!!

Appearances

Muddy's lines would also be used as archive recording from these last three episodes for Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker.

Other characters

Voiced by Cheryl Chase, Bob Camp & Gary Owens

References

  1. "The Ren & Stimpy Show: Big Baby Scam / Dog Show Episode Trivia". TV.com. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  2. "A Shameful Ignorant Stereotype". John K. Stuff!. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  3. "Fake Dad". Ren and Stimpy Reviews Blog. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  4. The Big Country (1958) - Memorable quotes
  5. "The Ren & Stimpy Show / Funny - TV Tropes". tvtropes.org. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  6. "Ren and Stimpy character," Bob Camp Cartoonist
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