- For the segments, see Slappy Squirrel (Segment).
- "Now THAT'S comedy!"
- — Slappy Squirrel
Slappy Squirrel is an elderly, grouchy cartoon tree squirrel and made various cartoons for Warner Bros. as Slappy, The Slap-Happy Squirrel (many of which were part of Looney Tunes in-universe).
In the 90's, she lived in a treehouse with her nephew, Skippy Squirrel. She often faces old enemies from her past, like Walter Wolf, Sid the Squid and Beanie the Brain-Dead Bison. Other situations see her facing common nuisances, like annoyingly perky neighbors like Candie Chipmunk ("I Got Yer Can") and Skippy's emotional traumas ("Bumbie's Mom"). She typically solves her problems with exaggerated cartoon violence. She has even blasted the Warners' annoying new nanny out of the Warner Bros. Studios when the Warners could not do it themselves due to their moral beliefs ("The Sound Of Warners"). One of her theme songs is an excerpt from Antonín Dvořák's "Humoresque No. 7."
Slappy is voiced by original Animaniacs writer Sherri Stoner.
Appearance
Slappy is usually seen usually wearing a green hat decorated with a drooping yellow flower, purple eyeliner on her eyelids and carrying a pink purse and green umbrella that she occasionally uses to hit other characters. In her retirement era, she wears a purple robe during the evening. Additionally, "Hurray For Slappy" reveals Slappy to be in her 80s, as reporter Mary Hartless refers to Slappy as "octogenarian."
Personality
She is characterized as a grouchy, bitter, cranky, elderly anthropomorphic gray squirrel with a thick New York accent. She lives in a hollow tree with her nephew Skippy, her polar opposite in terms of personality, who loves to hear her tell stories about her former days of stardom. In the episode "My Mother The Squirrel", while Skippy represents a cuter style of cartoon characters, Slappy was and is a more chaotic and old-school character, enjoying violence for comedy's sake and resentful of milquetoast, censor-influenced modern cartoons.
Slappy's Fictional Filmography
See Slappy Squirrel Filmography for an incomplete filmography of Slappy's cartoons pieced together from mentions and clips in various Animaniacs productions.
History
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Past
In the early days of cartoons, Slappy was a prominent Looney Tunes star. She appeared in countless films with Walter Wolf, Sid the Squid, Beanie the Brain-Dead Bison, Stinkbomb D. Basset, Doug the Dog, and Suzy Squirrel. Eventually, Slappy settled down in a treehouse in Burbank, California; and later began to care for her nephew Skippy Squirrel.
Animaniacs (Original Series)
Slappy was first seen messing around on the lot in "The Monkey Song," and then makes her first speaking appearance in "Nighty-Night Toon," where she bickers with the narrator to be quiet. Her first full cartoon of the series is "Slappy Goes Walnuts," where she takes Skippy to Doug the Dog's house for walnuts and comical cartoon chicanery.
Pinky and the Brain
Animaniacs (2020)
- " 'Move to Pensacola!' They said. 'It'll be quiet in Pensacola!' They say..."
- — Slappy lamenting her lack of rest and relaxation during retirement.
Slappy makes sporadic appearances throughout the 2020 Animaniacs reboot series, having apparently settled into retirement in Pensacola, Florida. ("Slappy's Return")
Slappy was briefly one of Dr. Walter Grubb's trophies. When the Warners expose him as being Chicken Boo in disguise, she is freed and joins the rest of the Animaniacs cast in attacking the chicken. ("Good Warner Hunting")
The old squirrel later appears on a comic book Wakko owns ("Please Submit"), and eventually visits the Water Tower dragging Boo with her ("WARnerGAMES"). A little while later, Slappy returns to her Florida home, where overly-excited fans bug her for a comeback. On one particular night, she is disturbed from her rest by the fans, causing her to go outside and chastise them. When she attempts to shoo them away and return their fan-mail, she is instead subjected to even more praise from them. Tired and annoyed, Slappy retreats inside her retirement home as the cheering continues. ("Slappy's Return")
Humor
Slappy easily outsmarts whatever foes she faces (who are almost universally dimwitted as well as decrepit) and exacts revenge with exaggerated cartoon violence, usually while reminiscing about her "classic" (but fictional) film appearances of her youth. She often will remark how her enemies remind her of various famous cartoon characters when they were very young. Her catchphrase "Now that’s comedy!" is usually delivered after visiting physical injury and humiliation upon her opponents. She also occasionally says, "You remind me of a very young (insert name)," to everyone from the Warner siblings to her enemies. Slappy often pokes fun at her own age and ailing health.
"You Remind Me of..."
One of Slappy's recurring bits is comparing someone to a famous cartoon character she worked with earlier in her career.
- to Doug the Dog: "...a very young Scooby-Doo." (Slappy Goes Walnuts)
- to Luke Perry: "...a very mature Jonny Quest." (Taming of the Screwy)
- to Beanie the Brain-Dead Bison: "...a very young Betty Boop." (Hooray for Slappy)
- to a snake: "...a very young Scrappy-Doo." (Guardin' the Garden)
- to The WB Kids: "...a very young Yippee, Yappee, and Yahooey." (The Three Muska-Warners)
- to the doctor: "...a very young Dr. Pepper, before the nose job." (One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock)
- to orderly: "... a very young Peter Potamus." (One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock)
Appearances
Animaniacs (Original Series)
- Theme song (nonspeaking)
- Episode 1 - The Monkey Song (nonspeaking) & Nighty-Night Toon
- Slappy Squirrel Theme Song
- Episode 3 - Slappy Goes Walnuts
- Episode 5 - Taming Of The Screwy (Cameo)
- Episode 8 - Bumbie's Mom
- Episode 13 - Little Old Slappy From Pasadena
- Episode 16 - Hurray for Slappy
- Episode 22 - Guardin' the Garden
- Episode 25 - Hercule Yakko
- Episode 27 - I Got Yer Can
- Episode 35 - Baghdad Cafe
- Episode 36 - Critical Condition & The Three Muska-Warners (Cameo)
- Episode 38 - Spellbound (Cameo)
- Episode 40 - The Slapper
- Episode 41 - Buttermilk, It Makes a Body Bitter & Broadcast Nuissance (Cameo that wasn't shown in the censored version)
- Episode 45 - ...And Justice for Slappy
- Episode 46 - Turkey Jerky (Silent Cameo)
- Episode 49 - A Christmas Plotz (Cameo, as the Jacob Marley character)
- Episode 50 - Twas the Day Before Christmas
- Episode 51 - Frontier Slappy
- Episode 58 - Oh Oh Ethel (pre-theme sketch) & Smell Ya Later
- Episode 59 - Woodstock Slappy
- Episode 62 - Scare Happy Slappy & MacBeth (Cameo)
- Episode 64 - No Face Like Home
- Episode 65 - The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special
- Episode 70 - Nutcracker Slappy and A Quake, a Quake!
- Episode 71 - Three Tenors and You're Out
- Episode 72 - Rest in Pieces
- Episode 73 - Gimme a Break
- Episode 74 - Method to Her Madness
- Episode 78 - The Sound Of Warners (Cameo)
- Episode 79 - My Mother the Squirrel
- Episode 81 - Soccer Coach Slappy
- Episode 82 - The Big Wrap Party Tonight
- Episode 83 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock
- Episode 84 - Cutie and the Beast
- Episode 85 - Jokahontas (Cameo)
- Episode 90- Ralph’s Wedding (Cameo)
- Episode 92 - Dot the Macadamia Nut (Cameo) and Bully for Skippy
- Episode 95 - Hooray for North Hollywood (Part 1) (Cameo)
- Episode 97 - The Sunshine Squirrels
- Episode 98 - The Christmas Tree
- Episode 99 - The Scoring Session
Pinky and the Brain
- Episode 65- Star Warners
Movies
Animaniacs (Reboot)
- Episode 5 - "Good Warner Hunting" (nonspeaking)
- Episode 15- "Please Submit" (silent cameo on comic cover)
- Episode 34 - "WARnerGAMES 2" (nonspeaking)
- Episode 36 - "Slappy's Return"
Trivia
General
- Slappy was created as a joke by writer and voice actress Sherri Stoner. Stoner had a history of playing troubled teenagers in TV movies during her early career. Friend and writer John McCann joked that she would be playing troubled teenagers until she was 50. This caused Stoner to invent Slappy's vocals, thus getting approval from the production crew and being part of the cast.
- In several episodes, there are shots and sequences of fictitious Looney Tunes cartoons portraying a younger Slappy, under the pseudonym Slappy the Slap-Happy Squirrel, a reference to the MGM cartoon character Screwy Squirrel.
- Despite the fact Slappy and her collective of cartoon nemeses have aged into their gerryatric years, other Looney Tunes stars that appear in the show such as Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig are still depicted as youthful as they were 50 years ago. This was never addressed in the show.
Gallery
Model Sheets and Promotional Artwork
Screenshots
