Sylvester Cat

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Sylvester typically plays the antagonist but occasionally stars as a protagonist facing canine duo Spike and Chester. In Tree for Two (1952), he is cornered by Spike only to witness a zoo-escaped black panther maul the bulldog. In Dr. Jerkyl's Hide (1954), a potion transforms him into a feline monster, allowing him to pummel Spike (called 'Alfie'), though he still gets beaten by Chester later. His most developed role appears in Robert McKimson shorts as a mouse-catching instructor to his son, Sylvester Junior, whom he mistakenly believes is hunting a giant mouse but is actually the powerful baby kangaroo Hippety Hopper. These episodes alternate between confidence and bewilderment, often ending with Sylvester's nervous breakdowns. He also shares traits with Daffy Duck, including a sloppy lisp, long rants ending in 'Sakes,' and using the minced oath 'Sufferin' succotash!'

In Their Own Story

In Kitty Kornered (1946), a black-nosed, yellow-eyed Sylvester teams with three other cats to oust owner Porky Pig. In Doggone Cats (1947), he joins an orange cat to torment Wellington the Dog. Catch as Cats Can (1947) portrays him as simple-minded; persuaded by a green parrot caricaturing Bing Crosby, he attempts to eat a canary caricatured as Frank Sinatra. Back Alley Oproar (1948) sees Sylvester performing musical numbers and a lullaby ('go to sleep... go to sleep... close your big bloodshot eyes...') that briefly soothes a sleep-deprived Elmer Fudd. In The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950), he plays a Basil Rathbone-like villain opposite Daffy's Errol Flynn-esque hero. Canned Feud (1951) flips the script, with Sylvester fearing starvation as a mouse instigator threatens his food supply. Red Riding Hoodwinked (1955) pairs him with an absent-minded Big Bad Wolf competing for 'Grandma.' In A Taste of Catnip (1966), he joins enraged cats to beat up Daffy after the duck blows up a catnip factory.

Reader's Guide

Sylvester debuted in Friz Freleng's Life With Feathers (1945). His first pairing with Tweety occurred in Tweetie Pie (1947), while Kitty Kornered (1946) marked his first with Porky Pig. He also appeared in three Alfred P. Sloan Foundation cartoons with Elmer Fudd extolling the American economic system. Sylvester holds a grim record: he has been 'killed' more than any other Warner Bros. character, dying 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 (with Sam Cat), The Wild Chase (with Wile E. Coyote), Museum Scream, Looney Tunes Cartoons episodes 'Fully Vetted' and 'Boo! Appetweet,' and as the ghost Sylvester the Investor in Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas. In Tiny Toon Adventures, he mentors Furrball; in The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995–2000), he solves crimes with Granny until a dream makes him abandon eating Tweety. Baby Looney Tunes features a baby version voiced by Terry Klassen. In The Looney Tunes Show (2011–14), voiced by Jeff Bergman, he lives with Granny and Tweety; 'Point, Laser Point' reveals his attraction to a red dot on his mother's necklace and introduces his successful brother Alan. He appears in New Looney Tunes, Looney Tunes Cartoons, King Tweety (voiced by Eric Bauza), and Bugs Bunny Builders as a builder friend to Tweety.

Did You Know?

• Sylvester won Academy Awards for three cartoons: Tweetie Pie, Speedy Gonzales, and Birds Anonymous.
• He has appeared in exactly 103 golden age cartoons, trailing only Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Daffy Duck.
• In The Looney Tunes Show, his brother Alan is revealed to be more successful than Sylvester.
• Sylvester was the first character to say 'Sufferin' succotash!' before Daffy Duck adopted it on occasion.
• Mel Blanc's final time voicing Sylvester was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).