T.U.F.F. Puppy Explained
| Genre: | Comedy
Superhero
Action
Science fantasy
Slapstick
Surreal humor
Adventure
Spy-fi |
| Creator: | Butch Hartman |
| Voices: | |
| Composer: | Guy Moon |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 60 (115 segments) |
| List Episodes: | List of T.U.F.F. Puppy episodes |
| Executive Producer: | Butch Hartman |
| Producer: | - Deirdre Brenner
- Dave Thomas (S1-2)
- Ray DeLaurentis (S2-3)
- Randy Saba (S2-3)
|
| Runtime: | 11 minutes (regular)
23 minutes (specials) |
| Company: | |
| Network: | |
T.U.F.F. Puppy is an American animated action children's television series created by Butch Hartman. It premiered on October 2, 2010, along with Planet Sheen, which premiered a half hour earlier. T.U.F.F. Puppy is Hartman's third animated show for Nickelodeon, after The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom and also before Bunsen Is a Beast. The show was cancelled after 3 seasons and aired its final episode on April 4, 2015. As of January 1, 2024, it has been removed from Paramount+.
Plot
The show is about a dog named Dudley Puppy, who works as a spy for T.U.F.F. HQ.[1] His partner is Kitty Katswell, a cat.[2] Other helpers are The Chief and Keswick. This takes place in the fictional city of Petropolis (distinct from the Brazilian city of Petrópolis, which is named after Pedro II of Brazil), which is populated by anthropomorphic animals. As a member of T.U.F.F. HQ, Dudley helps Kitty protect Petropolis from villains, such as Verminious Snaptrap, The Chameleon, Bird Brain, Larry, Ollie, Francisco, Zippy, Owl, Bad Dog, and Skunk.
Episodes
See main article: List of T.U.F.F. Puppy episodes.
Characters
Main
T.U.F.F.
The Turbo Undercover Fighting Force (T.U.F.F.) headquarters (HQ) is an organization that protects Petropolis from crime.
- Dudley Puppy (voiced by Jerry Trainor, and Jack DeSena in Nicktoons MLB) is a white dog with a black t-shirt who's the heart of T.U.F.F. HQ.
- Kitty Katswell (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a cat who's one of T.U.F.F. HQ's agents and Dudley's partner and love interest. Her hair is black with a white headband.
- The Chief (voiced by Daran Norris) is a tough and strict but good-natured flea who's the leader of T.U.F.F. HQ.
- Keswick (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a prairie dog who's the inventor. He's smart.
Also in T.U.F.F. are various personnel that appear as background characters whether as agents, office workers, and/or scientists. Some of the minor members of T.U.F.F. that have been identified or mentioned include:
- Agent Groundhog (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a T.U.F.F. Agent who first made a cameo in "Hot Dog". He resides under an office printer and is the one who tells about the end of winter.
- Agent Jumbo (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is an elephant T.U.F.F. Agent who has a fear of mice which would result in her jumping up when she sees them and accidentally crushing anyone.
- Agent Moby (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a big whale T.U.F.F. Agent who might appear in the special episode "A Doomed Christmas". Like Agent Jumbo, Agent Moby also has a tendency to accidentally crush The Chief.
- Agent Nutz (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a squirrel T.U.F.F. Agent who would always freak out about something completely random and blast it with his laser.
- Tammy (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a rabbit that works as a secretary at T.U.F.F. HQ.
Main villains
- Verminious Snaptrap (voiced by Maddie Taylor) is an evil rat who is leader of the Diabolical Order of Mayhem.
- The Chameleon (voiced by Daran Norris) is an evil green chameleon who might wear a molecular transformation suit which.
- Bird Brain (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is an evil blue-bottomed booby bird genius who can't fly naturally.
Snaptrap's Henchmen or D.O.O.M.
- Larry (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a shrew and Snaptrap's brother-in-law.
- Ollie (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a sensible and smart British possum who is one of Snaptrap's main henchmen.
- Francisco (voiced by Daran Norris) is a green alligator with red and yellow eyes who is another one of Snaptrap's main henchmen.
- Bad Dog (voiced by Daran Norris) is a pit bull who is one of Snaptrap's henchmen. He stops appearing after the first season.
- Leather Teddy (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a leather clad blue bear and one of Snaptrap's henchmen. He wears an eyepatch. He stops appearing after the first season.
- The Mole (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a literal mole who is a spy for Snaptrap. He stops appearing after the first season.
Bird Brain's Henchmen
- Zippy (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is Bird Brain's scatterbrained hummingbird sidekick/partner.
- Owl (voiced by Jeff Bennett).
- Bat (voiced by Daran Norris impersonating Bela Lugosi).
- Duck (voiced by Jeff Bennett).
- Ewe (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a female sheep.
Recurring and one-off characters
Other villains
- R.I.T.A. (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a super-intelligent toaster created by Keswick.
- Snowflake and Slush (voiced by Mary Birdsong and Dave Boat respectively) are evil rabbit siblings.
- Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe (voiced by Jerry Trainor and Grey DeLisle respectively) are two villains who resemble Dudley Puppy and Kitty Katswell with eyepatches and goatees.
- Crazy Horse (voiced by Daran Norris) is a horse who uses chainsaws.
- Jack Rabbit (voiced by Daran Norris) is Kitty's former T.U.F.F. partner.
- The Caped Cod (voiced by Chris Parnell and later by Mick Wingert) is a crazy cod who thinks he is the ruler of the seven seas.
- The Stink Bug (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is Petropolis' worst smelling villain.
- Lunch Lady Bug (voiced by Candi Milo) is a ladybug who worked as a lunch lady at Petropolis High School and makes disgusting food that only Dudley likes.
- Quacky the Duck (voiced by Matt Taylor) was originally a kid show host seen in "Kid Stuff".
- The Sharing Moose (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a moose that is the buff and violent best friend of Quacky the Duck.
- Katty Katswell (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is Kitty's evil twin sister.
F.L.O.P.P. – Short for Fiendish League of Potential Perpetrators, F.L.O.P.P. is a criminal organization that would often do minor criminal activities.
- Meerkat (voiced by Daran Norris) is a meerkat with a black cowboy hat who is the eccentric leader of F.L.O.P.P.
- Wanna-Bee (voiced by Jerry Trainor) is a bee who is a member of F.L.O.P.P.
- Escape Goat (voiced by Matt Taylor) is an escape artist goat who is a member of F.L.O.P.P.
Citizens of Petropolis
- Peg Puppy (voiced by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph) is Dudley's overprotective mother.
- Mrs. Katswell (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is Kitty and Katty's mother.
- Wolf Spitzer (voiced by Daran Norris) is a gray wolf who is Petropolis local news reporter for KPET News.
- Eric (voiced by Daran Norris) is a buff cat who delivers the water to T.U.F.F.
- Bob Barky (voiced by Daran Norris) is a dog game show host who hosts various game shows in Petropolis..
- Phil (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a bulldog who is Dudley's friend.
- Mr. Wong (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a duck who is the owner of "Wong's Chinese Buffet".
Production
Butch Hartman said that he created the central character and wanted to make a crime-fighting show based on him. Because his previous animated series Danny Phantom already involved superheroes, Hartman decided that he would focus on making Dudley a secret agent. He pitched the series to Nickelodeon as "Get Smart with a dog."
Eric Bauza, (who voices Foop in The Fairly OddParents and Leather Teddy in T.U.F.F. Puppy), was originally chosen to be the voice of Dudley Puppy, but the creators didn't feel that he was right for the character and Jerry Trainor was chosen instead.[3]
The original title of the show was Stud Puppy.[4]
Home media
| +T.U.F.F. Puppy home video releases | Season | Episodes | Years active | Release dates |
|---|
|
|---|
| 1 | 26 | 2010–12 | iCarly Season 2, Volume 3: April 5, 2011
Episodes: "Purr-fect Partners" / "Doom-mates"
SpongeBob SquarePants: Heroes of Bikini Bottom: June 14, 2011
Episodes: "Mall Rat" / "Operation: Happy Birthday"
SpongeBob SquarePants: Frozen Face-Off: January 10, 2012
Episodes: "Snappy Campers" / "Lucky Duck"
It's a Nicktoons Christmas!: October 30, 2012
Episodes: "A Doomed Christmas"
Note: This disc was exclusively included with copies of the It's a SpongeBob Christmas! DVD sold at Target.
The Complete First Season: June 23, 2014[5]
Episodes: Entire season included
|
|---|
| 2 | 26 | 2012–14 | The Complete Second Season: January 8, 2015[6]
Episodes: Entire season included | |
|---|
Note: The episode "A Doomed Christmas" along with Christmas episodes of
The Fairly OddParents and
Fanboy & Chum Chum were supposed to be on the
It's a SpongeBob Christmas! DVD, but they were dropped from the actual release.
[7] However, the Target exclusive of
It's A SpongeBob Christmas! included the Christmas episodes of those shows on a bonus disc. It's currently unknown if Nickelodeon will ever announce a Season 3 DVD release.
Reception
Critical
Following the show's premiere, the series received mixed to positive reviews.
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series 2 out of 5 stars; criticizing the “iffy messages” the show sends to kids and the frequent use of name calling, but adding, “Kitty's attractive appearance and overly emotional response to Dudley's successes are memorable.”[8]
Ratings
The series premiere of T.U.F.F. Puppy drew 3.6 million viewers.[9]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | |
|---|
| 2011 | 38th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production | Fred Gonzales | | [10] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Character Design in a Television Production | Ernie Gilbert | |
| Gordon Hammond | |
| 38th Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Kaz Aizawa | | [11] |
| 2012 | 39th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Character Design in a Television Production | Gordon Hammond and Mike Dougherty | | [12] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Directing in a Television Production | Ken Bruce | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Storyboarding in a Television Production | Dave Thomas and Fred Gonzales | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Writing in a Television Production | Ray DeLaurentis, William Schifrin, and Kevin Sullivan for episode "Thunder Dog" | |
| 39th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Ernie Gilbert | | [13] |
| Outstanding Music Direction and Composition | Guy Moon | |
| 2013 | 40th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production | Gordon Hammond for episode "Dudley Do-Wrong" | | [14] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production | Guy Moon for episode "Mission: Really Big Mission" | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production | Jeff Bennett as "Keswick" for episode "Pup Daddy" | |
| 40th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | Jerry Trainor as "Dudley Puppy" | | [15] | |
Notes and References
- Web site: iCarly's Jerry Trainor Stars in Nicktoons T.U.F.F. Puppy 2010. Animation World Network. 18 September 2010.
- Web site: Fall TV preview: Kid-oriented shows There are many new children's series to choose from on Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS and Cartoon Network.. Reiter. Amy. 16 September 2010. Los Angeles Times. 18 September 2010.
- Web site: Interview with Butch Hartman. 29 September 2010. Toon Zone. 29 September 2010. 2 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190502051457/https://animesuperhero.com/toonzone-news-interviews-butch-hartman-on-t-u-f-f-puppy/. dead.
- 926883234008276992. realhartman. Butch Hartman. Butch Hartman. The original title of TUFF PUPPY was.... 4 November 2017.
- Web site: T.U.F.F. Puppy: The Complete First Season . Amazon. 23 June 2014 .
- Web site: T.U.F.F. Puppy: The Complete Second Season . Amazon. 8 January 2015 .
- Web site: Lambert. David. SpongeBob SquarePants - 'It's a SpongeBob Christmas! this Fall, on DVD...AND on Blu-ray Disc!!. TV Shows on DVD. April 29, 2013. August 6, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130104200415/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/SpongeBob-SquarePants-Its-A-SpongeBob-Christmas/17337. January 4, 2013.
- Web site: T.U.F.F. Puppy review . 2 October 2010 . Ashby, Emily . Common Sense Media.
- Web site: "Fairly Odd Parents" creator comes home for Macomb Community College speaker series. Gervais. Lisa. October 21, 2010. Macomb Daily. December 8, 2010.
- Web site: 38th Annual Annie Awards Legacy Past Nominees & Winners . annieawards.org . October 18, 2020.
- Web site: THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE 38TH ANNUAL DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT EMMY® AWARD NOMINATIONS, WAYNE BRADY TO HOST THE LIVE TELECAST . Emmy Online . October 18, 2020 . August 16, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170816193911/http://emmyonline.com/day_38th_nominations . dead .
- Web site: 39th Annual Annie Awards Legacy Past Nominees & Winners . annieawards.org . October 18, 2020.
- Web site: THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE 39TH ANNUAL DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT EMMY® AWARD NOMINATIONS . Emmy Online . October 18, 2020 . July 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190724171634/http://emmyonline.com/day_39th_nominations . dead .
- Web site: 40th Annual Annie Awards Legacy Past Nominees & Winners . annieawards.org . October 18, 2020.
- Web site: 40TH ANNUAL DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT EMMY® AWARDS NOMINATIONS . Emmy Online . October 18, 2020.
