| Barnyard Dawg | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies character | |
 A still of scene of Barnyard Dawg as seen inWalky Talky Hawky (animated byRichard Bickenbach) | |
| First appearance | Walky Talky Hawky (August 31, 1946; 79 years ago (1946-08-31)) |
| Created by | Robert McKimson |
| Voiced by | Mel Blanc (1946–1989) Robert C. Bruce (1947)[1] Paul Heitsch (1990) Bob Bergen (1996)[2] Greg Burson (1998, 2003)[3] Jeff Bergman (2003, 2018)[4] Billy West (2003) Joe Alaskey (2008)[5] Ben Falcone (2011; singing voice) Eric Bauza (2018–present) Andrew Morgado (2022–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Barnyard Dawg Mandrake Fido[6] Wover George P. Mandrake |
| Species | Basset Hound |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
Barnyard Dawg is aLooney Tunes character. A feistyanthropomorphicbasset hound, he is thearchenemy ofFoghorn Leghorn.[7] He was created byRobert McKimson, who also created Foghorn, and was voiced byMel Blanc. Dawg also feuds with other notableLooney Tunes characters as well, such asHenery Hawk,Daffy Duck andSylvester. He appeared in 23 Golden Age–era Warner Bros. shorts.
Dawg's first appearance was inWalky Talky Hawky (1946), the sameHenery Hawk cartoon in which Foghorn himself debuted.[8] Although, in that cartoon, Dawg initiates hostilities with Foghorn by dropping awatermelon on his head (prompting Foghorn to grumble "Every day, it's the same thing!"), Dawg is usually seen sleeping in his doghouse at a cartoon's beginning, with Foghorn provoking him by slapping his hindquarters with awooden fencepost, setting the stage for Dawg to seek vengeance, often by manipulatingHenery Hawk.
Dawg, called "Mandrake", was cast as a pet ofPorky Pig in 1947'sOne Meat Brawl, where the pair pursue one-shot star Grover Groundhog, who gives the hunting dog a sob story ("Wife and 72 children!...No coal in the cellar...!") that has him weeping sympathetic tears, much to Porky's disgust.[9] Dawg/Mandrake uses this ploy himself in 1949'sDaffy Duck Hunt, where, still Porky's pet and hunting companion, he persuadesDaffy Duck to play along at being captured so he can avoid punishment from Porky, promising to free the duck later. However, once Daffy is tucked into Porky's freezer, Mandrake goes back on the bargain, although Daffy has little trouble outwitting both him and Porky. Although Dawg usually sports a gruffNew York City accent in the Foghorn Leghorn shorts, inDaffy Duck Hunt he speaks mostly with aSouthern accent (only one line, "I'll fix that dirty duck!", is rendered in his usual voice). Another character who resembles Dawg (known as Geo R. Dog) would also appear in the 1951Goofy Gophers cartoonA Bone for a Bone.
In 1958'sDon't Axe Me,[10] Dawg, now the pet of Mr. and Mrs.Elmer Fudd and renamed Rover (pronounced "Wover" by Fudd), again matches wits with Daffy after convincing Mrs. Fudd to designate theduck as Sunday dinner; surprisingly, Daffy is the loser in this cartoon, although he escapes doom when a guest requests a vegetarian meal instead. In 1958'sGopher Broke, Dawg is the subject of "psychological wearing down" by theGoofy Gophers, Mac and Tosh, who are trying to get their vegetables back. After the gophers initiate phase no. 4 of their plan, which leaves Dawg on top of a telephone pole, he flips out and flies off (literally) after a crow, causing a deadpan pig, who's been witnessing the aftermath of the gophers' abuse against Dawg, to also flip out. While the pig has gone to see an animal psychiatrist, the doctor sees Dawg fly by his window and also flips out enough to join the pig on the couch.
Henery mistakes Dawg for a chicken in 1948'sThe Foghorn Leghorn, because his father told him that chickens are great big monsters with real huge teeth who live in caves; he ignores Foghorn after confusing an insult toward the rooster of being "a loud-mouthed schnook" as some kind of literal species. Henery notices Dawg's mouth and presumes Dawg's doghouse is a kind of cave. Henery repeats the mistake inThe Leghorn Blows at Midnight.
Although Dawg is normally portrayed as thestraight man for Foghorn's pranks, in 1962'sMother Was a Rooster, he is portrayed in a very negative light, as he not only steals an ostrich egg (he justifies this by explaining that it's been kind of dull round the farm lately, giving reference to his four-year peace between him and Foghorn betweenWeasel While You Work andMother Was a Rooster), he mocks the hatched ostrich, which Foghorn has adopted, and cheats in a boxing match with the rooster.
Dawg also appeared in 1996'sSpace Jam as a member of the Tune Squad, and in 2003'sLooney Tunes: Back in Actionplaying cards with other dogs including Ham and Ex, Spike and Chester, the Russian Dog from 1944'sHare Ribbin' andCharlie Dog inYosemite Sam's casino. InBaby Looney Tunes, Dawg appears as a puppy who chases the cool roosters, until Foghorn Leghorn shows the cool roosters how to deal with dogs (through a game of fetch), and instead of joining them, just befriends Dawg.
Barnyard Dawg appeared inThe Looney Tunes Show episode "Fish and Visitor's" Merrie Melodie's segment, "Chickenhawk" singing voice by Ben Falcone. He had a brief cameo at the end of the segment where it was shown that he sang the song the whole time. He later appeared in "Reunion's" Merrie Melodie's segment, "Cock of the Walk". In "Father Figures", Barnyard Dawg made a cameo as the umpire in the Father/Son Tennis Tournament final between Bugs and Walter Bunny against Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn.
Barnyard Dawg also appeared inLooney Tunes Cartoons in variousFoghorn Leghorn segments. He also appears in the pre-school seriesBugs Bunny Builders. In that show, his full name is officially mentioned: George P. Mandrake.
All cartoons are directed byRobert McKimson unless noted. MM =Merrie Melodies, LT =Looney Tunes
Barnyard Dawg was originally voiced byMel Blanc from the character's debut until the final cartoon Foghorn Leghorn starred into the Golden Age. After Blanc's death in 1989, the character has been voiced by 9 other actors: Paul Heitsch,Bob Bergen,Greg Burson,Jeff Bergman,Billy West,Joe Alaskey,Ben Falcone,Eric Bauza and Andrew Morgado.
