
What are the characteristics of Speedy Gonzales?
Speedy Gonzales is a speedy mouse character appearing in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Nicknamed "The Fastest Mouse In All Of Mexico," his major characteristics are the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent. He usually wears an oversized yellow sombrero,...
Is Speedy Gonzales from Looney Tunes Mexican?
Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico " with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast, speaking English with an exaggerated Mexican accent, and also speaking in Spanish.
What is the origin of the term'Speedy Gonzales'?
Cultural theorist William Nericcio states that the name may have been derived from one of the jokes about a Mexican man nicknamed "Speedy Gonzales" either because of his premature ejaculation or of his ability to quickly grab a chance for copulation, though the name of the character was not intended to be derogatory.
Was Speedy Gonzales created in racism?
He’s the “fastest mouse in all Mexico; a friend of everybody.” So yes, Speedy Gonzales was created in racism and stereotypes, but as Latinos have done with “representation” everywhere, we found and attached ourselves to the small pieces of us that we connected with.

Is Speedy Gonzales Mexican or Spanish?
Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros....Speedy GonzalesFamilySlowpoke Rodriguez (cousin)NationalityMexican8 more rows
What is Speedy Gonzales real name?
And besides being Mexican— my full name is Eugenio Derbez Gonzalez and I have big ears. The casting couldn't be better.” The animated feature is tentatively called "Speedy" for now. Here are 10 fun facts about Speedy Gonzales, "The Fastest Mouse In All Mexico...."
What language does Speedy Gonzales speak?
The mouse, who speaks with a Mexican accent, was banned by Cartoon Network in 1999 for depicting unfair and untrue stereotypes about Mexicans.
Why did they get rid of Speedy Gonzales?
In 1999, Speedy Gonzales was banned from the Cartoon Network after it decided the cartoon was too offensive and reinforced negative Mexican stereotypes like speaking in a heavy accent and wearing a sombrero. The network reinstated him three years later after fan outrage.
Who is Speedy Gonzales partner?
Slowpoke Rodríguez ("Lento Rodríguez" in Spanish, though some more recent translations call him "Tranquilino") is a fictional animated cartoon mouse, part of the Looney Tunes' cast.
Are Speedy Gonzales and Jerry related?
He can sometimes be seen with other mice such as his good friends, Pixie and Dixie and in A Looney Tunes Christmas, we find out that he is the cousin of Speedy Gonzales, along with Rayna Villarreal.
Who was the original voice of Speedy Gonzales?
Mel BlancLooney TunesFred ArmisenThe Looney Tunes ShowDino AndradeNew Looney TunesBob BergenBah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes ChristmasEric GoldbergLooney Tunes: Back In ActionSpeedy Gonzales/Voiced by
Why is Speedy Gonzales Mexican?
His name comes from a popular 1950s-era anti-Mexican sex joke. The non-Latino voice actor Mel Blanc voiced “the fastest mouse in all of Mexico” with a stereotypical accent and nonsense Spanglish.
Is Speedy Gonzales faster than the flash?
2 days agoYes, as impossible as it might seem, Flash once got into a foot race with Speedy Gonzales and the Road Runner – and learned they were potentially as fast as he is, if not faster.
What is the Mexican mouse's name?
Other cartoons pair the mouse with his cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez, The Slowest Mouse In All Of Mexico. Slowpoke regularly gets into all sorts of trouble that often require Speedy to save him, but as noted by one cat in "Mexicali Shmoes", he compensates for his slowness, "he pack a gun!"
What is Speedy Gonzales' last name?
The cartoon won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons). While Speedy's last name is given as "Gonzalez" in "Cat-Tails" (on a printed business card shown in the cartoon), it is spelled with an 's' from Speedy Gonzales onward. Today, the earlier spelling is occasionally used by accident.
Why is Speedy Gonzales not on the air?
In an interview with Fox News on 28 March 2002, Cartoon Network spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg commented, "It hasn't been on the air for years because of its ethnic stereotypes." This is widely believed to refer to Speedy's fellow mice, who are all shown as being slow and lazy, and sometimes even appear intoxicated. However, fan campaigns to put Speedy back on the air resulted in the return of the animated shorts to Cartoon Network in 2002, although the shorts are rarely shown.
What is the name of the speedy mouse in the Looney Tunes cartoon?
Speedy Gonzales is a speedy mouse character appearing in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Nicknamed "The Fastest Mouse in All of Mexico," his major characteristics are the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent. He usually wears an oversized yellow sombrero, white shirt and trousers (which is a common traditional outfit worn by men and boys of rural Mexican villages), and a red kerchief, similar to that of a reveler in the San Fermin festival. To date there have been 45 cartoons in the Golden Age made either starring or featuring this character.
What networks are under the Speedy Gonzales ban?
This "ban" only applies to Cartoon Network and Boomerang USA, as other U.S. networks such as MeTV, as well as international Cartoon Network and Boomerang feeds (especially in Latin America and Europe) and Tooncast have aired Speedy Gonzales shorts.
What is the name of the first Speedy cartoon?
Speedy debuted in the 1953 cartoon " Cat-Tails for Two ", directed by Robert McKimson. This early Speedy was a leaner, rattier-looking creation with a sizable gold front tooth, wore a red Polo shirt but with no pants or sombrero. The cartoon featured him outwitting a smart-and-stupid pair of cats, George and Benny (parodies of George and Lenny from the novel Of Mice & Men ), aboard a ship. Later on, this original version of Speedy is used as an unnamed background character a couple of times. Although he was created by McKimson, the majority of the cartoons with him were directed by Friz Freleng .
What episode does Peter create Speedy?
Lucky Goes Latin . In the Family Guy episode "Padre De Familia" Peter creates an American version of Speedy called "Rapid Dave" after deciding that immigrants shouldn't be allowed into America.
When did Speedy Gonzales stop being on the air?
Speedy and Sylvester. In 1999, Cartoon Network ceased to air any of Speedy Gonzales' cartoons. In an interview with Fox News on 28 March 2002, Cartoon Network spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg commented, "It hasn't been on the air for years because of its ethnic stereotypes.".
What is the speedy Gonzales?
Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast, speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent and also speaking Spanish. He usually wears a yellow sombrero, white shirt and trousers (which was a common traditional outfit worn by men and boys of rural Mexican villages), and a red kerchief, similar to that of some traditional Mexican attires. To date, there have been 46 cartoons made either starring or featuring this character.
Why is Speedy Gonzales called Speedy Gonzales?
Cultural theorist William Nericcio states that the name may have been derived from one of the jokes about a Mexican man nicknamed "Speedy Gonzales" either because of his premature ejaculation or of his ability to quickly grab a chance for copulation, though the name of the character was not intended to be derogatory.
What was Speedy Gonzales first appearance?
Speedy's first appearance was in 1953's Cat-Tails for Two though he appeared largely in name (and super speed) only. It would be two years before Friz Freleng and layout artist Hawley Prattredesigned the character into his modern incarnation for the 1955 Freleng short Speedy Gonzales. The cartoon features Sylvester the Cat guarding a cheese factory at the international border between United States and Mexico from starving Mexican mice. The mice call in the plucky, excessively energetic Speedy (voiced by Mel Blanc) to save them. Amid cries of "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! Yeehaw!" (Spanish for "Go on! Go on! Up! Up!", although "Ándale arriba" may have been intended as meaning "hurry up"), Sylvester soon gets his comeuppance. The cartoon won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons). in New Looney Tunes he appears to have reverted back to his personality from his earlier shorts in the episode Tweet Team. He also is involved with the Sylvester the Cat problem and says he's classic phrase too.
What is Speedy Gonzales?
Stereotypes die hard, as we know, and sometimes backfire, as it was and is the case of the beloved Speedy Gonzales, the cartoon character created to poke fun at Mexicans but who became a much-loved hero in the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Mexico and Spain.
Did Speedy Gonzales offend the Hispanic public?
Speedy Gonzales did not offend the Hispanic public, on the contrary, they found the mouse amusing, clever and a character that outsmarted the “local” cartoon personalities he was pitched against, like Sylvester the Cat (el gringo pussygato), Porky Pig, Wily Coyote and even Duffy Duck. How so?
What is Speedy's origin?
While Iglesias jokes, here’s where things get murky. Speedy’s original history stems from the 1950s, where he was literally created to represent an American stereotype of what is considered to be a “typical” Mexican.
Is Speedy Gonzales racist?
He’s the “fastest mouse in all Mexico; a friend of everybody.”. So yes, Speedy Gonzales was created in racism and stereotypes, but as Latinos have done with “representation” everywhere, we found and attached ourselves to the small pieces of us that we connected with.

History
- Speedy Gonzales is a speedy mouse character appearing in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Nicknamed "The Fastest Mouse in All of Mexico," his major characteristics are the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent. He usually wears an oversized yellow sombrero, white shirt and trousers, which is a c...
Concern About Stereotypes
Other Appearances
in Other Media
- Speedy's first appearance was in 1953's Cat-Tails for Two though he appeared largely in name (and super speed) only. It would be two years before Friz Freleng and layout artist Hawley Prattredesigned the character into his modern incarnation for the 1955 Freleng short Speedy Gonzales. The cartoon features Sylvester the Cat guarding a cheese factory...
Film Adaptation
- Feeling that the character presented an offensive Mexican stereotype, Cartoon Network shelved Speedy's films when it gained exclusive rights to broadcast them in 1999 (as a subsidiary of Time Warner, Cartoon Network is a corporate sibling to Warner Bros.). In an interview with Fox News on March 28, 2002, Cartoon Network spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg commented, "It hasn't been o…
Voice Actors
- Main article: List of Speedy Gonzales cartoons In 1983, he co-starred in Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island. In 1988, he made a cameo appearance in the ending scene of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He had one appearance in the Tiny Toons episode segment "The Acme Acres Summer Olympics", as the coach, and serving as the mentor of Lightning Rodriguez. In 1996, he …