Spike and Tyke (characters)

Spike (occasionally referred to as Butch or Killer) and Tyke e fictional characters from the Tom and Jerry series, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Spike is a stern but occasionally dumb British bulldog who is particularly disapproving of cats, but a softie when it comes to mice, and later, his son Tyke. In the shorts Jerry would often try to get Tom in trouble with Spike making him a shoo-in for a beating from the bulldog. Spike has a few weaknesses that Tom tries to capitalize upon: his possessiveness about his bone and his ticklishness. He made his first appearance in the 1942 Tom and Jerry cartoon Dog Trouble, and his first speaking role was in 1944's The Bodyguard, where he was voiced by Billy Bletcher up until 1949, from which point he was voiced by Daws Butler. Tyke is known as a cute, sweet, happy and a loveable pup. He is Spike's son and they make the perfect father and son, with Spike spending much of his free time comforting his son, taking him out or teaching him the facts of life of being a dog. In Tom and Jerry Kids, Tyke has a speaking role and was the first time that Tom and Jerry fans were able to hear Tyke speak. They both appear in shows and movies with a red and yellow spiked collar and grey fur with a light pink chest.

The dog
In his very first appearance, Dog Trouble, Spike is the main antagonist, chasing and attacking both Tom and Jerry on sight, even trying to eat Jerry, which forced the two to work together to defeat him. In all subsequent shorts, Spike becomes typecast as the stereotypical dumb brute who is always duped into becoming a shield for Jerry from Tom. It is only in two episodes where Jerry gets Spike out of a jam and the dog willingly protects him from Tom in well-earned gratitude. On most occasions, Jerry causes trouble for Tom by luring him near Spike and harming him to get him angry, and in some cartoons when its perfectly obvious that Tom is not responsible, as seen in The Invisible Mouse, Spike still blames Tom and hurts him instead of Jerry.

Spike, however, is not without a softer and sympathetic side: in the episode Pet Peeve, after believing that Tom is willing to leave the house in Spike's favour, Spike feels sorry for him to the point that he offers to leave instead, which Spike does until he realises that Tom is only using reverse psychology to trick him into leaving. In The Truce Hurts, Spike is portrayed as a very intelligent and equilibrated character when he convinces Tom and Jerry to stop the fighting among the three of them and sign a Peace Treaty, but their newfound friendship comes to an end when they argue over how to share a big steak, symbolised when Spike tears the truce contract to shreds and they go back to fighting again. From the 1942 cartoon Dog Trouble to 1948 cartoon Heavenly Puss he was voiced by Billy Bletcher. His name also varies in some shorts: in Solid Serenade he is named "Killer", and in The Truce Hurts he signs "Butch" on the treaty paper.

Enter the son
In Tom's later attempts to catch Jerry, he has to deal with Spike for bothering his son. In 1949's Love That Pup, Spike was given a puppy son, Tyke, who became another popular supporting character in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. His voice was taken over by Daws Butler, who styled Spike's voice after Jimmy Durante taking after his 1940s radio series with Garry Moore. He is named Spike from then on and is not changed again. When Tyke is introduced, Spike is given a softer approach (mainly towards his son) and is kinder and less aggressive, but is still portrayed as a dumb animal on more than one occasion. Spike's love and affection towards Tyke becomes Jerry's newest weapon against Tom, as his strategy goes from luring Tom towards Spike to inflicting harm on Tyke, and even when it is perfectly obvious that Jerry is responsible for harming Tyke and not Tom, as seen in Love That Pup. Spike fails to see this and still blames Tom and hurts him, not Jerry.

A short-lived Spike and Tyke cartoon series was produced by MGM in 1957; only two entries were completed. Within a year, the MGM cartoon studio had shut down, and Hanna and Barbera took Spike and Tyke and retooled them to create one the first television successes for Hanna-Barbera Productions, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. Spike and Tyke would not appear in new Tom and Jerry cartoons, until the 1970s The Tom and Jerry Show, the 1980s The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, and 1990s Tom & Jerry Kids (In which Tom and Jerry themselves were made younger, but Spike and Tyke remained the same age, and appeared both with Tom and Jerry, and in new episodes of their own). He had also made a cameo in the 1967 MGM Animation/Visual Arts production Matinee Mouse, which reused footage from Love that Pup and The Truce Hurts, and added some new animation in the final punchline. Spike would continue to appear in Tom and Jerry full length features released in the early 2000s and finally, Tom and Jerry Tales.

Spike and Droopy
Spike is not to be confused with another character of the same name who appeared in Tex Avery and Michael Lah's Droopy cartoons, and four solo shorts, for MGM. However, the two characters were essentially combined into one in the Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, where the Tom & Jerry version of Spike would also appear in the new Droopy cartoons, filling the role of the other Spike as an antagonist of Droopy. They were not separated as distinct characters again, until the feature Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring.

Tom and Jerry

 * Dog Trouble  (1942)
 * The Bodyguard  (1944)
 * Puttin' on the Dog  (1944)
 * Quiet Please! (1945)
 * Solid Serenade  (1946)
 * Cat Fishin'  (1947)
 * The Invisible Mouse  (1947)
 * The Truce Hurts  (1948)
 * Heavenly Puss  (1949)
 * Love That Pup (1949)
 * The Framed Cat  (1950)
 * Slicked-up Pup (1951)
 * Cat Napping (1951)
 * Fit to Be Tied (1952)
 * The Dog House (1952)
 * That's My Pup! (1953)
 * Two Little Indians  (1953)
 * Life with Tom  (cameo appearance) (1953)
 * Hic-cup Pup  (1954)
 * Pet Peeve (1954)
 * Pup on a Picnic (1955)
 * Smarty Cat (1955)
 * Barbecue Brawl (1956)
 * Tops with Pops (remake of 'Love That Pup') (1957)
 * Tom's Photo Finish (1957)
 * Tot Watchers (cameo appearance) (1958)
 * Matinee Mouse (cameo appearance) (1966)
 * The Mansion Cat (cameo appearance)(2001)
 * The Karate Guard (2005)

Spike and Tyke

 * Give and Tyke (1957)
 * Scat Cats (1957)

The Tom and Jerry (1975)

 * The Ski Bunny
 * No Bones About It
 * Beach Bully
 * Cosmic Cat and Meteor Mouse
 * The Kitten Sitters
 * Planet Pest
 * Watch Out, Watch Dog
 * Planet of the Dogs
 * Triple Trouble
 * Cruise Kitty

The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show

 * Spike's Birthday
 * School for Cats

Tom & Jerry Kids

 * Dog Daze Afternoon (Cameo)
 * Super Duper Splke
 * Hoodwinked Cat
 * Crash Condor
 * Scrub-A Dub Tom (cameo in The Dog show)
 * The Little Ufturs (Tyke Only In Yellow spots)
 * Circus Antics as Elephants

Tom and Jerry Tales

 * Feeding Time
 * Joy Riding Jokers
 * Way Off Broadway
 * Tomcat Jetpack
 * Doggone Hill Hog
 * Spaced Out Cat
 * Beach Bully Bingo
 * Destruction Junction
 * Jackhammered Cat
 * Beefcake Tom (cameo appearance)
 * Spook House Mouse (appeared as a ghost dog)
 * More Powers to You (appeared as a super villain)
 * Catch Me Though You Can't
 * Power Tom (appeared without his collar)
 * Zent Out of Shape (His face was on a Godzilla)
 * I Dream of Meanie (appeared as a genie dog)
 * The Cat Whisperer
 * Bend It Like Thomas
 * Game Set Match (only one with Tyke)
 * The Declaration of Independunce
 * 24 Karat Kat
 * DJ Jerry
 * Game of Mouse & Cat
 * Catfish Follies (appeared as a dogfish)

Direct-to-video and TV special

 * The Mansion Cat (cameo appearance)
 * Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring
 * Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars
 * Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry
 * Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers
 * Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes

Voice actors

 * Billy Bletcher (1944–1948)
 * Daws Butler (1949–1957)
 * John Stephenson: The Tom and Jerry Show (1975)
 * Lou Scheimer: The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show
 * Dick Gautier: Tom & Jerry Kids
 * Maurice LaMarche: Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring
 * Frank Welker: Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars
 * John Di Maggio: Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry
 * Don Brown: Tom and Jerry Tales
 * Phil LaMarr: Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes