Speedy Gonzales

Speedy Gonzales is no stranger to Looney Tunes fans. Known as the fastest mouse in all Mexico, anybody can get the idea that the character’s traits are his talent for running incredibly fast and his Mexican accent. Just to cover their bases, the creators of Speedy donned him up in classic Mexican attire complete with the yellow sombrero so there’s no mistaking his roots.

Robert McKimson made the first Speedy Gonzales. Unlike the lovable Mexican mouse you see today, the earlier version is skinnier and meaner. It leaned on being a rat than a mouse.

Since rat has a negative connotation, Friz Freleng, along with Hawley Pratt, made Speedy Gonzales picture perfect for his role as the hero mouse of Mexican mice. Freleng’s version was well-liked judging from the 1955 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

Like Jerry, Speedy Gonzales faced the wrath of a cat named Sylvester. And like Jerry, Speedy was able to hold his own much to the delight of his fellow mice. When Speedy is not busy escaping and outsmarting Sylvester, he is saving his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez who is the slowest mouse in all Mexico. Slowpoke’s misadventures made viewers doubt that the two are really related. Above all these, Speedy Gonzales is popular for his sort-of-war cries ” ¡Andale! ¡Andale!” which means, when translated to English, hurry up.