Babbit and Catstello
| Babbit and Catstello | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes character | |
| First appearance | A Tale of Two Kitties (November 21, 1942) |
| Created by | Bob Clampett |
| Voiced by |
Babbit: Tedd Pierce (1942, 1945, 1946), Corey Burton (1998) Castello: Mel Blanc (1942, 1945, 1946), Joe Alaskey (1998) |
| Information | |
| Species | Cats (first cartoon) Mice (second and fourth cartoon) Dogs (third cartoon) |
Babbit and Catstello are fictional characters, based on the comedic duo Abbott and Costello, that appeared in certain Warner Bros. animated cartoons.
Although the short, fat character calls the other one "Babbit", the tall, skinny one (whose build is similar to that of Sylvester the Cat) never addresses his partner by name; the name "Catstello" was invented later. In their first three cartoons, the "Babbit" character was voiced by Tedd Pierce, and Mel Blanc performed "Catstello".
Originally, the pair were cats in pursuit of a small bird for their meal in the 1942 Bob Clampett-directed cartoon A Tale of Two Kitties, a cartoon notable for the first appearance of the bird character, who would eventually become Warner Bros. cartoon icon Tweety Bird. The hapless duo fail in every attempt to capture the bird, establishing the pattern that would be used time and again in future Tweety cartoons.
Three years later, Babbit and Catstello reappeared in the similarly-named A Tale of Two Mice, directed by Frank Tashlin. Though their characterizations were the same, the two were now mice, living in a hole in the wall of a typical cartoon kitchen.
Their goal in this cartoon was the cheese in the kitchen's refrigerator, the only obstacle being the resident housecat. Babbit attempts to coerce Catstello (often by beating him up) into going after the cheese solo, using various methods to get it (which involved Catstello getting hurt). However, in the end, it is Swiss cheese, which Babbit can't stand. Angrily, Catstello beats him up and begins force-feeding the cheese, uttering one of his archetype Lou Costello's famous lines: "Oh — I'm a baaaaad boy!" (At one point in A Tale of Two Kitties, he similarly remarks, "I'm a baaaaad pussycat!")
They make a cameo in 1946's Hollywood Canine Canteen as the pet dogs of the real life Abbott and Costello (Costello's dog even refers to Abbott's dog as "Babbit").
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