This is a list of characters in the Warner Bros. animated television series, Animaniacs.
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner are voiced by Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille respectively. Yakko (the oldest child) is a wise-cracking smart-aleck and usually acts as the leader of the trio; Wakko (the middle child) has a Liverpool accent, a huge appetite and a gag bag filled with tricks, and Dot (the youngest child) is cute and sassy.
Pinky and the Brain are an imbecilic white mouse and his genius companion, voiced by Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche. The Brain is clearly the leader, and attempts to take over the world; Pinky is eccentric and unintelligent, but loyal to the Brain. In 1995, they were spun off into a series.
Goodfeathers are an Italian American trio of pigeons: Squit (gray), Bobby (turquoise), and Pesto (lavender), who were voiced by Maurice LaMarche, John Mariano and Chick Vennera, influenced by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci's characters in Goodfellas.
Rita and Runt are a singing cat (voiced by Bernadette Peters, with vocal effects by Frank Welker) and a loyal dog (voiced by Welker) who thinks Rita is also a dog. Like "Minerva Mink", these segments were discontinued (in part, because of Bernadette Peters' salary). Welker remained a series regular, voicing other characters, and Rita and Runt returned toward the series' end.
Buttons is a Rough Collie who takes care of Mindy and is voiced by Frank Welker. Mindy, voiced by Nancy Cartwright, is a young girl who is constantly getting into trouble. Buttons knocks himself out rescuing Mindy, only to be blamed and punished for Mindy's misbehaivor.There is no consistency or continuity: in one episode, the family and Buttons are costumed superheroes. In another they are mer-people (fish-tail instead of legs)and one episode was set in a prehistoric age.