Babbit and Catstello are a duo that appeared in a few Looney Tunes shorts. The pair first appeared in "A Tale of Two Kitties". Their name is a parody of Abbott and Costello. Babbit and Catstello are not very bright, and they prefer to attack their prey straight on rather than think up useful plans. Babbit is the smarter of the two, while Catstello is dumber speaking with a more stupid voice. They notably are portrayed as different species throughout their appearances in the Golden Age, originally as cats, but later into dogs and mice.
History[]
Golden Age[]
The duo first appeared in "A Tale of Two Kitties", in which they unsuccessfully attempted to catch Tweety, but were outwitted by the bird.
Three years later, Babbit and Catstello reappeared in the similarly-named "Tale of Two Mice". Although 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 into going after the cheese solo, and eventually succeeds by using a book on hypnosis, convincing Catstello that he is strong, fearless, and capable of standing up to the cat. Every attempt ultimately fails, however, when the hypnosis wears off at a crucial moment, and Catstello has to make a mad dash back to the mousehole. Finally, Catstello is fed up with Babbit making him the fall guy, and turns the tables on both Babbit and the cat, hypnotizing them into believing they are, respectively, a cowboy and his trusty steed. Babbit utters a deliberately misworded variation on the Lone Ranger's classic catchphrase--"Hi yo, Sliver, awaaayy!"—before he and the cat gallop away.
The final scene shows Catstello eating cheese and reading a book on living alone, before turning to the audience and 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!")
The characters make a very brief cameo appearance in canine form in "Hollywood Canine Canteen". They play the pets of the real Abbott and Costello, Costello's dog, refers to Abbott's dog as 'Babbit'.
The duo made their final classic appearance in "The Mouse-Merized Cat". Here, Babbit attempted to hypnotize Catstello into different things. At the end Catstello hypnotizes them both into being a cowboy and horse, while attempting to enjoy the place that they live in.
Post-Golden Age[]
The pair have made sporadic appearances in modern Warner Bros. animated projects, such as The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries. They have appeared as playable characters in Looney Tunes World of Mayhem. In all current post-Golden Age appearances, they are portrayed as cats from their original appearance.
Appearances[]
Cartoons[]
"A Tale of Two Kitties" (1942) - "Tale of Two Mice" (1945)
- "Hollywood Canine Canteen" (1946)
- "The Mouse-Merized Cat" (1946)
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ (3 October 2022) Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 (in en). BearManor Media.