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"Faboo!"
— Wakko Warner

Wakko Warner is the middle child of the Warner siblings and one of the three protagonists (alongside Yakko and Dot Warner) of the television series Animaniacs and its reboot. He is an anthropomorphic toon of indeterminate species. In-universe, he and his siblings have had an infamous film and television career.

Out of his three siblings, Wakko is the one to use the most visual and physical comedy, such as slapstick and shapeshifting. He also uses the least wordplay, as he takes most everything literally. He is also the only one of his siblings to speak with a non-American accent, taking in a Liverpool dialect reminiscent of Ringo Starr.

Wakko is voiced by Jess Harnell.

Appearance

Wakko has primarily black fur, with a white face and paws and feet as well as a red nose. He wears white gloves, a red, backwards baseball cap with holes where his ears stick out and a sky-blue turtleneck sweater. He often doesn't wear pants, and implies that it's "in his contract" that he doesn't have to.[1] Wakko also consistently has his tongue sticking out of his mouth. In the 2020 revival, he has grown a small tuft of hair on the top of his head, a smaller version of his hair tuft that was briefly seen in "The Senses Song."

Species

The Warner siblings' species is never specified, much to the confusion of the other characters. When asked what they are, the Warners will never give a clear response, with their main answer simply being that they are the Warner brothers and the Warner sister; some other responses include "cute"[2] and "infested with fleas."[3]

They have explicitly specified that they are not: bats,[4][5] bees, bugs/insects, bunnies, cats, dinosaurs[2] dogs,[6] eels,[2] elephants,[4] horses,[2] monkeys,[7][4] penguins,[2] rabbits,[5] seals or skunks.[2] The siblings, mainly Wakko, do show traits of some of these animals, though; the siblings have been seen howling like wolves[8] or stretching like cats.[9] Wakko especially tends to show canine traits, such as barking, chasing frisbees,[10] or doing tricks for treats.[11]

The Warners seem to have some idea of what they are, though they also do not know entirely, as Dot questioned if their DNA test could reveal such information.[12] Wakko says that he is 5% salamander, before demonstrating an ability to remove and regrow his tail.[13] He also states that he and his siblings are infertile "like mules;"[14] the reference to mules implies that, like them, the Warners are some kind of hybrid. They also do not rule out the possibility of being related to humans.[12]

Series creator Tom Ruegger says that the Warners are simply toons, and that their species is cartoonus characterus.[15]

Description

The younger brother with an unlimited slapstick energy and an appetite for pranks-and anything else he can fit in his mouth.[16]

Personality

Wakko is very sweet-natured, loving, laughable, and positive. He is amused by most anything, and very few things are able to disappoint him. As such, he does the least intentional harm of the three Warner siblings, but that doesn't mean he doesn't often join in on their destructive antics. In fact, Wakko is described in the pitch bible as "the cartoon equivalent of an atom bomb[...] the most destructive character in the history of cartoondom," due to the chaotic nature of his actions.[17] In "Be Like Me," Wakko describes himself by saying he eats everything he sees, and will constantly stand up for his friends and fight back against bullies.

Wakko-0

Wakko's signature.

Despite his good nature, Wakko uses aggression more often than his siblings, both as a reflex and conscious choice. He carries the "gaggy bag," from which he can pull any object he can think of and takes everywhere (except the elevator, apparently). His most notable trait is his insatiable appetite; he will eat anything and everything he can get his hands on, including but not limited to: rocks, tables, an entire milkshake (including the glass), electronic devices, and decades-old sandwiches. [However, according to "The Three Muska-Warners," he dislikes mayonnaise.] His hunger, though mainly used for comedic purposes, is explained briefly in "The Kid in the Lid" as him being hypoglycemic, which means he often has low blood sugar.

Due to his chaotic zaniness, Wakko has multiple odd quirks. He is very musical, able to play the harmonica, piano and fiddle; he also performs classical music by burping as The Great Wakkorotti. He has an iconic "gookie face," and has been known to pull off parts of his body temporarily, such as using his tail as a golf club. As seen in "Go Fish", when he gets bored, he’ll play war with himself, to destructive consequences. He tends to mirror the actions of those around him, such as copying Yakko's excited motions at the beginning of "Draculee, Dracula" and parroting everything Scratchansniff does in the elevator in "Ups and Downs." He tends to be very active as well, often spinning or bouncing in the background, and he seems to tug on his ears when he gets stressed or disappointed. His favorite actor is Don Knotts, and he talks about him often.

Wakko is also the sibling to utilize "toilet humor" the most, with a famous example being his escapade attempting to find somewhere to "potty" in "Potty Emergency." His Great Wakkorotti sketches utilize burping (and on one occasion hand "farts") and indeed he often emits loud burps, especially after ingesting coke. In the Reboot, he also sometimes utilizes gross-out humor, such as growing back a ripped-off tail bit by bit.

In the original series, Wakko shows a large interest in girls, with him and Yakko calling "Hello, nurse!" to women they find attractive, and often jumping into their arms or onto their laps. Wakko will kiss them too at times, though he is also shown to kiss everyone he greets, regardless of gender. He also has a great respect for his crush Hello Nurse, and sings an entire song about how her brain is as impressive as her beauty. His more flirtatious traits are toned down in the reboot.

Wakko takes everything he hears literally; it takes Dr. Scratchansniff multiple attempts to get Wakko to talk about his emotions, as the questions "what's on your mind" and "what are you feeling" prompt him to name objects on his head and under his fingertips, and upon being told to "expand on that," he simply inflates himself. He also seems unable to pick up on social cues without his siblings, remaining oblivious to people feeling upset due to his actions; as examples, he is unable to process Plotz's frustration with him in "Temporary Insanity", and spends all of "Ups and Downs" completely unaware of Scratchansniff's anxiety and impatience. He also doesn't seem to pick up on metaphors or references, thinking that Dot is speaking literally when she references a classic song in "This Pun for Hire". He also does not seem to understand which actions may be considered "unusual," such as whenever he waves at a woman stuck in a tree without questioning it, or seeming perplexed when nobody at a celebratory dinner wants to hear him play "Yankee Doodle" with his armpits.

Possibly due to this trait, Wakko is slightly less knowledgeable about the world and business than his siblings, such as when they had to explain multiple things to him in "Hooray for North Hollywood"; however, he is able to learn quickly, showing brilliance close to that of his siblings, and he shows other academic skills, such as being able to name every state in the USA as well as their capitals.

His major character trait is his visual comedy and unconventional characteristics, which seems to give Wakko less confidence and charisma than his siblings. He is sensitive to this aspect of himself, as shown by his insecurity when he doesn't get as much fan mail as Yakko or Dot. He also shows some envy that Yakko's geography song appears to be more popular than his own.

While Wakko often gets disappointed with himself, he has only shown to get really angry once, in "Chalkboard Bungle", after Miss Flamiel deliberately hurts his feelings. He gets very riled up and breathes fire, while his siblings seem unperturbed by his actions, and the scene cuts away before he can unleash true destruction, leaving his full capabilities ambiguous. In the reboot, upon thinking someone had stolen his donuts, he says that he will "turn their faces into mashed potatoes with butter and gravy."

Moral Code

As stated in the pitch bible, the Warners "are the world's answer to loony justice, when the unjust must be taught a lesson." and represent "what kids would like to do to the jerky adults in the world." As Wakko tends to be very oblivious, he doesn't often intentionally cause trouble without his siblings acting first; however, he takes just as much delight in their mayhem.

The Warner siblings are known to abide by their own moral code; while their sketches mainly revolve around them tormenting an antagonist, they make it clear that they will not bother anyone who has not already provoked them. This sometimes causes issues for them when they are annoyed by someone who has not intentionally aggravated them, such as Pip or Prunella Flundergust, as they do not find it right to fight back during these occasions. However, they do seem to be alright with other characters doing the same thing, as in the latter case they simply called Slappy Squirrel in to deal with their nanny so they wouldn't be culpable.

History

Family

Warnerbabies

The Warners as infants in Wakko's Wish.

The full history of the Warner Siblings is shrouded in mystery, starting from the very beginning; for starters, their parents are unknown. The original pitch bible claims that "they have no parents. Or at least, no one will admit to being their parent."[17] While it is likely they were simply drawn as orphans, the Warners seem to be under the impression that they do have existing parents, though they don't appear to have any memories of them, as Yakko speculated they may be pencils. He appears to trace a family tree in "King Yakko", though that may have been for the sake of the cartoon. In a similar situation of canon ambiguity, in the sketch "Turkey Jerky," he claims that they were lost in the wilderness and raised by wild turkeys, and in "This Pun for Hire", when Wakko misses Dot's reference to "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", he states he doesn't remember those events occuring and asks Dot for clarification. In the comic series, the siblings have a cousin named Sakko Warner.

The Warners have been implied to be or directed as royalty several times, implying they may belong to an aristocratic family; Yakko is in line to rule the kingdom of Anvilania in "King Wakko" (though, once again, that may have been for the sake of the cartoon), and Dot's full name includes the title of Princess. The Warners are also canonically royalty in the continuity of Wakko's Wish.

They were shown with parents solely in Wakko's Wish; see that section for more information.

Creation to Tower

The Warners' creation was described in detail in "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special," though some facts contradict the repeated opening introduction, "Newsreel of the Stars"- this is either a simple production error or an intentional misdirection to shed more mystery on the Warners' origins.

Wakkomilkshake2

Wakko eating an entire milkshake.

The Warners were "discovered/created" in 1929 at the current animation department, Termite Terrace. After the cartoon Outback Buddy failed to entertain its director, Weed Memlo, he ordered the lead animator, Lon Borax, to add more characters. Borax, driven insane by the overwork brought on by the crunch time, drew the siblings at 2:43am of "February 30th." He eventually fled the studio by breaking through a wall, but not before drawing the Warner siblings into the cartoon, which then ended with the siblings crushing Buddy with a mallet. Though confused, CEO Thaddeus Plotz ordered the Warners to be put into the rest of Buddy's cartoons, which would end with the same slapstick gag. The siblings appeared notably in Postman Buddy (1930), Gardening Buddy (1931), Baker Buddy (1932), and Busdriver Buddy (1933). Besides appearing in those shorts, the Warners also starred in their own cartoons, with known ones being 1929's Ragamuffins, 1930's Babblin' Bijou, followed by Krazy Kiddos, Pipsqueeks, Nutty Newsies,[18] Oy! My Rash!, Misbeehiving, Foot Foot Footsy You Smell!, and Globos De Carne.[2]. The Warners were also loaned out to the Fleichman's studio for Little Red Riding Goop in 1931, which was their first known cartoon to feature voice lines- interestingly, Dot also mentions living in the water tower at that time, despite the fact they wouldn't be locked up for another three years.

The Warners gained popularity, stated to be "the biggest things to hit Hollywood," and so Buddy was fired despite the siblings' protests. Plotz gave the Warners their own series of cartoons, which he later lists as the "biggest mistake of his life." Taking advice from Bugs Bunny, they hired an agent by the name of Irving "Swifty" LaBoo, a "shrewd negotiator," who was Chicken Boo in disguise, and the Warners signed a four-cartoon deal.

It should be noted that, contradictory to what was stated in the 65th anniversary. it was claimed in Episode 26 that the Warners were not created but "discovered" at Schwab's pharmacy when a Warner Bros scout spotted Wakko eating an entire milkshake and gave them a contract. They were also stated to have been in Vaudeville with Sy Sykman, Jack Benny, George Burns and Milton Berle, the latter of which was given the Special Friend treatment, particularly by Yakko. The Warners also appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies, and Wakko was stated to have thrown up in Robert Benchley's Hat.

Their first director, Memlo, hated working with the Warners, and the children often reminisce about how angry he would get at them. He directed at least two major cartoons with them, "Flies in the Ointment" and "Kitchen Krazy." "Flies in the Ointment" became a notable failure, due to its unedited nature giving it an eight-hour length, though it was later acclaimed by Mr. Director. In "Kitchen Krazy", Memlo can be heard shouting instructions at Wakko, and becoming infuriated when he doesn't understand and takes his words literally; he seems to dislike Wakko the most, as he also mentions being infuriated at the toon eating the set.

After these, Memlo was taken off the Warner cartoons, but no director would go near them, so Plotz allowed Wakko to direct "Yankee Doodle Warners" (1934). Professor Kingsfield states that Wakko worked day and night on the script, which eventually ended with him performing "Yankee Doodle" with his armpits.

Infuriated, Plotz cancelled the Warners' contract and kicked out LaBoo, insisting that the children would never make another cartoon at his studio. Now with no work to do, Wakko and his siblings began to run amok throughout the studio, causing chaos; Yakko and Wakko were noted to pop out of items and greet chorus girls with "Hello, Nurse!", while Dot would do the same to attractive male actors. The siblings would appear everywhere, especially at the commissary, despite everyone fleeing in terror when they asked to eat with them. Other instances of their antics include putting bean dip in the saddle of The Gipper, trying to straighten Porky Pig's tail, and calling Yosemite Sam "itty bitty baby man."

Crew members became afraid to walk around the lot, particularly ones that drew the siblings' ire. The final straw for Plotz occurred when the siblings made star Jimmy Cagney their Special Friend and pantsed him in public. Following that incident, the Warner siblings were captured by a guard (either Ralph T. Guard or an ancestor of his) and thrown into the studio Water Tower, while their films were hidden away and their existence went unacknowledged by the studio.

The tower was perma-sealed in order to prevent their escape, to Plotz's delight, as he hoped that the Warners would spend the rest of time isolated inside. However, the Warners could not be contained forever; and they were released both on accident and intentionally throughout the years.

Known Escapes

Every few years, the tower had to be emptied in order to fumigate for termites, and the Warners would routinely escape for a day. However, each time they escaped, they would eventually be recaptured and locked back in the tower.

1942 was the Warners' earliest known release, as they were freed in order to star in a propaganda film, 'Warners Take the Home Front. Three years later, during a fumigation, it is known that they went to the American Delegation in 1945, where they jumped on Winston Churchill's stomach.

In 1962, Termite Terrace closed its doors due to a financial shortage. With no more cartoon department, the Warners were once again thrown into the tower with the intention to perma-seal the door again. However, after Plotz bet the studio's future on Youngblood Squack, a film that flopped, he began to lease the Warners out to other studios for quick cash. The Warners did not seem to consent to this, as they were dragged off set in a net while screaming and attempting to escape. However, the Warners soon became known for being bad at playing second fiddle, and would end up taking over the episodes they were tasked to guest star in.

That April, the Warners were first put into an episode of Hoo Hoo Hooey, where they complained about the flat animation and burnt the script while leading the star, Calhoun Capybara, off a cliff and into a water main. The Warners then guest starred as themselves in Uhuru, Where Are You?, in which they terrorized the cast by playing cheesy fake rock songs and riding the title character around the set, the latter of which resulted in several injuries. Following this, the upset Warners were once again trapped on the Warners lot and remained off-model for months, and their loaning status was changed to an episode-by-episode basis.

After another flop with Freebie and the Boo, the Warners were lent to Thunderdog. However, they stole the title character's magic feather, causing a million-ton weight to drop on him, flattening him. The Warners were then lent out to Obese Orson, which they ruined by insisting on having fun on Saturdays instead of teaching lessons.

Though the studio once again regained money, Plotz continued to lend out the Warners until they appeared in a boy band's cartoon and saw a newspaper revealing the studio's profits were "through the roof." Upset, the Warners demanded they never be loaned out again, ripping up their contract and retreating into the tower. They had to remove Chicken Boo from the premises, as he had taken up residence in their absence.

On January 21, 1968, The Warners escaped during a tower fumigation and performed as "a family of dancing bears," singing "Make a Gookie."[19] In 1972, they were released in order to star in a public service announcement, "Wipe Those Feet," though they later had no memory of said short.[20] All of their following escapes appear to have occurred solely during fumigation instances. In 1977, the Warners appeared at the Disco Championships, where they won the dance and received a prize of an 8-Track tape player, a mood ring, and a copy of "Muskrat Love." And in November of 1989, the Warners provided the mallets used to knock down the Berlin Wall, though they charged money for the tools in order to buy themselves candy.

The Warners did spent most of those sixty years isolated in the tower; however, it is unknown precisely what they did while inside, though they are briefly seen playing cards in "Back in Style." The Warners notably do not talk much about their time in captivity; when prompted about it in "Fair Game", Yakko simply says that they "live in a tower." They do seem to consider the tower their home, often returning there of their own volition; however, when escaping, they become very upset and sometimes fearful when caught.

Original Series

In 1993, the Warners managed to escape without outside help, much to the studio's chagrin. However, they were no longer able to completely contain them and resorted to simply trying to catch and lock them up as much as possible. During this time, the Warners also starred in their own show, Animaniacs, as one of six major segments; the show became popular in-universe, causing the children to receive fan mail and get swarmed at conventions. The Warners also became close with the show's producer, Steven Spielberg, who Wakko would sometimes call over lunch.

Tumblr e3018bb3c41d759afd2a2f62977e9ad5 9a82ed6f 500

Wakko playing a rimshot.

The Warners' cartoons follow a general formula of them delivering justice to someone who deserves it with their unique brand of cartoon humor, though some other shows focus more on their antics as they "run around the Warner movie lot." As the show exists in-universe, it is unknown how many sketches are scripted shows and how many happen diegetically, especially as many of the employees also act in the shorts in different roles, such as Hello Nurse appearing as a prime minister[21] or flight attendant.[22] For what it is worth, in their segments, Wakko is shown to be very kind and optimistic, to the point of being naïve in certain situations. He rarely initiates their bouts of fighting back, though he will gleefully join in with his siblings, and he doesn't hesitate to dispense justice when need be, usually with a mallet. He is almost always eating, whether it be actual food or whatever inanimate objects he can fit into his mouth; this is both part of his physical comedy shtick and likely a side effect of his hypoglycemia. He relies less on wordplay than his siblings, as he takes most things completely literally, and instead focuses his humor on physical and visual gags; as such, he tends to do more of the shapeshifting and slapstick; he also has the most toilet humor, with a famous instance being "Potty Emergency." He also is the focus of his own segment, "The Great Wakkorotti," in which he performs classical music via burps (or, in one case, hand farts) while his siblings offer support.

The Warners are assigned to psychiatrist Dr. Otto von Scratchansniff, with Plotz hoping that he would be able to dezanitize them. At first, the Warners simply drive him insane, causing him to rip out his own hair, and he seems to be terrified of them, as seen in "The Sound of Warners" and "Anchors A-Warners." However, he warms up to them as the series progresses, becoming a paternal figure for them starting as early as "Taming of the Screwy." The Warners sometimes refer to him as their father, but only in times when it would be most inconvenient for him, such as when he's on a date and wants to be left alone.

Wakko is usually very polite to Scratchansniff, and seems to consider him a role model of sorts, as he can be seen imitating his movements at times;[23] and he also tries to get the doctor to play with him or otherwise spend time with him.[24] Though Wakko doesn't notice, Scratchansniff often gets very frustrated with him due to his habit of taking everything literally, which makes his job as a psychiatrist difficult, as Wakko will tell him what he is touching instead of how he feels, or inflate himself when asked to expand on a thought. Scratchansniff does seem to have made some headway with him, though- while Wakko is nowhere near de-zanitized, he has communicated to the doctor about his severe coulrophobia, which the doctor tries to help him with.[25]

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The Great Wakkorotti

The Warners also become acquainted with the studio nurse, Hello Nurse. Yakko and Wakko developed an intense crush on her, and whenever she appeared they will use their customary greeting and often leap into her arms and kiss her. For her part, Nurse seems to tolerate the Warners' behavior, though she does sometimes attempt to capture them with Ralph and Scratchansniff. She is one of the few characters that ever adjusts her wording for the Warners following a misunderstanding, such as in "Variety Speak" and "This Pun for Hire." She also pats Wakko and smiles while holding the boys in "Hello Nurse." The latter song also reveals the brothers are aware and in awe of her intelligence, as Wakko literally sings her praises.

The children make a game of terrorizing Ralph the Guard, who seems to have been at the studio as long as them and is put in charge of catching them whenever they escape; Wakko and his siblings often lead him through the sets of different segments during filming, or through different areas, letting him chase them while they have their own brands of fun. Despite this, they seem to be friendly with him when he isn't trying to capture them, as they invited him and his wife to their house party.

Plotz despises the Warners, though it's unclear how they feel about him in return; they often make fun of him and dislike when he loans them out, but also are excited to help or be around him, such as becoming his secretaries or inviting him to their house party. In "We're On Our Way to Go See Mr. Plotz," Yakko refers to him as a genius and the siblings seem very excited to show him their script, and in the second part of the episode that song appears in, "Hooray for North Hollywood", they end up missing him despite his mistreatment of them.

The Warners also seem to be acquainted with the other cast members of their show, and often cameo in their segments while running through the lot. They seem to be friendly with Slappy and Skippy, as the squirrels wish them a happy anniversary on their 65th, and the Warners go to Slappy for help in "The Sound of Warners." They also seem to know Pinky and The Brain well enough to know how to summon them to appear in "A Hard Day's Warners," and Buttons and Mindy enough to go to them in "Lookit the Fuzzy Heads." Wakko also was specifically referenced by Bobby in "Raging Bird," and appeared in an episode of Freakazoid along with Brain.

The original show ended in 1998, with the Warners' final episode being an intro to "The Animaniacs Suite."

Wakko's Wish

Wakko70

Wakko with his ha'penny.

It is unknown exactly how the events of Wakko's Wish fit into the continuity of the series; it is presumed to be a film that the Animaniacs cast worked on, as Spielberg is referenced in the script, and the film itself is referenced in the later reboot. However, it could also be considered an alternate universe, or some other unexplained event.

In the film, the Warners are homeless orphans living in the poor town of Acme Falls, in the Kingdom of Warnerstock during the reign of the hated King Salazar the Pushy. Though Yakko and Dot are very pessimistic about their circumstances, Wakko constantly reminds them, as well as the rest of the town, to never give up hope. The three children live in an abandoned water tower, with dividers between their "rooms." Wakko also has made himself a harp out of a broken mattress.

Dot comes down with a mysterious illness, prompting Wakko to spend a year working in an attempt to earn the funds for her surgery; Wakko says that over the year, he copped wood and suey, pitched horseshoes and hay, and milked jokes and cows. For this work, Wakko was given a ha'penny, which excited him, as it was much more than anyone else had in Acme Falls. He excitedly returned to present his findings and announced his intention to pay for Dot's surgery, only for Baron von Plotz to appear and confiscate the half-cent.

Wakko becomes depressed that he didn't earn more and listens to Yakko tell Dot "The Story," before playing his mattress harp and picking a star to wish upon. He manages to pick the correct wishing star, and is informed by Pip the Angel that he will have to go to the fallen star and touch it first to get his wish. Wakko, excited that hope is not lost, wakes his siblings, and they rush out, the rest of the town following.

An assassination is ordered on the Warners by Salazar, and they narrowly avoid being shot by Plotz and Ralph. However, the town is captured by the King, who orders the disrespectful siblings executed. However, Yakko thinks quickly and claims they have secret information on the Wishing Star, so they are taken to a nearby palace, where they tease the King. He then sends them through a ride of their "worst nightmares"- Mr. Director, the bathroom from "Potty Emergency" and "Baloney." When they exit, the King once again orders them executed by firing squad; however, Dot uses her cuteness to convince the guard to let them go.

Wakko wishes for...

Wakko wishing.

The siblings escape across a field, until Salazar hits them with a cannonball; this mortally injures Dot, who begs a tearful Yakko to tell her The Story one last time while everyone gathers around. Her death upsets even the villains, who then turn on Salazar; however, once Salazar realizes that Wakko has reached the Wishing Star during the confusion, Dot sits up, revealing herself to have been a distraction.

Warnerstockportrait

Warner Royal Family

Wakko then wishes for two ha'pennies, which fixes the economy of Acme Falls. Dot has her operation (plastic surgery for a beauty mark), and while at the hospital the siblings are able to trace their family line, discovering that they are the long lost children of the royal family that Salazar overthrew, having been exiled when he overtook the Kingdom. (It is also implied that he may have had a hand in their parents' death, as he refers to their parents as causing problems for him.)

The Warners then retake their throne, kicking Salazar to the dogs, and are able to rule Warnerstock. The film ends with them reiterating Wakko's mantra that they should never give up hope.

Reboot

The location and activities of the Warners from 1998 to 2020 is completely unknown, as they do not seem to have been locked again in the tower. However, they also need to be caught up on 2020 technology in the first episode, implying they were still isolated from the world. The intro song shows them emerging from graves and signing a contract with a Grim Reaper-Figure, implying that they may have "died" following the original show and been "re-animated" for the reboot; however, as the Grim Reaper is shown to be terrified of them in the original show, this isn't certain. It is also possible that they were put into "suspended animation", as is referred to in the title of half of the pilot episode; in the original series's "Our Final Space Cartoon, We Promise," Wakko refers to him and Yakko being cryo-frozen by saying, "I hate being in suspended animation," implying this may be a process in their universe. This theory is also supported by Wakko's final lines in the second season, implying that the Warners were in some kind of dreamless sleep.[12]

We're animani- Totally insane-y...

The Warners re-animated!

The Warners return to the lot excitedly, and happily greet their old home, the Water Tower, as well as Ralph. They eventually reunite with Scratchansniff, who is able to play a prank on them he'd been planning for twenty-two years. They also meet the new CEO, Nora Rita Norita, and continuously cause property damage to her office whenever they visit, usually by knocking down a wall or window. She seems to care less about their activities than Plotz, and they in turn are a little afraid of her intensity; however, they have also been placed in familial situations with her often, with Dot bonding with her daughter Cora and the siblings trying to bond with her after mistakenly believing they were related. The children also notice the absence of their fellow cartoon stars (sans Pinky and the Brain), and eventually discover that they were all hunted and imprisoned by a jealous Chicken Boo.

The Warners are generally the same as their 90s appearances, though there are some differences; they are drawn with more fluff, for instance. Yakko and Wakko no longer perform their "Hello Nurse" gag, though Dot does still flirt with men. The siblings are also aware that they are in a "cash-grab" reboot, often making fun of the fact they're repeating tropes and playing on nostalgia.

So far in the reboot, Wakko is possibly the most similar to his original characterization, though he does seem to have a bit more of a grasp on verbal humor and speaks a bit more often. He continues to eat everything, even unsanitary products such as spit-up food, disgusting gruel or twenty-two-year-old sandwiches, though he does have his limits at food that's been in the sewer. He also meets the one clown he is not afraid of- Nickelwise, who he finds adorable due to the fact their eyes can both uncross themselves. Wakko also has been shown to buy his own designer donuts from a "hipster neighborhood," which he occasionally eats in his sleep. Yakko and Dot apparently trade positions as "sugar crash marshall" for when he inevitably has an energy crash. Wakko's canine characteristics have also been upped; he more routinely bounces on all fours, and is shown to go barking and chasing after frisbees in an instinct to play fetch. He does, however, comment that he's 5% salamander, and thus able to detach and regrow limbs.[13]

Though to a lesser extent than Dot, Wakko has also shown annoyance at Yakko's educational songs,[26] including a bit of jealousy that "Yakko's World" is apparently more popular than "Wakko's America."[10]

As the tower has a more consistent interior design than in the original show, it is shown that Wakko sleeps on a hammock attached to Dot's loft.[27]

Appearances





In addition to Wakko's cameos in the Pinky and the Brain spin-off series, he appears in the series intro through archival footage from the Wang Animaniacs Pinky and the Brain intro; holding the ruler next to the mice.

Quotes

  • "Faboo!" (When Wakko finds something interesting)
  • "Excuse me."
  • "I'm confused."
  • "I have to potty!"
  • "It works, it works!"-Wakko's Gizmo
  • "I'd like 42 pizzas, 6 with no crust."-Hercule Yakko
  • "No, I'm Wakko!"-The Freakazoid (Freakazoid episode)
  • "Oh it's okay, Steven loves it when we do stuff like this. After all Animaniacs is their favorite."-The Freakazoid (Freakazoid episode)
  • "Another date with Brad Pitt!?"-Cutie and the Beast
  • "Hey I can‘t help it if girls find me irresistible."-Cutie and the Beast
  • "Do we have to?..........You mean?........AHHHHHHHH!" (When Yakko told him and Dot about going through the dark woods and if he doesn't , then he'll hear another one of Dot's vain songs)-Cutie and the Beast
  • "Can we call you Dadoo?" - Meatballs or Consequences
  • "Oh poo!"
  • "I'm her sister, I came along cause I couldn't get a date!"-Magic Time
  • "The king is a jerk!"-Wakko's Wish
  • "Ha! Fooled ya didn't we?"-Wakko‘s Wish
  • "Hello, nurse!" (just as frequent as Yakko)
  • "Banana Folana! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"-Cutie and the Beast
  • "Hi....I'm Wakko Warner and I don't have any numbers like that, but I believe that the moon is made out of nutmeg!"-From Burbank with Love
  • (chanting with their Yakko) "Funny Money! Hey Funny Money!"-From Burbank with Love
  • "Hey everybody, wanna hear me play Yankee Doodle with my armpits?!"-The Warners 65th Anniversary Special
  • "Sorry I filled the tank up with kangaroo gas, ha ha ha."-From Burbank with Love
  • "Okay but you have to wait a while...."-Temporary Insanity
  • "STOP FILMING ME!" (then moments later he hits the camera with a mallet)-10 Short Films About Wakko Warner
  • "I can't potty in there! It's disgusting!" -Potty Emergency
  • "I‘ve got a package for you!? Excuse me!?.....Yeah but I never said package."-The Sound of Warners
  • "I‘ve got to get rid of her! I can't take it!" (then charges out of the room with a mallet)-The Sound of Warners
  • "I never get to get it!"-Temporary Insanity
  • "Okay let them do it."-From Burbank with Love
  • "Excuse me, how much is this?"-Ten Short Films about Wakko
  • "Aloha hoy!"-Anchors A-Warners
  • "Anybody for sushi?"-Anchors A-Warners
  • "Watch out! Duck in comet! Duck in comet!-Morning Malaise
  • "Does Cher know you're borrowing it?"-Morning Malaise
  • "That's not a burp...(belches loudly)...that's a burp!"-Morning Malaise
  • "Nah, I have a date...I got a date so SUE me!"-The Cold Ending
  • "Voice director, who's that? Her? I HATE HER!"-The Cold Ending
  • "Jess Harnell as Wakko. I hear he's cute."-The Cold Ending
  • "One time Randy Beaman's grandparents got stuck in an elevator.... but they were in there so long they became skeleton people." - Ups and Downs
  • "My sandwich, just where I left it."-Suspended Animation
  • "Yeah, but when we sell out, we know we're selling out. So it's cool." - Suspended Animation
  • "I taught 'em everything I know. (His gloves wag their bottoms at Wakko) Huh? Hey! (Starts chasing after them) Come back!" - White Gloves
  • (As he watches his gloves fly away in a bird formation) "I lose more gloves that way." - White Gloves
  • (After getting his gloves back) "Tomorrow I'll play the xylophone! With my butt!" - White Gloves, final lines
  • ”Somebody ate my donuts!” - WhoDonut
  • "Hey, what's a metaphor anyway?" - Animaniacs Game Pack
  • (After he and Yakko wake up from Dot's scream) "You okay, Dot?" - Animaniacs Game Pack
  • "I'll be...(belches)...back!" - Animaniacs Game Pack
  • "(Crows like a rooster à la Peter Pan)" - Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley
  • "Up up and away!" - Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley
  • "Knock knock. .............. Tank. ....................You're welcome." - Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt

Voices

Wakko was voiced in the original English recordings by Jess Harnell, with his burps provided by Maurice LaMarche. In the 2020 reboot, Brock Baker serves as Harnell's occasional singing double. When Wakko temporarily speaks Spanish in "WhoDonut," his voice is provided by Armando Valdes-Kennedy. During the cartoon "Fear and Laughter in Burbank", archival audio of hiccups from Mel Blanc is briefly used for Wakko.

  • Albanian: Lorenc Kaja[28]
  • Arabic: Zeyad Errafae'ie
  • Bulgarian: Димитър Кръстев (bTV), Камен Асенов (Nova TV)
  • Croatian: Željko Šestić
  • Czech:
    • ČT1: Ján Janovic
    • Supermax: Bohdan Tůma
    • VHS: Martin Sobotka
  • Danish: Peter Røschke
  • Finnish: Petri Hanttu
  • French: Michel Mella
  • German: Santiago Ziesmer
  • Hebrew: Ohad Shachar
  • Hungarian: Artúr Kálid
  • Italian: Davide Lepore
  • Japanese: Yū Mizushima
  • Polish: Zbigniew Suszynski
  • Portuguese (Brazilian): Marcus Jardym
  • Portuguese (European): André Maia
  • Romanian: Richard Balint
  • Russian:
    • Boomerang: Dmitry Polyanovsky (speaking voice), Maxim Maminov (singing voice)
    • STS: Boris Shuvalov, Singing Voice Doubles: Roman Berchenko, Petr Markin
    • VHS: Dmitry Polyanovsky
  • Spanish: Giset Blanco
    • When he temporarily speaks English in "WhoDonut," his voice is provided by Humber Mirabal.
  • Ukranian: Roman Chupis
  • Greek: Τάσος Κωστής

Trivia

In-Universe

  • In the song "Hello Nurse," he claims to be seven years old, though this was explained off by the writers as simply needing a number to rhyme with "heaven". In an interview with Tom Ruegger in Talkin' Toons With Rob Paulsen episode 14, Ruegger questions he might be 11.
  • Wakko has been shown to look similar to Yakko when his hat is taken off (only briefly in a few episodes), the only difference being his face is more circular and he has a messy tuft of hair as well.
  • As shown in "Clown And Out", Wakko is coulrophobic (or afraid of clowns), a fear which is shared with the company CEO Thaddeus Plotz. However, he wasn't afraid when he mistook the Dictator of Dunlikus, Umlatt for a clown. Additionally in "Fear and Loathing in Burbank," his fear does not extend to Nickelwise either, due to him finding the demonic clown "adorable."
  • Wakko is hypoglycemic (mentioned in "The Kid in the Lid"), which explains his appetite, as hypoglycemia can cause excessive hunger.
  • He hates the voice director of the original series, Andrea Romano.
  • Wakko is the same height as Buster Bunny.
  • Wakko is 5% salamander.

General

Ark

Animaniacs Issue 48 shows Wakko referring his gender as "other"


  • Due to a page from DC's Animaniacs issue 48 including Wakko listing his gender as "other", Wakko has become popular among the internet nonbinary community.
    • According to reboot crew-member Ashley McGivern, several members of the crew "love non-binary Wakko!"[30]
  • When asked to describe Wakko in one word, Jess Harnell referred to him as "Wakko."[31]

Gallery

Animaniacs Wiki has a collection of images related to Wakko Warner

Sources

  1. Episode 21 (Reboot): Wakkiver Twist Part One/Plight of Hand/Wakkiver Twist Part Two
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Episode 6: Temporary Insanity/Operation: Lollipop/What are We?
  3. Episode 37: Dough Dough Boys/Boot Camping/General Boo-Regard
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Episode 15: Space Probed/Battle for the Planet
  5. 5.0 5.1 Episode 29: Draculee, Draculaa/Phranken-Runt
  6. Episode 11: No Pain, No Painting/Les Miseranimals
  7. Episode 1: De-Zanitized/The Monkey Song/Nighty-Night Toon
  8. Episode 22: Guardin' the Garden/Plane Pals
  9. Episode 89: Ten Short Films About Wakko Warner/No Time for Love/The Boo Network
  10. 10.0 10.1 Episode 3 (Reboot): Gold Meddlers/Pinko and the Brain/Math-Terpiece Theater: Apples
  11. Episode 71: Variety Speak/Three Tenors and You're Out/Bingo/Finale
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Episode 26 (Reboot): 80's Cats/All About the Benjamin/23 and WB
  13. 13.0 13.1 Episode 13 (Reboot): Hindenburg Cola/Roadent Trip/FLOTUS, FLOTUS: What Do You Know About Us?
  14. Episode 14 (Reboot): Rome Sweet Rome/Backwards Pinky/Wakko's Short Shorts: Now Loading
  15. Lammle, Ron (01-04-2018) - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Animaniacs. Mental Floss. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  16. Just Toys Animaniacs Bend-Ems Box Description
  17. 17.0 17.1 Original Pitch Bible
  18. Testimonials
  19. Episode 65: The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special
  20. Episode 25 (Reboot): Warner's Ark/The Apology/Narf Over Troubled Water/The Warner's Vault
  21. Episode 10: King Yakko
  22. Episode 22: Guardin' the Garden/Plane Pals
  23. Episode 52: Ups and Downs/The Brave Little Trailer/Yes, Always
  24. Episode 71: Variety Speak/Three Tenors and You're Out/Bingo/Finale
  25. Episode 34: Clown and Out/Bubba Bo Bob Brain
  26. Episode 4 (Reboot): Bun Control/Ex Mousina/Bloopf
  27. Episode 8 (Reboot): WhoDonut/Mousechurian Candidate/Starbox and Cindy
  28. [AlbanianDubs - Lorenc Kaja]
  29. Facebook post by Tom Ruegger. Published November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  30. Ashley McGivern tumblr ask
  31. ANIMANIACS cast Q&A + SAT, JAN 16TH (2021) | 1PM PT, 4PM ET

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