Spike and Tyke (characters)

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Spike and Tyke
Spike (left) and Tyke (right)
First appearance	Unnamed Bulldog: Dog Trouble (1942) Spike: The Bodyguard (1944) Tyke: Love That Pup (1949)
Created by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Designed by	Spike: Gus Arriola (1942) Harvey Eisenberg (1944–1945) Richard Bickenbach (1946–1957, 1980–present) Iwao Takamoto (1975) Jerry Eisenberg (1990–1993) Tyke: Richard Bickenbach (1949–1957, 1980–present) Jerry Eisenberg (1990–1993)
Voiced by	Spike: Billy Bletcher (1944–1948) Patrick McGeehan (1949, 1957) Jerry Mann (1950) Bob Shamrock (1951–1952) John Brown (1953) Stan Freberg (1954) Daws Butler (1955–1957) John Stephenson (1975) Don Messick (1975) Joe E. Ross (1975) Frank Welker (1980, 2005) Lou Scheimer (1980) Dick Gautier (1990–1993) Alan Marriott (2000) Maurice LaMarche (2002) Marc Silk (2002) Jeff Bergman (2004) John DiMaggio (2005) Michael Donovan (2006–2008) Phil LaMarr (2010–2013) Rick Zieff (2014–present) Spike Brandt (2015–present) Bobby Cannavale (2021) Scott Innes (commercials) Tyke: William Hanna (1949–1958) Frank Welker (1980–present) Patric Zimmerman (1990–1993) Alan Marriott (2000–2002) Spike Brandt (2012–2015)
In-universe information
Species	Dogs (English Bulldogs)
Gender	Male (both)
Nationality	American

Spike and Tyke are fictional characters from the Tom and Jerry animated film series, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Spike^[1] (who goes by different names in a few episodes - Killer for four episodes, Butch for two episodes, and Bulldog for one) is portrayed as an English Bulldog, who is generally amiable and friendly, and a loving father to his son Tyke in several episodes. However, Spike's character also has a very stern and fierce side for occasions, such as when he is defending his son Tyke.

Spike made his early appearance as an unnamed Bulldog in the 1942 Tom and Jerry cartoon Dog Trouble,^[2] and his first appearance and his first speaking role was in The Bodyguard (1944), where he was voiced by Billy Bletcher. Spike was voiced by Bletcher until 1949, from which point he was voiced by Patrick McGeehan, Jerry Mann, Bob Shamrock, John Brown, Stan Freberg, and Daws Butler, with a thick New Yorker accent similar to Jimmy Durante's.

After Dog Trouble, Spike appeared as a solo guest in Tom and Jerry cartoons for the next several years; his son Tyke was introduced in 1949, with Love That Pup.^[3]

Tyke is a sweet, happy and innocent puppy, who doesn't speak for most of the earlier installments. Spike and Tyke's characters, provide a model of father and son behavior, with Spike spending much of his free time taking Tyke on father-son outings, teaching him the facts of life for dogs and guarding him diligently when they are sleeping. In Tom and Jerry Kids, Tyke has a speaking role for the first time, aside from traditional dog noises he expressed in the prior films.

Spike's relationships with Tom and Jerry have varied from time to time, but essentially Spike has little affection for Tom Cat, who seems to always be disrupting his life, causing trouble, antagonizing Tyke or all of the above. The Truce Hurts (1948), Pet Peeve (1954) and Hic-Cup Pup (1954) are so far the only cartoons where Spike actually cares about and shows affection for Tom; these relationships often dissolve and usually end with them fighting. Tom does not usually antagonize Spike intentionally, but Spike often ends up in the middle of a Tom and Jerry chase, (as they are all seemingly living together) which ends up waking Spike up, ruining his new dog house, wrecking his and Tyke's picnic, and so on. Spike has a few weaknesses that Tom tries to capitalize upon: his possessiveness about his bone and his ticklishness.

Spike's fiercest behavior is reserved for anyone who interferes with Tyke, but also, Spike's generally well-intentioned brain is at times easily outwitted by Tom and/or Jerry. Jerry also arranges to get Tom in trouble with Spike, provoking a chase, and/or a pounding from the bulldog, and Spike will keep Tom's attention off Jerry for a while. Several stories also have Jerry taking advantage of Spike and Tyke's size and proximity, as he often tries to hide or sleep with or near Spike and Tyke for protection.