October 2, 2010 (2010-10-02) – April 4, 2015 (2015-04-04)
T.U.F.F. Puppy is an American animated television series created by
Butch Hartman for
Nickelodeon. It premiered on October 2, 2010, on
Nickelodeon along with Planet Sheen, which premiered a half hour earlier. T.U.F.F. Puppy is Hartman's third animated series for Nickelodeon, after The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom and also before Bunsen Is a Beast. The series was cancelled after three seasons and aired its final episode on April 4, 2015.[1]
The first two seasons consist of 26 episodes each, and the third season consists of eight episodes, for a total of 60 episodes.
As of January 1, 2024, it has been removed from Paramount+.
Plot
It is about is a dog named Dudley Puppy, who works as a spy for T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force).[2] His partner is Kitty Katswell.[3] Other helpers are The Chief and Keswick. This takes place in the fictional city of Petropolis (distinct from the Brazilian city of
Petrópolis, which is named after
Pedro II of Brazil), which is populated by
anthropomorphic animals. As a member of T.U.F.F., Dudley helps Kitty protect Petropolis from various villains, such as Verminious Snaptrap and his crime organization D.O.O.M., The Chameleon, and Bird Brain.
Also in T.U.F.F. are various personnel that appear as background characters whether as agents, office workers, and/or scientists. Some of the minor members of T.U.F.F. that have been identified or mentioned include:
Agent
Groundhog (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a T.U.F.F. Agent who first made a cameo in "Hot Dog". He resides under an office printer and is the one who tells about the end of winter.
Agent Jumbo (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is an
elephant T.U.F.F. Agent who has a fear of mice which would result in her jumping up when she sees them and accidentally crushing anyone.
Agent Moby (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a
whale T.U.F.F. Agent who appeared in "A Doomed Christmas". Like Agent Jumbo, Agent Moby also has a tendency to accidentally crush the Chief.
Agent Nutz (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a
squirrel T.U.F.F. Agent who would always freak out about something completely random and blast it with his laser.
Tammy (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a rabbit that works as a
secretary at T.U.F.F.
Main villains
Verminious Snaptrap (voiced by
Matt Taylor) is a
rat who is the leader of the Diabolical Order of Mayhem.
The
Chameleon (voiced by Daran Norris impersonating
Peter Lorre) is a
chameleon in a molecular transformation suit which.
Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe (voiced by Jerry Trainor and Grey DeLisle respectively) are two villains who resemble Dudley Puppy and Kitty Katswell with eyepatches and goatees.
Crazy
Horse (voiced by Daran Norris) is a horse who uses chainsaws.
Jack
Rabbit (voiced by Daran Norris) is Kitty's former T.U.F.F. partner.
The Caped
Cod (voiced by
Chris Parnell and later by
Mick Wingert) is a crazy cod who thinks he is the ruler of the seven seas.
Lunch Lady Bug (voiced by
Candi Milo) is a
ladybug who worked as a
lunch lady at Petropolis High School and makes disgusting food that only Dudley likes.
Quacky the
Duck (voiced by Matt Taylor) was originally a kid show host seen in "Kid Stuff".
The Sharing
Moose (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a moose that is the buff and violent best friend of Quacky the Duck.
Katty Katswell (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is Kitty's evil twin sister.
F.L.O.P.P. – Short for Fiendish League of Potential Perpetrators, F.L.O.P.P. is a criminal organization that would often do minor criminal activities.
Meerkat (voiced by Daran Norris) is a meerkat with a black cowboy hat who is the eccentric leader of F.L.O.P.P.
Wanna-Bee (voiced by Jerry Trainor) is a
bee who is a member of F.L.O.P.P.
Escape Goat (voiced by Matt Taylor) is an
escape artistgoat who is a member of F.L.O.P.P.
Mrs. Katswell (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is Kitty and Katty's mother.
Wolf Spitzer (voiced by Daran Norris) is a
gray wolf who is Petropolis local
news reporter for KPET News.
Eric (voiced by Daran Norris) is a buff cat who delivers the water to T.U.F.F.
Bob Barky (voiced by Daran Norris) is a dog game show host who hosts various game shows in Petropolis..
Phil (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a bulldog who is Dudley's friend.
Mr. Wong (voiced by Matt Taylor) is a duck who is the owner of "Wong's Chinese Buffet".
Production
Butch Hartman said that he created the central character and wanted to make a crime-fighting show based on him. Because his previous animated series Danny Phantom already involved superheroes, Hartman decided that he would focus on making Dudley a secret agent. He pitched the series to
Nickelodeon as "Get Smart with a dog."[6]
Eric Bauza, (who voices Foop in The Fairly OddParents and Leather Teddy in T.U.F.F. Puppy), was originally chosen to be the voice of Dudley Puppy, but the creators didn't feel that he was right for the character and
Jerry Trainor was chosen instead.[6]
iCarly: Season 2, Volume 3: April 5, 2011 Episodes: "Purr-fect Partners" / "Doom-mates"SpongeBob SquarePants: Heroes of Bikini Bottom: June 14, 2011 Episodes: "Mall Rat" / "Operation: Happy Birthday"SpongeBob SquarePants: Frozen Face-Off: January 10, 2012 Episodes: "Snappy Campers" / "Lucky Duck"It's a Nicktoons Christmas!: October 30, 2012 Episodes: "A Doomed Christmas" Note: This disc was exclusively included with copies of the It's a SpongeBob Christmas! DVD sold at
Target.The Complete First Season: June 23, 2014[8] Episodes: Entire season included
Note: The episode "A Doomed Christmas" along with Christmas episodes of The Fairly OddParents and Fanboy & Chum Chum were supposed to be on the It's a SpongeBob Christmas! DVD, but they were dropped from the actual release.[10] However, the Target exclusive of It's A SpongeBob Christmas! included the Christmas episodes of those shows on a bonus disc. It's currently unknown if Nickelodeon will ever announce a Season 3 DVD release.
Reception
Critical
Following the show's premiere, the series received mixed to positive reviews.[citation needed]
Emily Ashby of
Common Sense Media gave the series 2 out of 5 stars; criticizing the “iffy messages” the show sends to kids and the frequent use of name calling, but adding, “Kitty's attractive appearance and overly emotional response to Dudley's successes are memorable.”[11]
Ratings
The series premiere of T.U.F.F. Puppy drew 3.6 million viewers.[12]