Slowpoke Rodriguez

Slowpoke Rodríguez ("Lento Rodríguez" in Spanish, though some more recent translations call him "Tranquilino") is a fictional animated cartoon mouse, part of the Looney Tunes' cast.

History

His voice was provided by an uncredited Tom Holland. He is described as "the slowest mouse in all Mexico" from the country side of Mexico, and is a cousin to Speedy Gonzales, who is known as the fastest. However, he mentions to his cousin that while he may be slow in the feet, which he is best known for, he's not slow in "la cabeza" (the head). He speaks in a monotone voice and seems to never be surprised by anything. While he is the slowest mouse in all of Mexico, he has been shown to have certain other (more extreme) methods of protecting himself.

Cartoon appearances

Slowpoke only appeared in two cartoons alongside his cousin. The first, "Mexicali Shmoes" (1959), ends with two lazy cats, Jose and Manuel, the former learning the hard way that Slowpoke carries a gun (though the gun bit has been edited out of this cartoon in recent years). The second, "Mexican Boarders" (1962), revolves around Speedy trying to protect Slowpoke from Sylvester the Cat, but in the end, Slowpoke demonstrates his ability to hypnotize Sylvester into becoming his slave. The other mice comment at this point that "Slowpoke Rodriguez may be the slowest mouse in all Mexico, but he has the Evil Eye!". This short (which was later edited into Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales) contains a possible allusion to a marijuana habit when Slowpoke sings La Cucaracha. Despite his few appearances, "Lento Rodríguez" is an immensely popular character in Latin America.

Other appearances

Slowpoke appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn" voiced by Seth Green. In a segment satirizing California's immigration issue, Arnold Schwarzenegger, mistaking Slowpoke for Speedy Gonzales, criticizes him for taking an hour to fetch a glass of water. Schwarzenegger then orders Rodriguez's deportation, which Rodriguez fears will cause his execution.

Slowpoke also appears alongside Speedy in a commercial for Virgin Media's broadband service in the UK.

Slowpoke appears in The Looney Tunes Show episode "The Black Widow" voiced by Hugh Davidson. While his relation to Speedy Gonzales remains intact, he is depicted as the Sheriff of Tacapulco. After Daffy Duck and Porky Pig are arrested for streaking, Sheriff Slowpoke Rodriguez allows them to make a call. As Daffy Duck was unable to get through to Bugs Bunny (who was helping Lola Bunny return a diamond that she unintentionally stole from the museum at the time), he asks Sheriff Slowpoke if he would mind that he tries to call someone else. Daffy gets through to Speedy Gonzales who speeds all the way to Tacapulco to negotiate their release. Once that was done, Sheriff Slowpoke invites Daffy, Porky, and Speedy to join in Tacapulco's fiesta.

During the RiffTrax audio commentary for the film Viva Knievel!, Michael J. Nelson makes joking reference to "That Tall, Slow Mouse Who Was Speedy Gonzales's Friend Memorial Stadium", an apparent allusion to Slowpoke.