Animaniacs Inspired Dog Names

Introduction

Created in the 1990's by Tom Ruegger and backed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the Animaniacs is still fondly remembered as one of the 90's wittiest and zaniest animated TV shows. Primarily following the Warner brothers Yakko and Wakko and their sister Dot, the Animaniacs served as something of an affectionate parody and deconstruction of the classic cartoons like Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and the works of Tex Avery. The Animaniacs is known and loved for its expansive cast of characters, sharp humor, biting satirical jokes, and fantastic animation. Though the show was prematurely ended back in the 90's, murmurs of a reboot have fans of the classic show excited for a revival.

Animaniacs Dog Names In Pop Culture

Featured Famous Animaniacs Dog

Buttons

Buttons is a very noble dog who often takes it upon himself to watch over and care for his owners' mischievous young daughter Mindy. Together, Buttons and Mindy are the titular stars of their own segment; their episodes usually center around escapades Buttons and Mindy get into after the latter's parents (who, much to their chagrin, are constantly referred to as Lady and Mr. Man by their young daughter) leave the two of them alone. Mindy always finds herself obliviously wandering into situations that could get her into deep trouble, if not outright end her life right then and there.

Fortunately for her, Buttons is always hot on her trail, narrowly rescuing her from danger (often at his own expense). Buttons and Mindy have just about been through it all thanks to Mindy's adventurous disposition; Buttons and Mindy have been to space, traversed the ocean, and have even been involved in the Indianapolis 500 all thanks to one little girl's penchant for adventure. The segments usually end with Buttons successfully rescuing Mindy from harm and returning home with her, only for the courageous dog to be rewarded with disdain, as the Mindy's parents blame him for the trouble their daughter inadvertently caused. However, at the end of the animated film Wakko's Wish, Mindy's parents finally recognize Buttons as the courageous dog that he is and properly reward him for rescuing their daughter from harm, time and time again.

Aside from Buttons, the other dog who is prominently featured in the Animaniacs series is Runt; in many ways, Runt and Buttons are polar opposites, as Buttons is extremely smart while Runt is quite simple minded, but the traits of loyalty, friendliness, and bravery are shared between these two otherwise contrasting canines. While buttons looks after the young human toddler Mindy, Runt is always at the side of his friend Rita, who's a Grey cat.

The Runt and Rita segments often center around the titular pair's efforts to find a home for themselves, as both Runt and Rita are stray animals. Their segments act as something of a reference to the famous novel "Of Mice and Men" which follows two human men, the mentally handicapped gentle giant Lennie and his quick minded, vertically challenged friend George, where Runt is clearly meant to act as a surrogate for Lennie and Rita for George. But while the story of "Of Mice and Men" may have ended in tragedy, Runt and Rita's story ends on a much brighter note in Wakko's Wish.

Animaniacs Dog Name Considerations

The show prominently featured two dogs more than any other; Buttons, the protective guardian of the mischievous young girl Mindy, and Runt, the oafish companion of Rita the grey cat. While neither dog directly resembles any real world dog breeds, the designs of both of them were influenced by certain flesh and blood canines. Buttons, for instance, has the sharp ears and light colored under belly of a German Shepherd. If you happen to own a German Shepherd, or any other dogs that are known for having a dark coat that's underbelly is streaked with lightly colored fur, consider naming your pet Buttons after Mindy's stalwart companion.

Runt, on the other hand, is a large dog who sports a light brown coat that's peppered with dark brown spots which are primarily clumped together on his back. Runt also has a very distinct tuft of red fur that sits atop his head, making it look like he's sporting a red, bushy bowl cut that parts in front of his eyes. Larger dogs that have heavy amounts of hair on their heads, like the Romanian Mioritic Shepherd dog or even a Labradoodle, would be able to ironically rock the Runt moniker just like the Animaniacs character of the same name, so take that name into consideration if you've got a dog that fits that description.

Male Animaniacs Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Squit The final Goodfeather based off of Ray Liota
0	Pesto This angry pigeon is based off of Joe Pesci
0	Bobby One of the Goodfeathers, based on Robert De Niro
0	Skippy Slappy Squirrel's chipper nephew
0	Pip Francis' nickname
0	Pumphandle Francis' last name
0	Francis The first name of a character who parodies Ben Stein
0	Baloney A giant, orange dinosaur who parodies Barney the Purple Dinosaur
0	Runt Rita's absent minded canine companion
0	Buttons Mindy's personal guardian canine
0	Director Mr. Director is based off of Jerry Louise
0	Plotz Thaddeus' last name
0	Thaddeus The CEO of the Warner Bros. company
0	Scratchansniff Otto's last name
0	Otto The name of the Warner Siblings' psychiatrist
0	Franklin Frank Welker's full first name
0	Frank Renowned voice actor Frank Welker provides many voices for the show
0	Guard Ralph's last name is actually guard
0	Theodore Ralph's middle name
0	Ralph The guard who always tries to catch the Warners
0	Maurice Brain's voice actor and the supplier of Wakko's burps
0	Brain The stoic and maniacal brain behind Pinky
0	Robert Rob Paulsen's full first name
0	Pinky The fun loving half of Pinky and the Brain
0	Jess A reference to the voice actor and singer Jess Harnell, Wakko's VO
0	Harpo The Marx brother Wakko is based off of
0	Wakko Yakko and Dot's brother
0	Rob Famed voice actor Rob Paulsen provides the voice for Yakko
0	Groucho Yakko is based off of Groucho Marx
0	Yakko One of the Warner Siblings and main characters of the show

Female Animaniacs Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Marita The female purple Hip Hippo
0	Gina A female character who debuted on "A Moving Experience"
0	Hassenfeffer The apple of Dr. Scratchansniff's eye
0	Eve She appeared alongside Adam early in the series
0	Billie A female nurse who Brain is attracted to
0	Fignewton Phar's last name
0	Phar A horse that Pinky goes out with
0	Katie A teenage girl with an explosive personality
0	Sherri Slappy's voice actress
0	Slappy An elderly squirrel with a mean disposition
0	Nurse Hello's actual last name
0	Hello The actual first name of the nurse Yakko and Wakko fiend after
0	Carloota A female bird who had a thing for Squit
0	Lana The last member of the Girlfeathers
0	Kiki Another member of the Girlfeathers
0	Sasha One of the Girlfeathers
0	Bernadette Bernadette Peters provides the voice of Rita the cat
0	Rita The Grey cat who accompanies Runt
0	Nancy Nancy Cartwright of the Simpsons fame voices over Mindy
0	Mindy A cute little girl who often gets into big trouble
0	Tress Industry veteran Tress MacNeille voices over Dot and many other characters
0	Bo Besca The last additional name attributed to Dot Warner
0	Fanna Yep, another name for Dot; we're almost done though
0	Banana Yes, one of Dot's names is "Banana"
0	Francesca Yet another portion of Dot's name
0	Louisa Another portion of Dot's full name
0	Contessa The second part of Dot's full name
0	Angelina Dot's got a really long full name, this is the first part of it
0	Dottie A name Dot has warned others to never call her
0	Dot The leading lady of the Animaniacs