Krypto the Superdog

Krypto the Superdog is an animated television series produced by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, based on the DC Comics character Krypto. The show premiered on Cartoon Network in March 25, 2005 and aired on Kids' WB in September 2006.

A comic book series (based on the TV show) is published by DC under the Johnny DC imprint.

Plot

As the planet Krypton is about to be destroyed, Superman's father Jor-El makes a ship and puts a white puppy named Krypto into it, planning to send Krypto up for a test flight to see if the ship is safe enough for interstellar travel. While aboard the ship, Krypto inadvertently presses a few buttons, causing the ship to put him into a deep sleep while the ship heads on to Earth.

Upon landing on Earth, Krypto finds he's a full grown dog, possessed of superpowers similar to those of Superman's (since all Kryptonian lifeforms gain superpowers from exposure to a yellow sun, such as Earth's sun). Later, Krypto is adopted by Kevin Whitney, a grade-school aged boy, who Superman arranges for Krypto to stay with. Krypto poses as an ordinary dog while living with Kevin's family, but adopts the secret identity of "Superdog" for his superheroic deeds; Kevin is aware of Krypto's dual identity.

In this series, the various animals, including Krypto, all are capable of speaking to each other, but not to humans, save for Kevin (who is able to communicate with Krypto and the other animals thanks to a universal translator Kevin wears).

Main characters

• Krypto the Superdog: The hero and protagonist of the show, formerly Superman's pet on Krypton before it was destroyed. He has all of the powers of Superman, though some are heightened due to being a dog, such as his super hearing and sense of smell. Krypto also shares Superman's moral values and feelings, which has been used as a weakness against him in some cases. This version of Krypto has a slightly different origin story. Krypto is voiced by Samuel Vincent.

• Streaky the Supercat: Krypto's best friend, a cat who lives next door to Krypto and Kevin's family. In episode 3, "The Streaky Story", Streaky gained superpowers by a duplicating ray that was aimed at Krypto, but reflected off of him and hit Streaky instead; Streaky later found that he had superpowers similar to Krypto's. Streaky belongs to a girl named Andrea. Unlike Krypto, Streaky is less serious about his superhero activities, and sometimes needs prodding to perform heroic deeds, but usually is dependable. Brian Drummond is the voice behind Streaky.

• Kevin Whitney: Kevin is the young boy who Krypto lives with in the series, with Superman's permission. Kevin enjoys Krypto's company greatly, and is able to communicate with him and the other animals in the series thanks to a universal translator device. Kevin has a bratty cousin named Bailey who finds out Krypto's secret, but fortunately he's such a notorious liar that no adult believes him. Kevin also has a two-year-old sister named Melanie, who refers to Krypto as "Kippo". Kevin is voiced by Alberto Ghisi and Melanie is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain.

• Ace the Bat-Hound: Batman's pet dog and Krypto's mentor (though Ace says he is Batman's partner), a German Shepherd. Ace fights crime utilizing various detective skills and gadgetry built into his collar; he also uses a rocket sled for traveling long distances. Ace wears a dark colored cape and cowl similar to Batman's, and (like Batman) possesses a stoic personality ; however, Ace does occasionally work alongside Krypto and considers him an ally. Ace's nemeses are Catwoman's cat Isis, the Joker's pet hyenas, and Penguin's trained birds. Scott McNeil is the voice of Ace.

• Andrea: Kevin's next door neighbor, and the owner of Streaky. Andrea enjoys making Streaky play dress-up, but was not aware of his (or Krypto's) superheroic identity until later in the series, when she accidentally stumbles upon Krypto's spaceship. In Iguanikah, it is revealed that Andrea is Jewish. Andrea is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain.

• The Dog Star Patrol: A superpowered group of canines who each possess a unique superpower, and fight crime across the galaxy. Krypto joined the Dog Stars by helping the group out on a mission. Ace the Bathound and Streaky the Supercat helped them out on different occasions. The group is based on DC Comics' Space Canine Patrol Agents and Legion of Super-Heroes. The members of the Dog Star Patrol include:

• Brainy Barker (voiced by Ellen Kennedy): An afghan, she is the leader of the Dog Star Patrol. Brainy Barker possesses telepathic/telekinetic powers, allowing her to read minds, project forcefields, and levitate objects

• Mammoth Mutt (voiced by Kelly Sheridan): A chihuahua with the ability to inflate her body to an enormous ball-shaped size, allowing her to use her size to attack foes. She can also expand other parts of her body

• Bull Dog (voiced by Michael Dobson): A bulldog with two bull-like horns that can be used for attacking foes and breaking objects.

• Paw Pooch (voiced by Dale Wilson): A basset hound with the ability to grow/sprout multiple limbs, allowing him to dig and run quickly.

• Tail Terrier (voiced by Peter Kelamis): A terrier with the ability to stretch his tail and use it like a lasso.

• Tusky Husky (voiced by Terry Klassen): A Siberian Husky with a giant front tooth, which he can use as a drill.

• Hot Dog (voiced by Trevor Devall): A Dachshund with the ability to generate tremendous heat.:* Drooly (reserve member) (voiced by Ty Olsson): A sheepdog who can use his drool as a weapon in various ways, such as grabbing objects, creating bubbles, and use them as projectiles.

Fan club

• The Supercat Fan Club: Led by Streaky's nephew, Squeaky, they are a group of fans of Supercat.

Others

• Stretch-O-Mutt: Buddy, a guard dog at S.T.A.R. Labs, fell into a vat of chemicals and developed shape-changing powers similar to Plastic Man. Sometimes he can be too silly for his own good. Voiced by Lee Tockar.

• Thundermutt: An egotistical canine actor who plays a heroic canine in the movies. He is somewhat jealous of Krypto and Ace, but though cowardly, mostly good at heart.*
• Jimmy the Rat: A rat who often serves as an informant for Krypto and Ace.*
• Robbie the Robin: Robbie is a robin who was saved after he witnessed an encounter between Ace and The Joker's hyenas. After that, he decides to be Ace's sidekick, much to Ace's dismay. Robbie was based on Robin (specifically, the Dick Grayson version).
• Dogbot

Villains

• Mechanikat: The main villain of the series, Mechanikat is a cyborg feline who constantly plots to conquer Earth. He usually keeps a bit of kryptonite on hand to use against Krypto, or to power up his machines with so they can affect Krypto. He is also a member of the Villains Club. Mechanikat is voiced by Mark Oliver.

• Snooky Wookums: Mechanikat's sidekick and secret agent, Snooky is an evil mastermind kitten who uses his cuteness and smarts to cause all sorts of trouble for Krypto and the Dog Star Patrol. Snooky is voiced by Nicole Bouma.

• Delilah: Another feline agent of Mechanikat. Delilah's outfit changes in season two, adding on purple-colored plates of armor in various areas on her body.

• Ignatius: The pet iguana of Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor. Like Luthor, Ignatius is very intelligent, vain, and is morally ambivalent about making others suffer for personal gain; however, he is effete, selfish, and tends to behave in a much less dignified manner than Luthor. He is also more prone to engaging in frivolous (and dangerous) personal whims, such as employing a growth ray to enlarge a bug for his supper, or using a wind tunnel to harvest one of Krypto's hairs as part of a scheme to grow himself a lovely fur coat. Ignatius is voiced by Scott McNeil.

• The Joker's Hyenas: Bud and Lou are a pair of Hyenas who serve the Joker. Some confusion about which is Bud and which is Lou can be found, considering that both look almost exactly the same other than their collars. Bud wears a purple collar, and Lou wears a green collar. Their names are a reference to comedians Abbott and Costello. They are animated here with blood-red coats, a nod to Harley Quinn, rather than the tan ones from Batman: The Animated Series.

• Isis: A female cat who works with Catwoman. Isis, like her mistress, is sexy, seductive, and also a master thief. In B:TAS she was a black or dark grey cat—possibly a Russian blue; here, she is a Siamese. Streaky was initially smitten with her. It is worth noting that she is named after the Egyptian goddess, not the Islamic terrorist group of the same name

• The Penguin's Trained Birds: Three birds who work with the Penguin, and are usually up to some elaborate caper. They are Artie the Puffin, Griff the Vulture (voiced by Matt Hill), and Waddles the Penguin (voiced by Terry Klassen). They are also called "The Bad News Birds".

• Dogwood: A half-dog, half-plant hybrid who can turn any plant or tree into living beings. Although his powers are reminiscent of Poison Ivy's, he doesn't seem to be associated with her. He bears a striking resemblance to another cartoon canine, Muttley.

• Mertin the Magnificent: A magician's rabbit that carries around a magic wand he stole from his master. Mertin is a master of magic himself. His only real intentions are stealing carrots, but he can hold his own against Krypto and Ace if confronted by them.

• Super-Flea: A Kryptonian flea who stowed away on Krypto's ship. Like all Kryptonion creatures it gained a multitude of powers under Earth's yellow sun.

• The Junkyard Dogs. A group of ne'er-do-well strays led by Muttsy, a street-wise but greedy mutt. One member, Basil, looks similar to Precious Pupp with a mangy butt. At best small-time hoods, they do periodically menace the heroes, and once took advantage of Krypto when he lost his memory due to red kryptonite exposure.

• Krypto's Tail: Once when Krypto was exposed to red kryptonite his tail was separated from him and caused havoc.

Trivia

• This cartoon is not a part of the DC Animated Universe (DCAU).

• When Krypto the Superdog aired on Kids WB on the CW in September 2006, the network aired only 30 of the 51 episodes from season 1 (skipping several in the process) and later aired reruns of the episodes in reverse order. As of January 2007, it is unclear if Kids WB will air all of Season one episodes or episodes from season 2.

External links

• Official Cartoon Network Site for Krypto the Superdog
• TV.com Information for Krypto the Superdog
• Fansite for Krypto the Superdog

Stories featuring Krypto, the Superdog
Silver Age Comic Books	Adventure Comics #210 (First Appearance) • "Krypto's Family Tree"
Modern Age Comic Books	World Without a Superman (First Appearance of Bibbo's Krypto) • Return to Krypton (First Modern-age Appearance of Kryptonian Krypto) • "Superman: Our Worlds at War" • Teen Titans #7 • Atlas
TV Series	Superman: The Animated Series (Cameo) • Krypto the Superdog • Legion of Superheroes (Cameo)
Prose	Starwinds Howl • DC Super-Pets! (Pooches of Power)