TaleSpin/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


List of the many residents of Cape Suzette in the animated series TaleSpin.

Higher for Hire

Baloo

A slovenly middle aged bear and a top notch pilot, Baloo's key goal is to buy back his beloved plane the Sea Duck from Rebecca Cunningham, who has bought his dying cargo service. Baloo is naturally swiped (and anthropomorphized) from Disney's Animated Adaptation of The Jungle Book.

Tropes exhibited by Baloo include:
  • Ace Pilot: Baloo is a situational bushwhacker/plugger; in open sky, he bushwhacks like a mofo via ridiculous aerial acrobatics, in mountains and cities he plugs like a bastard through terrain manipulation, both supplemented by occasional usage of Abnormal Ammo - pretty much the only option available to him, as he takes on waves of fightercraft with a cargo plane.
  • Acrofatic
  • Anthropomorphic Shift: From The Jungle Book.
  • Book Dumb: Baloo can barely read or write, but is extremely resourceful and street wise at times.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Determinator: He has the occasional Heroic BSOD, but overall he's unstoppable and suicidally fearless when pushed hard enough. Even when he thought he had days to live he continued with his goals.
  • Genius Ditz
  • Genre Savvy: While not immune to being suckered in himself, Baloo can be rather streetwise and observant at times, he is wary to some of the shady clients Rebecca naively takes offers from, and is more willing to listen the kids' explanations at times (once debunking Rebecca's Not Now, Kiddo moment with Kit).
  • Improbable Piloting Skills: Baloo is so good a pilot he can pilot a plane even if he has to resort to directly manipulating the control cables to a craft's flaps and rudder when the yoke was broke. Furthermore, in one episode, he was able to quickly learn how to fly a prototype helicopter, despite the fact that operating that kind of vehicle is a completely different (not to mention revolutionary for the 1930s) concept in aviation. And don't forget, he was able to successfully "pilot" a prototype jet engine merely by hanging on to it and tugging on it real hard. No wings, no rudder, no plane. Just the engine. He even broke the sound barrier while riding it.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Baloo at times can be rather obnoxious and selfish, but cares deeply about his friends and family. Do not hurt them.
  • Knight in Sour Armor: While he has Jumped At the Call a few odd times, he is often a somewhat resentful hero, especially since he so greatly lacks the Hero Insurance many other heroes have.
  • Loveable Rogue: Frequently attempting "Get Rich Quick Schemes" or trying to find ways to slack off at work.
  • Man Versus Machine: In "From Here to Machinery", which has him competing with a robotic pilot.
  • Papa Bear: To Kit, and Molly to a lesser extent.
  • Parental Substitute: Again to Kit, with occasional moments with Molly.
  • The Slacker: As true to his Jungle Book incarnation as possible.
  • Stubborn Mule: He's more likely to back down than Rebecca, but he definitely embodies this in some of their feuds.
  • Took a Level in Badass: The Anthropomorphic Shift from The Jungle Book turns Baloo from a normal Indian bear to a highly competant Ace Pilot.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: While still a very sympathetic character, Talespin's rendition of Baloo can also often be more self serving, bad tempered and egotistical than his Jungle Book rendition, albeit nearly all Depending on the Writer.

Kit Cloudkicker

Baloo's right hand bear and semi-adopted son. Originally an air pirate, before stealing a treasure from Karnage and making friends with Baloo.

Tropes exhibited by Kit include:
  • Adorably Precocious Child: He's only 12, but he already knows more about planes (if not flying) than Baloo.
  • Badass Adorable
  • Beleaguered Assistant: On occasion due to Baloo's bumbling.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Expy: Though he has rather differing personality traits in places, he has more than a few connections to Mowgli from The Jungle Book, especially in his relationship with Baloo. The latter even refers to him as "Lil' Britches" as he does Mowgli.
  • Guile Hero
  • Heel Face Turn: Begins the show doing so, defecting from the Air Pirates and joining up with Baloo.
  • Innocent Prodigy: Kit is often rather intelligent, and sometimes shown to have more common sense than his peers, his occasional childlike naivete or rambunctiousness shows at times however.
  • Only Sane Man: While he does have Idiot Ball moments, he more consistently plays the voice of reason between Baloo and Rebecca when they are at each other's throats.

Kit: You're both nuts!

Rebecca Cunningham

A young entrepreneur woman bear that bought Baloo's cargo service (and as a result his plane the Sea Duck) and reinnovated it into Higher For Hire. Often butts heads with her employees, especially Baloo, in early episodes, but she softens up as the series progresses.

Tropes exhibited by Rebecca include:
  • Affectionate Nickname: Refered to as "Becky" by Baloo. Rebecca seems to treat it as such, only accepting the name whenever she is in a good mood with him.
  • Benevolent Boss/Mean Boss/Pointy-Haired Boss: Rebecca can be considered an unusual mix of all three tropes in one. While she mostly leans towards the first due to her protagonist role and viewing her employees more as her friends, her occasional temperament, superiority complex and outright quirkiness leads to her being less than pleasant to work with on occasion, especially in early episodes.
  • Closer to Earth: Played with, while Rebecca often plays The Straight Man to Baloo's rowdiness and antics, she has her own moments of stupidity and arrogance (most of which Baloo himself plays the voice of reason towards). Generally her sanity over Baloo is a case of Depending on the Writer.
  • Control Freak: Rebecca plays with this. She frequently is very insistant in getting her own way, but is more bark than bite and a lot more lenient and enduring than a usual employer.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Ditzy Genius
  • Expy: Of Rebecca Howe in Cheers, her role and rivalry with Baloo is also very similar.
  • Hero Antagonist: Often acts as such in some of Baloo's Loveable Rogue moments. While she can be rather overbearing about it (and not above playing up herself) she usually just wants Baloo to do an honest job of things. A lot of times when she gets the larger Sympathetic POV, Baloo is actually painted as something of a Jerkass.
  • Inferiority Superiority Complex: Rebecca is something of a pompous know-it-all who has nothing against pushing her weight around to get Baloo to follow orders. Whenever Baloo is taken out of the picture, however, things often fall apart due to Rebecca's physical and emotional dependance on him to help run the company. Some obvious dents left from being a single mother are also apparent.
  • Lovable Alpha Bitch: Something of a grown up variant. Rebecca is extremely snobbish and self important at times, and often looks down on those lower on the chain than her, but is a loving mother and ultimately devoted to her employees. Not to mention her huge showings of humility whenever she realises she's taken things too far.
  • Mama Bear: Friend or foe alike, you're in big trouble if something happens to Molly. She also happens to be a literal bear.
  • Not So Different: Despite their very contrasting ethics, Rebecca shares more in common with Baloo than she'd like to admit. She will recurring berate him over one of his flaws, only minutes before she makes a similar mistake (eg. chastising Baloo over his temper, before he has to restrain her from assaulting a client).
  • Parental Substitute: Not nearly as prominantly as Baloo, but she has her moments with Kit.
  • Slap Slap Kiss: Though it doesn't really develop past subtle teases, Rebecca was very much designed to have this relationship with Baloo, when not arguing or berating him (or in some rarer cases outright attacking him) she is very caring towards him and it is very obvious there is some romantic tension between them.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: She knows a lot more about running the company than Baloo, but a lot of her money making schemes are terrible and she has a very high opinion of her business thinking. As she once insisted, she's never wrong.
  • Stubborn Mule: To occasionally insane lengths. She will never admit she is wrong.

Rebecca: Would so! I'm just never wrong!

  • Took a Level In Kindness: Subtle example. While she still has rather arrogant moments on occasion, Rebecca is more consistantly gentler in many later episodes. A lot of her later appearances also focus on her friendship and devotion to Baloo getting stronger (the hints to it going beyond that also become stronger), at least in comparison to earlier episodes, where she was often at Baloo's throat and could act like an all out Jerkass at times.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: As often as she clashes with Baloo, she is often shown to be rather devoted and caring towards him whenever problems occur (at least once she outright tried to sacrifice her life to save him). She even openly refers to Baloo as her best friend.

Molly Cunningham

Bubbly six-year-old daughter of Rebecca. Occasionally rambunctious and fond of sneaking into some of Baloo's travels. Sometimes pretends to be her favorite superheroine, Danger Woman, complete with a homemade costume.

Tropes exhibited by Molly include:

Wildcat

Eccentric mechanic for Higher For Hire. Spacey and not too bright, but kind-hearted and extremely competent at his job.

Tropes exhibited by Wildcat include:

Other residents of Cape Suzette

Shere Khan

A stoic and highly powerful businessman, implied to have enormous power over Cape Suzette's economy. Like Baloo and Louie, Khan is swiped and anthropomorphized from The Jungle Book.

Tropes exhibited by Shere Khan include:
  • Affably Evil
  • Anti-Villain: His villainous roles in the show are actually outweighed by the times he assists Baloo.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit
  • The Chessmaster
  • The Comically Serious: Khan in personality is rather serious and almost darkly, his interaction with a lot of other characters (particularly his employees) has something of a slapstick tone at times however.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: Though less corrupt and more ruthless.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Flanderization: While still a rather fearsome character in The Jungle Book, Khan was something of a playful, more comedic villain, and while rather reserved, did finally break down when thwarted. In the show, Khan is perpetually stoic and no nonsense and gives a rather intimidating ambience to nearly every scene he is in. Interestingly certain spin off media of the show played closer to his Jungle Book depiction.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Played with. While not the most antagonising villain (and even prone to acts of good will), Khan is a much more serious and intimidating figure than most of the other more comical Rogues Gallery and is implied to hold a very dangerous amount of power if not for his scruples.
  • Noble Demon
  • Pragmatic Villainy: Khan is merciless to those that get in his way, but savvy enough to know the consequences of Kicking The Dog too many times, and is generally tough but fair to his associates.
  • Screw the Money, I Have Rules: While he will partake in the odd corrupt scheme every once in a while, his moral code prevents him from doing anything exceptionally heinous.
    • He has outright stated that his motto is "to always repay your debts and never break a deal".
  • The Stoic
  • Took a Level In Kindness: Shere Khan, while always affable, was designed to be an intimidating and gleefully murderous force of evil for the original Jungle Book film. In the series, his villainy was far more restrained, and he is shown as far more sympathetic, or at least pragmatic figure in comparison.
  • Tranquil Fury: The master of it, managing to be an incredibly terrifying figure to those around him, without once raising his voice.

Louie

Jiving orangutan and owner of the Local Hangout for air pilots, Louie is Baloo's best friend and occasional comrade in adventures and Zany Schemes. Similarly anthropomorphized from The Jungle Book.

Tropes exhibited by Louie include:

The Air Pirates

Don Karnage

Spanish-accented captain of the Air Pirates, intent on getting past Cape Suzette's security and plundering the town. Somewhat clownish villain that usually serves as the show's main antagonist.

Tropes exhibited by Don Karnage include:

Mad Dog

The whiny, brownnosing, but ultimately disloyal lackey pirate of Don Karnage. He is nearly always paired with Dumptruck. He has a very nasally voicetone. While he follows Karnage out of a sense of greed and fear, he'd turn on him in a moment flat if he thought he could get away with it, and stab him In the Back (episodes: Stuck on You, A Baloo Switcheroo).

Tropes exhibited by Mad Dog include:
  • Dirty Coward: "Me? Oh, why me? Send Dumptruck! Send Hacksaw!"
  • Lazy Bum: "Can I help it if I have a hangnail?"
  • Professional Butt-Kisser: "Well, a thousand groveling pardons, captain, but could we just ask you one little question?"
  • The Resenter: "Tell ya the truth, we've grown attached to both of 'em! Keep Karnage!"

Dumptruck

He's another lackey pirate, definitely the muscle of Don Karnage. He is nearly always paired with Mad Dog. His gruff side comes out when he's all business, but when he's not on the job or angry, he actually reveals a rather jovial, good-natured side. He is, sadly, not the brightest star in the sky. He speaks with a Swedish accent.

Tropes exhibited by Dumptruck include:
  • The Brute: "It's clobberin' time!"
  • The Ditz: "Oh boy! Vee're goin' fishin'! I love worms. Especially vit' french fries!"

Gibber

Another of Don Karnage's pirates. Gibber is often not far from Karnage, ready to whisper some idea or observation to his captain. He seems to be an advisor of sorts.

Tropes exhibited by Gibber include:
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