Quick Draw McGraw is the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
and title character of ''
The Quick Draw McGraw Show''.
He is an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
white horse wearing a red
Stetson cowboy hat
The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, C ...
, a red
holster
A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be atta ...
belt, a light blue
bandana
A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvre-chef'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana or bandanna, is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the Human head, head, face, or neck for protective or decorative purposes. The popularity of ...
, and occasionally
spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
s, he was originally voiced mainly by
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...
from 1959 until Butler's death in 1988. All 45 of his cartoons that originally aired between 1959 and 1961 were written by
Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American screenwriter and storyboard artist for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director ...
, known best for his work at the
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
cartoon studio. The cartoon was nominated for an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
in 1960.
Character description
Quick Draw was usually depicted as a
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
in
a series of
short film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
s set in the
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
. Quick Draw was often accompanied by his
deputy, a
Mexican burro called
Baba Looey (also voiced by Daws Butler), who spoke with a Mexican accent and called his partner "Queeks Draw". In the
Spanish American version, Quick Draw is named Tiro Loco McGraw, while Baba Looey is named Pepe Trueno. In the
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian version, Quick Draw speaks in a
Portuguese accent, which along with his
Hispanized name (Pepe Legal) would suggest he was either a
Texan-American or Mexican cowboy.
Quick Draw satirized the
westerns that were popular among the American public at the time. His character was well-intentioned, but somewhat
dim. His main catchphrases were "Now hold on there!" and "I'll do the thin'in' around here and don't you forget it!" Also if he got hurt he would often say "Ooooh that smarts!" One of the main running gags in the shorts was him accidentally shooting himself with his own six-shooter.
Another featured character was
Snuffles, the bloodhound dog that would point to his mouth and "ah-ah-ah-" when he wanted a biscuit, then hug himself, leap up in the air, and float back down after having eaten one. In ''
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his companions as ...
'', Scooby follows the same foil as Snuffles when he eats a Scooby snack.
Personality
Quick Draw was himself a horse caricature that walked on two legs like a human (as did Baba Looey), and had "hands" that were hooves with thumbs and could hold objects such as
gun
A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...
s. This enabled the show's producers to depict him riding into town on a realistic horse, and as seen in the show's opening credits, driving a
stagecoach
A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
pulled by a whole team of realistic horses. This aspect was made light of in the 1980s made-for-television film ''
The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound'', which featured Quick Draw.
El Kabong
In certain cases, Quick Draw would also assume the identity of the Spanish masked
vigilante El Kabong (a spoof of
Zorro
Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...
).
His introduction went as follows – "Of all the heroes in legend and song, there's none as brave as El Kabong". As El Kabong, Quick Draw would attack his foes by swooping down on a rope with the war cry "OLÉ!" and hitting them on the head with an
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
(after shouting "KABOOOOOONG!"), which is always referred to as a "kabonger", producing a distinctive kabong sound and usually destroying the guitar in the process. The "guitar" was usually drawn as a four strung
cuatro
Cuatro, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4, number 4, may refer to:
* Cuatro (instrument), a family of Latin American string instruments, including:
** Cuatro (Venezuela)
** Puerto Rican cuatro
* Cuatro (TV channel), a Spanish free-to ...
. On the cartoon's soundtrack, the "kabong" sound effect was produced by a
Foley artist
In filmmaking, Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. It is named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley (sound effects artist), Jack Foley ...
striking the detuned open strings of a cheap acoustic guitar.
Guest appearances in other media
* Quick Draw McGraw's name appears in ''
The Ruff and Reddy Show'' episode "A Slight Fright on a Moonlight Night".
* Quick Draw McGraw occasionally appeared in other
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
productions, including 1973's ''
Yogi's Gang'', 1977–1978's ''
Laff-A-Lympics
''Laff-A-Lympics'' is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', which consists of 24 e ...
'', a celebrity roast honoring
Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintst ...
on the TV special ''
Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue'' (1978) and the 1979 TV special ''
Casper's First Christmas'', and in an episode from the short-lived 1978 series ''
Yogi's Space Race''.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in ''
Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper'', voiced again by Daws Butler.
[ A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.]
* Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey appear in ''
The Yogi Bear Show'' episode "Yogi's Birthday Party".
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in ''
Yogi's Treasure Hunt''.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in the "Fender Bender 500" segment of ''
Wake, Rattle, and Roll
''Wake, Rattle, and Roll'' (retitled ''Jump, Rattle, and Roll'' when it aired on The Disney Channel on weekday afternoons in 1991''The Disney Channel Magazine'', Vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 1991: pp. 20, 36, 45.) is an American live-action/ ...
'', voiced by
Greg Burson, while Baba Looey is voiced by
Neil Ross.
* Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey appear in the ''
Yo Yogi!'' episode "Yippee Yo, Yogi!", voiced again by Greg Burson, while Baba Looey is voiced by
Henry Polic II.
* Quick Draw McGraw makes a cameo appearance in the ''
Samurai Jack'' episode "Couple on a Train", voiced again by Greg Burson.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in the ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...
'' episode "
Ban of the Fun", in the skit "Laff-A-Munich", voiced by
Seth Green.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' episode "
Million Dollar Abie".
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in the ''
I Am Weasel'' episode "I Am My Lifetime".
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in the ''
Class of 3000'' episode "Home", voiced by
Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
.
* Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey appear in the ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'' episode "
Imaginationland Episode III".
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in ''
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'', voiced by
Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...
.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in ''
Exit, Stage Left!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles''. In the same issue, he was also portrayed as the lover of
Huckleberry Hound's father; Huckleberry Hound Jr. later works with Quick Draw and
Snagglepuss
Snagglepuss is a fictional cartoon character who debuted in prototype form on ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' in 1959 and was established as a studio regular by 1961. A light pink anthropomorphic Puma (species), puma sporting an upturned collar, s ...
as cartoon characters.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in the ''
Wacky Races
''Wacky Races'' is a media franchise containing five animated series, several video games, and a comic book, with most centered on the theme of various Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters primarily engaged in auto racing (although occasionally employ ...
'' episode "Much Ado About Wacky", voiced by
Billy West
William Richard Werstine (born 1952), known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor, comedian, radio personality, impressionist and musician. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film ''Space Jam'', the title characte ...
.
* Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey make cameo appearances in the ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company ...
'' episode "Suffragette City".
* El Kabong appears in ''
Jellystone!'', voiced by Bernardo de Paula.
This version is a Hispanic superhero and teacher who is an enemy of
The Banana Splits
''The Banana Splits'' is an American children's television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with ...
and wields a guitar named Susan (voiced by
Melissa Villaseñor). He is never referred as Quick Draw in this series and is always dressed as his alter ego.
* Quick Draw McGraw appears in the ''
Teen Titans Go!
''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...
'' episode "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary".
In advertisements
* Quick Draw was the mascot for
Sugar Smacks in the early 1960s.
* Quick Draw made a cameo in a
MetLife
MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produ ...
commercial in 2012.
Parodies
* There are references to "El Kabong" in the TV series ''
The Critic
''The Critic'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as w ...
'' –
Jay Sherman's father, Franklin Sherman, imitates El Kabong, swooping from chandeliers dressed similar to Zorro and hitting people over the head with a guitar.
* In the
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
world, the name "El Kabong" was used by then-Extreme Championship Wrestling commentator
Joey Styles to describe when a popular
ECW wrestler,
New Jack
Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingn ...
, used an acoustic guitar as a weapon during a match. The act is also used by former
World Wrestling Federation employee
The Honky Tonk Man, former enhancement talent
Quick Draw Rick McGraw, former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Vice President and wrestler
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...
, and current
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
wrestler
Elias.
* Noted radio producer
Gary Dell'Abate, who has worked for radio "shock jock"
Howard Stern since the early 1980s, has been nicknamed "Baba Booey" for many years, after a mispronunciation of Quick Draw McGraw's sidekick, Baba Looey. "Baba Booey" became a catchphrase for Howard Stern fans for decades, usually shouted out in a large crowd.
Merchandise
*
McFarlane Toys produced a figure of Quick Draw McGraw as El Kabong as part of their Hanna-Barbera toy line.
* In 1991, Hi-Tec Software published a licensed Quick Draw McGraw video game.
References in popular music
Quick Draw McGraw is referred to in
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
' songs "So Hardcore" and "
Everything Remains Raw". He is also referred to in
MF Doom's
Viktor Vaughn song "Modern Day Mugging".
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
refers to Quick Draw McGraw in his songs "Fireman" and "What's Wrong With Them?" . Quick Draw McGraw is also referred to in
House of Pain's song "Boom Shalock Lock Boom (
Butch Vig
Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter who is the drummer and co-producer of the rock band Garbage. Producer of the diamond selling Nirvana album ''Nevermind'' (1991), Vig also pro ...
Mix)". The song appeared on the EP, ''Shamrocks and Shenanigans''.
The Game's "One Blood (Remix)" refers to Quick Draw McGraw.
Other references
In the English versions of the Nintendo DS, Android, and iOS versions of
Dragon Quest IV, one of Tsarevna Alena's tournament opponents is named Quick Draw McGore.
See also
*
List of fictional horses
References
External links
Quick Draw McGrawat
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archivedfrom the original on November 4, 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quick Draw McGraw
Animated characters introduced in 1959
Cartoon mascots
Cereal advertising characters
Anthropomorphic horses
Fictional gay men
Fictional sheriffs
Fictional vigilantes
Hanna-Barbera characters
LGBTQ characters in comics
Male characters in animation
Male characters in advertising
Yogi Bear characters
Television characters introduced in 1959
Western (genre) gunfighters
Western (genre) peace officers
Children's television series about talking animals
Comics about talking animals
Zorro