Peter Potamus

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Peter Potamus
Peter Potamus.png
Species Hippopotamus
Gender Male
Member of Yogi's Gang[Note 1]
Affiliation So-So
Occupation Explorer
Plant shop owner[Note 2]
Lawyer[Note 3]
Mail carrier[Note 4]
Works for Peter Potamus Plant Palace[Note 5]
Sebben & Sebben[Note 6]
Father Not mentioned
Mother Not mentioned
Marital status Single
First appearance PP&SS: "Fe Fi Fo Fun" (1964)
Played by Daws Butler (1964-88)
Greg Burson (1991)
Chris Edgerly (2001-07, 2008, 2019)
C.H. Greenblatt (2021-present)
File:80s Potamus.png
Yogi's Treasure Hunt
HBAAL Peter Potamus.png
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
DC Potamus.png
Deathstroke/Yogi Bear Special
JS Peter.png
Jellystone!

Peter Potamus is an anthropomorphic hippopotamus and one of the main title characters in the Peter Potamus and So-So animated television shorts, which came as part of The Peter Potamus Show. His voice was originated by Daws Butler.

Character description

Peter is a hippopotamus with purple skin, a pinkish mouth, and an overweight physique. His attire consists of a yellow pith helmet and a white safari jacket tightened with a belt.

He is a larger-than-life explorer who is often accompanied by his sidekick So-So. Together, they embarked on global explorations in a hot air balloon capable of time travel with just a dial spin. When danger comes near, Peter uses his "Hippo Hurricane Holler", a powerful blast that comes from him exhaling a deep breath onto his adversaries. Peter is a very friendly and hearty individual who helps out others around him, particularly his friend So-So and those in need of his assistance.

In Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, he instead wears a tan, undersized suit with a red tie. The personality of this iteration is a sharp contrast from his original counterpart, in that he is a sleazy lawyer with a penchant of womanizing. Despite his highly amoral and inappropriate behavior, he is often described as one of the best attorneys from the Sebben & Sebben law firm. A highly recurring gag from Peter is that he will ask anyone if they "get that thing I sent ya?" What "that thing" is has not been revealed for the most part, but it is implied to be something that Peter takes personally or an absurdly spiritual level.

In Jellystone!, Peter is a "weeaboo," a pejorative English term referring to a person taking intrest in anime or Japanese culture in general. His home is contained to the brim with plastic models, costumes and body pillows. He is also shown to be a martial arts enthusiast. Due to his hobbies, the majority of Jellystone's citizens sees Peter as an mild annoyance and leave him in a desperate need for companionship.

Appearances

TV series

Specials

Movies

Comics

Video games

Biography

Debut Series

Crossover Era

It's Yogi's Gang

Yogi's Ark Lark

Laff-a-Lympics

Funtastic Treasure Hunt

The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound

Celebrating another 50 years! 50 years of fun!

Yo, Yogi!

Dexter's Laboratory cameo

Peter Potamus, Attorney at Law

Peter is a recurring character in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, portrayed as a sexually-charged and lazy lawyer who often asks Harvey and others if they got the "thing he sent [them]."

Everyone's Back in Jellystone!

Development

According to animator and layout artist Jerry Eisenberg on the Los Angeles Times, he explained that the inspiration Peter Potamus came from Eisenberg himself:

"Once I was thinking about a hippopotamus… Since I was overweight, I could relate to that. So I started making some drawings in the Hanna-Barbera style—the character standing on two legs. I put a safari coat on him and a pith helmet. Joe kind of liked it, so he got some writers together and we began to work on it. I don't know who came up with the name, but that was Peter Potamus."

- Jerry Eisneberg[1]

Prior to Peter Potamus, Daws Butler provided a similar vocalization for the character of Lippy the Lion, which was an impersonation of comedic actor Joe E. Brown.

Gallery

Main article: Peter Potamus/Gallery

Toys and merchandise

Main article: Peter Potamus/Toys

Behind the scenes

  • Up until season two of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, the series' version of Peter initially had fingered hands like his previous incarnation. These were sometimes changed into hooves midway through the season's run and later afterwards, which were used to comedic effect through his inability to perform basic tasks such as opening a mustard packet.

Footnotes

  1. ^ In Yogi's Gang.
  2. ^ In Yo, Yogi!
  3. ^ In Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
  4. ^ In Jellystone!
  5. ^ "In Yo, Yogi!
  6. ^ In Attorney at Law

References

  1. ^ King, Susan (August 29, 2009). "Those yabba-dabba-doo-ers." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on April 21, 2023.