Cadpig
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Cadpig is a fictonal character originally created by Dodie Smith for her books "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" and "The Starlight Barking" and subsequently used in the Disney animated series 101 Dalmatians: The Series.
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[edit] The Books
In "The Hundred and One Dalmatians", Cadpig was one of Pongo and Missis' original 15 puppies. She was the smallest of the litter and shared a close bond with Patch. She is referred to as "the Cadpig", Cadpig being a name for runts in a pig's litter. She was a very weak puppy: she could not walk long distances and got tired easily. She was also addicted to television. In "The Starlight Barking", she was the pet of the British Prime Minister. She was not featured in the One Hundred and One Dalmatians Disney film. Instead, her addiction to TV was transferred to Lucky, a trait he retained in the series.
[edit] The TV Series
In September, 1997, Disney released 101 Dalmatians: The Series, which was a new installment in their 101 Dalmatians franchise, rather than a continuation. In the series there were four main characters: Lucky, Cadpig, Rolly and Spot. Cadpig was the youngest of the ninety-nine Dalmatian puppies and she was also the runt of the litter, being physically smaller than her brothers and sisters. Her physical appearance also has some characteristics that are unique to her, as she has a larger head than most of the other Dalmatians, along with floppy ears and blue eyes. Despite her small stature, however, Cadpig can perform feats of strength that her brothers and sisters often cannot do (such as being able to lift another character who is twice her size), though she usually exhibits such strength when she is angry; she also has an adept sense of hearing, which is stronger than that of her brothers and sisters. Cadpig also seems to have an extensive knowledge of (fictional) tribes and cultures. For example, after coming last in the obstacle course along with her friends, she said to Lieutenant Pug "Say Lieutenant, did you know the Ashpazi tribe of Hepzetonga honours those who come in last with golden trophies because they have shown endurance and determination?" to which Lt. Pug laughed sarcastically and ordered her to do push-ups. Her name is often fouled up by Lt. Pug to form "Campon", "Pig Dog" and many other errors.
Throughout the series, Cadpig is seen hanging around the Dearly Farm with Lucky and Rolly, her best friends out of her ninety-eight siblings, though she also enjoys the company of Spot, a chicken who longs to be a dog. Despite the fact that the four of them get along very well, they tend to get into arguments every so often, since they get on one another’s nerves due to their vastly different personalities. However, Cadpig appears to cause more problems on the Dearly Farm because of her naïve view of the world, as she strongly believes in her ideals and she often attempts to make the world a better place. Unfortunately, Cadpig’s attempts to resolve conflict often leads to furthered conflict, and her love of manipulating the truth often results in offending the parties that she’s attempting to assist. She did, however, prove herself as an excellent hostage negotiator, freeing Lucky from Lambo by bombarding him with her speech for hours and to him was like fingernails on the blackboard of his brain. As Lieutenant Pug said, "No-one can talk their way out of trouble like you can!"
Many of the denizens on the Dearly Farm have trouble understanding what Cadpig says, since she loves to speak in what Spot calls “metaphysical metaphors”, though she once mentioned that she got a thesaurus for her birthday, which she implied has helped expand her vocabulary, especially when it comes to synonyms of stupidity such as moron. However, Cadpig’s ability to psychoanalyze other individuals is a true ability, as she can easily find the emotional scars within others, often resulting in breakdowns that causes the subject to do nothing but cry and run off. Several episodes of the series make note of this fact, and it has saved the Dearly Dalmatians many times, though Cadpig isn’t always capable of resolving a conflict with words. In a later episode, when Cadpig wanted Mooch to stop fighting in a wrestling match, she decided that she could only achieve success if she pretended to be in love with him, and then force him to change his ways. She ultimately succeeded, and then she moved on to another wrestler, el Diablo, to convince him to stop as well; though despite this, Cadpig has never truly fallen in love, as she only uses love as a means of manipulation. However, she did have a minor crush on Blaze, the runaway German Sheperd who claimed to be "the Son of Thunderbolt". Cadpig also displays a great gift for sarcasm. The remarks are usually used to bring Lucky back to earth when he is on an ego-trip. Some examples are:
- "Attention, Flight Director Lucky, your ego-trip has been cancelled."
- "Welcome to Lucky's rich fantasy life, and now, Back to reality!"
- "Yeah, and maybe the Tooth Fairy will fly away to Lollypop land and get a cavity!"
- "Of course Rolly's a robot! We're all Robots! Whirrr! Whizz!"
Cadpig has had several alternate personalities in various episodes of the series, each of which is a manifestation of her true personality. In one episode, when Cruella De Vil took over all the television networks, the Dalmatians decided to imagine how an episode of “Thunderbolt P.I.” would end, in which Cadpig’s ending involved an alien known as Gipdac, “Gipdac” being an anagram of “Cadpig”. Gipdac was dedicated to finding peace in the universe; she speaks with others, not through oral discussion, but through a form of telepathy. She travels the universe in her heart-shaped spacecraft that is disguised in storm clouds, and she has her two assistants, who appear to be Horace and Jasper, assist her in her endeavors to teach the way of peace to others.
In the Christmas special, when Cruella De Vil was visited by the ghost of Horace and Jasper, he warned Cruella that she would be visited by three spirits. Later in that episode, Cadpig came to Cruella as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who told Cruella that she was going to take her on a journey trough her childhood. When Cruella initially refused, Cadpig resorted to using special effects in an attempt to scare her into changing her mind, which ultimately succeeded. As the Ghost of Christmas Past, Cadpig did her duty and she showed Cruella why she is evil today, though Cruella’s lack of caring over her past misdeeds only frustrated Cadpig, who ultimately decided to cut her time short and leave Cruella without finishing her tour into the past.
However, some of Cadpig’s “alter egos” aren’t really alternate egos, but rather, a shift in her personality to achieve a greater goal. In the three-part series finale, when Cadpig realizes that she had to do what she could to save Anita, she decided to dress up, with green algae and a headband with two planets, as the Shaggy Green Messenger, a prophesied being that the “SAUCER-DOLTS” (Society for Achieving Utopian Consciousness through Extraterrestrial Rebirth & Desert Operational Lacrosse Team) are looking for, as they believe that the Shaggy Green Messenger would take them to the Mother Ship, and to their (disagreed upon) planet such as Squignon, where the rivers run with cream soda, or Dripnon, where the rivers run with gold, and many other planets. Cadpig’s antics managed to free Anita from the group in question and through such, Cadpig was ultimately responsible for saving Roger and Anita’s marriage, though it was later revealed that in doing such, the “SAUCER-DOLTS” managed to find the Mother Ship, which suggested that she really was the Shaggy Green Messenger. She is voiced by Kath Soucie.
[edit] Quotes
- Don't make me use special effects (As the Ghost of Christmas Past).
- Oh, forgive me, chosen one. And if it weren't for my total commitment to world peace, I'd kick your sorry little...
- You know what they say: When one door closes, another one opens.
- (After Two-Tone talks about Yard Sales) Two-Tone..... Focus!
[edit] Trivia
- Cadpig has diagnosed herself with PDS, Petting Deficit Syndrome. The symptoms are sinusitis, a "poofy" tail and aggressive behaviour.
- She owns a thesaurus and a book on conflict resolution.
- In one episode, she owns a plushie Go-Go, a famous champion racing greyhound.
| 101 Dalmatians | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Jim Jinkins • Walt Disney Television • David Campbell |
| Characters: | Lucky • Cadpig • Rolly • Spot • Two-Tone |
| Villains: | Cruella de Vil |
| The Books: | The Hundred and One Dalmatians • The Starlight Barking |
| The Movies: | 1961 Animated Movie • 2003 Animated Sequal • The 1996 Live Action Film |
| Spin-Offs: | The Series |
