Byron Basset is a cartoon character from the Warner Bros. animated television series, Tiny Toon Adventures. He appears occasionally in the show. Byron was voiced by Frank Welker.
Biography
Byron is a brown, black and white male basset hound. He lives in Acme Acres. Although a direct connection is never made, Byron resembles Sam Sheepdog and The Barnyard Dawg (and possibly Willoughby the Dog). According to creator Tom Ruegger, Byron was also based on his family dog, a basset hound named Lucy who was actually protecting some baby birds from a cat, similar to the Looking Out For The Little Guy episode segment, Bird-Dog Afternoon.
Byron is a pet of Elmyra Duff and lives in her home, usually along with Furrball. His relationship towards Elmyra is sometimes antagonistic, due to her well-meaning mistreatment, including painfully tight hugs and scalding hot baths.
Byron doesn't speak at all, but sometimes lets out a listless "woof" or "ruff," as well as other dog-like sounds. In the "Life in the 90s" episode segment "Paper Trained", Byron appeared in Montana Max's vault where Max was hiding from Buster Bunny who was collecting money for his newspaper subscription. Byron's only line is "Pardon me, is this your vault?," but it is revealed to be Buster in disguise.
Personality
Byron is most known for his somewhat malleable nature. In order to turn around, he pulls his head and tail inside the folds of his body, and out the other side.
Despite being depicted as lazy and asleep most of the time, Byron expresses many talents when properly motivated. He is a heroic and caring canine, feeding and caring for baby birds (also protecting them from Furrball), and saving Buster and Babs in Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, where he accidentally ends up joining them in their subplot of getting caught up in a river after a water gun fight. Near the end of the film, when Byron sees that the bunnies are surrounded by predators, he flies down (his malleable body flattening out and acting as a hang glider) and carries them to safety.
In the A Cat's Eye View episode segment, Little Dog Lost, Elmyra chases Byron around her house to "play" with him (slamming him against the ceiling and putting him in dresses), but Byron manages to run off into the city and escape her clutches by falling into the back seat of a young lady's convertible. The lady feels bad for Byron, seeing that he is lost, and offers him to stay with her. Elmyra searches desperately for Byron and does everything to find him, including going on public television, putting him on a milk carton and using an airplane to leave a message in the sky that he is lost, but Byron stops every single attempt of his new owner finding this out (blocking the TV's screen with his body, eating the milk carton, and blowing Elmyra's plane from the sky with an Acme rocket launcher before she can finish the message). The lady takes him on a walk in the city, but Elmyra is there crying on a street corner over him being missing. The lady holds out Byron, but he disguises himself with a Batman mask just as Elmyra looks at him. Elmyra tells her that it isn't him and that her dog was "drawn better," as she mopes away. Byron, now with a guilty look on his face, thinks back to the day he became her pet; remembering when he was a little puppy and baby Elmyra chose him (sleeping a short distance away from his family) over the rest of the (more lively) litter. He also remembers the good times they had, such as when they played fetch together and when she used to rub his stomach. Byron licks the young lady's face (thanking her for taking him in) and reluctantly runs back to Elmyra, who is overjoyed to have him back.
Like with many of the other toons at times, Byron has been shown on occasion swallowing things whole that are as large as him or larger. Such examples include him devouring the Tiny Toons' entire Christmas turkey with one giant bite in It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special, as well as doing the same thing to Babs in Night Ghoulery (a TTA special parodying horror films with Byron as "Devil Dog"), where he swallows her whole with her still alive in his stomach.
In the episode, Acme Cable TV, on a segment parodying Hollywood Squares, titled Toonywood Squares, Byron is one of the squares (sleeping on top of the desk the entire time). He ends up being the secret square picked by Montana Max (who is playing against Elmyra). If Monty wins, he receives a trip to The French Rivera in his new jumbo jet filled with a bonus cash prize of 800 million dollars, and if he loses, he ends up going down to Hades for all eternity. The question for Byron is, "How did early pioneers describe life in the west?" He replies, "Ruff," and immediately goes back to sleeping, leaving Monty confused and saying that he "disagrees with the entire show." The host responds that Monty is incorrect and that life in America's west was indeed "rough" like Byron said. Monty argues that the "stupid dog" barked and said, "woof," which isn't an answer. Monty ends up being sent to Hades anyways (although he does escape with demons chasing him) and Elmyra ends up winning with three circled squares (Byron being the one on the bottom right).
Trivia
In the New Class Day episode segment, Just-Us League of Supertoons, Byron is a member of the mighty superhero team, the Just-Us League of Supertoons. He is AquaMutt, a parody of Aquaman.
Appearances
Season 1
- Episode 1: The Looney Beginning -- (Cameo)
- Episode 10: Looking Out for the Little Guy -- Episode segment: Bird-Dog Afternoon (Main protagonist)
- Episode 15: Life in the 90s -- Episode segment: Paper Trained (Cameo: Costume worn by Buster)
Season 2
- Episode 72: Acme Cable TV -- (Minor role)
- Episode 74: Henny Youngman Day -- Episode segment: The Potty Years (Minor role)
Season 3
- Episode 80: New Class Day -- Episode segment: Just-us League of Supertoons (Minor role)
- Episode 83: Flea for Your Life -- (Supporting role)
- Episode 86: Toons from the Crypt -- Episode segment: Night of the Living Pets (Supporting role)
- Episode 90: Toon TV -- Music video segment: Video Game Blues (Cameo: Face not shown)
- Episode 91: Grandma's Dead -- (Minor role)
- Episode 96: A Cat's Eye View -- Episode segment: Little Dog Lost (Main protagonist)
- Episode 98: It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special -- (Cameo)
Film
- How I Spent My Vacation -- (Main sub-plot role)
Specials
- Night Ghoulery -- (Cameo)
End Tag
Byron's end tag credit is "Woof!," after sniffing around the Warner Bros. rings.
Gallery
- Main article: Byron Basset/Gallery