Beany and Cecil - Characters - Main Characters

Main Characters

• Beany Boy - A young, cherub-faced boy with a propeller beanie that allows him to fly (the "Beanycopter", complete with helmet and propeller, became a popularly marketed novelty). Beany is a good-hearted, upbeat lad. In most episodes, Beany would be kidnapped by the villain, crying "Help, Cecil! Help!" to which Cecil would reply "I'm a-comin', Beany-boy!" as he raced to the rescue. This has become something of a catchphrase. Beany was originally voiced by Jim MacGeorge in the 60's series and by Mark Hildreth in the 80's series.
• Cecil (or "Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent") - A large green sea serpent with a slight lisp. He is fiercely loyal to Beany but not terribly bright. Cecil's trusting good nature invariably winds up with him being taken advantage of by the bad people, and he often ends up absorbing a great amount of physical abuse (getting smashed flat, losing his head, having his skin burned off, being shattered to pieces), all within the laws of cartoon physics. The end of Cecil's tail was never seen in most episodes; it always extended off-screen, or was hidden behind an obstacle. This is likely a joking reference to the original Cecil, a hand puppet whose tail was likewise hidden (because it didn't exist). Cecil's tail did appear in "Beany and the Jackstalk", when his entire body got wound into the tension spring of a giant cuckoo clock. Cecil also has a superhero alter-ego known as Super-Cecil. In this guise, he wears a modified Superman shirt (complete with cape). It was Cecil who cried "A Bob Clam-pett car-tooooooo-OOOOOOOOON!" at the opening of each episode. Cecil was originally voiced by Irv Shoemaker in the 60's cartoon and by Billy West in the 80's cartoon.
• Captain Horatio Huffenpuff - Also called "Uncle Captain", he is Beany's kindly uncle and the Captain of the Leakin' Lena, which takes the pals from one destination to the other. The Captain is always willing to instruct Beany and Cecil on their latest assignment, but is rather cowardly and refuses to put himself in any personal jeopardy, locking himself below deck or under a box labeled "Capt. Huffenpuff's Hiding Box" for most of the episodes. Uncle Captain was voiced by Jim MacGeorge in both series.
• Mouth-Full-of-Teeth Keith - A cowardly, toothless and Xenophobic old lion that hid in the first jungle arrived at by the crew. Trying desperately to maintain his isolation from the interlopers, Keith would roar threatenly at any passerby or invader of his territory. On first encounter with Keith the crew was terrified of the unknown and imperious jungle beast. However, as the story unfolds, Cecil (who often exhibits psychological insights worthy of Sigmund Freud) begins to suspect that Keith is really a "good guy" and fearful of strangers. After a few minor skirmishes and a lot of trust, they all become good friends. Audience response to the gentle and maned feline giant (albeit he is toothless!) was so great that Keith soon became a regular member of the troupe. On several episodes, he rose to the occasion, rescuing the crew from peril in spite of his shy and reclusive nature.
• Crowy - The navigator of the Leakin' Lena. He is a crow, and unsurprisingly spends most of his time in the crow's nest. He speaks in a squawky voice and has a tendency to faint dead away whenever the ship encounters some sort of hazard. Voiced by Jim MacGeorge.
• Dishonest John (or "D.J.") - The villain of the piece. He is dressed like a Simon Legree character, and he is constantly scheming to foil Beany and Cecil's adventures. His catch phrase is a sinister "Nya-ah-ãhh!", and he occasionally refers to Cecil as a "tall toad" or "big salami" (referring to his big, limbless body). Whenever Dishonest John's schemes are revealed to the heroes, Cecil tends to respond with an aghast "What the heck! D.J., you dirty guy!". When Dishonest John receives his inevitable come-uppance, it is usually just as painful as the abuse Cecil has endured in the rest of the episode. Dishonest John also has a supervillain alter-ego known as The Bilious Beetle. In this guise, he can fly under his own power and sports a painful stinger. "D.J." also appeared disguised on occasion as the mechanical robotic octopus "Billy The Squid" usually in haphazard attempts to simulate seastorms to scare away the crew of the Leakin' Lena when on a treasure hunt. Dishonest John carried a business card that read: "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap. Special rates for Sundays and holidays". He was originally voiced by Irv Shoemaker in the 60's series and by Maurice LaMarche in the 80's series.