Wallace and Gromit
| Character Group | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Wallace and Gromit |
| Type: | Inventor and his dog |
| Fandom: | Aardman Animation |
| Members: | Wallace and Gromit |
| Other: | Category:Aardman Animation for a list of canon articles |
| Related: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Wallace and Gromit are the lead characters in many of Aardman Animation's TV shorts and films. To date they have appeared in four short films: A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993), A Close Shave (1995), and A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008); in a feature length film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and Vengeance Most Fowl (2024); in a series of ten very short films, Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions (2002); and as presenters in a series of educational films on real-world inventions, Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention (2010). The orchestral music used in these works has been performed in concert and taken on tour. There is also a spin-off series, Shaun the Sheep (2007-present) with its own feature-length film and its own spin-off series, Timmy Time (2009-12). The characters have also appeared in books, comics, and annuals, computer games, as toys, in advertising, etc. etc.
- Wallace (no other name is given) is an inventor and cheese enthusiast whose dog Gromit is probably the brains of the pair. They live at 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan, Lancashire, a house which is packed with strange machines. Their adventures are usually set in and around Wigan; the main exception is A Grand Day Out which visits the Moon. Wallace runs a succession of small businesses based on his inventions, most notably window cleaning (A Close Shave), pest control (The Curse of the Were-Rabbit), and a bakery (A Matter of Loaf and Death). He's absent-minded but has a kind heart, although he tends to take Gromit for granted most of the time; he falls in love several times in these films. At various times he has been framed for robbery, cursed, and targeted by a serial killer. He's an enthusiastic cheese eater, if not an addict, and his one attempt to stop eating it, for health reasons, goes disastrously wrong.
- Gromit is a dog who happens to be an expert handyman, knits, reads advanced textbooks and newspapers, and understands English perfectly though he never speaks. He is occasionally blamed for the actions of others, and has a general air of long-suffering patience. He also likes cheese.
We also meet:
- The Cooker: Possibly a robot, lives on the Moon, resents people taking lunar cheese (A Grand Day Out)
- Feathers McGraw: Penguin and master criminal. (The Wrong Trousers, seen briefly in A Matter of Loaf and Death, Vengeance Most Fowl)
- Remote controlled robotic trousers. Not quite a character in their own right, but close.
- Norbot: a robotic Gnome created by Wallace in Vengeance Most Fowl before turning evil under Feathers McGraw's control.
- Wendolene Ramsbottom: Owner of a knitting shop, the romantic interest of Wallace (A Close Shave), but unfortunately a cheese-hater.
- Preston: Wendolene's cyborg dog.
- Shaun The Sheep: Stolen by Preston but escapes into Wallace's home.
- Lady Tottington: Land-owner and romantic interest of Wallace. (The Curse of the Were Rabbit)
- Lord Victor Quartermaine: A romantic and business rival, and his dog Victor.
- Reverend Clement Hedges: Expert on the supernatural.
- Piella Bakewell, former bread advertising star with a dark secret. (A Matter of Loaf and Death)
- Her poodle Fluffles, Gromit's romantic interest.
- The Autochef, a robot cook with a mind of its own (Cracking Contraptions), and other robotic devices including the 525 Crackervac, a dangerous vacuum cleaner.
Many other characters and devices are seen in these films; see the Wikipedia entries for more.
A possible inspiration for the characters may have been the short-lived British puppet/animation/cartoon series Send for Dithers[1] (1966), which featured a bumbling handyman, Dithers, aided by his pet, Mr. Perkins, a king penguin.
Fandom
Fandom mostly seems to be focused on collecting toys and other memorabilia and on art works. There are some video mashups and fanfic, but there are few ships other than canon. Crossovers are common, often revolving around the reaction of outsiders to Gromit's intelligence. Buffy crossovers often mention Wallace's cheese obsession, since there is a canon "cheese man" who appears in dream sequences in that fandom.
Fan Works
Fanfic
- Demon's Holiday by Jedi Buttercup; "And then he noticed a short older man in a taupe suit and eyeglasses walking into a shop that sold cheese." Buffy crossover.
- The Curious Incident Of The Dog With The File-Folder by Random_Nexus; "Sherlock and John are interviewing a possible witness, who's a bit of an oddball and has a rather peculiar dog." Sherlock crossover.
- Dusk on West Wallaby Street by SouthPawRacer; "Gromit decides to watch the sunset one evening, but when Fluffles arrives, their relationship is realised and tested at the same time." (Gromit/Fluffles)
- Works tagged Wallace and Gromit at AO3
- Works in Wallace and Gromit category at Fanfiction.net
Fan Videos
- Wherever You Will Go by rhoboat; Video mashup
- Kill the Wabbit by orlandothecat13; Curse of the Were-Rabbit mashup.
Fan Art
References
- ^ Send For Dithers at Toonhound.com (accessed 13th July 2015)