Slowpoke Rodríguez (see photo on left) is a fictional animated cartoon mouse and the cousin of Speedy Gonzales. Both are part of the very popular Looney Tunes’ series of characters. Tom Holland and Frank Welker provided his voice in just two episodes of Speedy Gonzales. Slowpoke Rodriguez is “the slowest mouse in all Mexico” in contrast to his cousin Speedy Gonzales, who is known as the fastest. Despite his slow moving feet, Slowpoke manages to take on Sylvester the cat and other kitties with bad intentions in both of his cartoon appearances, explaining to his cousin Speedy that he may be “slow in the feet” but not in “la cabeza” (the head).
Slowpoke Rodriguez speaks in a slow, monotone voice and, and moves even more slowly. He seems to be scared by nothing except for maybe being hungry. And he is always hungry! Droopy, red eyes, slurred speech and a song about “La Cucaracha” (a slang term for a marijuana joint) have all pointed to Slowpoke representing a pot smoking mouse - not unlike other cousins of Speedy Gonzales who were portrayed as “borrachos” (drunks).
Slowpoke appeared in only two of the Speedy Gonzales cartoon episodes. The first, Slowpoke Rodriguez appearance in “Mexicali Shmoes” (1959) is a story of two lazy cats, Jose and Manuel, who decide to chase Slowpoke instead of Speedy because they think he will be easier to catch. In the end, they find out that Slowpoke packs heat! However, the gun-toting part of the episode was been edited out of later airings of the episode. Slowpoke’s second appearance is in, “Mexican Boarders” (1962), in which Speedy tries to keep Slowpoke out of the paws of Sylvester the Cat. To Sylvester and Speedy’s surprise, Slowpoke Rodriguez demonstrates powers of mind control (the other mice call it the “evil eye”) over Sylvester that turn Sylvester into his servant. In this episode, Slowpoke sings the famous “La Cucaracha” song which strengthens suspicions that Slowpoke Rodriguez might indeed be a stoner. This episode was also edited into into “Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales”.
Slowpoke’s Most Random T.V. Appearance
Slowpoke appears in the Robot Chicken episode “Werewolf VS Unicorn.” In Part 2 of the video, Arnold Schwarzenegger goes on a tirade about illegal immigrants and during the segment, Slowpoke Rodriguez appears on his podium with a glass of water, only to be criticized for taking an hour to get it. Slowpoke is dragged away, all the while protesting that he will be executed in his home country if deported from the U.S.
Frito Bandito was the cartoon mascot for Fritos corn chips from 1967 to 1971. (See videos of commercials below) Frito Bandito was voiced by Mel Blanc, who was also the voice of our friend Speedy Gonzales. Like Speedy Gonzales, Frito Bandito had an exaggerated Mexican and spoke broken English. Frito Bandito was always getting into trouble because he robbed people of their Frito corn chips (which played into the “Mexican bandit” stereotype in western movies). Frito Bandito often complained that he was being pursued by the FBI - the “Frito Bureau of Investigation”.
Frito Bandito got a makeover when the National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation Committee complained of the character; his gold tooth and stubble were eliminated and his hair combed. As with other characters of questionable character, he was eventually jettisoned and was no longer seen after 1971. He was replaced by the Muncha Bunch, a group of cowboys, which then were replaced by W.C. Fritos, modeled after comedian W.C. Fields.
According to Kovels Antiques and Collectibles, a Slowpoke Rodriguez glass from 1973 was worth $50 in 2001. It would be worth even more today. You can get a free login and check it out yourself like I did. (www.kovels.com). They are going for WAY less on ebay! Dont miss your chance to bid on a 1973 Slowpoke Rodriguez Pepsi glass now!
How cool is this? Slowpoke Rodriguez was a featured character in the 1973 Pepsi/Warner Brothers collectible glasses series (among 18 other Looney Tunes characters - including his cousin Speedy Gonzales). Other than these items, Slowpoke Rodriguez gear is seriously hard to come by. I’ve had a hard time finding ANY. If you are a collector, you can often get the best deal on glasses by buying your Slowpoke Rodriguez glass as part of a set on ebay. If you are a re-seller, the thing to do is buy the Looney Tunes Pepsi sets and then sell them individually. Honestly, though, who wants to give up the joy of pouring their favorite drink into a classic 1973 Slowpoke Rodriguez glass? Its all about priorities, folks.
For those of us that grew up with Speedy Gonzalez and remember his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez, it is somewhat astounding to look back and realize that Slowpoke was actually singing a song about marijuana. What is even more strange, is that there were several “kid friendly” versions of the song that were sung where the last line was replaced with something more benign, but for some reason, the makers of this cartoon allowed Slowpoke Rodriguez to sing the unmistakable reference to weed in a cartoon. For kids. Riiiiiiiight. See for yourself in the “Sowpoke Rodriguez - Mexican Boarders” episode.
Spanish
La cucaracha, la cucaracha Ya no puede caminar Porque no tiene, porque le falta Marihuana que fumar.
(In Spanish, as in English “Roach” or “Cockroach” is slang for a marijuana cigarette stub.)
English
The cockroach, the cockroach Can’t walk anymore Because it doesn’t have, because it’s lacking Marijuana to smoke
To really drive the point home, Slowpoke Rodriguez exhibits all the critical sterotypes of your typical stoner - slow-moving, always hungry, droopy eyes and slurred speech.
