Tigger

> *"“The name's Tigger! T-I-double-guh-ER! That spells Tigger!"*
>
>

*- Tigger*

Tigger is a protagonist and the co-leader of The New Action Squad.

## Character Information

### Personality

Rambunctious, upbeat, childish, carefree, fun-loving, goofy, giddy, destructive, mischievous, friendly, exuberant, comical, loyal, tough, loud, jolly, overconfident, innocently inconsiderate, innocently egotistical, hardy, playful, charismatic, optimistic, bold, valiant, trustworthy, boisterous, energetic, dramatic, silly, humorous

### Goal

To be the greatest bouncer in the Hundred Acre Wood./To protect the universe from evil

### Nicknames

Bouncy lil Tiger (Referred to by Sayaka Miki)

## Media Information

### First Appearance

Winnie The Pooh And The Blustery Day (1968)

## **BIOGRAPHY**

Tigger is a resident of the Hundred Acre Wood, residing in a literal treehouse. When Tigger introduces himself, he often says the proper way to spell his name is: "T-I-double-guh-err." As *Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day* indicates, Tigger is Christopher Robin's latest stuffed toy, as the events of the short marks the first meeting between Tigger and Pooh Bear.

Along with his comedic personality and love of bouncing and pouncing, Tigger is known for his theme song, "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers", in during which he boasts that he is the only tigger in existence. Practically speaking, Tigger's "I'm the only one" statement comes from being the only "tigger" ever made, if one takes into consideration the fact that Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and such are all stuffed animals, and homemade ones at that, Tigger is, in fact, the only tigger. Though some *Pooh* media make reference to Tigger's relatives, *The Tigger Movie* reaffirms that Tigger is, indeed, the only one of his kind.

Outside of the 100 Acre Wood, he is the co-leader of The New Action Squad alongside his friend Pooh as he is the leader.

## **APPEARANCE**

Tigger is a stuffed tiger with a thin body of Orange and Black stripes. He has a yellow stomach and nuzzle with a pink nose, whiskers and a long tail.

## **PERSONALITY**

Tigger is arguably the most eccentric member of the Hundred Acre Wood. Overly energetic, reckless, and fairly thoughtless, Tigger is somewhat of a trouble-maker and causes a fair share of mishaps for both himself and his friends. To his core, however, Tigger is extremely loving and friendly; he means well and tries his best to be of support toward his friends, even if his efforts end in some form of misfortune, such as in *Christopher Robin*, in which he takes Christopher Robin's papers from his briefcase and replacing them with things from the Hundred Acree Wood to remember him and his friends. He can also be considered the most social of the animals and is exceptionally eager to have his friends join in on his personal joy.

Tigger notably prides himself on being the only "tigger" in existence. This title has given him quite an ego, and he considers himself significantly handsome, debonair, the "greatest bouncer" in the Hundred Acre Wood. Such egotism is never meant to be malicious, but it often drives Tigger to act without much consideration toward others and it often frustrates people. In *Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day*, for example, he bursts into Pooh's home uninvited, takes his food (claiming he enjoys honey, only to rebuff after actually tasting it and realizing how sticky it is) and absentmindedly leaves Pooh in the state of fear over the mention of honey-stealing Heffalumps and Woozles.

Tigger's rambunctiousness is also directly linked to his relationship with Rabbit, who openly dislikes Tigger's various quirks and even works to knock the latter's ego's down a few times. Rabbit's aggression is often expressed without much notice, but in some cases (such as *Piglet's Big Movie* and *Pooh's Heffalump Movie*) Tigger has taken note and this leads to mild contention.

With his fun-loving nature and general innocence, Tigger is about as optimistic and carefree as Pooh himself. Rarely ever upset or depressed, Tigger tends to look on the brighter side of a situation; so much so, that he is somewhat obvious to the problems surrounding him. Nevertheless, he is not incapable of falling into a heavy state of vulnerability. His only significant phobia is that of heights—a crippling fear, and one that renders him incapable of even bouncing. He can also be rather insecure at times, with the confidence in his various assets simultaneously acting as his greatest weakness; when he's unable to perform his usual antics with a usual (if not greater) amount of ease, he instantly becomes emotional and openly self-loathing.

For all of his shortcomings, Tigger is very much the heart of the Hundred Acre Woods' social circle. While exuberant and boisterous, he gives levity to the fearfulness of Piglet, or the gloominess of Eeyore, by providing a sense of confidence, joy, and optimism.

## **TRIVIA**

* Tigger has his own theme song, "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers", written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.
* In *Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch*, Pleakley is wearing a Tigger slipper.
* Walt Disney originally intended for Tigger to be voiced by Wally Boag, though after Walt's death in 1966, the part ended up going to Paul Winchell.
	+ Other actors who were considered for the role were Paul Frees, Don Messick, and Daws Butler.
* In animation, Tigger's nose is pink. In his walkaround costume, his nose is black, though the Disney Live! version (also currently seen in Disney on Ice) is pink also, and in puppetry, it's red.
* Tigger's departing comment of "T.T.F.N." or "Ta-ta for now" has become widely used as Internet shorthand for users departing from chat rooms and other live discussions.
* In the pre-1997 Disney presentations, Tigger was originally voiced by Paul Winchell, who died June 24, 2005; John Fiedler, the voice of Piglet in most of those films, died the next day.
* Tigger's "birthday" is believed to be in October 1928, the year that *The House at Pooh Corner* was first published. On Tigger-related merchandise, Disney often indicates Tigger's birth year as 1968, a reference to the first year that Tigger appeared in a Disney production.
* Tigger also makes an appearance in the anti-drug movie *Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue* with many other 1980's animated stars.
* It is ironic that Tigger appeared in two Disney on Ice shows, *Great Ice Odyssey* and *Snow White* as well as skating in "Round My Family Tree" as he didn't like ice-skating at those times.
* The *My Friends Tigger & Pooh* episode "How the Tigger Lost His Stripe" reveals he named the stripes on his tail, in order:
	+ "Springy" (second stripe)
	+ "Whirly" (sixth stripe)
	+ "Swirly" (fourth stripe)
	+ "Curly" (top stripe)
	+ "Bouncy" (bottom stripe)
	+ "Flouncy" (fifth stripe)
	+ "Leapy" (seventh stripe)
	+ "Oomphry" (third stripe)
* Tigger's current voice actor, Jim Cummings, also provides the voice of Pooh himself.
* In "A Pooh Day Afternoon", it's revealed he can do an impression of a horn honk and a bottle of pop.
* Paul Winchell created Tigger's voice by using his ventriloquist dummy, Knucklehead Smiff, as he stated in recent interviews he did in 2004.