Inspector Gadget (DiC)

*This article is about the DiC incarnation of the character. For other uses, see Inspector Gadget (disambiguation).*
**Inspector Gadget** is a police inspector from Metro

City. Gadget is a cyborg, having had his joints converted into extendable limbs and having dozens of gadgets and tools installed all over his body by Professor Von Slickstein, turning him into a multipurpose bionic crime-fighter.

He lives with his niece, Penny, and pet dog, Brain, who are always doing the hard work and saving his life, respectively, as Gadget isn't the most competent man, but always manages to save the day and catch the bad guys regardless, by sheer luck, right at the time Penny has figured it all out and called for Chief Quimby on behalf of her uncle.

## Physical appearance

Gadget is a tall Caucasian adult male, with pointy black hair, and a bulbous nose. Despite being a cyborg, he still possesses a mostly human body with real sensitive skin for the most part, however his joints and neck are completely mechanical in nature although covered in what seems to be synthetic (and sensitive) skin while other parts of his body have been enhanced with metallic gadgets, just as the area behind his ears. His hands are also completely mechanical but they do have synthetic skin which usually goes unseen due to Gadget never removing his gloves unless they no longer fit him (which has only happened on one occasion), but despite being completely mechanical, he can feel the senses of touch and pain just fine with them. Under certain circumstances Gadget can coat his arms with the same extendable metal in his joints, making him immune to injection needles (which he loathes) if he uses them in such a fashion, and he can also do this as a way of oiling up the whole length of his metallic arm at once. Gadget once grew a mustache for the purpose of staying incognito while at the Winter Olympics.

### Attire

**Inspector outfit:** Gadget's most iconic and regularly worn outfit is his inspector's uniform which consists of a grey trilby hat and trench coat over a white shirt with a blue necktie, blue pants and grey shoes. His outfit also serves as part of his gadget arsenal and contains even more gadgets within itself for his use. His hat contains a larger assortment of gadgets than his outfit and is an article of clothing he greatly values, never going anywhere without it according to Penny. He also wears a pair of brown gloves on his hands that, like with his hat, he never takes off regardless of what outfit he's wearing, even when going swimming. The only time he ever removed both his iconic hat and gloves at the same time was when he was shrunken down by the evil Dr. Doomkauf which made him too small to wear his clothes.

**Pajamas:** For when bedtime rolls around at his home, Gadget wears a set of simple pajamas which consist of a loose-fitting nightshirt and an old fashioned night cap which he sometimes wears over his regular hat and other times he may simply wear his regular hat without the nightcap. He has different colored versions of these pajamas in either blue, cyan, pink or white. This attire may sometimes be accompanied by a simple sleep mask and a pair of fluffy slippers. His gloves are the one article from his regular attire that he always wears to bed.

**Bathing suit:** For when at the beach, swimming hole or on a tropical vacation, Gadget owns a small collection of old fashioned vintage swimsuits of different colors and patterns, such as green stripes, red stripes or plain light blue. However, even when casually dressed for swimming, he will still wear his hat, gloves and maybe even his shoes. Other times he may just go to the beach or on vacation in his regular uniform but accompanied by a small yellow swim tube.

**Tracksuit:** Gadget owns a dark blue tracksuit with white lines that he wears whenever doing intense exercise. Like some of his outfits, he will wear his usual hat, gloves and shoes with this one.

**King Wrong's attire:** When Gadget was used to replace King Wrong of Pianostan, he was given the King's royal green robes to wear over his regular uniform.

Gadget's pajamasGadget's swimsuitGadget's tracksuitGadget as a GypsyGadget in King Wrong's robeA rare instance of Gadget without his hat or gloves (among other things) while covered in garbage
## Personality

Inspector Gadget is a bumbling yet well meaning crime fighter who is "always on duty", even when on vacation, showing a special dedication to his job and the pursuit of justice, even if he is quite inept at it. He tends to say "Wowzers!" whenever something surprising to him happens. He can get very confused at times, and might look stupid in doing so. Despite his job as an inspector, he is very prone to missing clues and even the obvious. Even his superior Chief Quimby tends to suffer because of Gadget's lack of focus, as Gadget always misses the last detail on every assignment note Quimby gives him, expressly telling him the note will self-destruct, yet Gadget always ends up throwing it in the Chief's face to explode, much to Quimby's frustration.

Gadget can also be quite gullible, often falling for even the most obvious ruses and disguises. His inability to tell friend from foe in simple disguises when on duty is most notable whenever his dog Brain tries to help him on his missions while in disguise, with Gadget often confusing his poor dog for a criminal (even when Brain has no disguises on) and Gadget may even end up unintentionally helping his foes without realizing they're MAD agents despite obvious signs of their villainy. Gadget also tends to be a little too charitable for his own good in that while it is a virtuous trait, it often results in others (mostly MAD agents) taking advantage of his generosity to lure him to his doom or make a fool out of him. A lesser seen trait of Gadget (although as exploitable as the rest) is that he is easily susceptible to feminine charms, becoming easily seduced by attractive (or even moderately attractive) women, a weakness that is often exploited by MAD's female agents, as well as male agents disguised as women or even a disguised Brain (or monster) in a dress, and while he tries to remain humble and chivalrous around them, this will also result in his undoing for if he thinks a lady is "poorly dressed" he will quickly cover his eyes, effectively blinding him and making him even more susceptible to all sorts of misfortune. Because of these traits and his natural clumsiness, Gadget tends to prove that he is quite incompetent at his job and most anything he tries to do.

Regardless, Gadget is a good-natured individual with a big heart who always tries to do what he thinks is right and help anyone who needs it. He also cares deeply for his family, mainly his niece Penny, his dog Brain, and later on, his sidekick Corporal Capeman (whom he mistakenly calls "Capman"), often acting as a mentor and parental figure to them. And its because of this kind nature and the love for his family that Penny and Brain are always doing their best to help Gadget at his job without his knowing to make sure he doesn't realize how bad he actually is at it.

## Gadgets

Inspector Gadget's gadgets are his primary tools for fighting crime and his day-to-day chores. He has dozens of gadgets at his disposal, possibly numbering around 13,000 different gadgets installed throughout his body, his clothes and some are even installed in his second home. Gadget mainly activates his gadgets via voice command by saying "GO-GO" followed by the name of the needed gadget, but on some occasions he is able to activate his gadgets instinctively without the need of the voice commands.

### List of gadgets

* **Gadget Arms:** The joints of Gadget's forearms and hands have been modified into an expanding metal that can extend to great lengths which can reach more than twice the length of his body, making it so there is nothing he cannot catch or ensnare his arms around in a binding grip, although he mostly finds success when using his arms to aid in simple household chores, such as reaching high shelves or putting bird houses in trees. His hands have also been modified with small cranks (along with an assortment of other gadgets) that a third party can use to manually retract Gadget's arms when he is in dire straits. Gadget's arms are incredibly durable under almost any form of pressure or strain and never suffering any damage, even when Gadget is tortured on stretch rack and stretched to unbelievable lengths (which he in fact found quite ticklish). However despite this durability, the hands aren't superhuman, as foes and animals who are bigger and more massive than Gadget have been able to unwrap themselves from Gadget's binding arms or suffer little pain or pressure from their snare.
* **Gadget Neck:** Much like his arms, Gadget's neck has been modified with an extendable neck made from the same material as his arms. Unlike his arms though, Gadget's neck possesses no offensive use, as he mainly uses his neck in conjunction with his Gadget Binoculars for reconnaissance and spying on criminals, although he tends to activate his neck for no real reasons at times, often stretching his neck at random, when surprised or simply for sightseeing.
* **Gadget Legs:** The joints of Gadget's shins and feet have been altered and equipped with incredibly long springs that help him bounce to incredible heights. These are most useful when trying to reach high places in a hurry or when Gadget falls into pit trap or a narrow hole too small for his copter. Despite being springs, his Gadget Legs have been shown to be capable of stretching and holding up Gadget's weight in a manner similar to his arms, allowing him to walk across deep bodies of water or walk over hazardous traps and deadly environments.
* **Gadget Ears:** The areas behind Gadget's ears have retractable metal cones implanted into them that when activated greatly enhance his hearing for miles around.
* **Gadget from rescue rangers:** Gadget Hackwrench is a super-intelligent lab mouse-turned-member of the Rescue Rangers. She is voiced by Jeff Bennett in "Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice!", and she is also voiced by April Winchell and Corey Burton in "The Last Adventure!" alongside the rest of the Rescue Rangers.
* **Gadget Coat:** His trench coat is designed to inflate like a balloon when he pulls one of its buttons which enables him to float — in water or in the sky, helping him to avoid deadly traps and falls or even escape from quicksand and heavy pressure. Whenever used, it is almost always deflated by being punctured, which causes it to rapidly deflate and making Gadget shoot through the sky as the air is released before falling from a great height. Despite its incredible vulnerability to sharp objects, the Gadget Coat is quite durable in other respects, as whenever Gadget is tied down with ropes or even metal chains, the Gadget Coat's inflation can easily break through any of these restraints without issue.
* **Gadget Tie:** Gadget's necktie is not just an article of clothing, it also functions as a rope and lasso used mainly to tie up numerous criminals at once, to round up animals or as a climbing rope on rare occasions that Gadget forgets to use his arms. He also called this gadget the **Gadget Necktie** and the **Gadget Lasso**.
* **Gadget Cuffs:** Gadget's forearms (or possibly just the sleeves of his Gadget Coat) have been equipped with a pair of hidden metal handcuffs which he uses to arrest evil-doers, however most of the time he ends up using them on his poor dog Brain or some other innocent passerby when confusing them for MAD agents. These cuffs also can adjust their size to fit anyone Gadget wishes to arrest, including expanding to fit an elephant's trunk.

* **Inspector Gadget's Hat** is a small grey trilby hat that contains the largest assortment of gadgets at Gadget's disposal. Unlike most of his other gadgets, the ones in his hat are not directly attached to his body, but his hat is the one article of clothing Gadget rarely ever parts with unless forced to, such as when he's attacked or shrunken down to a size smaller than his clothes. While the hat is removable and Gadget has been shown needing to hold it down when running or windy, it has been shown that the hat can fasten itself to Gadget when using one of his aerial gadgets while falling or being able to stay in place when swinging one of its heavy gadgets around. Surprisingly, Gadget also has spare gadget hats within his hat that also have a spare gadget hat.
	+ **Gadget Hands:** Gadget's most frequently used gadgets are the dozens of uncountable mechanical hands installed in his hat. All the hands are identical, wearing the same yellow gloves and having long and thin metal arms, but despite their identical appearance, each hand may serve a different function, or may even act as "extra muscle" to give Gadget a little backup strength when needed in either crime-fighting or doing simple chores. These hands manage a large assortment of Gadget's other gadgets or equipment, holding various objects for any situation, including a mallet, a phone, an umbrella, a saw, a sword, a camera, a motorized fan, a can opener, and other useful items, all of which somehow fit within the "hammerspace" of Gadget's hat. Of course, there are times when they will also be holding something useless or unhelpful to the situation. On rare occasions, it will seem as though these hands have a mind of their own, often protecting Gadget from harm he is not aware of, such as falling or moving heavy objects, hazards or any other form of threat, at which point a hand will pop out and attack the potential threat or many will appear at once and stop a heavy object from crushing their oblivious owner. These hands are quite durable, able to withstand almost any strong force or attack that hits them, rarely ever being damaged unless hit with an incredibly powerful explosion. Aside from his hat, Gadget also has many other hands installed in his second home which also obey his commands and look identical to the ones in his hat, with these hands functioning as servants, housekeepers and as a security system.
	+ **Gadget 'Copter:** Gadget's hat is equipped with three red helicopter propeller blades and handles that enable him to fly through the air with relative ease. While it is Gadget's most effective method of travel, it usually ends up getting broken or stuck on something. In the event that it does break, Gadget has a second spare ready. The 'Copter is very efficient at helping Gadget get around and can fly him almost anywhere without issue. Its one flaw other than its vulnerability is the fact that it often tends to run out of energy at inconvenient times.
	+ **Gadget Binoculars:** Gadget has a pair of metallic and extending binoculars installed in his hat which slide down over his eyes whenever needed. These have an impressive field of vision, allowing Gadget to see people and objects miles away from himself. He occasionally uses his binoculars in conjunction with his extending Gadget Neck for the purpose of reconnaissance and spying on MAD activities, but more often than not he simply uses them for sightseeing.
	+ **Gadget 'Brella:** Whenever his Gadget 'Copter and its spare are indisposed or Gadget wishes to have a soft landing, Gadget calls upon his Gadget 'Brella to serve as a parachute. The Gadget 'Brella is a small pink umbrella stored in his hat which is held up by one of his many mechanical hands. Only rarely does the umbrella ever actually work in the parachute-esque fashion that Gadget tries to use it in, usually either due to the umbrella breaking or turning inside-out due to Gadget's weight or because of an unexpected amount of extra weight; still the fact that the umbrella can hold up Gadget from a heavy fall for even 8 seconds or on the rare occasion that it actually helps him fall slowly and safely to the ground is an impressive feat by itself and a testament to the umbrella's endurance. Despite being an umbrella, Gadget rarely uses it to protect himself from the rain, and even more baffling is that while Gadget tends to use his umbrella as a parachute, he already has a Gadget Parachute installed which he forsakes in favor of using his umbrella for reasons that probably make sense only to him.
	+ **Gadget Mallet:** The Gadget Mallet is Gadget's most frequently used offensive weapon. It is a large wooden mallet stored and operated by one of the many Gadget Hands in his hat. Gadget mainly uses it to knock out criminals in a non-lethal fashion or break down objects standing in his way. It often tends to activate by itself whenever Gadget is in danger he is not immediately aware of.
	+ **Gadget Magnifying Glass:** A large magnifying glass used whenever Gadget is looking for clues or inspecting crime scenes. It also helps to make him look more professional.
	+ **Gadget Refridge-a-Gadget:** One of Gadget's many gloved hands holds an unmarked can of aerosol that contains a mysterious cryogenic substance that can instantly freeze everything around it and reduce surroundings to a sub-zero temperature. Incredibly useful when trapped in dangerously hot environments.
	+ **Gadget Siren:** Inside Gadget's hat is a police light and siren which he uses whenever he is in hot pursuit of dangerous criminals. It may also activate on its own when Gadget does something unintentionally dangerous near Penny, such as putting a knife in an electric toaster to remove some stuck toast.
	+ **Gadget Spring:** A large spring in his hat that Gadget can use to bounce off hard surfaces and avoid head trauma should he be falling on his head. He can also use it to repel heavy objects that may fall on his head no matter their size, as they will bounce off the spring without putting any extra weight or pressure on Gadget. Like his Gadget Hands, the Gadget Spring may also activate by itself to save Gadget.
	+ **Gadget Jack Hammer:** A miniature jackhammer managed by one of Gadget's spare hands which he can use to penetrate through solid concrete.
	+ **Gadget Radar:** A small beeping radar in the form of a parabolic dish in his hat that Gadget can use to detect unseen elements in blinding environments such as snowstorms.
	+ **Gadget Gas Mask:** A large black gas mask that covers the entirety of Gadget's face used whenever Gadget finds himself in a poisonous or toxic environment, such as MAD deathtraps filled with gas, burning buildings or old oil tankers.
	+ **Gadget Bouquet:** A small bouquet of pink flowers held by one of Gadget's extra hands. It is one of Gadget's more useless gadgets that usually only appears when Gadget's gadgets are buggy. Its only real use is to be used as a gift for whenever Gadget meets a new female acquaintance.
* **Gadget's Fingers** have an assortment of small gadget tools installed in them which are useful in many situations, which make his hands double as easily accessible Swiss Army Knives.
	+ **Top-Secret Gadget Phone:** A special phone installed in Gadget's right hand, with the earpiece and antenna installed in his thumb and the mouthpiece in his pinky finger. He has a secondary red phone installed in his hat which is operated by one of the extra hands in his hat. The purpose of the Top-Secret Gadget Phone is to serve as a direct and secret communications link between Gadget and Chief Quimby.
	+ **Gadget Key:** Gadget has an all-purpose skeleton key installed in his left pinky finger which can open any lock with ease. He mainly uses it to infiltrate enemy lairs or unlock any door or locked object he needs to get through.
	+ **Gadget Flashlight:** A very bright flashlight with a long range installed in Gadget's left middle finger. Used whenever Gadget finds himself in dark caves or corridors, or simply when the power goes out at his home. Gadget also has a secondary regular red flashlight installed in his hat.
	+ **Gadget Pen:** A small yellow fountain pen installed in Gadget's right middle finger which Gadget uses whenever his signature is required.
	+ **Gadget Water Pistol:** A small water gun built into his right index finger which can fire large amounts of water at varied levels of pressure which Gadget mainly uses to put out fires or quench his thirst.
	+ **Gadget Laser:** The Gadget Laser is one of Gadget's most powerful and deadly tools. An actual laser beam installed in his left index finger that can burn, melt and cut through almost anything, such as plants, wood, plastic, glass or even metal. It can even start fires, making it useful as a lighter and welder as well, however Gadget never uses it on any living soul or even robots, possibly due to his own scruples.
	+ **Gadget Whistle:** A small police whistle installed in Gadget's right ring finger.
	+ **Gadget Screwdriver:** A small multi-purpose and fits-all screwdriver installed in Gadget's left ring finger.
* **Gadget's Shoes** are light gray dress shoes that have quite a few gadgets of their own installed in them and mainly help Gadget in traversing tough terrain or moving at faster speeds while on foot.
	+ **Gadget Roller Skates:** Gadget has a pair of salmon-pink roller skates installed in his shoes which he uses to give him a bit of extra speed when chasing down crooks on foot, although his natural clumsiness occasionally make these skates more of a hazard for the inspector than an asset. Later on, he upgrades his Gadget Roller Skates into **Gadget Rocket Skates** by adding two small red rockets two their sides, greatly improving their speed, although while also making them even more hazardous.
	+ **Gadget Heel Boosters:** Later in his career, the heels of Gadget's shoes were outfitted with powerful flame thrusters that further increase the speed of his Gadget Roller Skates.
	+ **Gadget Skis:** The bottom of Gadget's shoes are outfitted with retractable metal skis which he uses whenever traversing steep snow-covered mountains, or any steep surface. Gadget may even carelessly use them to go down stairs faster which usually spells disaster for both himself and those around him.
	+ **Gadget Magnets:** A pair of high-powered magnets are built into the bottom of Gadget's shoes that when summoned allow him to walk on metallic surfaces. Useful when Gadget is imprisoned in a deep metal death trap or when he needs to infiltrate tall metal structures.

Aside from the gadgets in his body and clothes, Gadget also has several external gadgets he keeps within close proximity of himself or carries around with him, either kept in his pockets or carried around and used rarely because they're too big.

* **Gadget Mobile:** Gadget's trusty automobile that he uses to travel across the globe. Like his other gadgets, the Gadget Mobile also responds to the same voice commands. It can transform between a civilian form or a police form.
	+ **Gadget Claw:** A large metallic claw at the front of the Gadget Mobile that Gadget can use to catch criminal or runaway vehicles and objects too large for his regular gadgets. He can also use it to save the Gadget Mobile should it fall of a ledge by having it grab anything that could help pull it back up.
* **Gadget Watch:** A small orange pocket watch invented by Professor Gizmo that can tell time and shoot a jolt of energy that can completely immobilize a target in suspended animation for 10 seconds, making it a very useful tool for apprehending criminals without need of force.
* **Gadget Tent:** A large green camping tent stored inside an orange suitcase. Useful for when camping or traveling across expansive environments like deserts.
* **Gadzooka:** The Gadzooka is a portable pink bazooka. It is one of Gadget's largest gadgets and one of his few true weapons. It is a very dangerous and deadly bazooka that fires highly corrosive sour cream pellets that can dissolve any substance and leave no trace of its target behind. Unlike the Gadget Laser, Gadget has no issue with using the Gadzooka as a weapon on anything or anyone.

## History

### Past

*For details on the kid version of Inspector Gadget, see Gadget Boy.*

Gadget was born to the Gadget family sometime around 50 years ago, and like his earliest ancestors, Gadget was given a hat with its own mechanical hand. In his infancy, Gadget was present during the "Saint Patrick's Day Massacre", a gang war perpetrated by the notorious Depression-Era gangster Spuds Malone 50 years ago. Luckily, the infant Gadget was able to escape unharmed as his stroller rolled down the streets and far away from Malone's vile weapon, The Red Rose as it shot down both gang rivals and passerbys. During his childhood, Gadget loved playing paddle ball, eventually becoming one of his favorite toys.

Later in his adulthood, Gadget joined the police force as an inspector, but at an unknown point, he had a near fatal accident caused by slipping on a banana peel. Surgery soon followed and Gadget awoke new and improved with over 13,000 crime-fighting gadgets installed into his body, courtesy of the brilliant Professor Von Slickstein, turning him into an elite bionic crime-fighter and resulting in him eventually being promoted to INTERPOL.

## Notes/trivia

* In the original TV series, "Gadget" was his surname used by all of his relatives, expect for Penny, who's familial relation was never specified. Gadget's parents or siblings were never mentioned.
* In the 1991 *Inspector Gadget* Trading Card Treats made based on the original *Inspector Gadget* series, Gadget's backstory was given. The card in question (pictured right) states the following:

*"How did Inspector Gadget become “top banana” at INTERPOL? He was just an ordinary police inspector when he suffered a near fatal slip on a banana peel. Surgery soon followed, and the Inspector emerged from the operation equipped with more than 13,000 crime-fighting gadgets attached to his body. His super-intelligent niece, Penny, and devoted dog, Brain, are always there to help him. Unlike his gadgets, Penny and Brain can be counted on in an emergency."*
* Despite that the show and the trading card both mention that Gadget received his gadgets later in life, some episodes showed Gadget's ancestors as having hats with mechanical arms and in *Gadget and the Red Rose* Gadget is shown with a mechanical hat of his own as a baby.
	+ A possible explanation for this is that these hats may be family-crafted items, and Gadget's own hat seems far more well equipped than that of his ancestors likely due to being upgraded by the good Professor.
* In the original version of the pilot episode, Gadget was notably different, being portrayed as a mustachioed and very competent officer with a deep voice who actually knew what he was doing. His likeness was based on Inspector Clouseau from the *Pink Panther* movies owned by MGM, which they responded by threatening to sue, so DiC were forced to remove the mustache.
* In *Gadget and the Red Rose*, a possible hint is given to Gadget's age, wherein Spuds Malone mentions that the last time he used the Red Rose was 50 years ago, and considering that Gadget was a baby when Spuds last used the Red Rose, this would place Gadget somewhere around 50 years of age.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dry Spell
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 No Flies on Us
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Incredible Shrinking Gadget - The only instance in the series where Gadget is without his iconic hat and gloves
4. ↑ MAD Trap
5. ↑ Winter Olympics (episode)
6. ↑ Basic Training
7. ↑ Do Unto Udders
8. ↑ Only used once in Gadget's Gadgets
9. ↑ Follow That Jet
10. ↑ Arabian Nights
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gadget and the Red Rose - Gadget's infancy is explored
12. ↑ MAD Trap - Gadget reminisces about his favorite childhood toy.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 National Safe Kids Campaign's Trading Card Treats released in 1991