Crocodile and Alligator Cartoon Characters

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I have always had a soft spot for the croc and gator characters in cartoons. They get to be two things at once. One minute they are the scariest thing on screen, and the next they are cracking jokes or playing an instrument.

That mix is why crocodile and alligator cartoon characters stick with me. A good cartoon crocodile can be a snapping villain or a total softie, and sometimes both in the same show.

So I pulled together my favorite famous crocs and gators from movies, games, and TV. Some are cuddly, some are creepy, and a couple still give me chills. Here they are.

My Favorite Crocodile and Alligator Cartoon Characters

I tried to cover the whole range here, from sweet alligators to proper villains. Have a look and see if your favorite made the cut.

Louis (The Princess and the Frog)

Louis the alligator playing trumpet, a crocodile cartoon character from The Princess and the Frog

Louis is my favorite gator on this whole list, so I am putting him first. He is a big alligator who wants one thing in life, and that is to play jazz trumpet with a real band.

  • Shows up in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog from 2009
  • Befriends Tiana and Naveen and joins them through the bayou
  • Dreams of playing music with people instead of scaring them
  • Has a big, warm personality that makes him easy to love
  • The kind of character who makes the whole movie more fun
Why I love him: A gator whose only goal is to join a jazz band, not eat anyone, is just a great idea. Louis is pure heart, and he is the one I think about most from this list.

Tick-Tock (Peter Pan)

Tick-Tock the crocodile from Peter Pan, a famous cartoon crocodile

Tick-Tock is the crocodile that turned Captain Hook into a nervous wreck. He once got a taste of Hook’s hand, and he has wanted the rest of him ever since.

  • The croc from Disney’s Peter Pan, released in 1953
  • Swallowed a ticking clock, so you always hear him coming
  • Chases Captain Hook all over Neverland

Vector the Crocodile (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Vector the Crocodile, a cartoon crocodile character from Sonic the Hedgehog

Vector is the big green crocodile from the Sonic the Hedgehog games. He runs a detective agency and acts tough, but he has a good heart under all that.

  • Leader of the Chaotix Detective Agency, alongside Espio and Charmy
  • Will take almost any case, especially if it pays
  • Always wearing headphones, since he loves his music
  • Big, strong, and louder than he needs to be
Deeper cut: Vector was drawn years before his real debut, planned as the keyboard player in a Sonic rock band that got scrapped before the first game shipped. He finally turned up for real in Knuckles’ Chaotix back in 1995.

King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country)

King K. Rool, the crocodile villain from Donkey Kong Country

King K. Rool is the big bad of the Donkey Kong Country games. He is the king of the Kremlings, and he really wants Donkey Kong’s banana hoard.

  • Main villain of the Donkey Kong Country series
  • Leads an army of crocodile soldiers called the Kremlings
  • His schemes never work, but he keeps coming back for more
  • Made by the UK studio Rare, and shows up in Super Smash Bros. too

Killer Croc (DC Universe)

Killer Croc, a crocodile cartoon villain from the DC Universe

Killer Croc is one of Batman’s scariest enemies. His real name is Waylon Jones, and a rare condition left him with thick scales, claws, and serious strength.

  • A Batman villain from DC Comics
  • Born with a condition that made him look and fight like a crocodile
  • Appears in comics, cartoons, games, and movies
Scariest on the list: For me, Killer Croc is the most frightening croc here. The best versions play him as a sad story first, a man pushed away until there was nothing left but the monster.

Master Croc (Kung Fu Panda)

Master Croc, a crocodile cartoon character from Kung Fu Panda

Master Croc is a kung fu master from the Kung Fu Panda films. He looks rough and tough, but he is calm, wise, and kind to the students he trains.

  • One of the kung fu masters in the Kung Fu Panda world
  • Big and intimidating, but gentle once you know him
  • Respected by the other masters at the palace
  • Proof that a scary face can hide a good teacher
Casting I like: In Kung Fu Panda 2, Master Croc is voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme. A real martial-arts star playing a martial-arts croc is a perfect little joke.

Brutus and Nero (The Rescuers)

Brutus and Nero, the pet crocodiles from Disney's The Rescuers

Brutus and Nero are the two pet crocodiles in Disney’s The Rescuers from 1977. They belong to the villain Madame Medusa, and they do her dirty work.

  • A pair of crocodiles owned by one of Disney’s nastier villains
  • Guard Medusa and chase anyone who gets in her way
  • Loyal to her, and rude to poor Mr. Snoops
  • Never say a word, which somehow makes them worse
Childhood fear: These two scared me as a kid. No talking, just teeth and that creeping chase through the swamp. You do not need a chatty villain to be terrifying.

Captain Crocodile (Robin Hood)

Captain Crocodile, the crocodile guard captain from Disney's Robin Hood

Captain Crocodile shows up in Disney’s Robin Hood from 1973. He is the croc in charge of Prince John’s guards, and he is as sneaky as he is scaly.

  • Captain of the guards for Prince John
  • Helps the bad guys try to keep Robin Hood down
  • Smug, sharp, and a little full of himself

Leatherhead (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Leatherhead, the mutant alligator from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Leatherhead is a mutant alligator from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles world. He started as a normal gator in the Louisiana bayou before toxic waste changed everything.

  • First appeared in the 1987 TMNT cartoon
  • A regular alligator mutated by the same kind of ooze as the Turtles
  • Huge, strong, and quick to anger
  • Sometimes a friend to the Turtles, sometimes a threat
My take: I like that Leatherhead keeps flipping between ally and danger across the shows. The 2003 version, a brilliant mind who loses control when he is pushed, is my favorite way to do him.

Wally Gator

Wally Gator, a friendly cartoon alligator in a green hat

Wally Gator is a classic cartoon alligator with a green hat and a big grin. He is the kind of gator who would rather have an adventure than scare anybody.

  • A friendly, fun-loving alligator from the early 1960s
  • Always wandering off in search of a good time
  • Gets into trouble, then charms his way back out

Ben Ali Gator (Fantasia)

Ben Ali Gator, the dancing alligator cartoon character from Disney's Fantasia

Ben Ali Gator is the dancing alligator from Disney’s Fantasia, made all the way back in 1940. He turns up in the Dance of the Hours segment, the one where the animals perform a ballet.

  • A tall, skinny gator in a red cap and feather
  • Leads the alligators in the Dance of the Hours
  • Dances a duet with Hyacinth Hippo as the big finale
  • Pure comedy, with a surprising amount of grace
The bit I love: The dancing gators were the idea of Walt Disney himself. The story goes that he jumped up during a story meeting and pranced around the room snarling, deciding that slinky alligators belonged in the ballet.

Derick (The Secret Life of Pets)

Derick, the crocodile from The Secret Life of Pets

Derick is a big crocodile from The Secret Life of Pets, released in 2016. He is not a cuddly house pet, though. He runs with the Flushed Pets, the gang of abandoned animals down in the sewers.

  • A large croc who got flushed once he grew too big
  • Lives underground with Snowball’s Flushed Pets crew
  • Helps the gang go after Max and the other pets
  • More muscle than mastermind

Roger (The Penguins of Madagascar)

Roger, the gentle alligator from The Penguins of Madagascar

Roger is the gentle alligator from The Penguins of Madagascar. He lives in the New York sewers, and despite his size, he would not hurt a fly.

  • A huge gator with a soft, kind personality
  • Lives down in the sewer and visits the penguins
  • Dreams of singing on Broadway one day
  • Voiced by Richard Kind, which fits him perfectly
Total softie: Roger is the opposite of scary. He bakes muffins for the people bothering him and just wants to sing. The show gets a lot of laughs out of a giant gator who refuses to fight.

Crocubot (Rick and Morty)

Crocubot, the cyborg crocodile from Rick and Morty

Crocubot is the part-crocodile, part-machine member of the Vindicators on Rick and Morty. He is built like a tank, but he never quite gets his moment.

  • A cyborg croc who first showed up in season 3
  • Part of the Vindicators, a spoof of big superhero teams
  • Half crocodile, half robot, all hardware
  • Mostly there to get overlooked, which is the joke

Gabby Gator (The Woody Woodpecker Show)

Gabby Gator, the alligator villain from The Woody Woodpecker Show

Gabby Gator is the alligator who keeps trying to make a meal out of Woody Woodpecker. He is slow, stubborn, and never as clever as he thinks he is.

  • Woody Woodpecker’s gator rival, from the Walter Lantz cartoons
  • Always plotting to catch and eat Woody
  • Talks in a slow, mumbling drawl
  • Loses every single time, which is the fun of it
Classic loser: Gabby is the old-school cartoon heavy who never wins. He chases Woody, fails, and resets for next time. The cartoons are better for it.

A Few Croc and Gator Cartoon Facts I Like

Here are some bits about these characters that you will not always find on a quick search:

  • King K. Rool changes his look almost every game. He has played a pirate (Kaptain K. Rool), a mad scientist (Baron K. Roolenstein), and even a boxer.
  • Derick is voiced by Jim Cummings, one of the busiest voice actors around. He is also the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.
  • Wally Gator came from Hanna-Barbera, the same studio behind Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, and first aired in 1962.
  • Killer Croc, real name Waylon Jones, has been stalking Gotham since the early 1980s.

So that is my list of favorite crocodile and alligator cartoon characters. I know I left a few off, and I keep thinking of more. Which croc or gator would you have added? Tell me in the comments.