If you grew up in the 90s, you know the routine. You rushed home, threw your backpack on the floor, and turned on the TV to hear: “It’s time for Animaniacs!”
While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot were the stars, the real heart of the show often came from the B-plot segments. And for my money, no duo was funnier than Slappy and Skippy Squirrel.
Skippy wasn’t just a cute sidekick; he was the perfect foil. In a world of cynicism and exploding bombs, Skippy was the wide-eyed optimist holding a juice box. He represents that innocent 90s kid energy we all miss.
In this deep dive, I’m looking past the treehouse. We are going to explore the voice actor behind the squirrel, the dark theories about his parents, and the controversy of his absence in the 2020 reboot.
Profile: Who is Skippy Squirrel?
To the casual viewer, Skippy is just “the nephew.” But if you look closer, he is actually a subversion of the classic “cute kid” trope found in classic animated characters like Tweety Bird.
🐿️ Skippy Squirrel Quick Stats
- Species: Red Squirrel
- Role: The Cheerful Nephew
- Catchphrase: “Spew!” (Expression of disgust)
- Guardian: Slappy Squirrel (Aunt)
- Voice Actor: Nathan Ruegger
Skippy is a young, somewhat naive squirrel who idolizes his Aunt Slappy. While Slappy is a jaded veteran of the “Golden Age” of cartoons who solves every problem with dynamite, Skippy tries to solve problems with kindness (which usually fails, forcing Slappy to use the dynamite anyway).
This dynamic is brilliant because it parodies the relationship between the “Old Guard” of Hollywood and the “New Generation.” Skippy loves the new, flashy stuff; Slappy hates it.
The Voice Talent: A Family Affair
Here is a piece of trivia that usually wins pub quizzes: Skippy Squirrel was voiced by a child.
🎙️ The Actor: Nathan Ruegger
👨👦 The Connection: He is the son of Tom Ruegger, the creator of Animaniacs.
Usually, in cartoons (like The Simpsons or Rugrats), children are voiced by adult women changing their pitch. However, Animaniacs wanted authenticity. Nathan Ruegger was brought in to voice Skippy, which is why the character sounds like a real kid.
Fun Fact: As the show went on, you can actually hear Skippy age. Nathan was growing up during production, so Skippy’s voice gets deeper in the later seasons (specifically in the spin-off movie Wakko’s Wish). It gave the character a sense of growth that is rare in cartoons.
The “Missing Parents” Theory
One of the darker questions fans have asked for years is: Where are Skippy’s parents?
In most segments, Skippy lives full-time with his Aunt Slappy in her treehouse. The show plays fast and loose with the explanation, leading to two main theories:
The “Travel” Theory: In the Nostalgia Critic tribute, the voice actress for Slappy (Sherri Stoner) improvised a line saying Skippy’s parents were “traveling” and just sent paychecks. This paints Slappy as a paid babysitter.
The “Foster” Theory: In the episode “One Flew Over The Cuckoo Clock,” Slappy is deemed unfit to guard him, and Skippy is sent to a Foster Home, not back to his parents. This strongly implies that his parents are either deceased or completely out of the picture.
Given the dark humor of Animaniacs (this is the show that killed off Bambi’s mom in a parody), it is entirely possible that Skippy is an orphan, which explains why he clings so tightly to his grumpy Aunt.
The 2020 Reboot Controversy
In 2020, Hulu released the long-awaited Animaniacs reboot. Fans were excited… until they looked at the cast list.
Skippy and Slappy were cut from the show.
Tom Ruegger (the creator) actually pitched an idea for the reboot where Skippy was now an adult. The idea was that Skippy would be a 30-year-old “failure to launch” millennial still living in Slappy’s treehouse, and Slappy would be trying to kick him out. It would have been a perfect satire of the current generation.
Instead, the reboot focused almost entirely on the Warners and Pinky & the Brain. While the new show was good, it felt empty without the Squirrels. Skippy only made a tiny, non-speaking cameo in the background of one episode, which felt like a slap in the face to longtime fans.
Essential Skippy Episodes (The Watch List)
If you have HBO Max (or the DVDs) and want to relive the glory days, these are the essential Skippy episodes you need to watch. They showcase his development from “prop” to “partner.”
- Slappy Goes Walnuts (Debut): The introduction of the dynamic. Slappy tries to get walnuts; chaos ensues.
- Bumbie’s Mom: Skippy gets traumatized by the movie Bambi, and Slappy tries to prove that cartoons are fake. It’s meta-humor at its finest.
- Bully for Skippy: Skippy deals with a bully, and Slappy teaches him how to handle it the “Warner Bros” way (violence and pranks).
- Woodstock Slappy: A flashback episode that shows Skippy reacting to Slappy’s hippie past.
Why We Still Miss Him
Skippy Squirrel represents a specific era of animation. He was the voice of the audience—the kid who loved cartoons, asked questions, and just wanted to hang out with his cool Aunt.
While the modern Animaniacs reboot leaned heavily into political satire and meta-commentary, it lacked the heart that the Skippy/Slappy segments provided. We missed the dynamic of the grumpy mentor and the hopeful student.
Hopefully, if the Warners ever return for another season, they’ll bring the treehouse back. Until then, we’ll always have the reruns.
Who was your favorite side character in Animaniacs? Are you Team Slappy or Team Goodfeathers? Let me know in the comments below!
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Did You Know?
Skippy Squirrel was voiced by the show creator’s actual child—by accident!
The Industry Standard: In the 1990s (and even today), almost all cartoon children were voiced by adult women. For example, Bart Simpson and Timmy Turner are both voiced by grown women because adult voices don’t crack or change during production.
The Accident: Animaniacs creator Tom Ruegger brought his young son, Nathan Ruegger, into the studio just to provide “scratch vocals” (temporary audio used by animators to test timing before the real actors are hired).
The Spielberg Intervention: When Executive Producer Steven Spielberg heard the temporary tapes, he reportedly fell in love with the authentic, unpolished sound of a real kid. He insisted they keep Nathan as the final voice.
The Result: If you listen closely to Skippy, his delivery is sometimes slightly awkward or stammers naturally. That wasn’t acting—that was just a real kid hanging out with his dad at work!