Inspector Gadget Inspired Dog Names

When it comes to helpful canine sidekicks, many might first think of Scooby Doo, as he and his gang of friends have been solving mysteries since first introduced in 1969. Even though Scooby helped Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy unmask hundreds of villains, it’s hard to claim that his efforts were all that purposeful. In fact, the construction of his character mostly has him running away from mystery and danger than towards it. More times than not, his efforts to avoid scary situations is actually what tends to help solve the mystery. 

By contrast, Brain, Penny’s dog and faithful sidekick in the Inspector Gadget franchise, might actually be the smartest, most talented and most successful. Despite the fact that he and Penny are almost always the ones to solve the crimes Inspector Gadget is investigating, they are the only two that actually know that they are the true heroes, as Gadget himself is most often credited with success. Voiced by Frank Welker, one of history’s greatest voice actors (ironically also playing Fred Jones in the original Scooby Doo and Scooby Doo himself since 2002), Brain is not only hyper intelligent but a master of disguise, also helping to add an element of comedy when Inspector Gadget routinely mistakes him for a M.A.D. agent every time he tries to help Gadget along the way. Of course, it would be a crime itself not to mention that Brain would be unable to succeed in his mission without Penny as well.

In the original animated series, Brain is depicted as a generic yellow dog with long, white-tipped ears, a red nose and a red collar — he also appears this way in the 2015 reboot, except in CGI form. In the live action film, however, Brain is shown to be a traditional Beagle, a far cry from both the size and color of the original. But his looks aren’t the only way he is different than the original animated character. Outside of missing his classic red collar and nose, Brain is actually a much more minor character in both of the live action movies, being seen in only here or there in both cases. Of course, Inspector Gadget himself was also not the classically bumbling hero, proving himself to be much more competent than his original counterpart, and Dr. Claw, whose face is only seen once in the original series, is featured throughout the films, all elements of which could have been reasons the latter versions of the franchise were such box office flops.