26 minSeason 1 • Episode 30
LatestTop Cat agrees to help catch a villainous thief who disguised himself as Officer Dibble to rob an art gallery.
Top Cat, known as T.C. to his alley cat friends, is a mischievous prankster who lives in a trash can in the alley ways of New York City. He and his alley-cat cohorts think of get rich schemes and assorted pranks which are mostly involving and aimed at Officer Dibble, their nemesis and friend. T.C. manages to get out of his tight situations with hilarity and charm and even helps Dibble on occasion who is underscored by his overbearing sergeant...
Writing
Beatnik-era slang that somehow still lands six decades later.
Production
Hanna-Barbera at peak efficiency: recycled animation, maximum charm.
Creators
Joseph Barbera, William Hanna
Arnold Stang
Top Cat (voice)
Maurice Gosfield
Benny the Ball (voice)
Leo De Lyon
Brain / Spook (voice)
Marvin Kaplan
Choo Choo (voice)
John Stephenson
Fancy-Fancy (voice)
Allen Jenkins
Officer Dibble (voice)
Lars Thiesgaard
Top Cat (voice)
Paul Hüttel
Choo Choo / Brain (voice)
Kjeld Nørgaard
Politibetjent Charlie Dibble (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Top Cat was a blatant ripoff of The Phil Silvers Show's Sgt. Bilko—Hanna-Barbera basically animated a sitcom they couldn't afford to license. Somehow it became iconic anyway.
In the UK, the show aired as 'Boss Cat' because 'Top Cat' was already a cat food brand. They dubbed 'Boss' over 'Top' but kept the theme song unchanged, creating glorious chaos.
US
