The Mystery Cartoon Character Game, ongoing-ier.

David Gerstein (posting, as Ramapith, on Jaime J. Weinman's Something Old, Nothing New website) says he was "Dawg" on a few model sheets, but "George P. Dog" on others, and "Barnyard Dawg" according to Warner Marketing.

1) I am a villain who originated on the stage, shortly followed by the book of the play.
2) As an animated character it was decided that I would be too popular with the audience to be killed off at the end of the movie. This in turn allowed me to return in a later sequel.
3) I am both a cultured fop and a ruthless monster - which provoked some problems when it came to portraying my personality.

Aha! Got it. It's Captain Hook!

Hook it is!

1) James Barrie wrote Peter Pan as a play, which was so successful that his publishers demanded that he publish it as a book.
2) Disney knew that the audience would find Hook engaging, and would be upset if the crocodile ate him at the end, so he exits pursued by the crocodile. He was back in Return to Neverland 49 years later.
3) Ed Penner, the storyman, portrayed Hook as a cowardly fop, but director Clyde Geronimi wanted him to be a menacing heavy - which made it tough for animator Frank Thomas to get a handle on his personality.

Well done, Em!

Thanks, Pete. Now here's another no-brainer:

1. I'm one of the title character's closest friends.

2. My fur is the same color as that of a famous animated panther..

3. My name may make you think of a train.

Oh, this must be Choo Choo, one of the close associates to Top Cat by Hanna-Barbera. Although, thinking of him did make my head warm up.

Yes, OUB. Choo Choo it is. All clues are self-explanatory, so you go again. Good job.

Good ol' Choo Choo was a fun one. The pink fur almost threw me; I saw Top Cat back in its heyday on a monochrome set, everything in grey-scale. Regrettably, this character isn't nearly as much fun, but he is memorable.

1) This character occurs only once in an animated feature film. He doesn't survive to the end of the story; this poor character gets murdered.

2) Along with his demise, this character also has the honor of speaking the first words in the film. And in case anyone forgets what he says, he keeps a journal.

3) One more honor that this character gets is narrating a flashback which explains many things: who the characters are, where they came from, how they got to be peculiar fugitives, the whole backstory in fact.

I just can't find this guy. And I never saw this film either.

Oh dear, it seems that I must make this character more findable.

4) This character is named as the chief of his band of fugitives. He's so important that he can't be bothered to attend meetings. His murderous adversary does attend them, however.

5) This character has excellent penmanship; another character has no trouble reading what he has written in his journal. Made more impressive because it's done with a quill pen and inkwell.

6) Could I describe this character in just one word? Yes, I can: "wizard." Not quite "bibbity bobbity boo," but certainly in that direction.

Sorry, but I still don't have it.

Well, perhaps it's my fault for not cluing right off the bat that this character is not human. Therefore, I shall cement this elusive character.

7) "Aurora presents" because the studio hadn't settled on its name yet.

8) First appeared on Friday 16 July 1982.

9) Sir Derek Jacobi, because awesome.

Ah, OUB, this won't go unguessed. It's Nicodemus, from "The Secret Of NIMH."

Ah, thank you, Em. I was worried that my clue-giving had gone off the rails again. Yes, this is Nicodemus, the leader of the rats that escaped from the National Institute of Mental Health. His first scene is writing in that large journal of his, almost like a Captain's Log, with a quill pen and golden ink that magically settles onto the page. Although the rats use electricity siphoned from farmer Fitzgibbons' farm, Nicodemus is much more a magical creature, tottering and wise like a very small Merlin. At the time, Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy had newly broken away from Disney, and though they'd settled in Ireland, their studio was simply Aurora until The Secret of NIMH scored a theater success, whereupon it was rechristened Sullivan Bluth Studios of Ireland Limited. Poor Nicodemus gets killed by the scheming Jenner, who causes the hoist assembly to collapse upon Nicodemus. He has his own workshop / lab / man-cave where he does his wizarding, while Jenner and Sullivan plot their intrigues and bluster before the rats' Council.

I'll shut up now, add on your newest +1, and let Emerald Ilse take the board.

Thanks, OUB. Now for one that's totally untapped, and perfect for today:

1. I'm modeled after an iconic leather clad human.

2. My gang consists of a gator, hippo, mole, gorilla, ostrich, and my girlfriend, who shares her name with one who sings about her baby taking the morning train.

3. I debuted in 1977 along with ghosts, lawmen, and several other funny animals.

Seems this one was harder than I thought. Unfortunately, I can only provide three more clues, so here I go:

4. I have a "royal" name.

5.. I try my paw at everything from breaking world records to running for class president.

6. Like that guy from a classic crime show, I'm always combing my hair.

Gee, I'd've thought someone would have piped up for this one by now. This is The King, from Hanna-Barbera's Heyyy It's The King series that was nestled into the C.B. Bears block. The King is a lion with the mannerisms and exaggerated panache of Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli from Happy Days. The King's cohorts are Big H the hippo, who eats to live and lives to eat; Yuka Yuka the hyena, a practical joker in the vein of Reggie Mantle, but without the ready cash; Clyde the gorilla, a muscular athlete with big dreams and small intellect; Skids the alligator, who functions as the on-board mechanic; Zelda the ostrich, who specializes in panicking; and Sheena the puma, the satellite love interest. They're a carload of oddballs that largely recycled plots and gags from The Pebbles and Bamm Bamm Show.

OUB, that's just who it is. As for the last clue, he was always combing his mane like Kookie always combed his hair. So step up for another turn. Good job.

Oh dear, you've fielded a cool-ish character, and I'm about to loose an uncool character. *sigh* I guess I'm just a loserly sort.

1) This character has appeared only once to date in a mostly animated feature film. Yes, some live actors ham it up in this film, but its mostly animated. Goody for that, anyway.

2) Somewhat like Kent Mansley from The Iron Giant, this character has focus and dedication to his mission. Trouble is, he's also lacking in competence, intelligence and size. So, he's the Little Engine That thought he Could, but ... *chuckles* no, just no.

3) This character isn't human; let me get that one out in the open. He gets transformed at one point, but even then, he's not human. Leave the human thing to the live actors.

I thought of one, but he doesn't fit all the clues.

^ Oh, I know how that is. Sort of, kinda, almost, sideways-ishly like the character in question ... but not quite. Maybe more specifics will help.

4) Technically, this character is a Bad Guy. There are other bad guys much badder than this character, though. This character is pretty much a Minion With An "F" In Evil, but he gets to stay aboard the villain train because he's related to the Supreme Baddie.

5) Can't say that this character came unprepared for his assignment. He's ready for a sudden rainfall, an impromptu game of golf, or prying open a roof vent. He even brought sunglasses, not because he's vain and wants to look cool; but because his targets will be hard to see amid the bright city lights without a glare filter.

6) My previous Mystery Character was Nicodemus, a product of Don Bluth and Company. One guess who thunk up this character.