Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog (1953)

Ralph E. Wolf and Sam Sheepdog are characters in a series of animated cartoons in the Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The characters were created by Chuck Jones, but here directed by Isadore Freleng. This short was written by Melvin Millar and features music by Carl W. Stalling. Ralph Wolf has virtually the same character design as another Chuck Jones character, Wile E. Coyote—brown fur, wiry body, and huge ears, but with a red nose in place of the Coyote's black one; white eyes instead of Wile E.'s yellow; and, occasionally, a fang protruding from his mouth. He also shares the Coyote's appetite, and persistent use of Acme Corporation products, but he covets sheep instead of road runners and, when he speaks, doesn't have the upper-class accent or the egotistical bearing of the Coyote. Another crucial difference is that of personality: Ralph does not have the fanatical drive of the Coyote in pursuing his prey, preferring to abandon his chase at the end of the working day. Sam Sheepdog, by contrast, is a large, burly Berger de Brie with white or tan fur and mop of red hair that usually covers his eyes. He very rarely runs and tends to be sedentary in his movements. He does, however, possess sufficient strength to incapacitate Ralph with a single punch once he catches him.