Catbug

Catbug is a main character on the animated American YouTube series Bravest Warriors created by Pendleton Ward. He is voiced by 8-year-old Sam Lavagnino, and depicted as a part cat, part ladybug creature, and has the ability to teleport through various dimensions. The character was created by Bravest Warriors writer/director Breehn Burns, and designed by illustrator/Cartoonist Bob Flynn. Burns has said that the character was inspired by an incident in his neighborhood when he heard a dog barking, followed by a sudden teleportation-like sound then silence, and then the sudden sound again with the return of the animal’s barks.

Bravest Warriors character
First appearance	Gas Powered Stick
Created by	Pendleton Ward
Voiced by	Sam Lavagnino
Gender	Male

The character has received largely positive critical reception.

Biography

Catbug lives in the Invisible Hideout and sleeps in Wallow’s bed. Catbug is well-intentioned, but generally unhelpful during the Bravest Warriors’ adventures, though it is debatable how much he understands about the situations they find themselves in. Catbug enjoys soft tacos and sugar peas. Often childlike and seemingly carefree, the Bravest Warriors treat him much like a child and don’t hold him accountable for his actions. In “Jelly Kid Forever” Catbug decapitates Jelly Kid, but isn’t punished for it. He demonstrates pride that he “caught him for Danny” rather than concern or guilt for having apparently killed something. We discover Catbug’s origins in “The Dimension Garden,” set 10 years before the present day, when Beth finds a baby larva in her dad’s garden. Wallow soon grows attached to the creature and falls asleep with the larva in his arms, only to wake up stuck the outside of a massive cocoon that has filled his room. Catbug emerges from the cocoon fully formed with superlative cute non sequiturs for which this character is known. In “Hamster Priest”, new sides of Catbug’s personality are presented through Catbugs from alternate dimensions, in which he takes on the persona of “Commander Catbug” and “Lord Catbug”.

Appearance

Catbug is a blue-furred cat with the shell and wings of a Ladybug. He appears to run and pounce like a cat, but often stands and walks on two feet. He is capable of flight, and some strength as shown in “Aeon Worm” when he carries Beth and her dad away from the Aeon Worm and out of the See-Through Zone.

Contributions to the Bravest Warriors

Catbug spends a lot of time with one of Wallow’s other pets, Impossibear, who seems to be the only one not at all fazed by Catbug’s adorably clueless nature. In “Catbug’s Away Team”, Chris asks Catbug, not Impossibear, to pull together an away team to handle things on the surface of the planet while the Bravest Warriors handle things in space. Rather than do his given job, Catbug ends up distracted, focusing instead on all the wrong things, like picking the right flavor of ice cream for one of the aliens (Super Chinese Peanut Butter). In the end, Catbug does not complete his mission, and Chris and Wallow question why they trusted him in the first place. This episode is wonderful display of Catbug’s childlike place on the team, and his limited attention-span. Catbug also hangs around with the Bravest Warriors during their downtime, and can be seen in many episodes just playing in the background as the Bravest Warriors talk.

Media

Catbug debuted in the first Bravest Warriors mobile video game, Fly Catbug Fly, on Thursday April 10, 2014. The game was developed by Ludoko Studios for Frederator Studios / Cartoon Hangover, and released on iOS and Android devices. The game is an endless flier in the 8-bit style, inspired by classic games such as Helicopter and Katamari Damacy. In the 48-hours after its release, the game was the #1 in the Action and Arcade categories in iTunes, and in the top 10 Games overall; and #1 new game in the Google Play Store for the first week of its launch. On April 11, TouchArcade named Fly Catbug Fly its game of the week, and wrote “What could have easily been a thrown together advergame to promote an internet cartoon is in actuality my new favorite cave flyer, even rivaling what I consider the pinnacle of the genre in Jetpack Joyride, though they're different enough from each other to happily coexist. If you're already a Bravest Warrior fan definitely give Fly Catbug Fly! a try, but even if you're never heard of the show before you really have to give it a whirl if you enjoy cave flyers.”

Catbug is the star of a series of e-books published by Frederator Books.

Comics

Catbug made his debut in the Bravest Warriors Comics, published by BOOM! Studios. He recently appeared in their “Bravest Warriors 2014 Annual”, the issue features four separate stories, each focused entirely on Catbug.

Appearances

Catbug has appeared in the following episodes of the Bravest Warriors Series:

• “Gas Powered Stick”
• “Ultra Wankershim”
• “Catbug”
• “Dramabug”
• “Browser Fail”
• “Impossibomb”
• “Aeon Worm”

• “Mexican Touchdown”
• “Hamster Priest”
• “Jelly Kid Forever”
• “Catbug’s Away Team”
• “Dimension Garden”

Reception

Catbug received positive reviews from fans.