Robert Frederick Paulsen III[1](born March 11, 1956)[2][3][4]is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Programand threeAnnie Awardsfor his role as both Yakko and Pinky in theAnimaniacsfranchise. His other voice roles include Hadji inThe New Adventures of Jonny Quest(1986–1987) andThe Real Adventures of Jonny Quest(1996–1997);RaphaelinTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1987–1996);P.J. PeteinGoof Troop(1992),A Goofy Movie(1995), andAn Extremely Goofy Movie(2000);JaqinCinderella II: Dreams Come True(2002) andCinderella III: A Twist in Time(2007); andMacinThe Looney Tunes Show(2011–2013) andLooney Tunes: Rabbits Run(2015).

Rob Paulsen
Paulsen in 2024
Born
Robert Frederick Paulsen III

(1956-03-11)March 11, 1956(age 68)
Alma materUniversity of Michigan-Flint
Occupations
Years active1978–present
Spouses
Carol Anne Schnarr
(m.1979;div.1982)
Parrish Todd
(m.1983)
Children1
Websiterobpaulsenvoice.com

Early life

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Robert Frederick Paulsen III was born inDetroit, Michigan,on March 11, 1956,[5][2]the son of Bob and Lee Paulsen. He was raised inGrand Blanc, Michigan,[2]where he graduated fromGrand Blanc High Schoolin 1974.[6]He sang in choirs throughout his youth and adolescence and began performing in plays in school, but his childhood idol was ice hockey playerGordie Howe,and he considered the arts to be a secondary career choice due to his primary interest in becoming aNational Hockey League(NHL) player.[2]He briefly attended theUniversity of Michigan-Flint,but later dropped out and moved toLos Angelesin 1978 to pursue a career in show business, much to the disapproval of his father.[7][8][9]He worked his first job as a musician, before pursuing voice acting full time.[8]

Career

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Paulsen first voice acting role came in 1983 with the mini-seriesG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero,where he playedSnow JobandTripwire.A few years later, his career launched into more roles such as Cobra Slavemaster and reprising Snow Job and Tripwire onG.I. Joe,Corky onThe Snorks,Marco Smurf on the later seasons ofThe Smurfs,Boober inFraggle Rock,HadjiinThe New Adventures of Jonny Questand the title character Saber Rider and the villain Jesse Blue onSaber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.

During the 1980s, Paulsen also explored the field of live action films. His first film wasEyes of Firein 1983. He played supporting roles inBody Double,Stewardess School,Warlock,andMutant on the Bounty.He appeared in television shows during this time as well, such asMacGyverandSt. Elsewhere. Paulsen became more prevalent in the world of advertising as well. In the 1980s, he had been the announcer for thesitcomCheersand continued to secure roles as an announcer. He appeared as the voice ofMr. Opportunity,spokesman ofHondacommercials on TV and radio,[10]the announcer forBuffalo Dick's Radio Ranch,and the spokesman forLucky Stores,a West Coast grocery store chain, before it was acquired byAlbertsonsin 1998. He provided the voice of Dog in theTaco Bellkids meal commercials from 1996 to mid-1997, withEddie Deezenas the voice of Nacho the cat.

However, Paulsen's most famous advertising role was in the original commercial of the now ubiquitousGot Milk?campaign. The famous commercial,Who shotAlexander Hamiltonin that famous duel?,aired in 1993, and launched theGot Milk?campaign into a successful enterprise. Paulsen continues to be one of the most sought-after commercial voice actors in the industry. He can be currently heard as the voice of singing Mr. Mini-Wheat in theMini-Wheatscommercials in Canada.

From 1987 to 1995, Paulsen voicedRaphaeland various supporting characters in the original 1987Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseries. Originally starting as a five-part miniseries, the series continued for ten seasons and 193 episodes. It was a great success and became an instant pop culture symbol. Paulsen has said that Raphael's voice is very similar to his natural voice.

He returned to the franchise asDonatellofor the2012Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesseriesonNickelodeon,which ran for five seasons and 124 episodes from September 29, 2012, until November 12, 2017.[11]He also reprised his role as 1987 Raphael in the multiple 1987/2012 crossover episodes.

Paulsen serves as the voice director for the subsequent series,Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,which premiered in July 2018.[12]

Paulsen with Pinky atAnthrocon2007

Throughout the early 1990s, Paulsen continued to co-star in animated series, which allowed him to branch further into radio and television announcements and dropped live action acting from his repertoire.[13]In 1993, he voiced "Antoine Depardieu" inABC's seriesSonic the Hedgehog,and "Arthur",an insecure accountant in a moth costume (wings included), in the superhero seriesThe Tickin 1995, replacingMicky Dolenz,who had originally played Arthur.[14]

In 1993, he starred as the title character in bothMighty MaxandThe Mask.Also at this time, he starred in what became one of his most popular roles,Yakko WarnerofAnimaniacs.Paulsen also provided the voice ofPinkyfrom bothAnimaniacsand its spin-offPinky and the Brain,[15]a show which won him severalAnnie Awardsand aDaytime Emmyin 1999.[16]He also did a number of characters inTiny Toon Adventures,including "Fowlmouth","Arnold the Pit Bull",and"Concord Condor".In thedirect-to-videofilmTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation,he did the voices for Banjo Possum, Mr. Hitcher (who would also appear in other episodes), and Johnny Pew.[17] Paulsen continues to voice Yakko and Pinky in the 2020Animaniacsrevival onHulu.[18]

Paulsen has also provided voices for numerous other characters, including Steelbeak inDarkwing Duck,BrickandBoomerinThe Powerpuff Girls,Experiment 625 / Reubenand several of Jumba Jookiba'sother genetic experimentsinLilo & Stitch: The Seriesand its filmsStitch! The MovieandLeroy & Stitch,Atchan inHi Hi Puffy AmiYumi,Spooky the Tuff Little GhostinThe Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper,Ogden O. Ostrich inChannel Umptee-3,HathiinJungle Cubs,Jack Fenton, The Box Ghost, Nicolai Technus, and The Vulture Ghosts inDanny Phantom,Carl Wheezer, Butch and Skeet inThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,Mark Chang, his father King Grippulon, Happy Peppy Gary, and Bucky McBadbat inThe Fairly OddParents,Peck the Rooster inBarnyardandBack at the Barnyard,and Gordon inCatscratch.

He was also the voice of Rothchild in the early episodes ofSamurai Jack.Additionally, Paulsen provided the voice ofP.J. PeteinGoof Troop,A Goofy Movie,andAn Extremely Goofy Movie,as well as the voices of Ratchet and Dr. Debolt in theTaleSpinpilot television filmPlunder & Lightning.He also did the voices of Boober Fraggle, Sprocket, and Marjory the Trash Heap in the animated version ofFraggle Rock,as well as Gwizdo in theDragon Huntersfilm.

He also voiced Zeek and Joshua inK10C: Kids' Ten Commandments,Rude Dog inRude Dog and the Dweebs,and Archie the Raccoon, A.K.A. Ze Archer, in "Mask of the Raccoon" onThe Penguins of Madagascar.and also provided the voices of 2T Fru-T and Mike Ellis in the 2001 cartoon seriesButt-Ugly Martians.

He portrayed the voice ofChomperand Strut inThe Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure,Spikeand Rinkus inThe Land Before Timesequels and Spike in the TV series, but Spike was played anonymously in the originalThe Land Before Time.Paulsen also played Mo inThe Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.Paulsen also voiced the robot "D.E.C.K.S." in the early 1990s TV seriesWake, Rattle, and Roll.Paulsen also voiced Prescott A. Wentworth III in theJemepisodeThe Fan.Paulsen also played Antoine Depardieu inSonic the Hedgehog.

Paulsen was best known toTransformersfans as the voices of theAutobotsAir Raid,Chase, Haywire, Fastlane andSlingshotinThe Transformers.

Paulsen has voiced characters in video games such asDoom 3.He played Fluffy the Chinese-crested dog in102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue,anIrish publandlord in the 1996 video gameToonstruck,and a floating talking skull named Morte inPlanescape: Torment,as well as Anomen Delryn inBaldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnandGray FoxinMetal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakesand bothSuper Smash Bros. BrawlandSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateas an Assist Trophy. He provided the voice for Erik the Swift ofThe Lost Vikingsin its second installment. He portrayed Tobli and Lian Ronso in the English version ofSquare Enix'sFinal Fantasy X-2and has played the lead character inBubsy.Although an extremely minor role, Paulsen has also done the voice for the Greek soldiers inGod of War.He voicedJaqandThe Grand Dukefrom theCinderellaworld inSquare Enix's andDisney'sKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.

In the video gameThe Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge,he did the voice ofIgor.He also reprised his role asYakko Warner,Dr. Otto Scratchansniff,andPinkyinAnimaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt.Rob Paulsen voiced the lead character, Lazarus Jones, in thePS2gameGhosthunter.Rob also voiced Alfredo Fettuccini, Bob the Ghost Pirate, Lookout and Ghost Priest inThe Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.He voiced the Fox and the Mouse in theGreen Eggs and HamPC game.He also voiced Tlaloc inTak and the Power of Juju.He has voiced theRiddlerinLego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes,a role he reprised inLego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite.Rob is the voice of talking alien dog Beak-Beak inArmikrog.Paulsen also voices Smash Hit inSkylanders: SuperChargersandSkylanders: Imaginators.[19]

Paulsen is also the off-camera voice of the syndicated television seriesFunniest Pets & People,which is seen onSuperstation WGNand other television stations throughout the United States and abroad.[citation needed]

Paulsen at the 2006 Annie Awards

It was not long before Paulsen returned toWarner Bros. Animation,which had diverged into a new era of television serials (following what is sometimes referred to as the "Silver Age of Animation"). Paulsen appeared as Rev Runner of the new showLoonatics Unleashedand starred inCoconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island.He was also the voice of the character Squeeky on the TV showDanger Rangers.He voiced "Ichabeezer", Bacon Bill, Motato, Beau Rockley, Captain Mike, Tom Celeriac (a play onTom Selleck), and other countless voices inVeggieTales in the HouseforNetflix.Paulsen also provides the voice for the Honda character Mr. Opportunity. In theRob Zombieanimated film,The Haunted World of El Superbeasto,Paulsen voiced the characters "El Gato" and "Commandant Hess", among some others. He also voiced Ditto, Rhomboid Vreedle, Baz-El, and Magister Patelliday in theBen 10franchise.[citation needed]

Beginning in 2001, Paulsen was the voice ofDisneycharacterJosé Cariocauntil he stepped down from the role in June 2020, announcing that he would no longer play characters of color.[20]He became the new voice ofPrince Ericof Disney'sThe Little Mermaidfranchisebeginning with the filmThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the SeasinceChristopher Daniel Barnesfailed to reprise the role in 2000, though Barnes did return to voice the character in theKingdom Heartsseries and inGameloft's Disney video games.[21]Additionally, he voiced Toodles inMickey Mouse Clubhouse,Peck inBack at the Barnyard,various characters inThe Replacements,and Bobble in theTinker Bellfilms. Paulsen also played the titular character for an animated web series based on the video gameBravomanforNamco Bandai'sShiftyLookdivision.[22]

Awards and nominations

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Paulsen has been nominated for anAnnie Awardfor his role ofPinkyfor 4 consecutive years, which he won in 1996, 1997, and 1999. In 1999, he also won theDaytime Emmy Awardfor voicing Pinky.[23]In 2004, he was nominated for his role of the Troubadour inMickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers,and in 2005, he was nominated for his role inThe Happy Elf.[citation needed]

At the2nd Children's and Family Emmy Awardsin 2023, he was nominated for theChildren's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Programfor his role inAnimaniacs.[24]

Public appearances

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Paulsen at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con

Paulsen has been a regular industry guest and featured panelist atSan Diego Comic-Con.He has also appeared at animation industry-related events, such as theWorld Animation Celebration Onlinein 1998, among many others. He has also been a guest at several anime conventions, including JACON, Mikomicon, andAnime Overdose.Paulsen was a guest of honor atAnthroconin 2007. He has recently started doing "Rob Paulsen Live" seminars across the U.S. to talk of his career, sign autographs, and talk with fans. Sometimes, people in attendance would request him to sing the famousYakko's Worldnumber, where he sings all the nations of the world with hisYakkovoice in a fast-paced delivery without rehearsing.

In May 2011, working with social media and web producerChris Pope,Paulsen rolled out a new website RobPaulsenLive.com, as well as a weekly audio podcast calledTalkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen,which started out being managed and deployed by The Tech Jives Network,[25]before moving to be part ofNerdist Industries' Nerdist Podcast Network. Some episodes were recorded before a live audience atThe ImprovinHollywood, California,while later ones were recorded at the Nerdist Showroom. The show is on indefinite hiatus following the March 23, 2019 episode withDante Basco.[26]

In June 2011, Paulsen made announcements that he was taking his show on the road with his "Lots of laughs and autographs" tour. Working closely with a team that includedChris Pope,his publicist, and others he made his first successful tour inAtlanta, Georgia,which happened on July 30, 2011, and another inDallas, Texason September 17, 2011, that required two seminars, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, as they were so popular.[27]

Personal life

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He married his first wife, Carol Anne Schnarr on June 23, 1979. They divorced in 1982.[28] He married his second wife, photographer Parrish Todd, in 1983.[8]Together, they have a son.[8][29]He lives inAgoura Hills, Californiawith his family.[30]

Paulsen has long supported various charities and raised donations forcancer research.He has worked a lot for GOALmodels, a program for adolescents, and is a sponsor of Camp Will-A-Way, a camp for children withdevelopmental disabilities.He also donates funds from autographs to theWounded Warrior ProjectandOperation Smile.[31]In February 2016, he was diagnosed withstage IIIthroat cancer.He has since undergone treatment and his cancer went inremission.[32]Following his battle with cancer, he wrote a memoir calledVoice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life.[33]

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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Video games

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Live-action

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Eyes of Fire Jewell Buchanan
1984 Body Double Cameraman
1984 St. Elsewhere Ryan S. Hope
1985 MacGyver Rogers
1986 Hamburger: The Motion Picture Security Guard
1986 Stewardess School Larry Falkwell
1988 The Perfect Match John Wainwright
1989 Warlock Gas Station Attendant
1990 Rosie Texry "Hee Haw" Rose 13 episodes
2004 Comic Book: The Movie Himself
2006–2015 Funniest Pets & People Announcer (voice)
2009 Big Time Rush C.A.L. (uncredited), Parrot, Sam Selmart
2013 I Know That Voice Himself[40]
2019 Changeland Dad

Internet

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 Demo Reel Himself
2012 Sock Puppet Theatre Various Voices
2013–2014 Bravoman Bravoman, Alpha Man, Himself, Additional Voices
2014 Nostalgia Critic Himself, Pinky
2017 Nickelodeon Animation Podcast Himself Episode 13, 35, 41
2018 Speech Bubble Himself[41]
2022–present Loosey Goosey & Fried Chicken Loosey Goosey[42]


Theme parks

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast Carl Wheezer
2007 Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros José Carioca

Commercials

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Years Title Role Notes
1979 Jack in the Box Employee Spokesperson[43]
1984–1998 Tamagotchi Fish
1993 Aliens Hicks
1993 Got Milk? Radio Announcer
1995–1997 Taco Bell Dog
2004–2011 American Honda Motor Company Mr. Opportunity[10]
Haribo Narrator (Gold Bear Land)

References

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  1. ^Rob Paulsen [@yakkopinky] (November 14, 2017)."Helloooo, Birthday Boy!! (Frederick is my middle name too)"(Tweet).RetrievedJuly 12,2022– viaTwitter.
    "Robert F. Paulsen III" is listed in end credits of filmHappily N'Ever Afterso F. is Frederick
  2. ^abcd"Rob Paulsen of Grand Blanc voicing holiday special".MLive.December 5, 2008.RetrievedMay 9,2022.
  3. ^"Rob Paulsen – Voice Actor Profile at Voice Chasers".May 30, 2019. Archived fromthe originalon May 30, 2019.RetrievedAugust 22,2022.
  4. ^@rob_paulsen (March 11, 2017)."'Thank you so much for all the happy birthday wishes'"– viaInstagram.
  5. ^"Home Page".Rob Paulsen Live.Archived fromthe originalon August 11, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 12,2022.
  6. ^"October 10, 1954: Rob Paulsen III Born".MSU Libraries.Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2019.
  7. ^Rosbury, Alison (January 4, 2016)."Laughter is the Best Medicine Q&A with Rob Paulsen".MyCity Magazine.RetrievedOctober 21,2019.
  8. ^abcdMendoza, N.F. (December 17, 1995)."It's a Living: Voices From Within: How Rob Paulsen Gives Life to his Cartoon Characters".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 19,2019.
  9. ^Paulsen, Rob; et al. (Micheal Fleeman) (2019).Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life(1st ed.).United States:Viva Editions (published October 8, 2019). pp. 13–19.ISBN978-1632280664.
  10. ^abPetrecca, Laura (October 15, 2007)."Advertainment greets moviegoers".USA Today.
  11. ^Williamson, Anna (September 28, 2012)."Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' – preview".Digital Spy.RetrievedMarch 10,2019.
  12. ^Petski, Denise (November 2, 2017)."'Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles': Ben Schwartz, Kat Graham Among Voice Cast ".Deadline.RetrievedMarch 10,2019.
  13. ^Szabo, Barbara (March 7, 2007)."Talent Agent Lectures for Mary Pickford Series".Corsair Newspaper –Santa Monica College.RetrievedOctober 19,2014– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  14. ^Hogan, Ron (April 4, 2019)."The Tick: The History of a Laugh-Out-Loud Superhero Satire".Den of Geek.Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2022.
  15. ^Forman, Ross (November 8, 1994)."Cartoon-voice Actor Is All Talk".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedMay 9,2022.
  16. ^Nordine, Michael (November 18, 2018)."'Pinky and the Brain' Voice Actors Hint at Reboot: 'If We Get Our Show Back…'".IndieWire.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2019.RetrievedDecember 11,2019.
  17. ^https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Tiny-Toon-Adventures-How-I-Spent-My-Vacation/[bare URL]
  18. ^Pastrick, Chris (October 9, 2019)."Original voices set to return for 'Animaniacs' reboot on Hulu".The Chicago Tribune.RetrievedOctober 9,2019.
  19. ^Kickstarter (June 4, 2013)."V.O. Spotlight – Rob Paulsen".RetrievedJune 20,2013.
  20. ^Eakin, Marah (June 30, 2020)."Voice actor Rob Paulsen says he won't play a character of color again".The A.V. Club.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2024.RetrievedJuly 5,2023.
  21. ^"Prince Voices (Little Mermaid)".Behind the Voice Actors.RetrievedSeptember 24,2024.
  22. ^"CCI: ShiftyLook Announces New Webcomics, Animated Projects".Comic Book Resources. July 14, 2012.RetrievedDecember 15,2012.
  23. ^"Rob Paulsen".
  24. ^Coates, Tyler (November 2, 2023)."Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedNovember 7,2023.
  25. ^"Talking Toons with Rob Paulsen on TechJives.net".Archived fromthe originalon May 27, 2012.RetrievedOctober 20,2014.
  26. ^"Talking Toons with Rob Paulsen on Nerdist Industries".Nerdist Industries.RetrievedDecember 17,2019.
  27. ^Lucas Ackley & Chris Robison."Rob Paulsen comes to Atlanta".BigShinyRobot.RetrievedOctober 20,2014.
  28. ^"Paulsen, Rob 1956– | Encyclopedia.com".www.encyclopedia.com.
  29. ^Lawson, Tim (2004).The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors.Persons.ISBN9780786486946.
  30. ^https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-paulsen-5b9a1980[self-published source]
  31. ^"Donate now to support Operation Smile".Operation Smile.
  32. ^Radio, Southern California Public (December 21, 2016)."Voice actors: Unseen heroes of film and TV, Part II".
  33. ^Paulsen, Rob (October 8, 2019).Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life.Viva Editions. p. 264.ISBN978-1632280664.
  34. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarasatauavawaxayazbabbbcbdbebfbgbhbibjbkblbmbnbobpbqbrbsbtbubvbwbxbybzcacbcccdcecfcgchcicjckclcmcncocpcqcrcsctcucvcwcxcyczdadbdcdddedfdgdhdidjdkdldmdndodpdqdrdsdtdudvdwdxdydzeaebecedeeefegeheiejekelemeneoepeqereseteuevewexeyezfafbfcfdfefffgfhfifjfkflfmfnfofp"Rob Paulsen (visual voices guide)".BTVA.RetrievedMarch 8,2021.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  35. ^abCharles Grosvenor (producer, director) (2002).The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water(Film).Universal Studios.
  36. ^@yakkopinky (July 29, 2012)."My voice, yes. RT @kaarval: @yakkopinky were you really in spaceballs???"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  37. ^"Rob Paulsen on Instagram:" My first trip to "Bikini Bottom." Thanks to all my pals @nickelodeon for the honor! #spongebob #robpaulsen #nickelodeon "".Instagram.Archived fromthe originalon April 10, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 12,2022.
  38. ^"Burrito Run".Ultimate Spider-Man.Season 3. Episode 17. July 28, 2015. Disney XD.
  39. ^https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Nickelodeons-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles/[bare URL]
  40. ^Blazenhoff, Rusty (October 3, 2013)."I Know That Voice, A Documentary About the World of Voice Acting".Laughing Squid.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  41. ^"Ep. 7 -- [FULL] Rob Paulsen Podcast -- with Butch and Jace".April 3, 2018 – via YouTube.
  42. ^Loosey Goosey & Fried Chicken.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023– via YouTube.
  43. ^Paulsen, Rob (October 8, 2019).Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life.Viva Editions. pp. 29–34.ISBN978-1632280664.
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