- "Bow-whacka-wow!"—Dolly's catchphrase
Dolly Dalmatian is one of the main characters of 101 Dalmatian Street. She is Delilah and Doug's eldest daughter. Both she and Dylan look after their younger siblings while their parents are busy at work. She is very loose and easy-going, contrasting with Dylan's
Dolly is featured in every episode of the series, serving as the female protagonist of the show. Additionally, Dolly appears in all of the Animals vs Humans shorts and a some of the Gigglebug Guarantee shorts.
Development and design
According to the June 2016 pitch bible of the series, Dolly was originally meant to be named Daisy. The name would stick through the pitch reel made for the series in 2017. By the time the series was picked up, the character's name was changed to Dolly.
The earliest-known concept sketches for Dolly (along with Dylan, Delilah, Doug, Da Vinci, and others) were drawn in 2016.[1] Some of these illustrations show Dolly donning a beanie, while others have her wearing a bandana. She also had a standard blue collar with a heart tag.
In the series’ pitch reel, the Dolly (or Daisy) has a light blue collar with a basic circle-shaped tag.
In some later concept art, Dolly is shown with a more semicircle-shaped head, pointier ears, and a fluffier chest and tail. Her right ear is no longer black, only having two spots. She also gains three spots under both of her eyes. Other concepts show that she would have had a subtle overbite. Nearing her final design, Dolly would gain three collars, with two being black and the one in the middle being blue. She also would have had spots over her eyes, similar to Dawkins.
In her final design, Dolly would lose the spots over her eyes and the color of her collars would change, now being (from top to bottom) blue, orange, and light blue.
Background
Dolly is from Doug’s side of the family. Like her father, Dolly speaks with an American accent. She is "around 12 years old" in dog years.[2]
Dolly's catchphrase is "Bow-whacka-wow!" She usually exclaims the phrase while skateboarding or performing some other athletic activity.
Personality
Dolly is optimistic, energetic, and outgoing. Although she may be less responsible and mature than Dylan, she is still trustworthy enough to take care of her 97 younger siblings while Delilah and Doug are away at work each day. Dolly describes her personality as "fearless and feisty" in "D-Factor"; Dylan snaps back by quipping, "Nah, more chaotic and noisy."
One of Dolly's most consistent hobbies is skateboarding. She often rides her skateboard around Camden Town, usually causing a ruckus. On occasion, Dolly skateboards inside 101 Dalmatian Street, much to the chagrin of Dylan and Dawkins. She is also interested in parkour; in "May Contain Nuts," Dolly, having been inspired by Sid's expertise in the sport, trains with him to improve her skills.
Dolly is also quite daring, never saying no to a challenge. However, this behavior has often resulted in Dolly getting herself into perilous situations. In "Balancing Act," for example, Dolly's parkour skills lead to her being trapped on Constantin's cubic meditation chamber, which hoisted via crane high above the backyard of 101 Dalmatian Street.
Although Dolly presents herself as confident, she holds many inner struggles and insecurities. For example, in "Walkies on the Wild Side," Dolly is at first certain that she can handle taking care of the other puppies without Dylan. However, when she learns how pivotal her brother is in controlling the pups, she rushes to get him back. Her more vulnerable side has also been glimpsed in the episodes "London, We Have a Problem" and "The De Vil Wears Puppies," both of which put her and her family in danger.
Dolly's energy and spunkiness sometimes makes it difficult for her to wind down and/or focus. In fact, as Dawkins points out in "Balancing Act," Dolly is "scientifically incapable of staying still." Dolly's patience is tested in "Fear Window," wherein she, much to her dismay, is forced to rest until her injured paw is healed.
Dolly and Dylan
In every episode of 101 Dalmatian Street, Dolly is teamed up with her Dylan in taking care of the 97 other Dalmatian puppies. Because of their opposing views on how to take care of their siblings, the pair have had various arguments. Dolly sometimes finds Dylan annoying due to his tendency to ruin the fun for her and others. She often mocks Dylan for his awkward personality.
Despite disagreeing over many things, Dylan and Dolly still care for each other. For instance, in “Walkies on the Wild Side,” Dolly believes that she can take care of the puppies herself while Dylan spends the night with the Canal Crew. However, Dolly learns that solo pup care is harder than she thought, and goes to get Dylan back.
According to a line from Dolly in “Walkies on the Wild Side,” she and Dylan “aren't actually related,” the only confirmation in the series that they are step-siblings. Additionally, Dolly implies in “Balancing Act,” that she and Dylan had known each other since they were “really little.”
Relationships with other characters
Because of Dolly's fun-loving nature, she is well-liked by many of her siblings. Other than Dylan, Dolly is perhaps most often seen with Dizzy and Dee Dee, as they serve as her sidekicks in "Who the Dog Do You Think You Are?" and "My Fair Dolly." Dolly is also close with fellow athletic pup Delgado.
Like Dylan, Dolly often relies on Dawkins in his skills at tinkering with gadgets, managing tricky situations, and his responsibility overall. Unlike Dylan, however, Dolly doesn't use Dawkins as a sidekick or stooge. Dolly has teamed up with Dawkins in "Dal-Martians," "Poodlewolf!," and "Poodlefall!."
Dolly has strong bonds with her parents. Her relationships with Doug and Delilah develop in "All Fired Up" and "Girls' Day Out," respectively. Dolly has also shown appreciation for Diesel, Da Vinci, DJ, Dante, Deepak, and Triple D. Additionally, Dolly is protective and loving of her youngest sister, Dorothy.
Because of her immature and disorderly nature, Dolly is sometimes looked down upon by others. Most notably, her next-door neighbor Clarissa has expressed distaste for Dolly's behavior, resulting in the two having a feud that spans across various episodes such as "My Fair Dolly," "A Right Royal Rumble," and "Yappily Ever After." Dolly has also shown slight revulsion toward Constantin, though not to the extent of the Dimitri Trio or even Dylan.
Dolly's best friends are Roxy and Snowball, usually hanging out with them in the park. In "Perfect Match," Dolly has a sleepover with Roxy at 101. She is also good friends with Fergus, Big Fee, and Sid, though she occasionally becomes annoyed by their mischievousness.
Throughout the series, Dolly is shown to have a crush on Hansel, going out of her way to be around him (including reciting poetry to him in “Poetry Scam” and playing Poodlewolf with him in “Poodlefall!”). She also shows affection towards Spike in "A Summer to Remember."
Filmography
- 101 Dalmatian Street pitch reel
- 101 Dalmatian Street storyboard pilot
- Gigglebug Guarantee
- "Merry Pups"
- "Prank Pups"
- "Ransom Pups"
- "Yoga Pups"
- "Disco Pups"
- 101 Dalmatian Street (appears in all episodes and theme song)
- Animals vs Humans (appears in all episodes)
Book appearances
- Le Meilleur Ami du Chien
- L'Élection du Dalma-chef
- Das Haus der 101 Dalmatiner: Meine Freunde
- D is for Dalmatians
Notes
- The Italian version of the show establishes that Dolly is the mascot of a local soccer team.[3]
- Dolly, along with Dylan, is the only character to appear in every episode of the series. (see Most frequently recurring characters of 101 Dalmatian Street).
Foreign voice actors
- Marika Šoposká (Czech)
- Sofie Topp-Duus (Danish)
- Aaricia Dubois (French)
- Esra Vural (German)
- Maya Livni (Hebrew)
- Boglárka Berkes (Hungarian)
- Apriliana Suci Ariesta (Indonesian)
- Monica Bertolotti (Italian)
- Ryoko Shiraishi (Japanese)
- Jung Yoo-jeong (Korean)
- Malin Pettersen (Norwegian)
- [Ewelina Ruckgaber (Polish)
- Jullie (Portuguese (Brazilian))
- Rita Tristão (Portuguese (European))
- Anca Iliese (Romanian)
- Vera Bosch (Spanish (Castilian)
- Dafne Gallardo (Spanish (Latin American))
- Carla Abrahamsen (Swedish)
- Quankamon Boonjub (Thai)
- Yasemin Ertorun (Turkish)
Names in other languages
- Chinese: 桃莉 (Táolì)
- Greek: Ντόλλυ (translation: Ntólly)
See also
- Dolly/Gallery
- "Dolly" (score)