A mandatory requirement for most cartoons since the 1960s — a Non-Human Sidekick that could almost, but not quite, speak English. Often they were smarter than anyone else in the cast. When they weren't, they were dumber than everyone else in the cast.
Like Talking Animals, they are still animals in almost every other way, particularly when it comes to instincts, priorities and motivations. They [...] [tvtropes.org]