Arthur Spudinski

Arthur P. "Spud" Spudinski is one of the main characters of the Disney animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. He is voiced by Charlie Finn.

Personality
Spud is the best friend of Jake and Trixie. He is extremely loyal, and will do anything to help them. Although seemingly slow-witted, he often comes up with intelligent things to say at random times, much like the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He's actually a genius, but tries to hide it in order to live an easier and carefree life. Spud has a tremendous fear of clowns that started when he was five years old. He also has an obsession with mermaids and dreams of becoming a "merman".

Talents, interests and abilities
In Season 1, Spud doesn't appear to be particularly smart and often spends his time goofing around and making a fool of himself. It's only at the beginning of Season 2 that Spud shows a very comprehensive technological knowledge. He owns a laptop computer that sports surveillance capabilities and other advance functions.

Spud used his computer to decode the encryption in the Huntsclan teleportation system, allowing his friends and him to intercept the teleportation of Huntsboys Numbers 88 and 89 (the same episode shows Spud's father as an uptight intellectual whom Spud resents, perhaps explaining his current "slacker" attitude). He once developed a global-positioning device to track his cheerleader crush, Stacey.

It is revealed that Spud is, in fact, a genius, and scored a perfect mark on a government issued standardized test, which was a first for Millard Fillmore Middle School. Despite this, Spud generally prefers not to use his genius IQ, as he fears that upon the discovery of his intelligence the ensuing pressure would not allow him to enjoy his life.

Spud also has the entire works of Shakespeare committed to memory.

Heritage
Judging by the -ski suffix in his last name "Spudinski", he is most likely of Eastern European-American heritage.

Magical Background
Throughout the series, there have been several hints that Spud may possess a magical background. Spud mentioned that his great-grandfather used to be a magician, albeit apparently not a very good one. During the talent show in which he does a magician act in honor of his relative, Spud unknowingly uses a magical incantation thought to have been lost for centuries to seal a Djinn away; it is, in fact, the catch-phrase his 'super gramps' taught him when he was younger.

The Gorgon sisters remark about how Spud is the splitting image of the warrior Perseus, who originally sealed them away. However, this might be entirely due to the Spartacus costume for the Fighting Trojans mascot he was wearing at the time, and does not necessarily mean he is related to the ancient hero.

Spud also mentions his family's tales of a mermaid city in the East River.

It is interesting to note that Spud himself appears to have a relation with magic that may hint to a magical background. For example, he has displayed mastery with the use of two magical wands while battling Pandarus without any instructions or training beforehand, though he had trouble remembering what the spells would do. Spud once maximized the smell of an onion, using a powerful voice, to defeat one of the giant bugs in the principal's room that Sigmund Brock sent. He also gains magical frog-like powers in in one episode, although he goes back to being human with no magical abilities at all in the end.

Stacey Wintergrin
Other than this, Spud later shows an obsession toward a cheerleader named Stacey Wintergrin. His fixation on her is so great that he even goes as far as to create a global positioning device to track her. He develops several plans and ploys in order to win her love, but is constantly rejected by her no matter what he does to attract her attention.

However, Stacey finally develops feelings for Spud, though Spud thinks it's because of the deal he made with the Gorgon Fury. It is soon revealed that Spud did, in fact, win over her heart on his own and that magic had nothing to do with it. They seem to start dating at this point, though Stacey insists they cannot be seen together or else her reputation would be ruined.

Spud later became Stacey's graduation partner. From this it is believed that they are most likely officially dating and that their relationship has become more public.

Jake Long
Jake and Spud are like brothers. Both care about each other's well being, which is demonstrated multiple times. Spud wants to be a dragon like Jake and is jealous of his dragon abilities and sometimes they argue, but not seriously. After all everyone argues with their friends but in the end they both know they need each other to help protect the magical world.

Trixie Carter
Spud and Trixie are very good and firm friends. They know each other very well and are a solid team together. However, at this stage of their relationship, friendship is all they are. The mistaken prospect of their predicted marriage truly upset them, and they later reconfirmed there was nothing deeper to their mutual feelings toward each other.

Age by Season

 * Season 1: 12-13
 * Season 2: 13-14

Season One

 * Old School Training
 * Dragon Breath
 * The Talented Mr. Long
 * The Legend of Dragon Tooth
 * Act 4, Scene 15
 * Professor Rotwood's Thesis
 * The Egg
 * The Heist
 * Body Guard Duty
 * Shapeshifter
 * The Ski Trip
 * The Long Weekend
 * Morpholomew (cameo)
 * Jake Takes the Cake (cameo)
 * Hong Kong Nights
 * Halloween Bash
 * Flight of the Unicorn
 * Keeping Shop
 * Ring Around the Dragon
 * The Hunted

Season Two

 * Bring It On
 * Half Baked
 * The Academy
 * The Doppelganger Gang
 * Something Fishy This Way Comes
 * Breakout
 * Family Business
 * Dreamscape
 * A Befuddled Mind
 * Fool's Gold
 * Feeding Frenzy (end credits)
 * Haley Gone Wild
 * Supernatural Tuesday
 * The Rotwood Files
 * Hairy Christmas
 * Switcheroo
 * The Love Cruise
 * Year of the Jake
 * Homecoming
 * Young at Heart
 * Siren Says
 * Shaggy Frog
 * Nobody's Fu
 * Magic Enemy#1
 * A Ghost Story
 * Bite Father, Bite Son
 * Game On
 * Furious Jealousy
 * Being Human
 * The Hong Kong Longs

Trivia

 * In the Season One intro, Spud plays the drums in Jake's imaginary band.
 * Spud's magician name is "Spud the Spudnificient".
 * In one episode, Spud dreams of being Spudman, the hero of Spudopolis. His catchphrase is: "Tally-ho!"
 * Spud's world is a parody of Batman and Superman mixed together.
 * During the beginning of Season Two's next-to-last episode, Spud sings the first few lyrics of the show's intro.
 * In Season Two, Spud wears an alien head logo shirt.