Spot Helperman is a dog, one of the two main protagonists of the TV series Teacher's Pet, and the protagonist of the movie Teacher's Pet: The Movie. He dresses up like a boy named Scott Leadready II and goes to school with his master and best friend Leonard. He will often quote a saying at the end of each episode.
Background
Personality
Spot is a competitive intelligence and the coolest kid in school. He is very loyal to Leonard, and will help him in his time of needs. Sometimes, when things go wrong for him, he starts having an episode or exaggerating it. He wants whatever he wants, and does not wanna lose things or games. The only people that know of Spot being Scott are Leonard, Mr. Jolly, Pretty Boy, and Tallulah.
Physical appearance
Spot is a blue-furred mutt with a white tummy and a black spot on his back. As a Scott, he wears a little hat, a yellow short-sleeved collard shirt, red pants, glasses, and gray sneakers. He was an homage to Baseman's dog, Hubcaps. As a man, he wore a fancy suit.
Bio
Spot enjoys going to school. He is Leonard's best friend and dog. When Leonard was 5 years old, he and his mother got him as a newborn puppy during Christmas time. When he's Scott Leadready, he acts competitive with Leonard and uses his show-offy intellect to impress everyone and make Leonard feel inferior. His instincts kick in when something bad happens to him and he starts having an episode. Whether it's helping Leonard impress Leslie or trying to win a contest, he sticks by Leonard at all times.
Appearances
Teacher's Pet
Spot was tired of staying at home and wanted to go to school to be closer to Leonard and then, he decided to do so. He named himself Scott Leadready II and became the most popular child in school. Leonard became jealous and his love interest, Leslie started to develop a crush on Scott. Scott told Leonard everything, who agreed for Spot to stay as long as no one finds out. As the show went on, Spot got Leonard yelled at, beaten up, punished, or sent to detention on a daily basis. The principal's cat, Tallulah knows that Scott's a dog. At some point, he was saved by a fourth-grade class as a puppy, and Leonard got Spot when he was a newborn puppy during the holidays.
In one episode, he falls in love with a circus poodle and decides to leave Leonard, Jolly, Pretty Boy, and Mary to go be with her. But, he realizes that he can't leave his friends and family for a girl he doesn't know and changes his mind.
In another episode, he finds out that they're building a skate park where the dog park he used to play at is, so he's caught in a triangle. In the end, he decides to keep both parks and split them into different ones on different sides.
Teacher's Pet: The Movie
At the end of the school year, Mary gets nominated for a N.E.A.T.O. award has to go to Florida with her son Leonard. But the van that the Helpermans take does not allow dogs, so Spot ) is forced to stay home with the two other pets, Pretty Boy and. Jolly ). He is very disheartened. While Mrs. Boogin, the Pet-sitter is watching soaps, Spot accidentally sits on the remote, turning it to the "Barry Anger show." Barry Anger interviews a "wacko" scientist, Ivan Krank who claims he can transform animals to humans, to Spot's delight. He finds out that Krank resides in Florida.
Spot finds Leonard a few miles out of town. Since no dogs are allowed inside the van, Spot has to dress as he does to school, as Scott Leadready II. As Mary sees one of her students from the school, after a conversation with Scott's "family" (or, Scott in costumes,) she happily takes him along. When they finally reach Florida, Spot/Scott admits to Leonard he came just so he can become a real boy. Leonard agrees to help find this scientist Spot/Scott is looking for.
They find Dr. Krank, who is angered by another failure. His "children", mutant mosquito Adele and Mutant Alligator Dennis assist Ivan, who transforms Spot into a human being, against Leonard's will- but to his and Leonard's shock Spot, long since past his puppyhood, becomes an adult and not a child (his age in dog years). Ivan Krank captures Scott and Leonard, to show his success at creating a human from a dog and turn Spot into a media freak. But his nephew, Ian Wazalooski, comes and sets them free in exchange for a slimy chew toy. Leonard and Scott make $500 dollars by finding a lost dog and her puppies using the Twilight Bark from 101 Dalmatians.
Scott gets some fancy clothes and rents a car and the two head to the trailer park, unfortunately forgetting how Scott is an adult. While Pretty Boy and Jolly get lost in Cuba, Leonard's mom falls in love with the now human Spot, further angering Leonard because he doesn't want Spot to become his step-dad. He gets angry and orders Scott to leave, Krank in hot pursuit, and the Helperman's upset.
Around the time Leonard's other pets arrive, Scott's in a loser hotel, and Leonard explains the whole story. Scott regretfully starts to miss Leonard, and feeling the only way to re-create his relationship with Spot is to have Krank turn him into a dog, Leonard and Scott try to return to each other but pass each other on the way. Leonard visits the mad scientist. Spot and the gang follow Leonard to the lab.
A battle begins at the lab between Spot and Krank. When the machine runs out of fuel, Spot puts the nickel Krank gave him earlier and it turns Krank into a mouse with Jolly chasing him out of the lab. But the machine starts to blow up and it zaps Spot. After the explosion, Leonard finds that Spot has turned to dust. Angry and crying, Leonard kicks the machine and it reactivates and zaps Spot again, Turning him back into a dog. Afterward, Spot, Jolly, and Pretty Boy are outside the awards ceremony cheering for Leonards mom. But Pretty Boy is wondering how they're gonna get home. Spot tells them his plan.
That night, Spot is dressed up as Scott Leadready again and convinces Mary to drive him home with them. Meanwhile Jolly and Pretty Boy are hiding under the RV's bed as part of Scott's plan. In the epilogue, he decides to stop dressing up as a boy and decides to go back to being a pet.
Relationships
Leonard Helperman
Spot and Leonard are best friends when they're at the park or taking a nice work. As Scott, they fight with each other and can't stand each other. Spot really looks out for Leonard and gives him advice. As Scott, he does things that get Leonard blamed and in another result, punished or pounded. Sometimes, Spot/Scott will try or make Leonard look like a fool in front of his peers and sometimes the whole town. Overall, Spot and Leonard are true friends and are loyal to one another. These things include, destroying Leonard's homework, and sneaking his books outta his backpack and no one believes Leonard. In the movie, there friendship is the thing the movie revolves around. When Krank turns Spot into a man, Mary falls in love with him and Leonard loses his patience and they stop being friends. At the end, Spot is turned back to a dog and the two make up.
Mary Helperman
Scott is Mary's favorite student. She is very protective of Spot as much as she is of Leonard. Scott tends to show-off his intellect to the teacher and make her so proud that she practically wants to adopt him. When Spot is sick, she takes care of Spot and practically spoils him (much to Leonard's chagrin). In the movie, when Spot is temporarily human, she falls in love with him while on a date. After a serious, ugly fight with Leonard, Scott leaves her. Before Scott is a dog again, she seems to have gotten over being dumped. When Spot is changed back to normal, he becomes happy to lend him a ride back to East/Westland.
Leslie Dunkling
Leslie just loves Spot, she's always hugging, cuddling, and kissing Spot when he's near. Scott's show-offy intellect and amazing stunts and sports skills impresses Leslie and she has somewhat of a crush on Scott.
Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly
Spot, Mr. Jolly and Pretty Boy are good friends. Spot always turns to them for help and is willing to do anything to help them in their time of needs even if it means, paying for Pretty Boy's subscription for a dirty magazine. Mr. Jolly and Pretty Boy are willing to help him as well.
Ian Wazselewski
Scott and Ian are good friends. Scott usually turns to Ian for help when he and Leonard are in a jam and sometimes makes deals with him. In the movie, Spot tells Ian about his true identity as Scott Leadready when Ian's uncle traps them in a cage, and Ian agrees to keep Scott's secret and let them out of the cage in exchange for a slimy chew toy. In One Dog's Junk, Ian shows his antagonistic side to Scott when he mocks him for having a toy that used to belong to Spot as a puppy and which was just sold at a yard sale and Scott goes nuts and they start fighting like animals over the toy. Later, Ian gives him the squeaky burger toy back after outbidding 2 Doofuses on the internet for a rare one-of-a-kind version of the toy and even though Spot becomes friends with Ian again, he just realized he wasted his time when he could have gotten a new, fresh, out of the box squeaky burger toy. Another time when Ian shows Scott his antagonistic side towards him is in What's Sweat Gotta Do With It, when Scott steals Ruth as his dancing partner. Later, when the dance starts, he gets revenge on Scott by changing the music and having everyone bump Scott endlessly.
Other media
Spot/Scott and Leonard have appeared in numerous of Gary Baseman's events and appearances and museums. They have appeared in many of Baseman's paintings and they have been featured as walk around characters at many of Gary Baseman's events, appearances, guest speeches, and more along with Baseman's other characters.
Gallery
Trivia
- He and Leonard are the only characters to appear in every episode.
- He was inspired by Hubcaps, Gary Baseman's dog. He would wonder what he would do while he was gone for the day.
- Another inspiration for Spot was from the Superman franchise, being that the people of Metropolis could never recognize Spot or Clark Kent with their glasses.
- Despite being an intellect who can do everything, Scott can be ignorant as he once didn't notice that everybody got T-shirts from the museum and thinks that no one except him got anything.
References
