Officer Charlie Dibble is a character in Top Cat. He was voiced by Allen Jenkins.
About Dibble[]
Dibble is a New York police officer of Precinct 13, which includes Hoagy's Alley, where the gang congregates. He is a tall and stout man, dressed in the blue police uniform. Even when out of uniform, he is a well-dressed man. His black hair is always slicked back to maintain a professional appearance, though most of it tends to be hidden by the blue hat of his uniform. Dibble has an oval-shaped head with round cheeks and a padded neck. Though his eyes are colored stylistic black like all characters in the show, Top Cat points out in the episode "Space Monkey" that Dibble has blue eyes and refers to them as being a "dreamy azure".
Dibble is committed to his job as a police officer and is often found trying to help civilians out around the city, most notably older women. He makes sure to prevent Top Cat from using the police department phone and always tells him to clean up the alley. Dibble even recites the specific laws that Top Cat breaks in a given situation. Despite his serious demeanor, he is sometimes referred to by playful variations of his name by T.C. such as Dribble, Dobble, Dripple and so on. In "The Maharajah of Pookajee", Dibble does not allow Top Cat's flattering get him into Sherry Plaza and calls him to keep out. The sergeant, in "Dibble's Birthday", tells him that he is among the best police officers in the department.
Despite the conflict of interest between Dibble and the gang, and especially the rivalry between him and Top Cat, Dibble cares about their well-being. He had multiple opportunities to stop T.C's tricking, such as in "The Long Hot Winter" when Top Cat suggests living with Dibble for winter to the sergeant. In "Hawaii Here We Come", he laments T.C. and his gang's disappearance after throwing themselves off the S.S. Aloha Hooey, then expresses relief when the gang call his name while surfing towards the Hawaiian beach. In "Top Cat Falls in Love", after finding out that Top Cat is in the hospital, Dibble states that he feels guilty for treating him harshly and joins the gang to celebrate Christmas with him. In that same episode, when T.C. returns from the hospital pretending to be mildly sick, Dibble cleans up the alley for him. In "The Late T.C.", his care for Top Cat is displayed when he thinks Top Cat only has a week left to live.
Dibble also has a tendency to make assumptions. In "The Late T.C.", eavesdropping at a doctor's door, Dibble assumes Top Cat only has a week left to live. In "Dibble's Birthday", after hearing the commissioner's conversation with the sergeant, he assumes that the commissioner is going to get rid of him.
Though he is committed to being a police officer, Dibble does seem to be interested in performance, as he tends to be particularly flattered when Top Cat compliments his voice or appearance. In "Dibble Sings Again", when Top Cat offers to get him on television, Dibble wholeheartedly accepts it.
Appearances[]
TV Series[]
- Top Cat (1961-1962)
- Yogi's Treasure Hunt – "Yogi & the Beanstalk", "Yogi Bear on the Air", and "The Moaning Liza" (1985–1987)
Films and Specials[]
- Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats (1988)
- Top Cat: The Movie (2011)
- Top Cat Begins (2015)
Shorts[]
- The Royal Bank of Scotland commercials - "Personal Loans", "Deposit Accounts" (1983)
- Halifax commercial (2016)
Books[]
- The Hanna-Barbera Guide to Life
- Top Cat (Big Golden Book)
- Top Cat (Little Golden Book)
- Top Cat (Top Top Tales)
- Top Cat Candidate for Mayor
Magazines[]
Comics[]
See list of Top Cat comics
Music[]
Video Games[]
Trivia[]
- In "The Violin Player", Dibble states that he likes violin music, notably that of Lazlo-Lazlo.
- His first name, Charlie, is mentioned in "T.C. Minds the Baby" and "Dibble Breaks the Record".
- In the comic book story "Tickets to Trouble", a fellow officer calls him "Fred".
- In the comic book story "The No-Strain Brain", Spook calls him "Daniel D. Dibble" and gives his address as sixty-six West Elm Avenue.
- In reference to him, the word "Dibble" has been adopted as a British derogatory slang term for police officers.
Gallery[]
Click here for the Officer Dibble gallery!