Wallace is an inveterate inventor and half of the title duo of Wallace & Gromit. He is the owner and best friend of Gromit.
Background[]
Physical appearance[]
Wallace can usually be found wearing a white shirt, brown wool trousers, green knitted pullover and a red tie. he also has a thin head, a wide mouth (except for in A Grand Day Out) and pale tan skin.
In the first photo shown on Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, it was revealed that once, when Gromit was little, Wallace had much hair and beard and, on the photo that shows Gromit's graduation from Dogwarts University, Wallace had lost his beard, but still had a little hair. The reason behind Wallace's loss of hair is unknown, but it is probably because of his aging.
In The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Wallace sometimes wears a blue Anti-Pesto uniform and cap.
Personality[]
He delights in creating elaborate contraptions that often do not work as intended. He is a self-proclaimed genius, evident from his exclamation when he discovers Hutch's borrowed skill, a talent for all things mechanical. Most of Wallace's inventions look not unlike the designs of Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg; creator Nick Park has allegedly said of Wallace that all his inventions are designed around the principle of "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut." But citation is needed on this claim.
He loves cheese and crackers, describing them as "cracking." The thought of Lancashire hotpot keeps him going in a crisis. He enjoys a nice cup of tea or a drop of Bordeaux red for those special occasions. He reads the Morning Post, the Afternoon Post and the Evening Post and occasionally Ay-Up!, which is a parody of Hello! magazine.
Some of Wallace's contraptions actually are based on a real-life invention. For example, Wallace's method of getting up in the morning incorporates a bed that tips over to wake up its owner, an invention that was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 by Theophilus Carter, and is similar to a device sold in Japan that is used to ensure a certain wakeup time.
He has a kindly nature, and is perhaps a little over-optimistic. Nick Park says of Wallace: "He's a very self-contained figure. A very homely sort who doesn't mind the odd adventure."[1] Wallace is loosely based on Park's father, whom he described in a radio interview as "an incurable tinkerer." He described one of his father's constructions, a combination beach hut and trailer, as having curtains in the windows, bookshelves on the walls, and full-sized furniture bolted to the floor.
Appearances[]
Short films[]
A Grand Day Out[]
The Wrong Trousers[]
A Close Shave[]
A Matter of Loaf and Death[]
Feature films[]
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit[]
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl[]
Video games[]
Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo[]
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (video game)[]
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures[]
The Big Fix Up[]
The Grand Getaway[]
Quotes[]
A Grand Day Out[]
- No cheese, Gromit!
The Wrong Trousers[]
- Don't forget the crackers!
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit[]
- I know you're doing this for my own good, but the fact is I'm just crackers about cheese.
- Rabbit rehabilitation.
Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo[]
- Cracking cheese, Gromit!!!
- Look out, lad!
- Mind yourself, Gromit!
- Careful, Gromit.
- Ouch! That looked painful, Gromit.
- You okay, lad?
- Nothing broken, I trust.
- Oops!
- Hope you didn't damage your undercarriage.
- Collect some more nuts, and I reckon I can fix this.
- I'll need some more bolts to fix this.
- More bolts, or we can have this mended in a jiffy.
- Not enough nuts yet.
- Those nuts and bolts could come in handy.
- Need a few more nuts, I'm afraid.
- More nuts and bolts, lad, that's what's needed.
- Go and have a root around for some more tools, will you, lad?
- Can't fix this, I need more tools.
- Hmm. Tricky. No. I'll need some extra tools.
- More tools needed for this, old friend.
- Tools, that's what this needs.
- Better find some more tools for this job, Gromit.
- Oh, dear. I'll need some more tools to sort this one out.
- Dead handy, that!
- We'll find a use for this, and no mistake.
- Just what we've been after.
- Bit rusty.
- Oo! That'll do nicely!
- Top notch, Gromit.
- I'm sure we can recycle this.
- That'll come in handy.
- Just the ticket.
- Tickety-boo! Just the ticket.
- Whoa!
- Aargh!
- Less of that now!
- Hey! Cut that out!
- Cut that out right now!
- Ow. Stop it!
- Oi. Geroff!
- Don't shoot!
- I didn't do it, honest!
- Careful with that thing!
- Eh, eh, eh! Careful! Careful there.
- Mind where you're pointing that.
- Gromit!
- Over here, Gromit!
- Over here!
- Over here, boy!
- I'm over here!
- Come over here!
- Ahoy there, pooch!
- Gromit?
- Where are you, lad?
- I'll meet you over there.
- I can't get there.
- How am I supposed to get up there?
- I'll, um... I'll just wait here.
- Don't wait for me, lad.
- Don't be daft...
- Eh? I can't see you!
- More use here, I think, lad.
- I'm staying here, Gromit!
- No, lad!
- Not there, lad!
- Nearly there, lad!
- I'll have to find another way 'round.
- Off you go, Gromit. We'll meet up later.
- Press on, lad, we'll meet up later.
- Okay. Be there in no time at all, lad.
- Right O.
- Coming, lad.
- Just coming, Gromit.
- Just a bit further.
- Right you are, then.
- I'm on my way.
- I'm right behind you.
- Hm. It's a bit further than I thought.
- Hang on there, just a bit longer, lad.
- This is the right way. Ah, yes.
- I'll be there in two shakes of a... a lamb's tail.
- I'll be there before you can say Jack Robinson.
- I... I... I shouldn't have had all that Wensleydale.
- Oh, I'm not made for all this running around!
- I'm not in as good shape as I... as I used to be, Gromit.
- Two ticks and I'll be there.
- Can you hear something?
- Most unusual.
- Zoos have certainly changed.
- Maybe we should get moving.
- I'd love a spot of cheese right now.
- I wonder.
- Ooo. I'm sure that's not right.
- You know, Gromit, this is most irregular.
- Hmm, strange.
- Shocking.
- Very odd.
- Not what I'd expected.
- Bit dry down here. I could do with a cup of tea.
- Bit dry down here could do with a cuppa.
- Best mention this to someone when we get back.
- Hope I remembered to turn the immersion off before we left.
- Any ideas, old chum?
- Lead away, lad. Age before beauty.
- Everything okay, lad?
- Got any suggestions, lad?
- What shall we do now, lad?
- Time to make a move, lad.
- Press on, should we?
- Better keep going, Gromit.
- Come on, Gromit, no time to waste.
- Keep going, Gromit!
- On you go, lad.
- Away you go, Gromit.
- Go on, lad! Scarper!
- Gromit, you're a star!
- Attaboy, Gromit!
- Bravo that dog!
- Well done, lad.
- Nicely done.
- No time to rest on your laurels, lad!
- I knew you could do it, Gromit.
- Good jab, lad.
- Cracking job, Gromit!
- Congratulations, old friend.
- You haven't got another 10p, have you, lad?
- To the Jungle House, lad, and don't spare the horses!
- We're not standing for this, his parents can't rescue him, but by heck, we will!
- Never can have too many of these, Gromit.
- I say, Gromit. Look up there!
- Let's have a sniff around over there.
- Good work, Gromit, the drawbridge isn't the only well-oiled machine round here.
- Can't beat a bit of teamwork, eh, lad? Go on, Gromit. Best paw forward!
- Carry on, lad. I'm right behind you. Honest!
- Hmmm. Let's try that.
- That penguin hadn't reckoned on us when he locked... It's a booby trap!
- Do something, Gromit!
- That was one heck of a bang!
- I think I may have noticed a tool back across that bridge!
- By heck, this is a cave and three quarters!
- I've seen one of these before. If we can get it working, it should kickstart the lift.
- Oh, yes. Those nuts were just the ticket. Didn't find any raisins, perchance? I could murder a healthy snack.
- Those nitro bottles must just help speed us up!
- Look out!
- Don't shoot! We're British!
- Use your paws, Gromit!
- Go left.
- Go right, go right!
- Should have brought that safety rope.
- Duck!
- Yikes!
- Didn't he take driving lessons?!
- Mind where you're flying that thing.
- Oiiaarg! Steady on there.
- That dratted penguin!
- Bit of a situation, this.
- Get me out of here!
- Oo. Er, I say. I'm not sure life on the edge agrees with me.
- And about time too. What kept you?
- Keep your eyes peeled. Have a good look around.
- Couldn't have done it better myself.
- Right, my turn now, Gromit. Get me up there!
- How are going to get across there?
- That should help you over!
- I'm not coming down there with those things milling about!
- You okay, Gromit lad?
- Gromit, lad! We're back here again.
- But there's no sign of that slippery... Feathers McGraw! There he is!
- Eh, when I think of poor little Archie in the icy clutches of that fiend.
- Come on, dynamic sidekick to the Gyrocopter.
- You'll not escape this time, you feathered bird-brain, you'll see!
- Whoa! Gromit! Pull up! Do something! Aaarg!
- Well, done! Halfway there!
- We've put a spanner in his works all right. But I don't like the noise that the boiler's making.
- Nor does Feathers! He's escaping! Hang on to your hat!
- Hm. Not the most relaxing bath I've had, and no time to loofah. Come on, lad!
- Where's that pesky penguin now?
- It's panda-monium in there! We'll have to rescue those little fellas, if we can get past Feathers' goons.
- Mind how you go now.
- Oi! Come back here! He's a slippery kipper with a brain to match.
- Man and dog together again.
- Ingenious!
- Hmm, should all be working now.
- Gromit! Gymnastics are your department!
- Get me down!
- See? No harm done, lad.
- Can't go yet, Gromit, there's babies to rescue.
- We can't leave without freeing the little ones, lad.
- Better free the youngsters first, lad.
- Look out, Gromit!
- Nearly got him!
- You rescue that little one, and I'll carry on after Archie!
- Keep up, Gromit!
- We'll have this fixed in a jiffy.
- Should all be working now.
- Help me, Gromit!
- Take that, you brute.
- Between the eyes, lad!
- Yes! Stick that up your mechanics, you brute!
- Cracking. Well done, that dog! You saved us from the fate worse than...
- Feathers won't troubling us again in a hurry. Oh, no.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Both Wallace and Gromit live together at the fictitious address of 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan, Lancashire. However, his accent as voiced by Peter Sallis is from Sallis' native Holme Valley in Yorkshire.
- Wallace's character was inspired by Nick Park's father, Roger Park; though his physical appearance was based on a postman he knew named Jerry. He initially wanted to name him after Jerry, but felt as though the name did not go well with Gromit. He named him Wallace after a Labrador Retriever he encountered on a bus in Preston.
- The audiobook version of The Wrong Trousers has Wallace refer to the dropped picture in the guest room as what is believed to be a portrait of his great-grandmother.
- In the Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention episode "Come to Your Senses", Wallace mentions his gran, saying she would tell him that he had no sense.
- In Wallace & Gromit: Cheese Lover's Yearbook, Wallace's birth certificate is shown and refers to the names of his parents as merely "Dad" and "Mum", the former of which having the profession of "Father Christmas at the Co-Op (part-time)".
- In Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, an art piece of a woman riffing Whistler's Mother can be seen in the credits. According to Aardman Animations graphic designer and illustrator Gavin Lines on Instagram,[2] this woman is Wallace's mother (matching the original painting's name), with the idea even coming from Nick Park himself.
- According to Wallace & Gromit: Cheese Lover's Yearbook, Wallace's birthday is 7 August.
- When asked about Wallace's age, Nick Park preferred to give an ambiguous response, amusingly remarking that he used to consider him around 50, but after turning 50 himself, that he still thinks he is always older than himself.[3]
- This is backed up the Npower website's character profile for Wallace that states "Age: Don't be cheeky".[4]
- The audiobook version of A Grand Day Out mentions Wallace considering the colourful prospectus of club 18 to 45 holidays for the younger sector, worrying that he and Gromit would not fit into the dancing and volleyball activities therein.
- According to the book Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: The Dog Diaries, Gromit states that "he's pushing 220 (or whatever that is in human years)".
- According to a Radio Times 2025 interview, Wallace and Gromit were considered to make a cameo in Shaun the Sheep Movie, going through the background on their motorbike at one point.[5]
References[]
- ↑ Wallace & Gromit - Wallace
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/DLZDA_7IuMp/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jwp-0oEoJM 20 Questions With Nick Park, YouTube.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090530142043/http://wallaceandgromit.npower.com/meet-the-stars-wallace.html
- ↑ https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/wallace-and-gromit-aardman-nick-park-radio-times-cover-interview/
External links[]
