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Leonard Amadeus Helperman[1] (voiced by Shaun Flemming)[2][3] is one of the four main characters in Teacher's Pet

Official Description[]

"When your mom's the teacher and your dog is the kid in the next desk, forget about being normal! Leonard is a good scout, a lousy ball player, and in love with the girl next door, but is paralyzed to say more than, "Hi" to her. Life's a constant challenge, but Scott's gonna drag Leonard on all sorts of adventures." 

History[]

Early Life[]

Not much is known about Leonard before the series. However, it is said that he and Leslie were best friends for a long time, but eventually drifted apart.[4] When Leonard was really little, he owned two dogs: Lovey Bear and Cuddly Buns, both of whom apparently died before he got Spot, Pretty Boy and Jolly.[5]

Teacher's Pet[]

Leonard is embarrassed that his mom is his teacher. As a result, he gets a lot of grief for it, since the other kids think having his mother as the teacher would give him an unfair advantage. At school, he meets the new kid in class, Scott Leadready II and becomes jealous of him. He soon finds out that Scott is really his dog, Spot in disguise and reluctantly agrees to let Spot keep coming to school with him, just as long as he doesn't do anything suspicious. Leonard has a crush on his best friend, Leslie, but he can’t talk to her. He and Spot often clash against each other, but always make up in the end and are best friends to the very end. Thanks to Spot's reputation, Leonard’s social life begins improving or at the very least, the other kids pick on him less.

Teacher's Pet: The Movie[]

At the end of the school year, Mrs. Helperman is nominated for the best teacher of the year award by the N.E.A.T.O. organization in sunny side Florida. Principal Strickler lends the Helpermans his "wantawaygo" as a means of transporting themselves to the location of the award ceremony. However, the RV that the Helpermans are borrowing has one important rule, absolutely no dogs are allowed, leaving Spot, Pretty Boy, and Jolly all at home with a petsitter. Spot is extremely saddened by the two week separation from Leonard and watches his master leave solemnly before joining the rest of the pets inside. While Mrs. Boogin, the pet-sitter is watching soap operas, Spot accidentally sits on the remote, turning it to the "Barry Anger show." Barry Anger interviews a "wacko" scientist by the name of Ivan Krank who claims he can transform animals into human beings, to Spot's delight. Spot finds out that Dr. Krank resides in Florida where Leonard and his mother were headed to, and immediately sets off to meet Krank to make his dream of becoming a real life boy true.

Spot manages to pick up on Leonard's scent and catches up to the RV. While driving on the road Leonard catches a glimpse of Spot out of the window struggling to get onto the RV, in haste he begs his mother to stop the car, landing them at a gas station for the time being. Spot reveals himself to Leonard and the two are happily reunited until Leonard remembers the reason why they left Spot at home in the first place, no dogs are allowed inside the RV. In order to tag along despite the rule, and fool Leonard's mother, Spot dresses up as Scott Leadready II and tries to get Mrs. Helperman to take him along for the ride. Mary Lou agrees on the condition that Scott's family is alright with the idea, Spot then proceeds to pose as his various "family members" to convince her, and succeeds. Once the family reaches Florida, Spot finally lets Leonard in on the real reason why he tagged along, to see Dr. Krank and have Krank turn him into a real boy. While disappointed that Spot had ulterior motives, Leonard agrees to assist his pal in finding Dr. Krank before having to meet his mother at the end of the day after the first round of the award ceremony.

Meanwhile back at home, Pretty Boy and Jolly happen to catch the "Barry Anger Show" again and see that the host has brought back the focus on Dr. Ivan Krank again a week after talking about the "wacko" scientist. The reason is to show what happened to the test subjects Krank claimed he could transform into humans. Horrified by the mutants shown on screen, Pretty Boy and Jolly set off to find Spot and warn him before the same fate befalls him.

The duo stumble upon Dr. Krank's dwelling in a swamp area and happen to peek in just in time to see the man at work, experimenting on a frog who he claims he will make a man. After the experiment ends in failure, Leonard tries to convince Spot that they are wasting their time and that the procedure won't work but Spot is insistent, he approaches the doctor with the proposition of becoming his next experiment subject. Convincing Krank that by using a mammal test subject, he has a better chance of making a man out of a dog than his previous subjects which were insects and reptiles; the failure test subjects being a mutant mosquito by the name of Adele and a mutant alligator named Dennis, who now assist Krank in his work. Krank and his minions prep Spot for the procedure much to Leonard's dismay and soon Spot is transformed by Krank's machine. Upon returning back to consciousness, Spot excitedly goes to check his reflection to see what he looks like as a boy. Much to his shock Spot finds he is not a boy at all, but a full-grown man. Having forgotten to account the concept of dog years and that he’s past his puppyhood, Spot realizes he is much older than a 10 year old boy like his master. Krank, extremely happy with the results of the experiment, locks Spot and Leonard up in his lair so that his "dog man" doesn't escape while he prepares to show him off around the world. However, Ivan's nephew, Ian Waszelewski, arrives for a visit and sets the duo free after making an exchange for a slimy chew toy for his assistance in escaping. Ivan finds out they have escaped and orders Dennis and Adele to go out and find his precious "dog man".

After escaping Dr. Krank's lair, Leonard and Spot wander about wondering how they can come across a meal, without any sort of money on them. Upon finding a lost dog poster with an award sum of $100, the duo decide to try their luck at finding the lost pooch. Spot tries to utilizes the "twilight bark" (reference to 101 Dalmatians') in order to see if he can get some help on pinpointing the dog's location. Still seeming to have enough dog left in him, he is able to communicate with his own kind and he and Leonard are successful in earning the sum of money they were after, and then some for bringing puppies home with the lost dog resulting in a $500 reward instead.

With the reward money they earned, Spot takes Leonard out around town and buys things every adult can get when they have money to burn, such as buying himself some clothes that actually fit now due to his transformation and renting a car. Forgetting all about their previous agreement to meet Mrs. Helperman after the first day of the awards ceremony, Leonard and Spot rush to the trailer park they are currently staying at just in time for dinner, unfortunately forgetting how Spot is now an adult. Mary Lou immediately questions who he is forcing Spot to concoct a new fake alias, "Scott Manly-Manning" also a teacher like Mrs. Helperman herself who just so happens to be attending the N.E.A.T.O ceremony as well. Upon hearing that his name is "Scott", Mary Lou asks Leonard where Scott Leadready is resulting in Spot coming up with a lie on the spot about how "Scott Leadready II" had to leave suddenly and he the ever helpful adult assisted the boy in returning home. Leonard pulls "Scott" aside to let him know he's going to blow his cover and reveal his secret, but "Scott" doesn't listen to him. Delighted with Scott Manly-Manning, Mrs. Helperman invites him in for coffee despite Leonard trying to kick him out. After brief conversation and Leonard still trying to kick Spot out of the RV, for fear that his mother will discover who "Scott" really is, he is sent to the bedroom in the RV while she and Scott have dinner.

While Pretty Boy and Jolly continue to try and make their way to Florida, and end up washed up on the shores of Cuba, "Scott Manly Manning" and Mrs. Helperman are really hitting it off after their little dinner "date". Recognizing that Mrs. Helperman is falling for him, Spot gets the ingenious idea of how he and Leonard can stay together despite him now being a man instead of a dog, he'll marry Mrs. Helperman and become Leonard's step-father in the process, ensuring their family is able to stay together. Finally deciding that this is the last straw, Leonard is less than thrilled by the idea and demands that Spot stop "liking" his mother at once and respect his wishes that he does not want that plan to unfold. Angered by Leonard's negative attitude about the idea, Spot argues back that Leonard can no longer order him around since he's not a dog anymore meaning, Leonard is not his master and he can do what he wishes as an adult. Leonard ends the fight by demanding that, Spot leave him and his mother alone and get lost. Heartbroken that his former master would kick him out Spot tries to convince Leonard to let him stay, but to no avail. Before Spot leaves, Leonard orders Spot to cough up his collar and license, since he paid for them himself claiming he won't need them anymore because he's no longer his dog like Spot pointed out. Spot reluctantly hands over his collar and leaves torn.

Once Spot and Leonard have parted ways, Pretty Boy and Jolly finally arrive in Florida. Leonard suspecting it to be Spot who has come back to apologize and beg him to let him stay, opens the door to find his other pets there instead. Leonard then beings to explain the current situation with Spot. Meanwhile, Spot has ended up in a run down hotel since he had no place to go after leaving his boy. Saddened by the turn of events, Spot begins to reconsider what it is he really wants and comes to the conclusion that being there for Leonard is far more important than his selfish dream of being a human. With that in mind, he rushes back to the trailer park to make amends and try to rekindle their relationship he foolishly tarnished (not knowing that Leonard has left). 

Upon arriving at the RV, Spot finds Pretty Boy and Jolly there and questions where Leonard has run off to. The pets in despair inform him that Leonard has run off to see Dr. Krank with the proposition of being transformed into a dog so that he and Spot can be together, since Spot won't be his dog, Leonard will have to be his. Fearful for what could become of their master, Spot, Pretty Boy and Jolly run off to save Leonard from Krank.

The pets arrive just in time to find Leonard strapped down on the operating table where the machine beaming at him ready to do its magic. Dennis and Adele capture the pet trio and Spot takes the opportunity he has to properly apologize to Leonard for all the trouble that he has caused before Krank tries to harm Leonard. Loyal as ever to his boy, Spot battles against Krank and ultimately uses Krank's device against him by turning the wacko scientist into a mouse who Jolly then chases after. Having jammed the device with a nickel seeing as the device only accepts quarters, Spot unties Leonard and gets him to safety while the machine begins to overheat. Figuring this is the only chance he has to be turned back into a dog, Spot bravely stands in the machine's aim of fire as it explodes.

After the explosion, Leonard finds that Spot has been turned to blue dust from the machine's beam. Leonard kicks the machine in anger after seeing that Spot is dead, and upon kicking the device, it reactivates, zapping Spot again and turns him back into a dog. Spot and Leonard patch up their relationship and Spot learns to be proud of being a dog, ending the film and the series.

Personality[]

Leonard is very shy, nervous, and insecure of himself, due to his mom being the teacher of his class and he often feels that no one likes him. Leonard is generally kind and caring, but can also be negative, over-analyzes things while partaking part in Spot's risky plans, and complains a lot.

Leonard sometimes gets punished or ridiculed when he gets involved in Spot's "amazing plans", often taking the flack for Spot's doings in order to keep his dog from getting exposed. He gets really annoyed by Spot's actions and sometimes resents him for it, but in the end the two reconcile and remember how much they mean to each other.

Leonard actually does have the potential to be a star student, but he rarely shows it because of his mom being the teacher and when she isn't around, he can become pretty confident and not afraid to show off his hidden depths. Like most children, his aspirations are often fleeting, as he practices being a clown named Wacko in "Fifi" while in "Always Knock the Postman Twice" he proudly announces his desire to be a mailman.

Physical Appearance[]

Leonard is a slightly robust 10 year old boy with very pale white skin and red hair. His outfit consists of a navy blue sweater with a red stripe, yellow shorts, and blue dress shoes.

Family[]

Leonard is the son of Mary Lou Helperman, his fourth grade teacher. He is sometimes affected by his mother's love for him, but does appreciate her deep down. His grandmother, Rose, usually visits Leonard every Thanksgiving, which he always regrets due to her kissing Leonard repeatedly and playing "I've got your nose" with him.[6]

Before adopting Spot, he owned two other dogs named Lovey Bear and Cuddly Buns, as revealed in "Tallulahpalooza." Spot is upset to learn he wasn't Leonard's first dog, and feels betrayed, but finds comfort in the fact the other dogs weren't as smart as him.

As his mother mentions in "Tallulahpalooza", his great-great grandparents immigrated from Dublin to the United States, which means Leonard is of Irish heritage, although his last name is Jewish. 

Relationships[]

Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II[]

Spot is Leonard's pet dog, best friend, and his social/academic rival. Leonard didn't want Spot to go to school because he was already embarrassed and stressed that his mother was teaching the class, and did not want his own dog to be there as well. After much convincing from Spot, Leonard relents and lets him continue going to school, on the condition that no one finds out about it, on account of the risk of Spot being sent to a lab. Eventually, Leonard grows to genuinely accept Spot's double life. His social status even somewhat improves, since being Scott Leadready's best friend makes the other kids tolerate him a bit more.

Leonard is very loyal to his dog even if it means dressing up as his mother,[7] taping an air show,[8] and giving him up to live his dream.[9] At school, Leonard and Spot can become arch-rivals and can get very competitive with each other when there is a test or a game to play. But, whether it's helping Leonard impress Leslie or helping Scott deal with one of his burdens, they always stick by each other and help each other when they need each other the most.

In the movie, their friendship is put to the test when Spot is turned into a man and he decides to marry his mother and become his stepfather in order for them to still be together. Leonard loses his patience and mutually wants to cut ties. Later though, Leonard misses Spot and feels bad for the fight they had. When Spot is changed back to normal, they make up and become friends again.

Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly[]

Leonard and Spot always turn to Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly for help when they need them the most. They often come to them for advice regarding their friendship or their current school problems. They try their best to help them when they're in danger, such as when Tallulah was trying to hurt them and eat Pretty Boy,[10] or when Pretty Boy ventures into the wild and worried he would hurt himself.[11] Whenever he is not with Spot, Leonard is seen playing with or talking to Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly.

However, Leonard has a tendency to release his anger on them and forgets he has other pets besides Spot. For instance, in the movie, when Leonard missed having Spot around and was still upset about their falling out earlier, Jolly and Pretty Boy arrived to help, with Leonard rudely saying "Oh it's you." Pretty Boy was understandably mad about this and they decided to leave. Leonard quickly apologized for his ungrateful comment and was glad that they were in Florida, stating that he needed their help more than anything. Overall, Leonard has a great friendship with his three pets and loves them very much.

Mary Lou Helperman[]

Mrs. Helperman is Leonard's mother, and also his fourth grade teacher. This fact embarrasses him, and he is often called the "teacher's pet" in class because of it. Leonard repeatedly tells his mother not to call him "Doodlebug" (her nickname for him) or express affection towards him at school.[12]

Although he has a hard time of showing it, Leonard loves his mother dearly, and always feels horrible if he disobeys her or talks back to her. For example, in "The Tale of the Tell Tale Taffy", after Leonard broke his mother's promise of only trick-or-treating on their block, he felt increasing guilt throughout the night, before confessing what he did. They contrast heavily in terms of personality (with Mary Lou being boisterous, energetic and excitable, while Leonard is anxious, introverted and quiet), but overall they have a pretty standard mother-son relationship.

Leslie Dunkling[]

Leslie is Leonard's best friend and crush. They have been close friends since they were apparently in diapers. Their close friendship continued until 4th grade came, when Leslie decided to not hang out with him as much and hang out more with the girls. However, they remained good friends. Although it is not clear if Leslie feels the same way as Leonard does about her, she once admitted she thinks he is cute, but other than that, she seems to only see him as a friend.[13]Leonard tries to talk to Leslie, but becomes nervous when attempting to do so.

Trivia[]

  • Leonard claims to be claustrophobic in "Movin' on Pup."
  • He owns a sock puppet named Lamont ("One Dog's Junk").
  • Leonard is Shaun Fleming's second voiceover role, with Max Goof's Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas incarnation being the first. Following this role, he would play Jim and Tim Possible from Kim Possible and Keoni Jameson in Lilo & Stitch: The Series.[14]
  • Leonard and Spot are the only characters to be in all the episodes.

Gallery[]

For more pictures and screenshots of Leonard click here

References[]

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