The Gang of Five

The Land Before Time => General Land Before Time => Character Discussion => Topic started by: Petrie. on March 25, 2007, 08:18:21 AM

Title: Spike
Post by: Petrie. on March 25, 2007, 08:18:21 AM
Discuss the character, Spike here.
Title: Spike
Post by: Lain_EX on March 27, 2007, 09:49:00 PM
All I can say about Spike is...






He's silent, dumb-witted and a bottomless pit, but indeed, he helps others and he's a good friend (even if he doesn't even notices).

*everyone stares at me* What? I'm just being sincere.
Title: Spike
Post by: novaflare on March 27, 2007, 09:54:12 PM
Quote from: Lain_EX,Mar 27 2007 on  09:49 PM
All I can say about Spike is...






He's silent, dumb-witted and a bottomless pit, but indeed, he helps others and he's a good friend (even if he doesn't even notices).

*everyone stares at me* What? I'm just being sincere.
less dimwitted than he seems on the surface. They showed that a couple times in the series
Title: Spike
Post by: Malte279 on March 28, 2007, 02:34:23 AM
There are scenes in which his stomach gets the better over his brain (e.g. when they are crossing the vines in LBT 7). His being not the brightest bulb in the chandelier doesn't deprive him from being an interesting and important character. People tend to think of him as unimportant because he doesn't talk our language, but I disagree with those people. Spike is a very emotional character more so perhaps than any one of the others. Least hesitant to show fear, grief, and, in VERY rare instances, anger. Moreover he apparenty DOES talk. Ducky seems to be able to give a more abstract meaning to Spike's mumbling in a scene from LBT 7, as one would expect if it was merely signaling his mood. Spike is sometimes difficult to "get to move", but once he does he is very determined.
He is the one who decides to trust Ali in LBT 4 (when Cera does not and Ducky and Petrie are undeceided), he is the one to end the debate in LBT 7 and follow Ducky and her abductors. LBT 8 (a story which I think had good basic ideas which were in many instances poorly realized), showed his emotional live going far beyond eating, sleeping, and seeing Ducky as an older sister.
Perhaps Spike is the most underestimated of all maincharacters.
Title: Spike
Post by: pokeplayer984 on January 25, 2008, 02:11:15 AM
After watching the episode, Through the Eyes of a Spiketail, I'll never look at Spike the same way again.

SPOILERS ALERT!!

Through a good portion of the episode, we get to hear everything from Spike's perspective.  The shocking truth is that Spike may hardly ever speak real words through his entire life due to the fact that he can hardly understand anyone.  The episode revealed that most of the words everyone else speaks only come out as some sort of dinosaur noise. (growls, grunts, roars, etc.) The only things he seems to understand when the others speak are either food or name related.  Due to this mental disorder, he may never even speak a simple sentence.

The most interesting thing though, despite this little disorder, we hear his thoughts in perfect english.  This little thing makes it rather difficult to understand just what is going on here.  I really can't figure out this part.

One interesting thing, food pratically calls Spike, particularly new food, no wonder he can find food so well and is such a glutton.

Despite alot of stuff being explained about Spike in that one episode, I still find him a little difficult to understand.  Now, I can only add feeling sorry for him. -_-
Title: Spike
Post by: landbeforetimelover on January 25, 2008, 02:18:54 AM
Quote
The episode revealed that most of the words everyone else speaks only come out as some sort of dinosaur noise. (growls, grunts, roars, etc.) The only things he seems to understand when the others speak are either food or name related.

That doesn't make any sense.  He can answer yes and no to questions posed to him by the others.  If they just came out as dinosaur noises, then how could he have done that?  Dear god, did they just make some other stupid unexplainable paradox in LBT through the tv series, something that totally contradicts what we've seen in the movies?  God, I hope that thing dies and dies quickly and they just do the sequels.  That way, they can think before creating an episode and it's not all related to how fast they can get a story out. -_-
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on January 25, 2008, 09:05:12 AM
I always assumed Spike was like Snoopy, his thoughts were elsewhere and he didn't pay a lot of attention to what the gang were talking about most of the time.  As for talking Spike doesn't need to talk usually.  He gets his point, the few times he needs to, well enough without talking usually.
Title: Spike
Post by: Malte279 on January 25, 2008, 09:30:45 AM
I agree that from the sequels Spike seems to be able to pick up complex meaning from what the others say to him. Also there are several cases in which Ducky obviously understands what Spike is "saying". The idea of him feeling "primarily addressed by food" doesn't sound fair to me (though I cannot judge a TV episode I have never seen. In the long run I may have to, but I cant say I am in a hurry). There are occasions where his stomach seems to get the better over his brain (LBT 7 when they are walking across that vine), but I feel that he is very capable to make a distinction between the importance of food and a living friend.
In one land before time audio play which I have (it is in German, so I'm afraid you'll have to take my word for it) there is a situation in which Cera is sinking in quicksand and the others try to drag her out with a vine. Petrie (who is to carry the one end of the vine to Cera in the quicksand) tells the others they should not give the other end of the vine to Spike who might eat it due to the fact that there are still little treestars sprouting from the vine. Upon this Ducky replies audibly upset that Spike "Would never eat the vine that might save Cera!"
In the same audio play Spike also comes up with ideas to save Cera which clearly show that he is not unintelligent or focused on food only.
Title: Spike
Post by: pokeplayer984 on January 28, 2008, 01:49:03 AM
Well, the episode did show Spike going out of his way to save his friends after they had gotten caught in an avalanche. (Curtousy of Petrie yelling at Littlefoot and Cera to "be quiet".) So yeah, he does definately care quite a bit about them.

A part of me is starting to think this was a mistake the writers have made.  One that will more than likely never be resolved. -_-
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on January 28, 2008, 11:46:12 AM
If you like the episode you can always say its' either a dream someone had, or it's in another universe then the main LBT movies/episodes take place in.
Title: Spike
Post by: Mornai on March 18, 2008, 08:04:47 PM
Just a quick question, when we first meet spike in the original land before time, (or when ducky finds him) Why is his egg just left in a small patch of grass? Where were his parents, had they died, or did they have to force on without him, considering he was such a big egg?
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on March 18, 2008, 09:51:33 PM
Maybe they were separated or didn't survive the earthshake that separated most of the cast from their parents, or grandparents in Littlefoot's case.
Title: Spike
Post by: The Great Valley Guardian on March 18, 2008, 10:18:40 PM
That certainly is a possibility, one I don't think will ever be resolved...unfortunately. :cry
Title: Spike
Post by: kjeldo on March 19, 2008, 01:22:44 PM
very unfortunatly
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on March 19, 2008, 02:08:46 PM
Very likely not.
Title: Spike
Post by: Coyote_A on March 19, 2008, 04:51:33 PM
Quote from: Mornai,Mar 19 2008 on  03:04 AM
...or did they have to force on without him, considering he was such a big egg?
I'm doubt that Spike's parents could do such a thing. The first version looks more realistic. By the way, his egg was lying, we can see, that he was the only one child in his family.
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on March 19, 2008, 05:23:19 PM
A sad fate, whatever happened to his parents.  But at least once he got to the great valley he found parents willing to adopt him so it turned out ok, with 2 parents and many brothers and sisters.
Title: Spike
Post by: LBTFan13 on March 26, 2008, 04:09:00 PM
Spike is a very interesting character. Like Littlefoot, he is definitely non racist in terms of other species because he hangs out with the others. Also like Littlefoot, there are no children that are the same species as Spike, so he will never know what it feels like to have a blood brother or sister (although he definitely considers Ducky as his blood sister). However, unlike Littlefoot, Spike is an orphan who never meets his real parents. I think we will never learn why Spike's egg was alone in the first movie (unless the writers create extremely detailed biographies that reveals the missing links to every character). This creates the main conflict in LBT 8 when the heard of Spiketails visit the Great Valley and Spike becomes friends with Tippy. This relates back to when Ali came to the valley in LBT 4. Littlefoot spent more time with her probably she was the first longneck child he had ever met. Like Littlefoot, Spike probably decided to leave with the herd because he had never seen any Spiketails like him before, and this was his first chance to really experience what it would be like to travel with those of his own species.
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on March 26, 2008, 05:42:38 PM
That and he was torn between wanting to go with the spiketail herd and staying in the valley.  Ducky helped him make the decision, though she regretted being that angry later.  

And as for no other spiketails, likely what his and Ducky's mother meant was no other "resident" spiketails since I think there was a spiketail in some shots in some movies before that one, though I may not be remembering right.  If I do recall correctly his and Ducky's mother may have approach the spiketail off camera between movies and he either responded in a gruff mean way more like Threehorn or Mr Clubtail would and say something like "no way, I'm not taking care of someone else kid."  or he may have said he's a wondering male, and it's dangerous out there he the mysterious beyond.  He'd e taking Spike way from his family and friends.  He has no idea when or if he'll come back to the great valley and he's not any kind of parent.
Title: Spike
Post by: Malte279 on July 01, 2008, 04:24:58 PM
In another thread (http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=3480) Rat_lady mentioned that Spike reminded her of a dog. She is quite right according to an article which Don Bluth wrote in the January 2001 issue of his Toon Talk magazine (the issue primarily concerned with the land before time). This is what Don Bluth wrote in that article about Spike (and about the other characters as well):
Quote
Spike the love sponge
Although the five little dinosaurs would each have his/her own look, the more daunting challenge was finding an identity for each. Cera, with her irascible personality and vitriolic tongue, was an easy character to profile. Every family has one of these, the brat that against all reason and wise advice, tosses her curls and walks directly into harms way. Littlefoot, on the other hand, is the voice of reason, the pragmatist that tries to find all the answers to problems in his head. Since emotion plays such a big part in coming to terms with life, Littlefoot is bound for frustration. Although he is easy to like, he is not the best leader. Then there is Petrie. He can’t fly, he’s out of step with his own kind, a self-proclaimed weirdo, and he bellyaches his way through the movie. Next, there’s Ducky, the small voice of hope. With her, anything is possible. “Yep. Yep. Yep.” She chirps as she tags along, always the follower. At the end of the day, my favorite dinosaur is Spike. A pure soul, simple, accommodating, and eager to please: He is a character who never utters a single word, yet for me, speaks louder than all of the others. He is a standout like Dopey, who just wants to be loved. I found inspiration for Spike in Cubby, a little Chowhound I befriended at age ten. He was guded to our home simply because my dad thought he might be a good herd dog on the farm. Although these cows would be hard pressed to jump over the moon, leaping the farmer’s four-foot barbed wire fence was a no-brainer, and I was taking flack from dad. It was a simple plan; keep the cows in their own field. The cows were our responsibility, Cubby’s and mine. Though I can’t swear by it, one afternoon I thought I saw Cubby from a distance, plant himself between the fence and the herd to hold court, his head gesticulating as if he were laying down some kind of rules for the ladies, who in a moment or two, tossed their heads, flicked their tails, and walked away. The fence jumping stopped permanently. I put it to Cubby one night as he lay at the foot of my bed, “Tell me old boy, what did you say to them?” He threw me a glance with reprimanding eyes, and then wolfed out a few affectionate throaty sounds, “You know it’s not allowed to speak in human tongue, you must listen to my eyes and read the wag of my tail. I said, don’t mess with the kid, he’s my buddy. Now, if one of you girls is thinking about jumping that fence, think again, because I’m going to bite your tail.” I felf his wet nose burrow under my hand where he soon fell asleep. Keep your eye on Spike when you watch Land Before Time. He may look like a Spike Tail, but that is really Cubby, the Chowhound.
Title: Spike
Post by: buffypii on August 05, 2008, 06:34:46 AM
Actually...I think Spike is cute in his own "hungry" way.. He's always there for his friends, especially Ducky. And she's the one who usually get emotional...But Spike is always there for them as they are for him.. They are a beautiful circle of friends.
But I gotta admit. He needs a new set of brains..
(http://www.jrj-socrates.com/Cartoon%20Pics/Misc/Land%20Before%20Time/Spike_300.gif)
Title: Spike
Post by: Kor on August 05, 2008, 03:49:02 PM
He may not be a genius, but he has been shown to have some smarts himself, though it is true that often the other gang members are more intelligent then he is.  Though part of it could be he's often laid back and doesn't really get as involved in the details as some do.  Likely, and more realistically, it would be several reasons, instead of just 1.  His being close to Ducky may, or may not, be that she was there for his hatching so he may have imprinted on her initially after his hatching.
Title: Spike
Post by: Bruton the Iguanodon on November 04, 2011, 06:30:11 PM
I really like him, I think he's cute, and I felt terrible for what happened to him and Ducky in 6 (that must have really hurt!). But my question about him is...

http://www.anyclip.com/movies/the-land-bef...spike-hatching/ (http://www.anyclip.com/movies/the-land-before-time/spike-hatching/)

What the hell went on in the grass between 0:51 and 0:58?!
Title: Spike
Post by: Bruton the Iguanodon on January 22, 2012, 11:22:49 PM
I'll sum up his story as fast as i can. He's not gonna so I will.  ;)


Comes out of egg Grows up Eats grass Makes friends with everyone  Gets covered in tar Makes it valley Gets adopted Participates in group hug Falls in swamp Goes into mysterious beyond Licks ducky again and again Meets chomper Meets ali Meets tickles Screams "duckkkyyyyy" Carries yellow flowers Goes to island Eats leaf off log Meets chomper again Crosses log fearlessly Looks like roasted swine Steals littlefoots treestar Goes back to vallet Gets scared to cross gorge Gets nearly killed by tooth Gets stuck in log Goes home Gets STTTTTTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNUNNNNNNNNGGGG Sits on petrie Sings bad luck and annoys everyone Cries about ducky Draws in dirt Gets covered in vines Reunutes with sister dearest Makes new friend Visits spiktail hurd Gets owned by sister Leaves valley Is a hero on finding food Nearly drowns Yells "mama" Mama saves him Splashes ducky Meets mo Pulls ducky out of nest Goes to big water again Follows littlefoot Gets tired of listening to others argue in swamp Travels to crater Licks bye bye to best friend littlefoot Searches for creepy crawlies Turns orange and meets littl longnecks Gets tired Owns his friend littlefoot Cries like a baby Goes up against sharpteeth nMeets guido ries to eat log off brnach in mysterious beyong Goes to berry valley Meets ruby Goes to canyon of shiny stones Goes to meadow of jumping waters Falls into stinky pool Gets stinky Washes off Stinks off sharpteeth Goes into hidden canyon and stuffs himself with juicy fruit Gets pinched by crab Goes on adventure to grape cayon and allows viewers to hear thoughts and you know what?

There's no more to say bout his life.
Title: Spike
Post by: Bruton the Iguanodon on January 28, 2012, 11:52:40 PM
Here are 2 rather far-fetched theories to what happened to him in movie 1---

1. The little spiketail we saw at the end of 2 is Spike. He's a time traveler, and suddenly timetraveled to the great valley moments after he hatched. At that same moment a Spike from the future suddenly appeared in his place. Someday, when he's older, the little spiketail we saw at the end of 2 will time travel back to the exact same minute of his birth---and the rest is history.  ;)
2. He is not a normal dinosaur. The reason his egg was found alone in the grass is because...he has no real normal parents. He is a strange creation of the extrestrial rainbow-faces---some sort of articial dinosaur created by the rainbow-faces and set back to prehistoric times to live among his fellow dinosaurs, as an experiment. The two side results were that he can't speak and goes through sudden rapids spurts of growth, sometimes up to 10 years at a time. If this is true then Spike's time is unfortunately limited. But thankfully for him, he's in one of those "not allowed to grow up" shows, so he'll be just fine!  ;)

Just some far fetched theories!  ;)
Title: Spike
Post by: DaveTheAnalyzer on April 09, 2017, 12:45:31 PM
Ah, Spike. I can’t remember what I thought of him when I first watched the series, but after rewatching several times in the past year or so, I gained a great appreciation for him. He’s one of my favorite characters. He doesn’t speak and shows little shame in his appetite, often wandering off to explore what interests him in ways that mark him off as odd. He occasionally licks people out of affection, and that does mark him as odd (Even if in an animal world like LBT, it shouldn’t be that odd, but whatever). Yet he shows little shame for who he is and his friends generally treat him well. The most they do is laugh fondly at his antics.

He is rather laidback and friendly, wanting to appreciate the extraordinary in the simple in life. From that TV episode where we get a peek into his thoughts, he does wish his friends would kick back and take a page out of his book. He seems a bit exasperated about the often dangerous adventures they find themselves in, as seen in the song he sings to himself in that episode. However, as shown in other episodes and movies, he does have a genuine interest in exploring and learning. In that same episode, he even smiles fondly to them. Whatever his complaints, he really enjoys being in their company.

As for if he understands…I’m kind of under the impression he does, he just tunes some talk out, like the arguing and the insistence that he follow them. In that same episode, there are times where he responds to specific things his friends say. When Littlefoot and Cera argue about the existence of Hard Water Sweets after surviving an avalanche, Spike thinks in frustration “But I know where they are!” This indicates that Spike finds speaking much harder than thought. It takes a life or death scenario like his sister on the verge of being eaten or him drowning for him to talk. Clearly, there’s more to his nonverbal nature than a disinclination to speak.

I’ve read of nonverbal people learning to be verbal when they grow up and that’s displayed in a few fics, but I’m interested in what happens if he can’t do anything more than be nonverbal or minimally verbal as an adult. Would he remain content with who he was or would this might be an issue or frustration to him? He’s been treated rather well by his friends and most people, but there’s always the chance they’ll meet someone who can’t understand or is a jerk and those who might expect him to talk when he grows up. That could affect him, especially if there are things he wants to say but are difficult to get across if you can’t use words. That might be a struggle awaiting him but hopefully his friends will support him into accepting himself.

I do like Ducky and Spike’s relationship. There’s obvious mutual affection. Though he can be at times exasperated with Ducky, he cheerfully plays along with her just as much. He appears to enjoy her cheerful spirit and he must be appreciative she looks after him so much. For the first days (and weeks?) of his life, she was his guardian and the gang the first family he knew. That’s got to color how he views them. I do like the glimpses of how he relates to the others. He’s given Littlefoot a few licks, appreciating his kindness and how he looks after everyone. That episode about Spike and Chomper was pretty sweet, since they’re both the youngest and with the best noses, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they bonded. Cera mightn’t be always the easiest to get along with, but I could see him liking her wit and occasions for mischief. I can see them becoming closer when they take mud baths with Tria and Ruby, in turns relaxing and maybe lobbing mud at one another. Spike and Ruby would get along, since the latter’s calm and thoughtful, which the former’s laidback nature would agree with. Spike does seem to get along with Petrie. He can relate to Petrie’s occasional fear of adventure and danger, and seems to find Petrie’s idiosyncrasies whether in fear or play fondly amusing. As someone small like Ducky, Spike seems protective of Petrie. I’m fond of his bond with the others and I’d like to see that more explored.
Title: Spike
Post by: Sovereign on April 09, 2017, 04:48:20 PM
Spike is a sort of mixed bag for me. I like his relationship with Ducky and the basic idea of a silent, different kind of character in the Gang. However, the way it's done is sometimes rather difficult to like. For example, the beginning of the eighth film showed many of the things why I have problems with the character.  :lol

There are certainly nice qualities to Spike's personality and to the role he plays in the Gang. The Petrie/Ducky/Spike trio often has entertaining scenes and they fulfill each other nicely. Also, it was nice for them to try to show Spike's thoughts in the TV series. All in all, the overall character concept is pretty good and there are some decent scenes about him. His and Ducky's bond is indeed very interesting and the fact that Ducky is the only one who understands him fully (except for Tippy, perhaps) brings some scary prospects for him if he isn't going to learn to speak.

However, I found the way "Through the Eyes of the Spiketail" was executed really bad. Spike's voice was annoying and the episode made little sense. Also, while he might be more intelligent than he seems, some of his scenes feel like Deus Ex Machina, most notably in JOTB. Plus, I don't like his "singing" parts in the series.

All in all, I wouldn't have used Spike as a main character in a story if I disliked him. But he also has many qualities I dislike so I'll just conclude that there's potential in his character but the way he's usually acting doesn't appeal to me.
Title: Spike
Post by: Sneak on April 09, 2017, 05:01:01 PM
Spike... гг

Oh...

If I have a free time this week, I will write my vision of Spike and my very hard relationship with him...
Title: Spike
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on June 23, 2017, 01:16:38 AM
Spike is a great foil to the rest of the Gang. Many times his gluttony (although being a growing Stegosaurus makes his appetite acceptable according to Paleontology) gets the Gang in trouble, like eating leaves on tree trunk on the ocean or over chasm. Other times, he makes discoveries like Stinky stuff in LBT XIV: Journey of the Brave. For me Spike represents the opposite of Cera, he is totally relaxed and very little unnerves him, while Cera rages relatively easily (she is Threehorn after all, and I blame Topsy's influence).
Title: Re: Spike
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on May 14, 2020, 08:16:57 PM
Spike: the member of the Gang I sadly have overlooked the most. Every Gang of Five character got to be my favorite at some point in my childhood...except Spike. I think I just found him boring, which I feel bad admitting. But I don't think the way these films were so wishy-washy about his characterization helped. Sometimes he's the sweet younger brother, sometimes he's an eating machine devoid of personality, sometimes he's a smart but silent type. His personality depends completely on the movie, which doesn't work very well. In XIII, which was practically supposed to be his movie, I was annoyed with how he ate Ducky's food on purpose, then laughed when she complained to Mr. Thicknose. That was pretty irritating (though I honestly didn't like Ducky's personality in that movie, either--it's unfortunate that both characters the movie focused on weren't done very well, but enough about XIII). I had previously assumed Spike was a glutton just because he didn't know better, not that he would eat someone else's food on purpose and find it funny.

To my surprise, I think the TV series might have been where Spike was portrayed best. He was more of an active member of the Gang, helping out and even unexpectedly saving the day at times, whereas the Spike of the movies seems more like he's just dragged along for the ride. Unfortunately, I wasn't much of a fan of the episodes that Spike was actually the main character in, but that wasn't due to Spike himself as much as it was due to other aspects of the episodes, which I won't get into here.

I must say, though: every time Spike talks, it's awful! :p I could never stand his voice in IV--Spike should never have sounded so high and scratchy! He sounded almost exactly like Dil. What were they thinking?? His voice in the TV show was lower, as it should have been, but something about that voice annoyed me, too. Yeah, I'll take silent Spike any day of the week over talking Spike.
I've now spent a lot of time griping about Spike, so before you guys get the impression that I can't stand him, I suppose I'd better mention his good traits! :SmugSpike He and Ducky are an adorable pair of siblings, and his easygoing, silent demeanor is endearing. He sort of comes across like a lovable, lazy dog much of the time. It's not that I ever disliked him--I would never want to see him removed from the Gang!
Title: Re: Spike
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on May 23, 2020, 01:14:08 AM
Spike was my least favorite of the Gang until The TV Series. He saves the reat of the Gang so much, eapecially when he’s eaten the bad luck treestars that make Redclaw and company flee.
Title: Re: Spike
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on May 23, 2020, 06:04:11 PM
Spike was my least favorite of the Gang until The TV Series. He saves the reat of the Gang so much, eapecially when he’s eaten the bad luck treestars that make Redclaw and company flee.
Agreed, I like Spike much better in the TV series. :^^spike He became the kind of character I would've liked to see him be all along.
Title: Re: Spike
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on May 23, 2020, 06:13:55 PM
Spike was my least favorite of the Gang until The TV Series. He saves the reat of the Gang so much, eapecially when he’s eaten the bad luck treestars that make Redclaw and company flee.
Agreed, I like Spike much better in the TV series. :^^spike He became the kind of character I would've liked to see him be all along.

Spike fans unite! :D