The Ant Hill Mob
Led by Clyde, with Danny, Kirby, Mac, Ring-A-Ding/Ding-A-Ling, Rug Bug Benny, and Willy. Gangsters in a 1920s sedan, the Bulletproof Bomb aka the Roaring Plenty. Although he is sometimes rude to the rest of the gang, Clyde actually cares for them. In one episode, when the rest of the gang was stuck in the Creepy Coupe, Clyde was menacing the Gruesomes: "Alright, you Creeps, where are my boys?". The gang drove in Car Number 7 and were pint-sized characters, a reference to the Seven Dwarfs; in one episode, they even disguise themselves as the Seven Dwarfs to escape from a policeman. Their usual method of improving the speed of their car was "getaway" power, which was achieved by extending their feet through the floor of the car and running, the same way Fred Flintstone accelerates his own prehistoric car.
Clyde's name probably came from car gangster Clyde Barrow while his looks, voice and mannerisms suggest numerous gangster roles played by Edward G. Robinson. This is further reinforced in a dialog where he threatens the boys with, "Youse want I should tell Bonnie on you?", an apparent reference to Barrow accomplice Bonnie Parker. When broadcast in French, his name was changed to "Al Carbone," a play on Al Capone. Ring-A-Ding usually queries Clyde's orders or is the one who causes the plan to go wrong in some way. Clyde also mispronounces his name saying "Ding-A-Ling" instead of "Ring-A-Ding." The Ant Hill Mob re-appeared in the spin-off series The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, with Clyde in a silver outfit and his wingmen, with new names, wearing blue outfits and riding in a new living car, Chugga-Boom. The Mob were the protagonists in this series, along with Penelope herself, and were constantly rushing to her rescue.
Character reflections
The Ant Hill Mob's character reflects that of Duke, Skarloey, Rheneas, Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty and Duncan from Thomas and Friends, Jack, Izzy Gomez, Lord Stinker, Boomer, Billy Shoepack, Little Ditcher and Puffa from TUGS and Mr. Tanaka, Ray, Chris Thorndyke, Chuck Thorndyke, Big Gritz, Big Mike and Mighty from Sonic the Hedgehog