Marlin T. Höek, or mainly known as Ren Höek, is a fictional character from the Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon (TV channel)

Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

 series The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Spike series Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". He is one of the main title characters and serves as the main protagonist/antagonist in the series. He first appeared in the pilot episode "Big House Blues".

Overview

Ren is a scrawny 10 year old "Asthma

Asthma

Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...

-Hound

Hound

A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry...

" Chihuahua

Chihuahua (dog)

The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...

 with a fairly long, rat-like, pink tail (which disappears constantly to the point of it not being seen in the later series).

Personality

Ren is portrayed as being greedy, insane, delusional, paranoid, violent and insecure (in short, mentally unstable). Whenever Ren's upset he lashes out his anger on his best friend Stimpy usually by simply slapping him in the face, or by brutally beating him up.

Biography

He has a Swedish cousin named Svën Höek, a plump, idiotic chihuahua who is very similar to Stimpy. In the Spümcø

Spümcø

Spümcø, Inc. was an American animation production company based in Los Angeles, California. The studio produced three traditionally animated series, two Flash-animated cartoon series, two music videos, five animated shorts, and a comic book. The company also went on to produce content for a few...

 era of The Ren and Stimpy Show

The Ren and Stimpy Show

The Ren & Stimpy Show, often simply referred to as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series, created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on the titular characters: Ren Höek, a psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a good-natured, dimwitted cat...

 and Adult Party Cartoon

Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon

Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" is an animated television series created by an american animator John Kricfalusi for the cable network Spike . The series was an adults-only-revival and spin-off of the original animated series, The Ren & Stimpy Show, which had previously aired on the American...

, Ren is voiced by John Kricfalusi

John Kricfalusi

Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...

 in "a bad imitation of Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...

." In the Games Animation era of the Nickelodeon series, Ren is voiced by Billy West

Billy West

William Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...

 using a combination of Burl Ives

Burl Ives

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....

, Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...

, and a slight "south of the border accent", after John Kricfalusi

John Kricfalusi

Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...

 and the others at Spümcø

Spümcø

Spümcø, Inc. was an American animation production company based in Los Angeles, California. The studio produced three traditionally animated series, two Flash-animated cartoon series, two music videos, five animated shorts, and a comic book. The company also went on to produce content for a few...

were fired. West also did Ren's maniacal laughter, throughout the series (including when John Kricfalusi did Ren's voice).

The Ren & Stimpy Show

Though rude to him at the most part, Ren has been shown to like Stimpy as a friend on some occasions. Their relationship started out with Ren always picking on Stimpy and usually beating him up whenever he made Ren upset, but as the series progressed Ren didn't pick on Stimpy so often anymore and call him an "Eediot" on a regular basis like he always did during the shows early years.

Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"

In this variation of the series he and Stimpy are seen as a couple; however, Ren does not seem to see Stimpy as a partner, but as a friend (as mentioned in the episode Ren Seeks Help).