
The Sheriff snidely remarks that "it is all part of the pain of giving" to pay for the greater good of society. The Sheriff whacks Otto's cast until the coins that the dog hid in his cast come out, which causes obvious pain to Otto's broken leg. The Sheriff, however, is not fooled by this, having spied on Otto and Tuck just prior to his arrival at the smithy.

First, he comes to the shop of Otto the blacksmith, who conspires with Friar Tuck to hide his earnings in his cast. Later, he is shown traveling through the town for his daily tax collection. Despite his attempts, Robin Hood manages to escape by hiding in a tree. The Sheriff appears at the film's opening, sneaking up on Robin Hood and Little John as the two are swimming. The Sheriff is an obese gray wolf with yellow eyes, thick black eyebrows, a black nose and wears red sheriff's clothing, a hat with purple stripes and a feather, crimson shoes, puffy purple sleeves with magenta stripes, a gold star badge, and a brown necklace with a gold medallion around his neck. He also speaks with a heavy Southern United States accent, which was contrasted with most of the characters who spoke in British accents.Įven if he follows Prince John's orders and claims to be faithful to the Crown, the Sheriff does not seem to hold a high opinion of the prince, since he happily sings " The Phony King of England" and even encourages Sir Hiss to do the same. The Sheriff puts on a cheerful, friendly act, but is as callous as any Disney villain. The Sheriff commands a posse of archer wolves and has authority over Trigger and Nutsy.īeing bigger and heavier than Robin Hood, he physically overpowers him in a fight and Robin has to use his wits to escape him. His suspicions were confirmed when he found Little John holding the prince hostage by sticking a dagger in his back. However, he is not completely stupid, as, following Robin Hood's capture at the archery tournament, he was baffled by Prince John's unexpected claim that Robin should be released, and immediately grew suspicious of John's behavior.

In addition, he is always fooled by Robin Hood's disguises, despite his claims to the contrary. Because of this, he is hated by the people of Nottingham, who often derisively refer to him as "Bushel-britches," referring to the Sheriff's rather obese physique.ĭespite his constant attempts to capture Robin Hood, the Sheriff always fails.

He excuses his corruption and cruelty by hypocritically claiming he's only doing his duty. He is completely unsympathetic to the poverty of the town's people, using immoral ways to collect taxes such as forcing out the coins Otto had hidden in his leg cast, regardless of the pain the blacksmith would endure from his broken leg in the process, taking the one farthing Skippy had been given for his birthday and insincerely wishing him a happy birthday, taking money from a blind beggar (who was actually Robin Hood in disguise), or even taking the single farthing that was in the church's poor box and laughing as he did it. In contrast to Prince John, who is the mastermind behind the many plans to stop Robin Hood, the Sheriff is a more active antagonist, constantly fighting and attempting to capture Robin Hood.
