William Shortpaws is Geronimo Stilton's grandfather and the founder of The Rodent's Gazette. He is known as being loud, strict and stingy. His favorite saying is "All work and no play makes a mouse rich, rich, rich!" as said in "The Christmas Toy Factory". He is known to only care about work and money, as shown in the book "Lost in Time" when Geronimo catches a terrible cold because of the weather. This often makes Geronimo very nervous in his presence, especially since Shortpaws once rode a steamroller through his living room wall among other forms of slight mistreatment.
Description according to Atlantyca[]
"They don’t make ’em like William Shortpaw anymore. This firebrand started as a youngster selling newspapers for a nickel on the streets of New Mouse City. Over the years, his ingenuity, business savvy and hard work created the highly successful Rodent’s Gazette followed by other ventures in publishing, radio, television and internet news until The Stilton Media Group was born. Shortpaw had a dream and put whisker to the grindstone and did everything in his power to realize it. But as he got older, all that hard work took its toll. He has gone into semi-retirement and has handed over the reins of his vast media company to his grandson, Geronimo, whom he thinks is the perfect candidate to take the family business far into the future. Well, that’s what he told his grandson, secretly Grandfather Shortpaw can’t ever let go. He keeps a watchful (yet loving) eye on how Geronimo is handling "his" company and will at times add some colorful comedy as he "helps" his Grandson keep the company on track."
Appearance[]
William Shortpaws is a round mouse with light gray fur, buzz-cut hair, and temple-less glasses. He wears a blue coat and matching blue pants, along with a red and white striped tie and a yellow-orange buttoned sweater with a white collared shirt underneath.
In TV series, his fur is a slightly darker shade of gray, his coat and pants are olive green, and his tie is checkered rather than striped. Additionally, his sweater is red and his shirt is cream-colored.
Trivia[]
- His personality is different in the show than in the books. While he is very strict and bossy, just like in the books, he also has a more caring side towards his family, (e.g. he has a soft side towards Benjamin). He is also far more patient and more understanding and lenient, knowing that despite Geronimo's quirks, he is the best person to run The Rodent's Gazette.
- He is referred to as William Shortpaw in the show.
- He founded the Squeakers soccer team, which appears in The Super Cup Face-Off.
- It's unknown if he is Geronimo and Thea's maternal or paternal grandfather. It's also unknown if his wife is still alive since he's never mentioned her in the books or TV series.
Episode Appearances[]
- Reported Missing (debut)
- Mr. and Mrs. Matched
- The Great Jellybean Adventure (voice only)
- A Brief Engagement
- The False Teeth Caper
Gallery[]
