Tuffy
Bio[]
John "Tuffy" Thompson is a local bully who terrorizes and extorts cash from the gang. He keeps two lists: "Kids I Have Licked" and "Kids I'm Gonna Lick." He forces Bonedust and Scooter Lowry to bark like dogs and along with Jay R. Smith and Jackie Condon, to stand on their heads. With this sort of abuse, Joe Cobb and Farina are the unlucky candidates to run Tuffy out of town, but Tuffy instead goes swimming and loses his clothes. In his absence, Joe and Farina concoct a tale about how they licked Tuffy themselves and tossed his body into Coogan Lake. When Tuffy's berry-stained shirt turns up looking bloody, Tuffy's mother frets and worries, and the gang believes Tuffy is dead as Joe and Farina start worrying. Meanwhile, Tuffy wanders back into town alive for the Rascals to gang up on him, rescued from them by his mother who wails on him next for scaring her.
Tuffy is probably the same boy who beats up Mickey Daniels over Mary Kornman in Ask Grandma, shades of the rivalry between Butch and Alfalfa to come over Darla in later shorts. When Mickey starts getting the upper hand in the fight, Tuffy's father comes to help him beat up Mickey, but Mickey's grandma shows up and makes it more than an even fight.
Tuffy Thompson is not to be confused with Johnny Downs; Johnny Downs played both roles.