Wally Gator was the star of the short-lived eponymous Hannah-Barbera cartoon from the 1960s. Never heard of him? Well, he is the handsome alligator (duh) on the left.

Despite wearing a hat, collar, and cuffs, Wally lived in the zoo. He had one dream: to get out! As a rule, he did escape, in every episode. Yet, by the end, he inevitably came back, be it on his own or by outside powers.

Wally's voice was based on Ed Wynn (Isaiah Edwin Leopold), a popular American actor from earlier times. So... think about it:

Stuck in an assimilated society, yearning to escape, yet always forced, for one reason to another, to return to status quo, to admit that assimilation is really the only option... Is Wally Gator a parable for the plight of the American Jew?

Are we reading too much into this?

Yes, we are.