Perry the Platypus, also known by his codename Agent P, is a fictional anthropomorphic bipedal platypus from the American animated series Phineas and Ferb, Milo Murphy's Law and Agent P, Under C. Perry was created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh. Perry is featured as the star of the B-plot for every episode of the series, alongside his nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. A mostly silent character, his lone vocal characteristic (a rattling of his beak) is provided by Dee Bradley Baker.
Perry is the pet of the Flynn-Fletcher family and is perceived by his owners as mindless and domesticated. In secret, he lives a double life as a member of an all-animal espionage organization referred to as the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym). Many secret entrances to his underground lair exist all around the Flynn-Fletcher residence, such as the side of the house, most notably the tree that Phineas and Ferb sit under in the backyard, and several other everyday objects that seem to elude the family's attention, such as a potted plant and a secret elevator hidden in the lawn. He engages in daily battles with Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, an evil scientist who desires to take over the tri-state area with obscure contraptions, or "-inators", that work perfectly according to his intended function but fail in his application of them every time.
Perry was made a platypus because of the animal's striking appearance and the lack of public knowledge of the animal, which allowed the writers to make things up about the species. Critical reception for the character from both professionals and fans have been considerably positive. Merchandising of the character include plush toys, t-shirts, wooden toys, onesies, glasses, and coloring books, along with appearances in literature and multiple video games. In 2026, Perry was the lead in his own short-form series spin-off Agent P, Under C, which follows Agent P as he infiltrates rival agency the Alliance of Nefarious Animals That Has an Exceptionally Memorable Acronym (A.N.A.T.H.E.M.A.).
Role in Phineas and Ferb
Perry is the docile pet platypus of the blended Flynn-Fletcher family, who adopted him because his unfocused gaze made it seem as if he were looking at both Phineas and Ferb at the same time, as shown in the 2011 movie, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. Unbeknownst to them, Perry lives a double life as a crime-fighting spy working for the "Organization Without a Cool Acronym"/The O.W.C.A, going by the codename "Agent P". He reports to his superior, Major Monogram, via telecast in his large, high-tech, underground hideout. Every day, he engages in battles with the evil scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, who tries using inventions to try to take over the tri-state area. Perry is always able to foil Doofenshmirtz's plans in a way that accidentally causes the destruction of whatever form of contraption his owners, Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, are building in order to make summer better. Phineas and Ferb are aware that something happens to get rid of their scheme for the day, but do not know that Perry is the cause behind it and are largely dismissive of it. Their sister, Candace, also does not know that Perry is behind the destruction and is driven to near insanity trying to figure it out.
Perry and Doofenshmirtz at first seem to loathe each other in the beginning of the series, and have been arch-nemeses since the day they met. However, they are often cordial and friendly towards one another and it is said by Doofenshmirtz that Perry is his best friend in the episode "The Chronicles of Meap", and Perry will often act to save Doofenshmirtz's life when his plot inevitably blows up in his face. Doofenshmirtz also went out of his way in one episode to become closer to Perry after he is assigned to a new villain. Habitually, their daily brawls involve Doofenshmirtz devising a scheme, which Perry goes to stop after being briefed by Major Monogram. He is trapped by Doofenshmirtz while trying to do so and is told of the doctor's scheme, usually pertaining to some backstory or pet peeve. He then escapes and the two fight, Perry coming out victorious with Doofenshmirtz yelling "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!". The two rely on this daily structure, Doofenshmirtz even specifically mentioning it in "Journey to the Center of Candace" and in episodes such as "It's About Time!" in which Doofenshmirtz temporarily replaces Perry with secret agent Peter the Panda and they become depressed about not having each other to fight. When this happens, Perry realizes he misses Doofenshmirtz too. When Perry does not arrive on the scene of Doofenshmirtz's evil plan, the doctor hesitates to execute his plans and fears for where Perry has gone, though he notes that he "hopes something terrible has happened to him." Sometimes, they decided not to fight and have fun, as shown in "Happy New Year!" and "Candace Disconnected".
In Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, an alternate reality (yet more evil and ruthless) version of Perry (known as Platyborg) appears. Platyborg would later return in the episode sequel, Tales from the Resistance: Back to the 2nd Dimension. Perry's secret would be revealed to Phineas, Ferb, their friends, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz and got their memories erased in order for Phineas and Ferb to keep Perry as a pet.
In Milo Murphy's Law, Perry becomes a recurring character. Over the course of the second season, he is tasked with watching over Dr. Doofenshmirtz as he attempts (and fails) to do good around Danville. Doofenshmirtz is at first oblivious to this mission and assumes Perry is being his friend, and so pushes him away upon finding out. They eventually reconcile and Perry reveals his intentions to donate his earnings towards Doofenshmirtz's cause. He also appears in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe.
In April 2025, a new short-form series spin-off was announced; Agent P, Under C, which follows Agent P as he infiltrates rival agency the Alliance of Nefarious Animals That Has an Exceptionally Memorable Acronym (A.N.A.T.H.E.M.A.). The short series released on January 16th, 2026.
In other media In addition to the main television series, Perry has appeared in several pieces of Phineas and Ferb merchandise. To date, he has appeared in all Phineas and Ferb novelizations, published by Disney Press. The character has been adapted into a 20-inch plush toy, released by Disney Consumer Products. The plush has a button on its hand that allows it to emit Perry's signature chattering noise. Certain t-shirts based on the series released by both Disney and the online retail website Zazzle also display Perry and the phrase "Hey, where's Perry?" which most characters like Phineas, Isabella, Stacy, Irving, Ferb, and Lawrence utter when Perry goes to Major Monogram in his secret lair in almost every episode. There also is a T-shirt with Perry's face. Perry appears in the Nintendo DS video game based on the series, simply titled Phineas and Ferb, where a mini-game involves Perry stopping Doofenshmirtz's latest evil scheme. As of June 28, 2012, Perry appeared in the video game Where's My Perry?. On April 1, 2014, Perry is also a playable character in the video game Disney Infinity, and was added to Fortnite as a purchasable skin in 2026.
Character Creation and conception While working on the animated television series Rocko's Modern Life, Phineas and Ferb creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh utilized several recurring elements in the episodes that they wrote. Among these were actions sequences and chase scenes. Povenmire and Marsh wanted to reuse these elements in their series and chose Perry to execute it. The pair gave him a consistent and continuous nemesis in the form of Doofenshmirtz as a means of allowing viewers to get to know him.
While choosing a species for Perry, Povenmire and Marsh wanted to keep in mind selecting one that was uncommon, an animal that kids could not "pick out at a pet store and beg [their parents] for". They chose a platypus because of the animal's obscure and striking appearance. The animal was scarcely used in American animated programs, so the pair opined that Perry "would not have to compete with preconceived notions that viewers might bring to a more conventional critter". The blank storyboard they were given allowed them to "make stuff up" since "no one knows very much about [them]".
Perry has a theme song tentatively entitled "Perry", performed by Randy Crenshaw and Laura Dickinson, and written by Povenmire and Marsh, who write the majority of songs in the series. The song, along with the number "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" from the episode "Flop Starz," was the first musical composition Povenmire and Marsh pitched to The Walt Disney Company. They were nervous doing so, because, as Povenmire explained, "Disney has a big history of music -- what if they hate it?" Their reaction, however, was considerably positive and the pair was asked to write a song for each episode, which they vehemently agreed to. The opening lyrics for the song describe Perry as a standard textbook definition of a platypus: "He's a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal of action!"
Design Like the other characters of the series, Perry was structured in a simple style to allow young viewers to easily draw him. In keeping with the show's general design scheme, Perry is constructed of geometric shapes in a style reminiscent of Tex Avery's. Povenmire uses different design styles for drawing Perry depending on how he is portrayed. When Perry is portrayed as a domesticated and mindless pet, Povenmire begins with a square shaped like a loaf of bread. He then draws his front legs and feet before drawing his bill, which is set at a certain angle. Povenmire then draws his eyeballs, which are never focused and look in opposing directions in a daze. He concludes the figure by adding his hind legs, tail, hair, and finally color. When designing Perry, Povenmire stated that he chose to color Perry teal because he thought "it looked cool", though it was discovered in 2020 that platypuses coincidentally glow a very similar color when under ultraviolet light.
When portrayed as a secret agent, Povenmire starts with a similar bread loaf square design but draws it standing up vertically and places a fedora on the top of his head, which is combined with the square torso. In contrast to his mindless and wild-eyed expression as a pet, the secret agent version of Perry is detailed with eyes "full of steely blue resolve". Povenmire proceeds by drawing his arms, with bare hands that are open and prepared for fighting or any danger. His legs are bent, as well prepared for an act of danger or action needed. Povenmire finishes the design by adding his beaver tail and color.
Personality
Perry's undercover identity as a pet leads to characters throughout the series to deem him as a "mindless domestic pet" that "doesn't do much". This definition of the character led to Phineas and Ferb spearheading production of a new toyline based on Perry called "Perry the Inaction Figure," whose tagline revolved around it not doing anything but allowing the customer to make it whatever they desire it to be. In all actuality, Perry is a skilled fighter who is able to perform several implausible judo fighting moves and escapes. He has access to several different types of technology and inventions provided to him by The O.W.C.A., including a hover craft dubbed the "Platypusmobile," a jet ski, and a whistle set that allows him to summon different types of animals.