Comic-Con 2009 is officially over. However, our work at The Blogington is never finished. As a wrap up to honor Comic-Con and to prepare for the 2010 edition, here are the top 10 cartoon characters in history in reverse order. (Note: No computer generated characters are on this list, perhaps that will be for another time)
10.) Fred Flintstone
Yabba Dabba Doo! – the trademark call of Fred Flintstone, patriarch of the Flintstone family. Living in Bedrock, Fred worked at Slate Rock and Gravel Company working on a brontosaurus and trying to support his family. While Fred wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, he did have some skills such as bowling and and billiards. What makes him a top 10 character is that Fred was the precursor to the the slow-witted fathers with morally upstanding and attractive wives – most notably Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin.Fred continues to be a mainstay in Hanna-Barbera culture and despite the show ending its television run in 1966, there have been live-action films and other crossover events involving Fred Flintstone and the rest of the family. This is a testament to the character’s popularity and place in history.
9.) Scooby-Doo
Scooby Dooby Doo! Scooby-Doo may possibly be the most famous Great Dane in history. Along with his best friend Shaggy, Scooby always ran at the first sight of danger or trouble. What makes Scooby the #9 cartoon character was his unique way of speaking, likability of the character itself (dogs are man’s best friend after all), and longevity. Scooby always spoke with an R in front of his words and would always get into trouble with Shaggy. The show itself is still running and going on 40 years now. There have also been live-action films with the Scooby character in CGI. Who wouldn’t want to have Scooby for a pet/best friend? Since Scooby is so likable, we might forgive him for Scrappy-Doo. Maybe.
8.) Donald Duck
Donald Duck outshines his coworker and friendly rival Mickey Mouse. He is generally a nice duck, not wanting to hurt anyone until something goes and makes him mad, because of his extremely short temper. However, the most important and identifiable thing about Donald is his voice. His somewhat hard to understand voice can be recognized anywhere around the world. The man who was behind the voice, Clarence Nash, even groomed Tony Anselmo for the job, which he still holds today. Donald is also notoriously famous for not wearing any pants, but yet wears a sailor’s outfit. Donald has spawned other family members, including his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. Europeans love Donald, and is extremely popular in Nordic countries and Germany, even more popular than Mickey Mouse.
7.) Beavis and Butt-head
Ah, Beavis and Butt-head. The bane of family organizations everywhere, the comedy duo was a sensation in the 1990s. The show followed the pair’s misadventures, as they often got into life threatening situations (they never got hurt, only the people around them) and were seemingly unaware of it.
Throughout the show’s run, there was controversy, which helped cement their place as #7 on the list. Beavis and Butt-head’s signature was their laughing, as many time they would just laugh on screen for minutes with nothing else happening. They were teenage misfits that some people found to identify with, especially as the hip-hop/punk rock genre was emerging. The duo even had their own feature film, which received good reviews. Not bad for a pair of idiotic teenagers without an ambition in the world.
6.) Charlie Brown and Snoopy
Statue in California
Charlie Brown and his pet Beagle, Snoopy are two characters you can never hate and can bring smiles to your faces no matter what kind of day you are having. Star of the Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown is the quintessential lovable loser. Charlie can’t win a baseball game, nor kick a football, but is someone you can root for to one day achieve those goals.
He and Snoopy helped cement Peanuts as one of the most successful comic strips of all time. Snoopy is best known for writing stories starting with, “It was a dark and stormy night,” on top of his signature red doghouse, his WWI character – The Flying Ace, and for being “Joe Cool.” He lives in a fantasy world where he is the coolest being alive, but yet Charlie lives in a world where he knows he can’t do much and it is this opposition that makes them the #6 best characters of all time.
5.) Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is one year old. He speaks perfect English (in a British accent, no less), recites poetry, and designs advanced weaponry based on his genius level intellect. Sound far fetched? Sure, but Stewie makes it so enjoyable to watch. He is intent on killing his mother and dominating the world, yet the Teletubbies and his teddy bear Rupert can stop him in his tracks immediately. It is his unyielding effort to kill his mother, Lois, that is a major plot in Family Guy, and he is the show’s star player. The manner in which he says things can make any serious person fall on the floor laughing. Despite being less than 4 feet tall and only one year old, do not ever underestimate Stewie Griffin, because he’s probably smarter than you. If Family Guy can continue to stay on the air, there’s a good chance that Stewie Griffin could be even higher than his current position at #5.
4.) Ren and Stimpy
Ren and Stimpy pushed the envelope for crude humor even before Beavis and Butt-head. The main difference: the show was on Nickelodeon, a mainly children’s network at the time. Ren was a chihuahua while Stimpy was a cat. Their unique appearances aside, Ren was the intelligent one and usually devised schemes for the duo to execute. He was sometimes psychotic and had a trademark evil laugh. Stimpy, on the other hand, was naive and slow on the uptake, but had a good heart. Stimpy also coined the popular phrase “Happy Happy, Joy Joy.” The interaction between the two characters was priceless, and helped usher in a new era of Nicktoons. The characters were the cute and cuddly versions of Beavis and Butt-head, but the intelligence of Ren made it even more enjoyable to watch. They are #4 on the list because of the fact they pushed the envelope on a station primarily for kids, and there have even been banned episodes. The characters will always be the best Nicktoons.
3.) Eric Cartman
If Ren and Stimpy pushed the envelope for crude and unusual humor, then Eric Cartman passed the envelope and left it in its dust. He once killed his rival’s parents, and then served them to him in a bowl of chili. It doesn’t get any better than that. Cartman is hated by everyone in South Park, and he hates them too, especially classmate Kyle. Cartman continues to make fun of Kyle for being Jewish, which is a running gag on the show. His evilness knows no boundaries and if he wants revenge, he will get revenge. This has led to some of the most memorable moments in South Park’s history belonging to Eric Cartman, helping him achieve #3. The more rude and profane he is, the more liked he becomes by the audience. He even bough a theme park just so Stan and Kyle couldn’t come in. If there is a boundary, limit, or political arena that Cartman hasn’t gone, you can sure bet that he will go there in future episodes of South Park because that’s what Cartman does.
2.) Bugs Bunny
Ehhh, what’s up doc? That is the iconic catch phrase of Looney Tunes legend Bugs Bunny. Bugs first appeared in 1940 and has been living the dream ever since. He is the company mascot of Warner Bros., has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has a U.S. postage stamp, and is BFFs with Michael Jordan. Bugs Bunny is not just a cartoon character, but also a transcendent comic in his own right. Bugs’s distinct vocal style is known the world over, and his witty remarks still remain funny today. His rivalries with Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck usually end up in Bugs emerging victorious. His popularity has lasted throughout generations, and continues to grow with the addition of full length feature films such as Space Jam. 100 years from now, Bugs Bunny will still be funny and popular. That’s a testament to his legacy.
1.) Homer Simpson
Here we are at number 1. The greatest cartoon character of all time is Homer Simpson. Like Bugs Bunny, Homer (and the rest of his family) has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The voice of the character has won three Emmy awards. Homer is supposed to represent the overweight, lazy, uneducated worker stereotype. However, Homer has had many amazing accomplishments over his life, including going into space, bowling a 300 game, owning the Denver Broncos, and solving an ancient Egyptian puzzle. His catchphrase “D’oh!” has been added to dictionaries and is now an official word. The way he salivates at the sight of a donut or seeing him strangle Bart will make even the most serious people in the world chuckle. You can find a little bit of Homer in almost everyone, and that’s what makes the character so appealing. Despite all his faults and borderline alcoholism, Homer is a good dad to his kids (although he sometimes forgets he has Maggie). That’s the true beauty of Homer: he can be annoying, act foolishly, make you think less of him but then warms your heart at the end of the day. That is why Homer Simpson is #1.
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It’s a good list. Ren & Stimpy were the two greatest cartoon characters ever imo, but I can’t argue with your list.
[Reply]
Robert Klimowicz Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 12:37 PM
It’s a shame that anyone born after 2000 doesn’t even know who Ren and Stimpy are. Instead, they know terrible characters like SpongeBob. If Ren and Stimpy had the longevity of Bugs or Homer, they would most definitely be number 1 as well. I loved them.
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