50 Greatest Cartoon Characters Of All Time...

...but do they truly reflect the perception of children in their contexts or just today's terms? Today's children are emotional different and experience different sensorial input than children of the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and so on. Cartoon characters meant something different to an age of children who only saw them for a dime at the local cinema compared to children who see cartoons on the cinema screen...and the internet...and the ipod...and on DVD...and on cable...and on Tivo...and on Saturday mornings...and in the afternoon...and...

I find this list highly controversial just like I question elevating Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? as more enriching than Mother Goose, The Brothers' Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Andrew Lang, and Aesop. It's ridiculous in my opinion! This list was compiled in 2002, so it will seem quite dated (i.e. Beavis and Butthead played out a loooooooooong time ago while Daria is just a footnote in uniqueness). A poll given today may put Shrek in the Top 10. Surprisingly, Bugs Bunny is the only cartoon character from the Golden Age to be in the Top 10. How the heck does Tom and Jerry barely make the list at 50???? This cartoon series won SEVEN oscars!!! That's crazy considering that the 1920's-1950's were the time when cartoons became the cultural insitution it now is today. Where's Goofy, Pluto, Speedy Gonzalez*, Pepe Le Pew*, Foghorn Leghorn, Crusader Rabbit, KoKo The Clown, and Droopy? Bobby Hill is on the list, but no Aeon Flux. How can they include Top Cat, but no Heathcliff, Garfield, Gummi Bears, Smurfs, Jetsons, or Huckleberry Hound? Cartoon characters better known by their comic books (Peanuts, Superman, and Batman) are on the list,...so how can we forget about Mutt and Jeff, Krazy Kat, L'll Lulu, and Uncle Scrooge, a funny animal comic book trailblazer who had a solid TV cartoon show (Ducktales). I do not even agree with Bugs being Number 1. He's starred in more cartoons and has been on many a cartoon show (thanks to Warner's loose distribution rights), but he's like Beyonce today: the most celebrated, but not necessarily the best, among a lot of similar entertainments. Many people prefer other screwball/slapstick cartoons like Daffy Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Tom & Jerry, or Droopy. Many do not like screwball cartoons at all due to their extreme violents and often adult themes (i.e. sexual innuendos). Notice how screwball/slapstick cartoons contrast so sharply with the various genres of anime. Again, the only realistic measure of anything is to see it in the context of it's time; Most "greatest" lists fail to take this into account, thus they lose credibility. Mickey Mouse, therefore, should be number one. Like Babe Ruth, Like Michael Jackson's Thriller, Like Elvis in 1956-1957, and like the Beatles in 1964-1967, he was a PHENOM in his time. Unlike Bugs, Mickey changed the rules for cartoons. Bugs simply was the best at working within current established parameters. No other cartoon character ever won an Oscar simply for being created. That is analogous to giving an Oscar to Tom Hanks "just for becoming an actor." On one hand it's sheer audacity, but in Mickey's case, it should raise eyebrows to just how much a paradigm shift he caused in the animation world.

Nevertheless...here you go...

(*Denotes Academy Award Winning Characters)

1. Bugs Bunny *
2. Homer Simpson
3. Rocky and Bullwinkle
4. Beavis and Butt-head
5. The Grinch
6. Fred and Barney
7. Angelica Pickles
8. Charlie Brown and Snoopy
9. SpongeBob SquarePants
10. Cartman
11. Bart and Lisa Simpson
12. Fat Albert
13. The Powerpuff Girls
14. Daffy Duck
15. Pikachu
16. Gumby
17. Betty Boop
18. Top Cat
19. Mickey Mouse*
20. Popeye
21. Gerald McBoing-Boing
22. Scooby-Doo
23. Underdog
24. Josie and the Pussycats
25. Heckle and Jeckle
26. Arthur
27. Winnie the Pooh
28. Felix the Cat
29. Mr. Magoo*
30. George of the Jungle
31. Ren and Stimpy
32. Tom Terrific
33. Tweety and Sylvester
34. Bill
35. Space Ghost
36. Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo
37. Mighty Mouse
38. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
39. Superman
40. Batman
41. Daria
42. Wonder Woman
43. Donald Duck*
44. Alvin
45. Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale
46. Woody Woodpecker
47. Porky Pig
48. Bobby Hill
49. Speed Racer
50. Tom and Jerry*

50 Greatest Cartoons Of All Time...

...but are they appropriate for young children? Cartoons have traditionally been known as "children's entertainment" since they burst on to the scene at the turn of the 20th Century. Only in the last 20 years have they began a gradual ascent to widespread acceptance as "normal" (i.e. you're not weird) adult entertainment that's just as good (or better) than a good live action movie or TV show.

We, however, may be surprised to learn that those animated cartoons considered culturally significant (i.e. part of the U.S. Film Registry) and artistically significant by generations of professional animators are often FAR from child-centered. Many are prejuice, racial, violent, politically incorrect, and smacking of war progaganda. This list differs from a similar list that was created by way of the mass public. You will notice that this list is completely made up of animated short cartoons from the 1920's-1950's excluding television cartoons (i.e. Spongebob, Flintstones, Scooby, Simpsons, Cartoon Network stuff) and feature length cartoons (i.e. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Lion King, Toy Story, Shrek, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, etc.). This makes the list further controversial in scope and intent.

I must agree with Leonard Maltin, however: controversial cartoons should not be kept from children. We must use them at the least as educational tools to show them how society as changed and matured over time. Cartoons can be a doorway to understanding social trends. Please have a look at the following list (from #1 to #50 greatest). Most of these cartoons are on DVD. Some (i.e. Cool Black and the Sebbin' Dwarfs) are notorious, but may be obtained in the public domain if you search the internet thoroughly.



What's Opera, Doc? (Chuck Jones, 1957)
Duck Amuck (Chuck Jones, 1953)
The Band Concert (Wilfred Jackson, 1935)
Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (Chuck Jones, 1953)
One Froggy Evening (Chuck Jones, 1956)
Gertie the Dinosaur (McCay)
Red Hot Riding Hood (MGM/1943)
Porky in Wackyland (Warner Bros./1938)
Gerald McBoing Boing (UPA/1951)
King-Size Canary (MGM/1947)
Three Little Pigs (Disney/1933)
Rabbit of Seville (Warner Bros./1950)
Steamboat Willie (Disney/1928)
The Old Mill (Disney/1937)
Bad Luck Blackie (MGM/1949)
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (Warner Bros./1946)
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (Fleischer/1936)
The Skeleton Dance (Disney/1929)
Snow White (Fleischer/1933)
Minnie the Moocher (Fleischer/1932)
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (Warner Bros/1943)
Der Fuehrer's Face (Disney/1943)
Little Rural Riding Hood (MGM/1949)
The Tell-Tale Heart (UPA/1953)
The Big Snit (Natl Film Board of Canada/1985)
Brave Little Tailor (Disney/1938)
Clock Cleaners (Disney/1937)
Northwest Hounded Police (MGM/1946)
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (Disney/1953)
Rabbit Seasoning (Warner Bros/1952)
The Scarlet Pumpernickel (Warner Bros/1950)
The Cat Came Back (Natl Film Board of Canada/1988)
Superman (Fleischer/1941)
You Ought To Be In Pictures (Warner Bros/1940)
Ali Baba Bunny (Warner Bros/1957)
Feed The Kitty (Warner Bros/1952)
Bimbo's Initiation (Fleischer/1931)
Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969)
Little Red Riding Rabbit (Warner Bros/1941)
Peace On Earth (MGM/1939)
Rooty Toot Toot (UPA/1952)
The Cat Concerto (MGM/1947)
The Barber Of Seville (Lantz/1944)
The Man Who Planted Trees (Canada/1987)
Book Revue (Warner Bros/1946)
Quasi at the Quackadero (Cruikshank/1975)
Corny Concerto (Warner Bros/1943)
Unicorn In The Garden (UPA/1953)
The Dover Boys (Warner Bros/1942)
Felix In Hollywood (Winkler/1923)

Source: Berry, J. (1999). The 50 greatest cartoons: As selected by 1,000 animation professionals. New York: World Publications. ISBN-13: 978-1572152717.