A good cartoon character can be recognised from a silhouette, a laugh or a single catchphrase. Some of the characters on this page are almost a hundred years old and still turn up on lunchboxes. Others arrived in the last few years and already have huge fandoms. What they share is a clear design, a strong personality, and a voice you could pick out of a crowd.
This is the hub for every cartoon guide on Characters.biz. Start with the series guides below if you're looking for a particular show. Further down there's a tour of the most iconic cartoon characters by era, from the theatrical shorts of the 1930s and 40s through Saturday-morning TV and the cable boom of the 1990s to today's streaming hits, plus a short history and an A–Z list of names.
Every cartoon series guide
Each guide covers the full cast of one show, with character descriptions, the voice cast and an A–Z list of names.
Iconic cartoon characters by era
Use the chips to filter by era. Where we have a full guide to a character's show, it's linked in the description.
Felix the Cat
Silent-era star · 1919
Felix was the first cartoon character to become a genuine celebrity. He was a clever black cat whose expressive pacing and bag of tricks made him a merchandising hit in the silent era. His fame faded when sound arrived, but his design still looks modern a century later.
Mickey Mouse
Disney · 1928
Mickey became a star with Steamboat Willie in 1928, one of the first cartoons with synchronised sound. Walt Disney himself provided the original voice. Over time Mickey went from a mischievous troublemaker to a gentle, all-purpose everyman and the face of the whole company. He's surrounded by a famous supporting cast: Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and a far more temperamental duck. Our Disney characters guide covers the wider family.
Betty Boop
Fleischer Studios · 1930
Betty Boop was a Jazz Age flapper with a squeaky "boop-oop-a-doop" from Max Fleischer's studio, whose cartoons were stranger and more surreal than Disney's. Stricter censorship in the mid-1930s toned her down, but she remains one of the defining images of early animation.
Popeye
Fleischer Studios · 1933
Popeye started in a newspaper comic strip and became an animation star in the 1930s. He's a squinting, pipe-smoking sailor who gains superhuman strength from a can of spinach. His rivalry with Bluto over Olive Oyl drove dozens of shorts. Few cartoon characters have been credited with persuading so many children to eat their greens.
Donald Duck
Disney · 1934
Donald is Mickey's opposite: short-tempered, unlucky and furious about it. Clarence Nash's barely intelligible quack-voice made him one of Disney's most popular stars, and his comic-book adventures with his nephews and Uncle Scrooge became a world of their own.
Porky Pig
Warner Bros. · 1935
Porky was Warner Bros.' first real star, a polite, stammering pig who became the straight man for the studio's wilder characters. His stuttered "That's all folks!" closes many Looney Tunes cartoons.
Daffy Duck
Warner Bros. · 1937
Daffy started as a manic, bouncing lunatic and later became a vain, greedy schemer who's always one step behind Bugs Bunny. That later version, especially in Chuck Jones's cartoons, made him one of animation's great losers.
Bugs Bunny
Warner Bros. · 1940
Bugs was formally introduced in A Wild Hare in 1940. He's a laid-back, carrot-chewing rabbit who never panics and never loses, and "What's up, Doc?" is one of the most famous lines in cartoon history. He rarely starts a fight, but anyone who picks one with him, whether it's Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam or Daffy, regrets it. Mel Blanc voiced him, along with most of the Looney Tunes cast, for nearly fifty years.
Tom and Jerry
MGM · 1940
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created this cat-and-mouse duo at MGM. Their wordless, precisely timed slapstick won seven Academy Awards for animated short film. Tom always loses, and Jerry is often the more ruthless of the two. Because almost nobody talks, the cartoons play the same in every country, which is a big reason they've stayed popular worldwide.
Woody Woodpecker
Walter Lantz · 1940
Woody is a red-crested troublemaker with a manic laugh, one of the most energetic stars of the 1940s. He anchored Walter Lantz's studio at Universal for decades.
Tweety and Sylvester
Warner Bros. · 1940s
A tiny canary and the lisping cat who will never, ever catch him. Their first short together, Tweetie Pie (1947), won Warner Bros. its first Oscar for animation. Granny, Tweety's owner, is usually there to finish Sylvester off.
Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote
Warner Bros. · 1949
Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese built this wordless chase from a strict set of rules: the coyote is always undone by his own Acme gadgets and by gravity, never by the bird. The Road Runner just says "meep meep" and leaves.
The Pink Panther
DePatie–Freleng · 1963
The Pink Panther was first designed for the opening titles of a live-action comedy film. The suave, silent cat became so popular that he got his own cartoon series, and the first short, The Pink Phink, won an Oscar.
Fred Flintstone
Hanna-Barbera · 1960
Fred is a loud, scheming quarry worker in the Stone Age town of Bedrock. The Flintstones was the first animated sitcom made for American primetime, and it showed that cartoons could work as family TV for adults too. His "Yabba dabba doo!" is still well known.
Yogi Bear
Hanna-Barbera · 1958
Yogi is a collar-and-tie bear who considers himself "smarter than the average bear" and spends his days stealing picnic baskets in Jellystone Park. His sensible sidekick Boo-Boo tries to keep him honest.
Charlie Brown and Snoopy
Peanuts specials · 1965
Charles Schulz's comic strip reached TV with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965. Charlie Brown is a lovable loser, and Snoopy is the beagle with a far more exciting imaginary life than his owner's real one. The holiday specials still air every year.
Scooby-Doo
Hanna-Barbera · 1969
Scooby-Doo is a cowardly Great Dane who, with Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma of Mystery Inc., unmasks fake monsters in a van called the Mystery Machine. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered in 1969, and the formula has been rebooted in dozens of series and films since. Shaggy and Scooby's endless appetite and their talent for running away are the heart of it.
Homer Simpson
The Simpsons · 1989
Homer is a beer-loving, donut-eating safety inspector at a nuclear plant he could easily blow up. He made prime-time animation a big business again. His "D'oh!" is in the dictionary, and his family and town now number in the hundreds. See our full Simpsons characters guide.
Tommy Pickles
Rugrats · 1991
Tommy is a brave one-year-old with a screwdriver in his nappy who leads his fellow babies on adventures around the house. Rugrats showed the adult world from crawling height and was one of Nickelodeon's first big hits.
Batman
Batman: The Animated Series · 1992
The 1992 series gave Batman a moody, art-deco Gotham and a cast many fans still consider definitive. Kevin Conroy voiced Batman and Mark Hamill the Joker. It also created Harley Quinn, who went on to become a comics star.
Dexter
Dexter's Laboratory · 1996
Dexter is a boy genius with a secret lab and a sister, Dee Dee, who keeps breaking into it. The show was one of the first original Cartoon Network series, and it helped define the channel's sharp, design-forward look.
The Powerpuff Girls
Cartoon Network · 1998
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are three kindergarten superheroes made from sugar, spice, everything nice and an accidental dose of Chemical X. Their bold, simple design and real action scenes made the show a cross-generational hit. More in our Cartoon Network guide.
Johnny Bravo
Cartoon Network · 1997
Johnny is a quiffed, sunglasses-wearing musclehead with an Elvis voice who believes every woman is about to fall for him. None do, which is the joke every time.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Nickelodeon · 1999
SpongeBob is a relentlessly cheerful sea sponge who lives in a pineapple and loves his job flipping Krabby Patties. He became one of the most successful cartoon characters ever made, and his friends Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and Sandy are nearly as famous. Read the full SpongeBob characters guide.
Eric Cartman
South Park · 1997
Cartman is a scheming, spoiled fourth-grader and one of adult animation's great monsters. He helped make South Park the sharpest satire on cable. More in our South Park characters guide.
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Cartoon Network · 1999
Courage is a terrified pink dog who protects his elderly owners from a stream of nightmarish monsters in the middle of nowhere. He's scared of everything and goes in anyway, which is the whole point of his name.
Timmy Turner
The Fairly OddParents · 2001
Timmy is an ordinary, overlooked ten-year-old with two fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, who grant his wishes. The wishes always backfire. It became one of Nickelodeon's longest-running series.
Kim Possible
Disney Channel · 2002
Kim is a high-school cheerleader who saves the world between classes, with her goofy best friend Ron Stoppable and his naked mole-rat, Rufus. She was one of the most popular action heroines of 2000s kids' TV.
Robin and the Teen Titans
Teen Titans · 2003
Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg share a T-shaped tower. The show mixed anime-influenced comedy with surprisingly dark storylines. See our Teen Titans characters guide.
Aang
Avatar: The Last Airbender · 2005
Aang is a fun-loving twelve-year-old monk who wakes from a century frozen in ice to find that he's the Avatar, the one person who can master all four elements, and that the world has been at war while he was gone. Avatar is widely considered one of the best-written animated series ever made. Zuko's redemption arc in particular is a model of the form. Read our Avatar characters guide.
Phineas and Ferb
Disney · 2007
Two stepbrothers spend every day of summer vacation building something impossible, while their pet platypus, Perry, secretly fights the hapless Dr. Doofenshmirtz. The show is known for its tight formula and its original songs.
Finn and Jake
Adventure Time · 2010
Finn is a human boy and Jake his shape-shifting dog brother, two heroes in the candy-coloured, post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Adventure Time began as goofy fantasy and grew into something melancholy and strange, and it shaped a whole generation of animators. See the Adventure Time characters guide.
Dipper and Mabel Pines
Gravity Falls · 2012
Dipper and Mabel are twins spending the summer with their great-uncle in an Oregon town full of secrets and ciphers. Dipper is anxious and curious, and Mabel is pure enthusiasm. The show's mystery, built across just two seasons, is one of modern animation's most satisfying. Read our Gravity Falls guide.
Steven Universe
Cartoon Network · 2013
Steven is a half-human, half-alien boy raised by three Crystal Gems. His power is his empathy, and the show became known for its music and its gentle handling of identity and love. More in our Steven Universe guide.
Rick Sanchez
Rick and Morty · 2013
Rick is a drunk, nihilistic super-scientist who drags his grandson across the multiverse. He's one of adult animation's defining anti-heroes. See the Rick and Morty characters guide.
Bluey
Ludo Studio · 2018
Bluey is a six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy from Brisbane whose imaginative games with her family won over parents as much as children. Few preschool shows are this funny or this emotionally precise. Our Bluey guide has the whole Heeler family.
Luz Noceda
The Owl House · 2020
Luz is a fantasy-loving Dominican-American teenager who stumbles into a demon realm and sets out to become a witch with no magic of her own. The show was praised for its worldbuilding and its queer romance. See our Owl House characters guide.
Vi and Jinx
Arcane · 2021
Two sisters from the undercity of Zaun are torn apart by tragedy and end up on opposite sides of a war. Arcane's painterly animation and grown-up storytelling made it one of the most acclaimed animated series of the 2020s. Read our Arcane characters guide.
A short history of cartoon characters
- 1910s Early animators like Winsor McCay show that a drawing can have a personality. Felix the Cat becomes the first true cartoon celebrity.
- 1928 Steamboat Willie introduces Mickey Mouse and synchronised sound, and cartoons start to talk and sing.
- 1930s–1950s The theatrical short era. Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, Fleischer and Walter Lantz fill cinemas with cartoons before the main feature, creating Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry and more.
- 1960s–1980s Television takes over. Hanna-Barbera's cheaper, faster production makes the Flintstones and Scooby-Doo household names, and Saturday-morning cartoons become a ritual.
- 1990s The Simpsons revives primetime animation. Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network launch original "creator-driven" shows, and adult cartoons like South Park arrive on cable.
- 2000s Serialised storytelling grows. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Teen Titans prove kids' shows can carry season-long arcs.
- 2010s–today Shows like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe win adult audiences too, while streaming services bring big-budget series like Arcane and adult musicals like Hazbin Hotel.
What makes a cartoon character iconic
Look at the characters that have lasted and a few patterns appear:
- A readable silhouette. Mickey's ears, SpongeBob's square outline and Bart's spiky hair are recognisable even in shadow. Our character design guide goes deeper into why that matters.
- One clear want. Wile E. Coyote wants the Road Runner. Tom wants Jerry. A single, simple desire gives a character endless stories to fail at.
- A memorable voice. Bugs, Homer and SpongeBob are as recognisable by ear as by sight, which is why voice actors like Mel Blanc became stars in their own right.
- A good partner. Many of the greatest cartoon characters come in pairs or rivalries: Tom and Jerry, Bugs and Daffy, Finn and Jake, Rick and Morty. See our list of iconic rivalries.
Studios and networks
Many cartoon fans think in terms of where a character came from. These pages group characters by studio or channel:
- Cartoon Network characters: Dexter, the Powerpuff Girls, Courage, Ben 10, Adventure Time, Steven Universe and more.
- Nickelodeon characters: SpongeBob, the Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, the Fairly OddParents, Avatar and more.
- Disney characters: from Mickey and Donald to the princesses and modern film heroes.
- DreamWorks characters: Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.
Famous cartoon character names A–Z
A–B
- Aang — Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Arnold — Hey Arnold!
- Bart Simpson — The Simpsons
- Batman — Batman: The Animated Series
- Ben Tennyson — Ben 10
- Betty Boop — Fleischer shorts
- Bluey — Bluey
- Bugs Bunny — Looney Tunes
C–D
- Charlie Brown — Peanuts
- Courage — Courage the Cowardly Dog
- Daffy Duck — Looney Tunes
- Dexter — Dexter's Laboratory
- Dipper Pines — Gravity Falls
- Donald Duck — Disney
E–G
- Ed, Edd and Eddy — Ed, Edd n Eddy
- Eric Cartman — South Park
- Felix the Cat — Silent shorts
- Finn and Jake — Adventure Time
- Fred Flintstone — The Flintstones
- Goofy — Disney
- Gumball Watterson — The Amazing World of Gumball
H–L
- Homer Simpson — The Simpsons
- Jinx — Arcane
- Johnny Bravo — Johnny Bravo
- Kim Possible — Kim Possible
- Ladybug — Miraculous
- Luz Noceda — The Owl House
M–P
- Mabel Pines — Gravity Falls
- Mickey Mouse — Disney
- Patrick Star — SpongeBob SquarePants
- Peter Griffin — Family Guy
- Phineas and Ferb — Phineas and Ferb
- Pink Panther — The Pink Panther Show
- Popeye — Fleischer shorts
- Porky Pig — Looney Tunes
- Powerpuff Girls — The Powerpuff Girls
R–S
- Rick Sanchez — Rick and Morty
- Road Runner — Looney Tunes
- Scooby-Doo — Scooby-Doo
- Shaggy Rogers — Scooby-Doo
- Snoopy — Peanuts
- SpongeBob SquarePants — SpongeBob
- Squidward Tentacles — SpongeBob
- Steven Universe — Steven Universe
- Stewie Griffin — Family Guy
- Sylvester — Looney Tunes
T–Z
- Timmy Turner — The Fairly OddParents
- Tina Belcher — Bob's Burgers
- Tom and Jerry — MGM shorts
- Tommy Pickles — Rugrats
- Tweety — Looney Tunes
- Wile E. Coyote — Looney Tunes
- Woody Woodpecker — Walter Lantz
- Yogi Bear — Hanna-Barbera
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most famous cartoon character?
Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny are the usual answers. Mickey has been Disney's mascot since 1928 and is recognised almost everywhere; Bugs has headlined Warner Bros. cartoons since 1940. Among TV characters, Homer Simpson and SpongeBob SquarePants are the strongest modern contenders.
What was the first cartoon character?
There's no single answer, because early animation was experimental. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) is often cited as the first character with a real personality, and Felix the Cat, who first appeared in 1919, is usually considered the first cartoon star with mass popularity.
What are the best Cartoon Network characters?
Fan favourites include Dexter, the Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Finn and Jake from Adventure Time, Steven Universe and the Teen Titans. Our Cartoon Network characters page covers the channel's whole history.
What are the most famous Nickelodeon cartoon characters?
SpongeBob SquarePants is by far the biggest, followed by the Rugrats babies, Arnold from Hey Arnold!, Timmy Turner and his fairy godparents, Danny Phantom, and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. See our Nickelodeon characters guide for more.
Who voiced Bugs Bunny?
Mel Blanc created the voice and performed Bugs, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester and many other Looney Tunes characters for about five decades until his death in 1989. Several actors have voiced Bugs since.
What is the longest-running cartoon on TV?
Among American primetime shows, The Simpsons has run since 1989 and holds the record. South Park and Family Guy are the other long-running adult cartoons still in production.