List of Crap #25: Top 53 Animated/Cartoon Characters

[Rattrap007]

 

15. Donald Duck - 75 points
(6  of 18  lists. Highest ranking - #1 Smokey)

Donald's dominal personality trate is his short temper and, in contrast, his positve look on life. Many Donald shorts starts with Donald in a happy mood, without a care in the world, until something comes and spoils his day. His anger is a great cause of suffering in the ducks life, and he has on multiple occasions. There are times when he fights to keep his temper, and he has succeded a few times, but he always returns to his well known, agressive self at the end of the day. Donalds aggressive nature is a double-edged sword however, and while it at times is a hindrance and even a handicap for him, it has also helped him in times of need. When faced against a threat of some kind, Donald may get frightened and even intimidated (mostly by Big Bad Pete), but rather than getting scarred, he gets mad and has taken up fights with ghosts, sharks, mountain goats and even the forces of nature. And, more often than never, Donald has come out on top.

Donald can at times be a bit of a bully and a tease, especially against his nephews and Chip and Dale. As animator Fred Spencer once wrote:
The Duck gets a big kick out of imposing on other people or annoying them, but he emidiatly loses his temper when the tables are turned. In other words, he can dish it out, but he can’t take it.

However, there is seldome any malice in Donalds pranks. He’s never out to hurt anyone, and if he ever goes to far in his pranks he is always very regretful. In Truant Officer Donald, for example, when he’s tricked into beliveing he accidentally killed Huey, Dewey and Louie he shows great remorse, blaming himself and willingly takes a kick handed out by one of the “angel” nephews. That is, of course, until he realizes he’s been played a sap and directly loses his temper.

Deep down Donald is a goodhearted and helpful person, always willing to lend a helping hand. He cares deeply for those around him and if anyone else than him threats his near and dear he’s there to defend them no matter what. And even though he can be a teaser at times, in many cases, he’s not the one starting the fights he gets in, but rather a victim of circumstances. Thanks to this Donald can be, like his Uncle Scrooge, both a hero or a villain depending on the story.

Donald has also been shown to be a bit of a show-off. He likes to brag, especially when he’s very skilled at something. This has a tendency to get him into trouble, however, as he also tends to get in over his head. Still, Donald has proven that he is a Jack of all Trades and are, among other things, a good fisher and hockeyplayer.

Last, but not least, among his personality trates is his stubborness and commitment. Even though Donald at times can be lazy, and he has stated many times that his favorite place is in the hammock, once he’s commited to something he goes in for it 100%, sometimes going to extreme measures to reach his goal. Cause even though Donald isn’t the most lucky character there is, in fact, he has a tendency to “get stuck with all the bad luck”, he never gives up and if someone knocks him down, he always gets right up again.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/2mF8-5eDijY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/2mF8-5eDijY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

[Rattrap007]

14. The Joker (Batman:The Animated Series) - 78 points
(4  of 18  lists. Highest ranking - #2 Gbeenie)

In Batman: The Animated Series, which debuted in 1992, the Joker is played by voice-actor Mark Hamill. In the feature film spin-off Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, it is revealed that he was once a hitman for mobster Sal Valestra. His name, like in the 1989 movie, is mentioned as being Jack Napier, but later episodes offer the notion that this is merely an alias. The Joker also appears in the series' follow-up, The New Batman Adventures, and features prominently as the main villain in the one-hour Batman/Superman crossover episode, World's Finest, in which he travels to Metropolis and makes a deal with Lex Luthor to kill Superman in exchange for one billion dollars.

Hamill reprises his role in several animated shows in the DC Animated Universe. In the Justice League episode "Wild Cards", he plants a multitude of bombs across Las Vegas and televises the Justice League's attempts to find and disarm them in a mockery of reality television. To add drama to the broadcast, he pits the League against the Royal Flush Gang, which in this version consists of five superpowered teens. The bombs turn out to be a ruse to attract viewership so Ace, a psychic, can render everyone watching the broadcast insane. The plan backfires when, during a fight with Batman, Ace's control collar is removed and she turns her powers on the Joker himself. The Joker also appeared in the tv show Static Shock leading the Bang Babies. Batman and Robin teamed up with Static to stop them.

The Joker, again voiced by Hamill, is featured in the DCAU film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, mysteriously returning to Gotham after having been presumed dead for decades. It is revealed in a flashback that the Joker and Harley Quinn kidnapped Robin (Tim Drake) and tortured him, turning him into "J.J." — an insane, miniature version of the Joker — and ordering him to kill Batman. Drake ultimately kills the Joker himself by shooting him with the deadly "Bang" flag gun (in the edited version, Drake accidentally electrocutes him offscreen by pushing him into a puddle near an electric cable). In a twist, the future Joker is actually Tim, the Joker having implanted a microchip in Drake which contained his memories and personality. The new Batman (Terry McGinnis) ultimately destroys the chip — and thus, the Joker — and saves Tim.

Mark Hamill reprises his role of Joker in the Robot Chicken episode "But Not In That Way". In a segment that parodies Arkham Asylum in the style of The Shawshank Redemption, the Joker is incarcerated there as Black Manta narrates how he performed jokes at Arkham, fooled the jailhouse rapists, and even got things from Black Manta to prepare his escape. However, it was all a trick to pull a prank on Batman.

Since it is the joker no mere clip is good enough. I give you Justice League episode Wild Cards. It is a massive tour de force of the Joker. He sets up bombs in Las Vegas and buys air time on TV. He gives the action a running commentary.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/D5Mt5-8opNo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/D5Mt5-8opNo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JUBexkXGkqA&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/JUBexkXGkqA&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/0rM1wrikN4M&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/0rM1wrikN4M&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/O2ehMz2Y1fs&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/O2ehMz2Y1fs&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

[TripeHoundRedux]

15. Donald Duck - 75 points
(6  of 18  lists. Highest ranking - #1 Smokey)

The other tolerable Disney character.

[Rattrap007]

 

13. Tom & Jerry - 80 points
( 6 of 18  lists. Highest ranking - #5 TripeHoundRedux & Imrahil)

Tom

Tom is a blue-grey tomcat, who lives a pampered life, while Jerry is a small brown house mouse who always lives in close proximity to him. "Tom" is a generic name for a male cat or tomcat (the Warner Bros. cartoon character Sylvester was originally called "Thomas"). Tom was originally called "Jasper" in the very first short, Puss Gets the Boot, while Jerry was named Jinx. Tom is very quick-tempered and thin-skinned, while Jerry is independent and opportunistic. Jerry also possesses surprising strength for his size, lifting items such as anvils with relative ease and withstanding considerable impacts with them. Despite being very energetic and determined, Tom is no match for Jerry's brains and wits. By the final "iris-out" or "fade-out" of each cartoon, Jerry usually emerges triumphant, while Tom is shown as the loser. However, other results may be reached; on rare occasions, Tom triumphs, usually when Jerry becomes the aggressor or when he crosses some sort of line (the best example of which occurs in The Million Dollar Cat where, after finding out that Tom's newly acquired wealth will be taken away if he harms any animal, including a mouse, he torments Tom until Tom finally loses his temper and attacks him). Sometimes, usually ironically, they both lose, usually when Jerry's last trap potentially backfires on him after it affects Tom (An example is in Chuck Jones' Filet Meow short where Jerry orders a shark to scare Tom away from eating a goldfish. Afterwards, the shark scares Jerry away as well) or when Jerry overlooks something at the end of the course. Sometimes, they both end up being friends (only for something to happen so that Tom will chase Jerry again). Both characters display sadistic tendencies, in that they are equally likely to take pleasure in tormenting each other. However, depending on the cartoon, whenever one character appears to be in mortal danger (in a dangerous situation or by a third party), the other will develop a conscience and save him. Sometimes, they bond over a mutual sentiment towards an unpleasant experience and their attacking each other is more play than serious attacks. Multiple shorts show the two getting along with minimal difficulty, and they are more than capable of working together when the situation calls for it, usually against a third party who manages to torture and humiliate them both. In one short, Tom first meets Meathead and he and the mangy mutt attempt to catch Jerry. But when Tom's devil forces him to hurt Meathead by beheading him, instead of beheading him, it causes a lump.

Despite five shorts depicting Tom's apparent "death" at the end of the short, he never actually dies throughout the series, and even reads about a flashback of his own apparent death in Jerry's Diary. Tom died in Mouse Trouble because he was in heaven so it assumes that he died in the explosion. He possibly dies in an explosion in Yankee Doodle Mouse and he is beheaded offscreen at the guillotine in The Two Mouseketeers which makes him deaths count of 3.

Jerry

Although many supporting and minor characters speak, Tom and Jerry rarely do so themselves. Tom, most famously, sings while wooing female cats; for example, Tom sings Louis Jordan's "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" in the 1946 short Solid Serenade. In a couple of shorts, Tom, when romancing a female cat, woos her in a French-accented voice similar to that of screen actor Charles Boyer. Co-director William Hanna provided most of the squeaks, gasps, and other vocal effects for the pair, including the most famous sound effects from the series, Tom's leather-lunged scream (created by recording Hanna's scream and eliminating the beginning and ending of the recording, leaving only the strongest part of the scream on the soundtrack) and Jerry's nervous gulp. The only other reasonably common vocalization is made by Tom when some external reference claims a certain scenario or eventuality to be impossible, which inevitably, ironically happens to thwart Tom's plans - at which point, a bedraggled and battered Tom appears and says in a haunting, echoing voice "Don't you believe it!", a reference to some famous World War II propaganda shorts of the 1940s. In one episode, Tom hires a mouse exterminator who, after several failed attempts to dispatch Jerry, changes profession to Cat exterminator by crossing out the "Mouse" on his title and writing "Cat", resulting in Tom spelling out the word out loud before reluctantly pointing at himself. One short, 1956's Blue Cat Blues, is narrated by Jerry in voiceover (voiced by Paul Frees). Both Tom and Jerry speak more than once in the 1943 short The Lonesome Mouse. Tom and Jerry: The Movie is the first (and so far only) installment of the series where the famous cat-and-mouse duo regularly speak to both humans and other anthropomorphic animals; it is possible that Tom and Jerry do have full speech capabilities, but choose not to use them aside from a few short phrases, preferring to leave the talking to other characters.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/QUHmf7Y-9ww&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/QUHmf7Y-9ww&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

[Rattrap007]

12. Rocky & Bullwinkle - 85 points
(6  of 18  lists. Highest ranking - #2 Courtney)

Rocket J. Squirrel, usually called by the nickname "Rocky", is the name of the flying squirrel protagonist of the 1959-1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show (both shows often referred to collectively as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show), produced by Jay Ward. His sidekick is the cartoon moose, Bullwinkle. Both Rocky and Bullwinkle were given the middle initial "J" in reference to Ward.
Rocky's personality was meant to be that of an upstanding, if slightly naive, all-American youth. As the brains of the "moose and squirrel" duo, Rocky often was shown as coming up with creative solutions to the various situations the duo found themselves in on their adventures. However, he is no less gullible toward Boris Badenov's and Natasha Fatale's disguises than Bullwinkle. The best he can do is to occasionally remark, "Those two look familiar!" or "That voice, where have I heard that voice?"

Besides his cleverness, Rocky also made extensive use in the series of his ability to fly, which was presented with, appropriate to his full name, a jet engine sound effect (the original opening of Rocky and His Friends introduces Rocky as "that Jet Age aerial ace", complete with Rocky performing an air show for a crowd of spectators). Some episodes presented this ability as limited to gliding (similar to a real flying squirrel), while others presented it as similar to that of Superman (hovering in mid-air, carrying objects, etc.). According to the series, Rocky learned his aerial skills at Cedar Yorpantz Flying School.

Rocky shared a house with Bullwinkle, in the fictional small town of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, a parody of the real-life American town of International Falls, Minnesota.

Rocky's most frequently used catch phrase was "hokey smoke!"

Veteran cartoon voice artist June Foray was the voice of Rocky as well as the voice of Natasha Fatale and other characters.

Bullwinkle was noted for being well-meaning, but also quite dim-witted, which made for a source of jokes during the show's run. Despite this, the so-called "moronic moose" often aided the brains of the "moose-and-squirrel" duo, Rocky, during their various adventures. Although on opposite ends of the scale, he and the "plucky squirrel" had a shared sense of optimism, persistence and traditional ethics and moral standards. Although not as intelligent as Rocky, Bullwinkle often made references , so he was not always as clueless as he appeared.

Bullwinkle also hosted other segments of the program, including: "Mr. Know-It-All," where he tried to demonstrate his supposed expertise at a subject, such as disarming bombs or curing hiccups; "Bullwinkle's Corner," where the moose would attempt to read poetry, notably (The Daffodils) of ; and various interstitial drop-ins. In one classic running gag, Bullwinkle would attempt to pull a rabbit out of a top hat (to Rocky's dismissal: "Again?!" or "But that trick never works!", and Bullwinkle's canonical rejoinder, "Nothing up my sleeve...Presto!" or "This time, for sure! Presto!"), only to pull out something unexpected instead (such as a ), and occasionally even Rocky himself. After each failed attempt, Rocky would segue to the next sketch by saying, "And now, here's something we hope you'll really like!"

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/mQ0A87A9OXE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/mQ0A87A9OXE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

[Rattrap007]

11. The Monarch (The Venture Brothers) - 88 points
(5  of 18  lists. Highest ranking - #4 Monty)

The Monarch's primary traits are his butterfly theme, his shrill voice, his sexual need of Doctor Girlfriend, his enormous eyebrows, and his hatred of Thaddeus Venture. His base of operations is a giant, floating cocoon (characters have commented on how illogical this is), and all of his weaponry is modeled (often erroneously) on physical traits of butterflies. In spite of his fascination with them, the Monarch remains oblivious to the actual biology and physical capabilities of butterflies ("The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay"). The Monarch commands a set of henchmen dressed in yellow and black attire with butterfly wings, all known solely by number (except for junior henchmen), which he frequently kills when in a bad mood, resulting in what appears to be an inexhaustible supply. These men are not particularly bright or capable, and most, with two notable exceptions (#21,#24), are liable to die within a month or upon meeting Brock Samson. The costumes are equipped with a wide array of gadgets, and the wings even allow flight and flotation, but the henchmen were ignorant of this fact until the end of Season 2 ("Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II)"). The henchmen are passionately loyal to the Monarch, and it is suggested many of them were down on their luck or troubled when he recruited them and gave them a purpose.

The Monarch is aided by his lover Doctor Girlfriend, a gravelly voiced woman with a striking resemblance to a young Jackie Kennedy; the Monarch seems oblivious to the fact that her very deep voice is abnormal, which it was revealed was in Season 3 was due to her 18-year cigarette habit ("Home Is Where The Hate Is"). In spite of the Monarch's homicidal tendencies, he and Dr. Girlfriend share a bizarre parental relationship with the henchmen. At the end of the second season, The Monarch and Doctor Girlfriend were finally wed, while the Guild of Calamitous Intent officially sanctioned the wedding at the beginning of season three ("Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny").

The Monarch's arch-rival (to him, at least) is Dr. Venture. The Monarch's entire career of "arching" Dr. Venture was unsanctioned by the Guild of Calamitous Intent; "The Monarch" was not even a registered member of the Guild until the beginning of season three ("Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny"). Prior to that, he had been registered with the Guild as various low-level henchmen for other villains. The Monarch's hatred for Venture stems from some reason unknown, with the first instance of attempted murder occurring when they were both in college ("Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny"). The Monarch is eventually forced to give up illegally "arching" Dr. Venture in order to wed Doctor Girlfriend, but makes repeated attempts to rekindle their one-sided rivalry. He also hates Hank, Dean, and Brock Samson to a lesser extent because of their affiliation with Dr. Venture. However, he is aware of how Dr. Venture neglects the boys, and seems to have some respect (if merely a grudging one) for Brock.

Like many of the characters in the show, the Monarch is a failure at what he does (to a certain extent). In the series' pilot episode, Monarch was initially portrayed as being evil yet incompetent; in the series proper while he is lethal, with an amoral approach to life and the value of others (he has no qualms with killing henchmen, replacement arch-enemies, fellow students during his college days, breaking in to Venture's house and having sex with a robot in an attempt to "take revenge" on Venture somehow - this also revealed that the Monarch has chlamydia, which he was trying to pass to the robot), the entire manner in which he presents himself makes him more likely to be thought of as vain and incompetent rather than evil. He has had the opportunity on numerous occasions to significantly harm Thaddeus Venture and his family, but prefers to play at a "deadly game of Cat and Also Cat" - preferring to live out an unending hero/villain fantasy, than actually kill Venture once and for all. When the Monarch doesn't abandon his plans, they end up failing anyway for a number of reasons — amongst them henchmen incompetence, bad planning, bizarre circumstances, and Brock Samson.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VSCJJuD8u4o&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/VSCJJuD8u4o&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;</a>

[Rattrap007]

That it for today.. tomorrow I will post the TOP 10!! Make sure you have your ticket stubs ready....

[Smoky]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Donald's only 15? He should have been # 1! Nobody beats Donald Duck.

There's only one other character I can think of who might take #1 now who will be acceptable. And it ain't Mickey Mouse. (hint... carrots)

And am I the only person who watched The Disney Afternoon? *Throws Donald tantrum*

[gbeenie]

So, I'm Qbeenie now...  woo hoo! Free upgrade!

[Relaxing Dragon]

Damn, I forgot Rocky and Bullwinkle on my list. That's... that's just plain distressing

[Rattrap007]

So, I'm Qbeenie now...  woo hoo! Free upgrade!

Well you use a lowercase g and it looks like a q in your name...

[LBeria]

Yea Joker!!  Even though Harley was #1 on mine he made it in at #10.  I think the rest of my top ten are out (well...maybe one will make it higher).  And I'm pretty sure the rest of my entries are toast, but it will be fun to see who/what else shows up!

[Imrahil]

I'm still waiting on my #1 to make an appearance.  Actually, a lot of my top 10.

[THE QUEEN!!!]

Damn, I forgot Rocky and Bullwinkle on my list. That's... that's just plain distressing

I did too!!! I'll never forgive myself!!

[Imrahil]

I never found Rocky and Bullwinkle entertaining. Nor Roger Ramjet or George of the Jungle or any of the cheap-ass Hanna-Barbera teletoons (Flinstones, Scooby, all of the "USA Cartoon Express" shitfest).