Childhood is the time when you like Jerry for his smartness. Adulthood is when you realize that Jerry has been a complete asshole and you feel sorry for Tom.
Tom and Jerry
Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at MGM, Tom and Jerry made their debut in 1940. Like a certain cat-mouse combo at Warner Brothers, Tom and Jerry chase, torment, and generally try to defeat the other. Though Tom has the upper hand more than, say, Sylvester, he still has yet to make a meal of Jerry.
Mickey Mouse
As Walt Disney liked to say, it all began with a mouse. Mickey Mouse made his debut in 1928’s “Steamboat Willie,” voiced by Walt himself. It wasn’t just Mickey’s debut; it was also the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Although his most iconic role came as the sorcerer’s apprentice in the 1940 feature “Fantasia,” Mickey has appeared in a number of memorable shorts. Standouts include the 1947 short “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” a clever take on the fairy tale classic, and the 1983 short “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” the first original Mickey Mouse theatrical release since 1953.
Shin Chan
Crayon Shin-chan also known as Shin Chan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui. It follows the adventures of the five-year-old Shinnosuke “Shin” Nohara and his parents, baby sister, dog, neighbours, and friends and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture.
Doraemon
Doraemon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The series has also been adapted into a successful anime series and media franchise. The story revolves around a robotic cat named Doraemon, who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a pre-teen boy named Nobita Nobi.
Ben 10
Ben 10 is an animated TV series and media franchise created by Man of Action Studios and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The franchise revolves around a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires a watch-like alien device “the Omnitrix” which allows the wearer to transform into ten different alien creatures.
Chhota Bheem
Chhota Bheem is an Indian animated comedy adventure television series created by Rajiv Chilaka. Premiered in 2008 on Pogo TV, it focuses on adventures of a boy named Bheem and his friends in the fictional kingdom of Dholakpur. In this series, Bheem and his friends are usually involved in protecting Raja Indravarma, the king of Dholakpur and his kingdom from various evil forces. Sometimes they also help other kingdoms. It is one of the most popular animated series for children in India.
Motu Patlu
Motu Patlu is an Indian animated sitcom television series airing on Nickelodeon and Vasantham. The series is produced by Cosmos-Maya.It is adapted from the classic comic strip on Lot Pot. It was premiered on 16 October 2012, beginning with episode “John Banega Don”. It focuses on two friends, Motu and Patlu, living in the fictional city Furfuri Nagar.
Sofia the First
Sofia the First is an American animated television series produced for Disney Channel. Jamie Mitchell is the Director and Executive Producer and Craig Gerber serves as Story Editor and Producer. The show follows the adventures of Sofia, played by Ariel Winter. Sofia becomes a princess when her mother, Miranda, marries King Roland II of Enchancia.
Ninja Hattori
Ninja Hattori-kun , known as Ninja Hattori in some countries, is a manga series created by Fujiko Fujio, later adapted into a television drama, a 1981 anime series, a video game and a live-action movie. It was remade as a 2012 anime series as a joint venture between India and Japan and is currently airing in several Asian countries including in India itself in English.
The Power puff Girls
Girl power times three. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup keep Townsville, USA, safe from evil while dealing with the pressures of kindergarten. The visual style of “The Powerpuff Girls” sets it apart, though, along with the abundance of tongue-in-cheek humor. It’s part high art and part drug-induced pop art. The show first premiered in 1998 .
Spiderman
Spider-Man is the everyman superhero. Created by Stan Lee for Marvel Comics in 1962, Spider-Man is the alter ego of high school geek Peter Parker. Spidey first starred in 1967’s “Spider-Man,” then came “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” (1981), “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” (1995), and “Spider-Man: The New Animated Series” (2003).
Superman
Superman is the ultimate superhero because of his unerring loyalty to doing good. But is he a true superhero since he only has powers because he’s an alien from another planet? Or is he just a guy who fell to the ground on the right planet? It doesn’t really matter. Like a few other cartoon characters on this list, Superman began life in comic books in 1933 and first appeared in animated cartoons the following decade. Superman has enjoyed a long life, appearing in countless TV shows, films, and animated shows, including the iconic “Superfriends” of the 1970s.
Batman
Can you imagine a time when Batman wasn’t the Dark Knight we know now? Hard to believe the many transformations this superhero has seen through the years, especially on television. The caped crusader first appeared in DC Comics in 1939 and made the leap to TV in the 1960s, first as a live-action show and later as a cartoon. The Dark Knight continues to appear in comics and in animation today.
The Chipmunk
Alvin and the Chipmunks began life as a novelty record in 1958 with the No. 1 hit “The Chipmunk Song.” They made the leap to comic books briefly before “The Alvin Show” appeared on prime-time TV in 1961. The show only lasted a year, but Alvin, along with his brothers, Simon and Theodore, lived on with additional novelty records, a second animated series in the 1980s, and five films as of 2017.
Donald Duck
As Mickey Mouse’s cynical sidekick, Donald Duck endeared himself to audiences with his eye-rolling attitude and endless capacity for exasperation. Donald Duck made his debut in Walt Disney’s cartoon “The Wise Little Hen” in 1934 and quickly became a star in his own right. The Oscar-winning 1959 short “Donald in Mathmagic Land” became one of the leading educational films of its age, and like Mickey, Donald has become an icon of the Disney entertainment empire.
Winnie the Pooh
This little bear who started as a doodle in a beloved children’s book has been a thriving franchise for Disney since the company bought rights to him and his woodland friends in the ’60s. Winnie the Pooh has starred in many cartoons and specials, both on TV and in feature films. The most memorable TV cartoons were “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” (1970), “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree” (1970), and “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too” (1975). In 2011, Disney released “Winnie the Pooh,” a very successful movie that returned to the roots of A.A. Milne’s original stories.
Tweety Bird
Tweety Bird made his debut in the 1942 Warner Brothers cartoon “A Tale of Two Kitties,” but not until five years later did Sylvester appear with him. The Oscar-winning 1947 short “Tweety Pie” set the standard for what became an endless attempt by Sylvester to eat Tweety Bird, who always escapes.
Scooby-Doo and Shaggy
If you were a kid in the ’60s, ’70s, or ’80s, then after-school cartoons meant watching Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and their teen pals solve mystery after mystery. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Scooby and the gang made their TV debut in 1969 with “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby made the leap from CBS to ABC in 1976, where they would appear in various iterations of the show until 1991. The Mystery Machine rolls on in endless syndication, not to mention new TV productions and a 2002 film.
Popeye
Like many classic cartoon characters, Popeye began life as a comic strip. The spinach-loving sailor, created by E.C. Segar, made his print debut in 1929 and quickly became a hit. Four years later, animator Max Fleisher brought Popeye to life on the big screen. Paramount Studios later took over theatrical production of Popeye shorts and also produced a TV series in the early 1960s. In 1980, Robin Williams and Shelley Duval appeared as Popeye and his girlfriend, OIive Oyl, in the Robert Altman film “Popeye.”
