Scene from SpongeBob SquarePants' 2019 Kids' Choice Award short. From the Encyclopedia SpongeBobia.
Since the late 1920s, cartoons have become very popular. In fact, Nickelodeon's hit cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants reaches approximately 50 million viewers monthly! But, have you ever wondered what was a cartoon character's inspiration? Here are four cartoon characters and their inspirations.
Mickey Mouse
Four production drawings from Steamboat Willie. From the National Museum of American History.
Debuting in the classic Walt Disney short Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse has become "arguably the most popular cartoon star in the world," according to Encyclopedia Britannica. His character was inspired by the likes of comedian Charlie Chaplin and his best friend Douglas Fairbanks combined.
Bugs Bunny
Model Sheet of Bugs Bunny. From John K Stuff.
Bugs Bunny, as stated by Warner Brothers, "has shown us how to outsmart any adversary and overcome any challenge, with irreverence exuberance and lots of laughs." Animator Ben "Bugs" Hardaway created a sketch of a rabbit character, labeled "Bugs's Bunny" by another employee. "Robert McKimson drew the model sheet for the character, [Friz Freleng] developed Bugs’s personality, [Tex Avery] and [Chuck Jones] made further refinements, and [Mel Blanc] infused him with his familiar wisecracking Brooklynese delivery," according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Bugs Bunny's carrot-eating habits, fast talking speed, and "being generally unbothered," as stated by MsMojo, was a parody of Clark Gable in 1934's It Happened One Night.
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants' pitch bible. From the Encyclopedia SpongeBobia.
Originally called "SpongeBoy," SpongeBob SquarePants has become a famous cartoon character, with his show being ranked number one for the top 10 most popular cartoons in 2022 globally. His characteristics were inspired by famous comedians such as Stan Laurel of Laurel & Hardy fame, Pee-wee Herman, and Jerry Lewis. His voice was inspired by an angry elf that SpongeBob's voice actor, Tom Kenny, "thought ... was great," according to MsMojo. He then told and imitated the voice to his best friend and the creator of SpongeBob, Stephen Hillenberg, who later knew the perfect voice for SpongeBob.
Garfield
German Garfield character construction. It features Garfield saying, "Pretty complicated, huh?" From the Garfield Wiki.
"Why is Monday so far from Friday? And Friday so near to Monday?" Lasagna-loving but Monday-hating Garfield has been around since 1978. Garfield Creator Jim Davis named and based the cat's personality after his grandfather, James Garfield Davis (who was named after former U.S. president James Garfield). 3 years after the first Garfield comic strip was released, Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz stepped in to help Davis improvise Garfield's design into the one we know today.
Bibliography:
Diamond Comic Distributors. "Nickelodeon Announces SpongeBob SquarePants Viewership Statistics." https://www.diamondcomics.com/Article/4007-Nickelodeon-Announces-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Viewership-Statistics
National Museum of American History. "Mickey Mouse turns 90." May 15, 2018. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/mickey-mouse-turns-90
Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica editors. "Mickey Mouse." https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mickey-Mouse
Influitive. "5 Advocates And Influencers Who Changed The Trajectories Of Disney, FUBU And More." September 10, 2014. https://influitive.com/blog/5-advocates-influencers-changed-rajectories
The Guardian. Hutchinson, P. "Douglas Fairbanks: extraordinary life of Hollywood founding father." November 2, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/02/douglas-fairbanks-extraordinary-life-of-hollywood-founding-father
Warner Bros. "Happy 80th Birthday Bugs Bunny!" July 27, 2020. https://www.warnerbros.com/news/articles/2020/07/27/happy-80th-birthday-bugs-bunny
Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica editors. "Bugs Bunny." https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bugs-Bunny
YouTube. Dave Lee Down Under. "Evolution of BUGS BUNNY - 80 Years Explained | CARTOON EVOLUTION." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49wPd4ZJUM Timestamp 7:31.
ScreenRant. Hood, C. "SpongeBob Squarepants Originally Had A Different Name." June 30, 2019. https://screenrant.com/spongebob-squarepants-original-name-spongeboy/
WebbSpy. Christian. "Top 10 Most Popular Cartoons in the World 2022." https://www.webbspy.com/most-popular-cartoons-in-the-world/
ScreenRant. Tyler, A. "The Real-Life Inspirations Behind SpongeBob SquarePants." August 31, 2020. https://screenrant.com/spongebob-squarepants-character-real-life-inspirations-influences
Mental Floss. Raga, S. "11 Things You Might Not Know About Cartoonist Jim Davis." July 28, 2016. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83344/11-things-you-might-not-know-about-cartoonist-jim-davis
YouTube. MsMojo. "Top 10 Cartoon Character Voices That Are Actually Impressions." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBYBG7j_iIQ Timestamps 5:08, 9:29.
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