99 Fun Facts About Cartoon

Which marine-science educator created SpongeBob SquarePants?

Stephen Hillenburg taught marine science before animation; his inspiration was The Intertidal Zone, an educational comic he drew in the 1980s while teaching.

Which Hanna-Barbera series, running on ABC from 1960 to 1966, was the first animated show with a US prime-time slot?

The Flintstones ran on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was also the first animated sitcom.

In the Scooby-Doo franchise, what breed is the talking dog who solves mysteries with four teenagers?

Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane; designer Iwao Takamoto studied the breed standard, then deliberately broke its rules with bowed legs, a sloped back and a receding chin.

What is the name of the brightly painted van driven by the teenage sleuths in Scooby-Doo?

The van is painted in psychedelic colours with flower-power imagery, and has since been reproduced as die-cast toys and Hot Wheels models.

The Simpsons began as animated shorts around the ad breaks of which variety programme?

The Simpsons debuted as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show on 19 April 1987, after producer James L. Brooks asked cartoonist Matt Groening to pitch animated bumpers for the programme.

What is the name of The Simpsons' fictional hometown, one of the most common US place names?

Matt Groening named it after Springfield, Oregon, and picked a common name so that viewers everywhere would assume it was theirs.

Which 1928 animated short is considered the official debut of Mickey Mouse?

Walt Disney had seen The Jazz Singer and pushed to make a fully synchronised sound cartoon; earlier Mickey films Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho had failed to find a distributor.

Which Hollywood studio produced the original Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts, beginning in 1940?

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's cartoon unit released the first short, Puss Gets the Boot, in 1940; William Hanna and Joseph Barbera made the series there for nearly two decades before founding their own studio.

Which voice actor originated the voice of Bugs Bunny?

Mel Blanc originated Bugs Bunny at Warner Bros. Cartoons, then still called Leon Schlesinger Productions, and gave the rabbit a laugh close to his later Woody Woodpecker.

Betty Boop was designed by animator Grim Natwick at the request of which studio head?

Max Fleischer headed Fleischer Studios, where Betty Boop debuted in the Talkartoon Dizzy Dishes on 9 August 1930; Grim Natwick first drew her with floppy dog ears.

Bugs Bunny's definitive personality first appeared in which 1940 Tex Avery short?

A Wild Hare (July 1940), directed by Tex Avery, introduced the fully formed, carrot-chewing Bugs; a cruder prototype rabbit had appeared in 1938's Porky's Hare Hunt.

Which Looney Tunes character stutters the closing line 'That's all, folks!'?

Porky Pig closes the cartoons by bursting through a drum with a stuttered 'Th-th-th-that's all, folks!'; he was Warner's first breakout star, appearing in about 150 golden-age shorts.

What is the gender of the Looney Tunes canary Tweety?

Tweety is male: Bob Clampett based the character's personality on Red Skelton's 'Junior the Mean Widdle Kid', and Granny refers to Tweety and Sylvester as 'boys'.

Wile E. Coyote mail-orders his rockets, anvils and traps from which company?

Acme is the mail-order company whose rockets, anvils and traps keep failing Wile E. Coyote; he and the Road Runner debuted in 1949's 'Fast and Furry-ous'.

Sylvester the Cat's cartoons won how many Academy Awards, the most for any Looney Tunes star?

Three of Sylvester's shorts won the Oscar: Tweetie Pie (1947), Speedy Gonzales (1955) and Birds Anonymous (1957); no other Looney Tunes star matched that tally.

In which 1948 short did Marvin the Martian make his debut?

Haredevil Hare, a July 1948 Chuck Jones short, introduced Marvin the Martian as Bugs Bunny's foe on the Moon; the character appeared in only four more golden-age cartoons.

Foghorn Leghorn is what kind of animal?

Foghorn Leghorn is a rooster, a loud Southern one created by Robert McKimson; he debuted in the 1946 short 'Walky Talky Hawky'.

Speedy Gonzales is billed as the fastest what 'in all Mexico'?

Speedy Gonzales is a mouse, billed as 'the fastest mouse in all Mexico', in a yellow sombrero and red kerchief; he starred in 46 theatrical shorts.

Which speech quirk is Elmer Fudd famous for?

Elmer Fudd's quirk is that he replaces R and L with W, a pattern called rhotacism, so rabbits become 'wabbits' and his catchphrase begins 'Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet'.

Which 1919 cartoon character became silent-era animation's first major star?

Felix the Cat debuted in the 1919 short Feline Follies from Pat Sullivan's studio; whether Sullivan or animator Otto Messmer created him remains disputed.

Which animation producer created Woody Woodpecker, released through Universal from 1940?

Walter Lantz created Woody Woodpecker, who debuted in the 1940 Andy Panda short Knock Knock; Mel Blanc supplied the original voice and laugh until his exclusive Warner Bros. contract ended it.

Yogi Bear made his 1958 debut as a sidekick to which Hanna-Barbera hound, whose fame he soon eclipsed?

Yogi debuted in 1958 on The Huckleberry Hound Show, then got his own Kellogg's-sponsored series in 1961 alongside Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle.

Huckleberry Hound speaks with the accent of which US state?

Daws Butler gave Huckleberry Hound a North Carolina drawl; The Huckleberry Hound Show became the first animated series to win an Emmy, in 1960.

Who is Fred Flintstone's daughter?

Pebbles Flintstone was born to Fred and Wilma in a 1963 episode; Bamm-Bamm is the Rubbles' adopted boy next door.

George Jetson's family lives in the Skypad Apartments in which futuristic town?

The Jetsons live in Orbit City, where buildings perch on giant poles like Seattle's Space Needle and the ground is almost never shown.

Hanna-Barbera's Top Cat parodied which live-action sitcom about a scheming army sergeant?

Top Cat's scheming alley cat was modelled on Sgt. Bilko from The Phil Silvers Show; the cartoon lasted one prime-time season in 1961-62 before thriving in reruns and in Mexico (as Don Gato).

Which of Charles Schulz's childhood pets inspired Snoopy?

Spike, a black-and-white dog Schulz owned as a teenager, inspired Snoopy; Schulz later named Snoopy's desert-dwelling brother Spike after him.

Which food does Garfield love above all others?

Garfield's favourite food is lasagna; Jim Davis's cat also hates Mondays, the vet, exercise and the kitten Nermal.

Popeye first appeared in 1929 in a comic strip called what?

Thimble Theatre, E. C. Segar's strip, was already ten years old when Popeye walked in on 17 January 1929; the sailor took over so completely it was later renamed after him.

What is Donald Duck's middle name?

Donald's middle name, Fauntleroy, appeared on his draft notice in the 1942 short Donald Gets Drafted; he also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Goofy debuted in 1932 under what earlier name?

Goofy first appeared as Dippy Dawg, a laughing spectator in the 1932 short Mickey's Revue; the Goofy name settled in by 1934's Orphan's Benefit.

What is Bart Simpson's full first name?

Bart's full name is Bartholomew JoJo Simpson, 'Bart' being an anagram of 'brat'; Time named him one of the century's 100 most important people in 1998.

Which instrument does Lisa Simpson play?

Lisa Simpson plays the baritone saxophone; in the opening credits she is thrown out of band practice for improvising a solo on it.

At which restaurant does SpongeBob work as a fry cook?

SpongeBob flips Krabby Patties as fry cook at the Krusty Krab, owned by the money-obsessed Mr. Krabs; Plankton's rival Chum Bucket sits across the road.

Where does Patrick Star live in Bikini Bottom?

Patrick Star lives under a rock on Conch Street, next door to Squidward's moai-shaped head; he lifts the rock like a lid to get in.

Despite his name, Squidward Tentacles is actually what kind of sea creature?

Squidward Tentacles is an octopus, as creator Stephen Hillenburg confirmed; he is drawn with six limbs for simplicity and lives on Conch Street between SpongeBob and Patrick.

Winnie-the-Pooh was named partly after a real bear that A. A. Milne and his son saw where?

Winnie was a black bear at London Zoo, brought from Canada by a Winnipeg soldier; Christopher Robin's teddy came from Harrods, and the first Pooh story ran in the Evening News on Christmas Eve 1925.

Which Pooh character did not appear until the second book, 'The House at Pooh Corner' (1928)?

Tigger bounced in with 1928's The House at Pooh Corner; Piglet, Eeyore and Owl were all in the 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh, and Tigger got his own film in 2000.

What are Casper the Friendly Ghost's three wicked uncles known as collectively?

The Ghostly Trio are Casper's mischievous uncles Fatso, Fusso and Lazo; Casper starred in 55 Famous Studios theatrical cartoons from 1945 to 1959 before Harvey Comics bought the rights.

Which member of the Scooby-Doo gang is forever losing her glasses?

Velma Dinkley, the brains of Mystery Inc., cries 'My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!' whenever they fall off.

Scrappy-Doo, added to the Scooby-Doo franchise in 1979, is Scooby's what?

Scrappy-Doo is Scooby's nephew, introduced in 1979 to rescue the show's sinking ratings; Lennie Weinrib voiced him first, then Don Messick, who also voiced Scooby.

Who is Perry the Platypus's nemesis in Phineas and Ferb?

Dr. Doofenshmirtz, inept head of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, battles Perry the Platypus in nearly every episode of Phineas and Ferb; Dan Povenmire voices him.

In Dexter's Laboratory, which sibling keeps ruining the boy genius's experiments?

His sister Dee Dee gets into the lab no matter what and foils his work by accident. Genndy Tartakovsky created the show for Cartoon Network, with the lab hidden in Dexter's bedroom.

Peppa Pig, first broadcast in 2004, comes from which country?

Peppa Pig comes from the UK, created by Astley Baker Davies and first broadcast on Channel 5 on 31 May 2004; Hasbro bought owner Entertainment One in 2019.

Pikachu's tail is shaped like what?

Pikachu's tail is a lightning bolt, fitting its Electric type; contrary to a popular false memory the tip is not black, though female Pikachu have a heart-shaped notch at the end.

What is the name of Charlie Brown's little sister in Peanuts?

Sally Brown, Charlie Brown's younger sister, arrived in the strip in 1959 and is known for her crush on Linus, whom she calls her 'Sweet Babboo'.

Daffy Duck was created by which two animators for Leon Schlesinger Productions?

Tex Avery and Bob Clampett introduced Daffy in the 1937 short Porky's Duck Hunt, Avery directing and Clampett animating; he was one of the first screwball characters of the era.

In the 1963 film that spawned the cartoon character, what is 'The Pink Panther'?

In the 1963 film the Pink Panther is a flawed diamond whose flaw, held to the light, resembles a leaping panther; the animated cat was created for the opening credits.

What is Homer Simpson's iconic catchphrase?

The script simply called for an 'annoyed grunt'; Dan Castellaneta supplied the sound, and 'd'oh' entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001.

What is Shaggy's real first name in Scooby-Doo?

Shaggy's real name is Norville Rogers, a detail first revealed in the 1988 series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo; radio DJ Casey Kasem voiced him from the 1969 original.

What is Bugs Bunny's famous line, often delivered while chewing a carrot?

"What's up, Doc?" is Bugs Bunny's signature catchphrase, first appearing in the 1940 short "A Wild Hare." It's typically said in a nonchalant manner to whomever he encounters.

What is the name of SpongeBob SquarePants's pet snail?

Gary the Snail is SpongeBob's pet, who meows like a cat; Tom Kenny, who voices SpongeBob himself, also supplies Gary's meows.

Which short brought Tom and Jerry their first Academy Award, for 1943?

The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943) won the first of Tom and Jerry's seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short; Puss Gets the Boot had been nominated in 1941 but lost.

Who voiced Mickey Mouse in his earliest sound cartoons?

Walt Disney himself voiced Mickey from 1928 until 1947, when sound-effects man Jimmy MacDonald took over; Clarence Nash voiced Donald and Pinto Colvig voiced Goofy.

What is the name of Popeye the Sailor's longtime girlfriend?

Olive predates Popeye by a decade in E. C. Segar's Thimble Theatre strip, and greeted the sailor's 1929 arrival with 'take your hooks offa me or I'll lay ya in a scupper'.

Which actor provides the voice for the ogre Shrek in the popular animated film series?

Chris Farley had recorded most of the part before his death; DreamWorks re-cast Mike Myers in 1998, and he insisted on a full script rewrite so no trace of Farley's version remained.

Which studio produced the groundbreaking 1995 film "Toy Story"?

Toy Story was the first entirely computer-animated feature film and the first feature from Pixar Animation Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

Which bow-wearing, polka-dotted cartoon character debuted alongside Mickey in 1928?

Minnie Mouse was the steamboat's single passenger in her 1928 debut; her original flowered bowler hat was later swapped for the big bow, and she runs a 'bow-tique' in the shorts series Minnie's Bow-Toons.

Which 1964 Hanna-Barbera series follows a boy adventurer with bodyguard Race Bannon and bulldog Bandit?

Jonny Quest ran in prime time on ABC in 1964-65 before moving to Saturday mornings; Doug Wildey designed it in a realistic style unlike other Hanna-Barbera shows.

Super Friends aired on ABC from 1973 until which year?

Super Friends ran on ABC from 1973 to 1985, ending with The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians; across nine seasons it carried a string of titles including Challenge of the Super Friends.

Schoolhouse Rock! began because an ad executive's son could memorise which band's lyrics but not his times tables?

The Rolling Stones: ad executive David McCall noticed his son could sing their lyrics yet not learn multiplication, so he commissioned the shorts, which ran between ABC's Saturday cartoons from 1973 to 1985.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered on which network on September 13, 1969?

CBS premiered Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! on 13 September 1969; Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created it at Hanna-Barbera, and it ran two seasons before decades of spin-offs.

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, famous for the catchphrase 'Hey hey hey!', was animated by which studio?

Filmation animated Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids for CBS from 1972; Bill Cosby hosted live-action bookends, voiced several characters, and each episode carried an explicit lesson.

The Smurfs cartoon that ran on NBC from 1981 to 1989 was based on comics by which Belgian artist?

Peyo (Pierre Culliford) created les Schtroumpfs in 1958 for the Belgian comic Spirou; Hanna-Barbera's NBC series ran 256 episodes from 1981 to 1989.

Toddler versions of Kermit and friends first appeared in a dream sequence in which 1984 film?

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) introduced the babies in a dream sequence; the spin-off cartoon's nursery was watched over by Nanny, whose face was never shown.

Garfield and Friends (1988-94) paired the cat with which other Jim Davis comic strip?

U.S. Acres, Jim Davis's farmyard strip starring Orson the pig, shared each episode of Garfield and Friends; Lorenzo Music voiced Garfield as he had since 1982's Here Comes Garfield.

In what slot did The Bugs Bunny Show debut in 1960, before decades on Saturday mornings?

The Bugs Bunny Show debuted in prime time on ABC in October 1960, packaging theatrical Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts with new linking segments; it moved to Saturday mornings in 1962.

Which studio produced the Pink Panther cartoon shorts that began in 1964?

DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, founded by David DePatie and Friz Freleng, made the Pink Panther shorts from 1964; the first, The Pink Phink, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

Vortexx, a Saturday-morning cartoon block that ended in 2014, aired on which network?

Vortexx ran on The CW from 2012 until 27 September 2014, the end of traditional Saturday-morning cartoon blocks on US network TV; its slot went to E/I educational programming.

Which 1990 programming block, later dominated by Power Rangers, made its network's Saturday mornings a hit?

Fox Kids launched in September 1990 and by 1993 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers made it the top kids' block; Kids' WB followed in 1995 and later imported Pokémon.

Rocky and Bullwinkle hail from which fictional Minnesota town?

Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, is the pair's hometown, said to be modelled on the real International Falls, one of the coldest spots in the lower 48.

Rocky and Bullwinkle's animation was outsourced to Gamma Productions, a studio in which country?

Gamma Productions was in Mexico City; its choppy work gave the show its famously limited look, though critics called it a well-written radio programme with pictures.

In Animaniacs, the Warner siblings were locked away for decades inside which studio landmark?

The water tower on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank is the real structure; in the show the 1930s Warner siblings were locked inside it for being too zany until 1993.

What is the name of Yakko and Wakko's sister in Animaniacs?

Dot, who insists her full name is Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third, is the youngest Warner sibling; Tress MacNeille voices her.

Rugrats was the second of Nickelodeon's original three 1991 cartoon series; which was first?

Doug was first on the morning of 11 August 1991, followed by Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show; the three were Nickelodeon's original Nicktoons.

The 2003 third Rugrats film was a crossover with which other Klasky Csupo series?

Rugrats Go Wild (2003) crossed the babies with The Wild Thornberrys; it was the third Rugrats feature in five years, after the 1998 original and Rugrats in Paris (2000).

Craig McCracken's festival short that became The Powerpuff Girls had what title?

Whoopass Stew! was Craig McCracken's 1992 CalArts short; its heroines were the Whoopass Girls until Hanna-Barbera toned the name down for its What a Cartoon! showcase.

The Ren & Stimpy Show ran fake commercials for which nonexistent toy?

The parody ads mimicked old TV and radio sponsorship tie-ins, and 'Log' became the show's most quoted running gag.

Adventure Time's Land of Ooo was ravaged a thousand years earlier by what conflict?

The Mushroom War was a nuclear war a thousand years before the series, which is why a kids' fantasy show quietly sits atop a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Before Cartoon Network picked it up, the Adventure Time pilot aired in 2007 on which channel?

Nicktoons aired the Frederator-produced short; after it went viral Nickelodeon passed on a series, and Cartoon Network commissioned Adventure Time, which premiered in April 2010.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang and Appa spent a century frozen in an iceberg near where?

The iceberg sat in the waters near the South Pole, where Southern Water Tribe siblings Katara and Sokka found Aang a hundred years after he fled his duties.

Which tea-loving uncle accompanies the exiled Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Iroh, the Fire Nation general known as the Dragon of the West, accompanies his nephew Zuko into exile and quietly steers him toward a better path over endless cups of tea.

The town of Gravity Falls, home of the Mystery Shack, is set in which US state?

Gravity Falls is in Oregon; twins Dipper and Mabel are shipped there from Piedmont, California, creator Alex Hirsch's own hometown.

Gravity Falls villain Bill Cipher, a top-hatted dream demon, resembles what shape?

Bill Cipher is a one-eyed yellow triangle echoing the Eye of Providence; in 2016 Alex Hirsch hid a real statue of him in Oregon for fans to find in a global 'Cipher Hunt'.

South Park grew out of two animated shorts by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, from 1992 and 1995, both titled what?

The 1995 The Spirit of Christmas became one of the first viral internet videos, which is what got the series made.

In Batman: The Animated Series, what is Harley Quinn's real name?

Harleen Quinzel, an Arkham psychiatrist, was meant for a single 1992 episode, 'Joker's Favor'; the name nods to the Harlequin of commedia dell'arte, whose costume she borrows.

Which Star Wars actor voiced the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series?

Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, voiced the Joker from the series' 1992 start, and his cheerfully deranged take made him a go-to voice actor.

Courage the Cowardly Dog lives with Muriel and Eustace on a farm outside which Kansas town?

Nowhere, Kansas, is the town; despite the name it is a magnet for aliens, zombies and monsters, most of them drawn to the Bagge farmhouse.

Courage's Oscar-nominated pilot lost the 1996 animated short award to which Wallace & Gromit film?

A Close Shave (1995) took the Oscar at the 1996 ceremony, beating the Courage pilot 'The Chicken from Outer Space', which had aired on Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon! showcase.

Hey Arnold! is set in which fictional Washington city?

Hillwood is the fictional city; creator Craig Bartlett blended Seattle, Portland and Brooklyn into its bridges, brownstones and subway.

Craig Bartlett first created Arnold as a minor character while working on which show?

Bartlett was making the clay-animated Penny segments for Pee-wee's Playhouse when Arnold first appeared; the later series used cels, then digital ink-and-paint for its last two seasons.

Who voices the Brain in Pinky and the Brain?

Maurice LaMarche voices the Brain with an impression of Orson Welles; Rob Paulsen voices Pinky, and the mice earned 65 episodes of their own on Kids' WB.

Chuck Jones based Wile E. Coyote on the coyote described in which Mark Twain book?

Roughing It (1872) describes the coyote as 'a living, breathing allegory of Want', a passage Chuck Jones said he read as a boy and drew on for Wile E.

Mighty Mouse's creators at Terrytoons first sketched the superhero as what creature?

Animator Izzy Klein sketched the hero as a fly, a 'Super Fly' parody of Superman, in 1942; studio boss Paul Terry swapped the insect for a mouse, who debuted that year as Super Mouse.

Which actor supplied the rhyming-couplet voice of Underdog in the 1960s cartoon?

Wally Cox, TV's Mr. Peepers, gave Underdog his rhyming couplets; the character was dreamed up by ad men at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample to sell General Mills cereals.

Speed Racer was adapted from a 1960s Japanese anime originally titled what?

Mach GoGoGo was Tatsuo Yoshida's manga and 1967 anime; he cooked up the idea after seeing Viva Las Vegas and Goldfinger, pairing Elvis's pompadour with Bond's gadget car.

In Speed Racer, the masked Racer X is secretly Speed's older brother; what is his first name?

Racer X is Rex Racer, who left home after a crash and raced in disguise; Speed himself was Go Mifune in Japan, a nod to actor Toshiro Mifune.

Which manga artist created Astro Boy, known in Japan as Mighty Atom?

Osamu Tezuka, the 'god of manga', began Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) in 1952; his 1963 TV adaptation was the first popular Japanese animated series and set the template for anime.

In Bluey, what is Bandit Heeler's profession?

Bandit is an archaeologist, a job borrowed from creator Joe Brumm's older brother Adam, a real archaeologist; Chilli, by contrast, works part-time in airport security.