196 Fun Facts About Cartoon

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 the Scooby-Doo gang's brightly painted van called?

The Mystery Machine came second-hand: a later series reveals that the flower-painted van first belonged to a family pop group, the Mystery Kids, whose keyboard player decorated it before quitting the band.

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

What's up, Doc? was everyday slang in Tex Avery's native Texas, so he thought little of the line when he gave it to Bugs in A Wild Hare; cinema audiences loved it, and it became the rabbit's standard greeting.

In the animated series, what kind of dwelling does SpongeBob SquarePants live in?

A pineapple from the surface world is SpongeBob's home: the special Truth or Square shows how he found it after it dropped off a passing ship, and he shares it with his pet snail Gary.

In the Tom and Jerry cartoons, the bulldog who flattens Tom is a doting father to which pup?

Tyke arrived in 1949 and changed the act: his father had begun in 1942 as a nameless bulldog who attacked cat and mouse alike, but his devotion to the pup gave Jerry a new weapon against Tom.

Mickey Mouse officially debuted in which 1928 short, the first of his cartoons released with synchronized sound?

Plane Crazy had only a test screening and The Gallopin' Gaucho was still unreleased when Steamboat Willie, with synchronized sound, gave Mickey his official 1928 debut.

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

Olive Oyl had starred in E. C. Segar's newspaper strip for nine years before Popeye turned up in 1929; she soon dropped her long-time boyfriend Ham Gravy for the sailor.

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's first feature film was 1995's "Toy Story"?

Pixar Animation Studios cashed in at once: a week after Toy Story opened in November 1995 it floated on the stock market, in the biggest share offering of the year, outdoing even Netscape's.

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

Minnie Mouse's squeaks and giggles in the earliest sound shorts came from Walt Disney himself and other studio staff, until Marcellite Garner of the ink-and-paint department took over the part.

Mickey Mouse was created to replace which earlier Disney character, lost in a contract dispute?

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Disney's hit until 1928, when producer Charles Mintz lured away most of his animators and Disney found that the distributor, not he, owned the character; Mickey was his reply.

According to Disney lore, what was Mickey Mouse almost called before Walt's wife Lillian suggested 'Mickey'?

Mortimer was used after all: the 1936 short Mickey's Rival gave the name to a slick newcomer who tries to win Minnie away from Mickey.

Which Oscar-winning 1941 Mickey Mouse short has Pluto rescue a kitten he has grown jealous of?

Lend a Paw gives Pluto a shoulder angel and devil who argue over the kitten Mickey has adopted; the angel wins by flattening the devil, and Pluto hauls the kitten out of a well in the bucket.

In 1978 Mickey Mouse became the first cartoon character to receive what honour?

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame marked Mickey's 50th anniversary in 1978; the only fictional names there before him had been laid when the Walk opened in 1960, among them the screen dog Lassie.

Which Looney Tunes character's rallying cry is '¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!'?

Speedy Gonzales first appeared in 1953 as a scrawny mouse with a gold tooth; Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt redesigned him, sombrero and all, for the 1955 short that made him a star.

Mel Blanc called Bugs Bunny's voice a blend of the Bronx and which other borough?

Brooklyn and the Bronx gave Bugs his street-smart voice, by Mel Blanc's account; director Tex Avery remembered it differently, saying he had only asked for the sound of the actor Frank McHugh.

In Tom and Jerry's 1940 debut short Puss Gets the Boot, Tom was called by what name?

Jasper was the cat's name in Puss Gets the Boot, and the mouse went unnamed on screen, though the studio called him Jinx; both were renamed when the short's success led to a series.

The Simpsons began as shorts on which variety programme in April 1987?

The Tracey Ullman Show had wanted Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell; unwilling to sign away its rights, he sketched a new family in the producer's lobby and named them after his own.

Scooby-Doo's name is said to come from the scat syllables Frank Sinatra sings at the end of which hit?

Strangers in the Night fades out on Sinatra's 'doo-be-doo-be-doo'; by the writers' account, network executive Fred Silverman heard it on an overnight flight and renamed the show's dog, until then called Too Much.

Scooby-Doo, the cowardly mascot of a gang of teenage sleuths, is what breed of dog?

A Great Dane, but a deliberately bad one: designer Iwao Takamoto asked a breeder what made a prize-winning dog, then gave Scooby the opposite, with bowed legs, a double chin and a sloping back.

What was the 1980s educational comic by Stephen Hillenburg that seeded SpongeBob called?

The Intertidal Zone was a tide-pool comic Stephen Hillenburg drew for the marine institute where he taught; its host, Bob the Sponge, became SpongeBob after a writer on Rocko's Modern Life urged him to pitch a series.

Which instrument does SpongeBob's neighbour Squidward Tentacles play?

Clarinet recitals are Squidward's pride and his neighbours' torment; despite his name he is an octopus, drawn with six limbs because Stephen Hillenburg found eight too awkward to animate.

The Flintstones was the first animated sitcom to air in what slot?

Prime time drew adult viewers too: The Flintstones was at first sponsored by Winston cigarettes, and the characters themselves appeared in the adverts.

Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble belong to which lodge?

The Water Buffaloes, in full the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes, began the series as the Loyal Order of Dinosaurs; the lodge and its Grand Poobah spoof real fraternal orders such as the Moose.

The Looney Tunes title was inspired by which rival studio's cartoon series?

Disney's Silly Symphonies set the pattern, and the 'Tunes' was meant literally: Warner Bros. launched the cartoons to plug songs from the music publishers and record label it had just bought.

Popeye first appeared on January 17, 1929, in which comic strip?

Thimble Theatre had run for nine years when E. C. Segar brought Popeye in as a minor character; readers took to the sailor so strongly that he displaced the original leads, and the strip was eventually renamed after him.

Which friend of Popeye promises, 'I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today'?

Wimpy never does pay: the diner's owner explains that he simply never comes round on a Tuesday, and since the 1930s the moocher has had a hamburger chain named after him.

When Betty Boop was redrawn from a poodle into a woman, what did her long, floppy ears become?

Hoop earrings: Betty Boop began in 1930's Dizzy Dishes as a nameless dog, girlfriend to the studio's canine star Bimbo, and her black button nose was redrawn as a girl's when she turned human.

Betty Boop was toned down in the mid-1930s because of what?

Enforcement of the Hays Code from 1934 forced Fleischer to lengthen Betty Boop's skirt and tame her flirtatious manner; singer Helen Kane's 1932 lawsuit over the 'boop-oop-a-doop' style failed.

A spinning Felix the Cat doll was the 1928 test image for which new technology?

Television had an early test star in a Felix doll turning on a record-player turntable: it could sit unharmed for hours under the fierce heat of the studio lights while RCA's engineers tuned the picture.

What did animator Joe Oriolo give Felix the Cat when he redesigned the character in the 1950s?

A magic bag of tricks: Joe Oriolo's Felix carried a satchel that turned into whatever he needed, which is why the Professor and his bulldog sidekick Rock Bottom spent the series trying to steal it.

Which of Snow White's seven dwarfs never speaks a word in Disney's 1937 film?

Dopey isn't unable to talk: Happy tells Snow White that he has simply never tried, so the animators gave him his whole personality through pantomime.

Walt Disney's honorary Oscar for Snow White was unusual in what way?

It came with seven miniature statuettes, one for each dwarf, lined up beside the usual full-size Oscar; ten-year-old Shirley Temple handed the set to Walt Disney at the 1939 ceremony.

The Jetsons holds what distinction in ABC's history?

Its first programme aired in colour, though few saw it that way: stations chose whether to transmit it in colour, and in 1962 fewer than 3 per cent of American homes had a colour set.

Which of Nickelodeon's original three Nicktoons aired first on 11 August 1991?

Doug was turned down by every publisher its creator showed it to as a picture book before Nickelodeon bought it; it then led off the channel's first morning of original cartoons, ahead of Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy.

In the Pokémon anime, who gives Ash his first Pokémon, Pikachu?

Professor Oak handed Ash the Pikachu only because Ash overslept and the usual three starters were gone; from the 26th season the show switched to new protagonists Liko and Roy.

In Animaniacs, why were the Warner siblings locked in the studio water tower in the 1930s?

They were seen as too zany: in the show's back-story the three ran riot on the studio lot in the 1930s, so the bosses locked them in the tower and disowned them until they escaped sixty years later.

South Park grew out of two animated shorts by Trey Parker and Matt Stone that shared what title?

The Spirit of Christmas was the name of both; the second was ordered by a Fox executive as a video Christmas card for his friends, and bootleg copies spread so widely that Comedy Central came calling.

Family Guy premiered in 1999 in a coveted slot right after which event?

Family Guy's pilot aired on Fox right after Super Bowl XXXIII on 31 January 1999; Fox cancelled the show in 2002 and brought it back in 2005 after strong DVD sales and cable reruns.

Adventure Time's boy hero was called Pen in the 2007 pilot short before being given which lasting name?

Finn was still Pen when the short became a viral hit online; Nickelodeon passed on making a series, Cartoon Network picked it up instead, and the hero had his new name by the 2010 premiere.

Eastman and Laird conceived the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a parody of what?

Superhero comics were the target, Daredevil above all: the Turtles' ooze echoes the accident that blinded him, their master Splinter spoofs his mentor Stick, and the Foot Clan mocks his enemies the Hand.

The Road Runner's famous call began as background artist Paul Julian's imitation of what everyday sound?

A car horn was Paul Julian's model for the 'beep, beep'; he recorded the call himself for the cartoons, uncredited, and is said to have preferred the spelling 'hmeep hmeep'.

Early model sheets for Wile E. Coyote gave him what punning name?

Early model sheets called the coyote 'Don Coyote', a pun on Don Quixote; he went unnamed on screen until his second cartoon in 1952, which introduced him as Wile E. Coyote.

Woody Woodpecker is the official mascot of which studio?

Universal released Woody's cartoons for most of his career and made him its mascot; from 1950 his voice was producer Walter Lantz's wife Grace Stafford, who won the part by slipping an unsigned tape into the auditions.

Which Looney Tunes star, the oldest still appearing today, debuted in 1935 reciting a poem at a school recital?

Porky Pig stuttered through 'Paul Revere's Ride' in I Haven't Got a Hat, one of a classroom of new animal characters; he was the breakout, and the series dropped its human lead Buddy for funny animals.

Looney Tunes' Tweety is usually portrayed as what kind of bird?

A canary, though he started out pink: after Bob Clampett's first cartoons, censors complained that the featherless baby bird looked naked, so the studio gave him yellow feathers.

Which perennial Looney Tunes loser starred in three Oscar-winning shorts, more than any of his castmates?

Sylvester's first winner, Tweetie Pie, nearly wasn't made: producer Edward Selzer wanted a woodpecker as the cat's prey, and gave way only after director Friz Freleng walked out over it.

Foghorn Leghorn borrowed 'That's a joke, son!' from which Fred Allen radio character?

Senator Claghorn, Kenny Delmar's windbag politician, was a popular radio character when the rooster arrived in 1946; one historian traces the voice to an older radio sheriff, but the catchphrases are pure Claghorn.

Which pint-sized Looney Tunes predator keeps trying to carry Foghorn Leghorn home for dinner?

Henery Hawk has never seen a chicken, so the rooster keeps talking him into grabbing the barnyard dog instead; Foghorn made his 1946 debut as a guest in one of Henery's own cartoons.

Pepé Le Pew usually pursues a cat that has accidentally acquired what?

A white stripe, usually from wet paint, makes the cat look like a skunk; in Pepé's 1945 debut the victim was a tomcat in disguise, and the great lover turned out to be a married fraud called Henry.

Marvin the Martian wants to blow up the Earth because it obstructs his view of which planet?

Venus is the view Marvin wants; in Hare-Way to the Stars Bugs snuffs the fuse and steals his Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, leaving Marvin to ask where the earth-shattering kaboom went.

Fan mail saved which Looney Tunes character from early retirement?

The Tasmanian Devil made only five cartoons before Warner's studio closed in the 1960s; it was the spin-off shows and merchandise of the 1990s that turned the character once judged too obnoxious into a star.

Which speech disorder makes Elmer Fudd say 'wabbit'?

Rhotacism, trouble pronouncing R, was the trademark of voice actor Arthur Q. Bryan; after Bryan died in 1959 the part eventually passed to Mel Blanc, who admitted he never quite got the voice right.

Chuck Jones's Rabbit Fire ends its rabbit-season, duck-season argument with a sign announcing which surprise season?

Elmer season turns the tables: the last sign the pair tear down puts the hunter himself in season. Rabbit Fire was the first cartoon to star Bugs and Daffy together, and two sequels made it the 'Hunting Trilogy'.

What nickname was voice actor Mel Blanc known by?

The Man of a Thousand Voices kept the act going to the grave: Mel Blanc's will asked for a headstone reading 'That's All Folks', the sign-off that had closed so many of his cartoons.

Mel Blanc was a long-running regular on which comedian's radio programme?

Jack Benny's show kept Mel Blanc busy for decades: he voiced Benny's wheezing Maxwell car, his pet polar bear Carmichael and his long-suffering violin teacher Professor LeBlanc.

Donald Duck debuted in which 1934 cartoon, shirking farm work?

The Wise Little Hen cast Donald as a shirker who would rather dance than help plant corn; the famous temper only arrived later that year, when he was reworked as Mickey's hot-headed foil in Orphan's Benefit.

What is Donald Duck's middle name?

Donald's full name, Donald Fauntleroy Duck, appears on his draft notice in the 1942 short Donald Gets Drafted, the first of his wartime Army cartoons.

Goofy, who debuted in 1932's Mickey's Revue, was first known by what name?

Dippy Dawg began as a nameless, white-bearded old heckler in the audience of Mickey's Revue; he was given the name afterwards, redrawn younger within months, and only became Goofy later in the decade.

Pluto made his debut as what breed of dog in The Chain Gang?

Pluto first appeared as one of two unnamed bloodhounds tracking escaped convict Mickey in The Chain Gang (1930); he became Minnie's dog Rover, then Mickey's Pluto in 1931.

Which cartoonist created Scrooge McDuck in 1947?

Carl Barks created Scrooge McDuck for the 1947 story Christmas on Bear Mountain, intending a one-off miserly uncle; Scrooge proved popular enough to headline his own comic by 1952.

Duckburg lies in which fictional US state?

Calisota blends California and Minnesota, supposedly so that the stories could have any weather they liked; a later artist's map puts it in the part of California north of Sacramento.

Which park ranger tries to stop Yogi Bear's raids on picnic baskets?

Ranger Smith took a while to arrive: in Yogi's earliest cartoons other, unnamed rangers kept order, and even Smith's own look kept changing from one episode to the next.

Why did Hanna-Barbera give Yogi Bear a collar?

To save redrawing his body: with a collar, animators could keep the body still and redraw only the head when he spoke, a cost-cutting trick that explains why several of the studio's other stars wear one too.

Which Hanna-Barbera character, a star of The Yogi Bear Show, exclaims 'Heavens to Murgatroyd!'?

Snagglepuss sounded so much like Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion that Lahr took legal action when the character fronted Kellogg's cereal adverts; they then had to carry the line 'Snagglepuss voice by Daws Butler'.

What colour is the slow-talking cartoon dog Huckleberry Hound?

Blue and unflappable, Huck was soon upstaged on his own show: a supporting act, Yogi Bear, proved so popular that he left for a series of his own.

Which song does Huckleberry Hound famously sing off-key as a running gag?

Oh My Darling, Clementine, sung flat and unbothered, is Huck's trademark; the drawl he sings it in was Daws Butler's take on a North Carolina vet who lived next door to his wife's family.

What is the name of the Jetsons' robot maid?

Rosie arrives in the very first episode; the original run lasted a single season of 24 episodes, yet repeats kept the family on air for decades.

Which long-suffering beat cop keeps trying to clear Top Cat's gang out of Hoagy's Alley?

Officer Dibble is the gang's eternal foil; the series borrowed its fast-talking schemer from Sergeant Bilko of The Phil Silvers Show, and even hired Bilko's Private Doberman, Maurice Gosfield, to voice Benny the Ball.

Which cartoon character began in the animated titles of a 1963 comedy?

The Pink Panther was the diamond the film's thieves are after; the cat from its credits was given a cartoon of his own the next year, The Pink Phink, and it won an Oscar at the first attempt.

Mr. Magoo starred in a 1962 musical of which Dickens story?

A Christmas Carol is staged as a Broadway show inside the cartoon, with Magoo as the actor playing its old miser, who brings the scenery down at the curtain call; the songs came from Broadway's Jule Styne and Bob Merrill.

What are Casper's three wicked uncles collectively called in the cartoons and comics?

The Ghostly Trio revel in the scaring their nephew refuses to do; the comics called them Fatso, Fusso and Lazo, and since the 1995 film they have usually gone by Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie.

Which comics publisher, home of Richie Rich, bought Casper outright?

Harvey Comics had published Casper under licence since 1952; once it owned him and Paramount's old cartoons outright in the late 1950s, it sold them to TV under its own name, as Harveytoons.

Which two Russian-style spies bedevil Rocky and Bullwinkle?

Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, spies for Pottsylvania, carry punning names, his on the tsar Boris Godunov and hers on 'femme fatale', and take their orders from Fearless Leader.

Which Rocky and Bullwinkle segment stars a genius dog and his adopted boy Sherman?

Peabody's Improbable History sends Mr. Peabody, a genius dog, and his adopted boy Sherman through time in the WABAC machine to meet historical figures, each episode ending on a groan-worthy pun.

Which rhyming canine hero, voiced by Wally Cox, is secretly Shoeshine Boy?

Underdog, voiced by Wally Cox, speaks only in rhyme ('There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!') and drops everything whenever reporter Sweet Polly Purebred is in trouble.

Speed Racer is known in Japan by what title?

Mach GoGoGo plays on 'go', Japanese for the number 5: the car is the Mach 5 and its driver is Go Mifune, renamed Speed Racer when Trans-Lux dubbed the show for American TV.

Astro Boy is known in Japan as what?

Mighty Atom is the usual English rendering of Tetsuwan Atomu; Osamu Tezuka's robot boy began in 1951 as a supporting character in the strip Ambassador Atom and got his own series the next year.

In Tezuka's original Astro Boy story, Doctor Tenma sells his robot boy to what?

A circus: Tenma built the robot as a double of his dead son Tobio, then tired of a boy who never grew up; the ringmaster worked him until Professor Ochanomizu won his freedom.

Which studio produced the 1983 cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe?

Filmation made 130 episodes for first-run syndication from 1983, keeping costs down by reusing the same stock animation sequences again and again.

In the 1985 film The Secret of the Sword, She-Ra is revealed to be which relation of He-Man?

His twin sister: Adora was stolen as a baby by Hordak and raised to command his Horde troops, until He-Man brought her the sword that turns her into She-Ra.

Which Japanese studio, later famous for Dragon Ball, drew most of The Transformers' first two seasons?

Toei Animation drew most of the American show's first two seasons; as it wound down in 1987, Toei carried the robots on in The Headmasters, a sequel series made for Japanese television.

Which two villains plot against the Turtles from the Technodrome in the 1987 Ninja Turtles cartoon?

The Shredder and Krang struck a bargain: the exiled alien brain supplied the Technodrome and its weapons, and Shredder had to build him the robot body he rides around in.

In Britain, the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon was retitled as what?

Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles was the British title because censors thought 'ninja' too violent for children; the word was cut from dialogue and Michelangelo's nunchucks were trimmed from fight scenes.

Which Belgian cartoonist created the Smurfs?

Peyo, the pen name of Pierre Culliford, first drew the Smurfs as bit players in his medieval strip Johan and Peewit; by his account he coined 'schtroumpf' when he blanked on the word for salt at dinner.

Which US network aired The Smurfs from 1981 to 1989?

NBC chief Fred Silverman ordered the Hanna-Barbera series after his daughter's Smurf doll convinced him the little blue elves could carry a Saturday-morning show, and it ran from 1981 to 1989.

Garfield's voice Lorenzo Music also played which of The Real Ghostbusters?

Peter Venkman, Bill Murray's film role, was Music's for the first two seasons; Murray later voiced Garfield in the live-action movies, so the two actors ended up swapping characters.

Which other Jim Davis strip provided segments for Garfield and Friends?

U.S. Acres followed a barnyard of talking farm animals; the newspaper strip folded in 1989, yet its cartoon segments ran on in Garfield and Friends until 1994.

Who really foils M.A.D.'s schemes in Inspector Gadget?

His niece Penny and her dog Brain quietly crack each case while Gadget, a bumbling detective voiced by Get Smart's Don Adams, blunders on without ever noticing their help.

Which studio, famed for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, produced 1985's ThunderCats?

Rankin/Bass swapped holiday specials for action with ThunderCats, whose hero Lion-O is a boy in a man's body: his suspension capsule let him age to adulthood on the flight from Thundera.

Which prized possession do villains repeatedly try to steal in DuckTales?

Scrooge's Number One Dime, the first coin he ever earned, is hunted by the sorceress Magica De Spell, who wants to melt it into an amulet that would give her the Midas touch.

Which school do the Tiny Toons attend?

The Tiny Toons attend Acme Looniversity in Acme Acres, where Bugs, Daffy and the other Looney Tunes stars serve as faculty; Steven Spielberg was executive producer of the 1990 series.

Batman: The Animated Series broke with studio practice by painting its backgrounds on what?

Black paper replaced the usual white: co-developer Eric Radomski had artists paint light colours onto dark sheets so every scene started in shadow, a look the producers called 'Dark Deco'.

What breed of dog is Ren of Ren & Stimpy?

Chihuahua Ren Hoek was inspired by an Elliott Erwitt photograph of a sweater-wearing chihuahua at a woman's feet, and his voice began as what his creator called a bad imitation of Peter Lorre.

Who created The Ren & Stimpy Show?

John Kricfalusi created The Ren & Stimpy Show through his studio Spumco; Nickelodeon fired him in 1992 and moved production to its in-house Games Animation unit.

Beavis and Butt-Head live in which fictional Texas town?

Highland, Texas, is home to Beavis and Butt-Head and to Highland High; the name matches a real Highland High School in Albuquerque, the city where creator Mike Judge spent his teens.

Which MTV showcase aired the early Beavis and Butt-Head short Frog Baseball?

Liquid Television, MTV's late-night animation showcase, aired Mike Judge's short Frog Baseball in September 1992, and MTV went on to commission a full Beavis and Butt-Head series that began in 1993.

Who created Dexter's Laboratory?

Genndy Tartakovsky drew the tall ballerina Dee Dee first as a CalArts student, then invented a short, blocky opposite for her, and that little brother became Dexter.

Which Cartoon Network series grew out of Craig McCracken's student film Whoopass Stew?

The Powerpuff Girls were first the Whoopass Girls; Cartoon Network wanted a name fit for children, so the title changed and the 'can of Whoopass' that gave them powers became Chemical X.

Which rock-and-roll icon's voice and pompadour does Johnny Bravo imitate?

Elvis Presley came with the character: Van Partible built Johnny Bravo out of his college film about an Elvis impersonator, and voice actor Jeff Bennett kept the drawl.

Courage the Cowardly Dog lives with Muriel and Eustace in a town called what?

Nowhere, Kansas, is where Muriel found Courage as an abandoned pup, after a crazed vet had launched his parents into outer space.

Which film beat the pilot of Courage the Cowardly Dog to the Oscar for animated short?

A Close Shave, a Wallace & Gromit short, took the award over The Chicken from Outer Space; its runaway sheep Shaun went on to a series of his own, just as Courage did.

In Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd n Eddy, what candy do the three Eds scam their cul-de-sac neighbours to afford?

Jawbreakers are all the Eds want, and every scam on the cul-de-sac kids is meant to pay for them; creator Danny Antonucci, an adult cartoonist, made the show on a dare to try a children's series.

Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett animated the clay 'Penny' cartoons for which children's show?

Pee-wee's Playhouse ran Bartlett's clay 'Penny' cartoons; he went on to make clay shorts starring Arnold, and Sesame Street aired one, years before the Nickelodeon series began.

What kind of animal is Rocko of Rocko's Modern Life?

Rocko is an Australian wallaby who has emigrated to O-Town; creator Joe Murray first drew him for an unpublished comic before Nickelodeon launched the series in 1993.

Which Nickelodeon showcase spawned The Fairly OddParents?

Oh Yeah! Cartoons ran ten Fairly OddParents shorts from 1998, and their popularity persuaded Nickelodeon to order Butch Hartman's full series in 2001.

What kind of pet is Rufus in Kim Possible?

A naked mole rat was Ron Stoppable's answer to his father's fur allergy: he bought the hairless Rufus at Smarty Mart, and the pet now rides in his pocket on Kim's missions.

Which evil scientist battles Perry the Platypus in Phineas and Ferb?

Dr. Doofenshmirtz, hapless head of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, fights Perry every episode, and the fallout always wipes out all trace of Phineas and Ferb's latest project.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, which element gives Book One its name?

Water comes first because Aang, already an airbender, heads for the North Pole to find a waterbending master; Earth and Fire give their names to Books Two and Three.

Which martial arts inspired the 'bending' in Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Chinese styles were matched to each element with consultant Sifu Kisu: flowing tai chi for water, firmly rooted Hung Gar for earth, forceful Northern Shaolin for fire and circling Baguazhang for air.

In Gravity Falls, twins Dipper and Mabel spend the summer helping Grunkle Stan run what tourist trap?

Creator Alex Hirsch voices Grunkle Stan himself, hawking fake oddities at the Mystery Shack while the twins investigate the town's real ones.

Which singer voices Garnet in Steven Universe?

Estelle, the British singer of 'American Boy', voices Garnet, who is revealed in the first-season finale to be two Gems in love fused into one, a twist she announces in the song 'Stronger Than You'.

Which two men created Rick and Morty?

Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon created Rick and Morty for Adult Swim in 2013, growing it out of Roiland's crude Back to the Future parody short; Roiland voiced both leads until 2023.

Which Fox animated sitcom's family began as cannibals in the original pitch?

Bob's Burgers kept the family restaurant but dropped the cannibalism at Fox's urging; the first episode, 'Human Flesh', in which a rumour spreads that the burgers contain people, nods to the old idea.

Which actor voiced the spy Sterling Archer while also playing the Belcher children's father?

H. Jon Benjamin voiced both leads at once from 2011 until Archer ended in 2023; one Archer episode even had the spy lose his memory and live as the Belcher dad behind the grill.

King of the Hill is set in which fictional Texas city?

Arlen is Mike Judge's blend of Dallas suburbs such as Garland, where he once lived, and Richardson; its residents came back for a Hulu revival in August 2025.

After waking in the year 2999, Futurama's Fry goes to work for which company owned by his distant nephew?

Planet Express belongs to Professor Farnsworth, Fry's distant nephew, who hires him as a delivery boy, the very job that got Fry frozen during a pizza run on New Year's Eve 1999.

Which Simpsons writer helped Matt Groening develop Futurama?

David X. Cohen was born David S. Cohen; when Futurama came under Writers Guild rules, which bar two members from sharing a credited name, he swapped his middle initial for an X.

Which British broadcaster first aired Peppa Pig in 2004?

Channel 5 launched Peppa Pig in May 2004; after parents complained that the family never buckled up, its makers promised seat belts and re-animated the early car scenes to add them.

Which Canadian company produces Paw Patrol?

Toronto toy company Spin Master produces Paw Patrol, with animation by Guru Studio; the series, in which Ryder leads his rescue pups in Adventure Bay, premiered on Nickelodeon in 2013.

Which monkey is Dora the Explorer's best friend and travelling companion?

Boots, named for his beloved red boots, joins Dora on most of her trips, where the way to stop the thieving fox Swiper is to say 'Swiper, no swiping!' three times.

Arthur Read of PBS's Arthur is what kind of animal?

An aardvark with a long snout is how Marc Brown first drew him in Arthur's Nose (1976), a bedtime story he told his child; the nose shrank book by book until it all but vanished.

In the preschool cartoon Bluey, what is the name of Bluey's younger sister?

Bingo, a red heeler like her mum, joins her big sister's make-believe games; creator Joe Brumm based the show on watching his own two daughters play.

Which media mogul launched Cartoon Network in 1992 to air his cartoon library?

Ted Turner already owned MGM's old cartoons and bought Hanna-Barbera in 1991, so his new channel could fill its schedule from his own vaults.

Which film star danced with Jerry Mouse in the 1945 MGM musical Anchors Aweigh?

Gene Kelly's studio first asked to borrow Mickey Mouse for the dance; when the Disney studio said no, MGM's own cartoon unit animated Jerry into the scene instead.

Which two animators produced the earliest Looney Tunes with Schlesinger from 1930 to 1933?

Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, ex-Disney animators, made the first Looney Tunes starring Bosko for producer Leon Schlesinger from 1930 until they left in 1933, when Schlesinger took production in-house.

Which 1905 comic strip is Winsor McCay's signature work?

Little Nemo in Slumberland, McCay's lavish full-page dream strip, began in the New York Herald in October 1905; he signed his other strip, Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, as 'Silas' for contract reasons.

Gertie the Dinosaur was first shown to audiences in 1914 as part of what?

A vaudeville act: McCay stood beside the screen and gave orders, and the animated Gertie appeared to obey him, performing tricks like a trained elephant.

Which newspaper baron, Winsor McCay's employer, cut back his live appearances with Gertie the Dinosaur?

William Randolph Hearst wanted his star cartoonist at the drawing board, so McCay added a filmed live-action prologue that let Gertie play cinemas without him.

Where did Ub Iwerks first meet Walt Disney in 1919?

Kansas City, Missouri, is where the two teenagers met at a commercial art studio; both were laid off within months and promptly launched their own short-lived firm, Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists.

Which Seuss character did Chuck Jones bring to TV in a 1966 special?

The Grinch reunited Jones with the author: the two had made Private Snafu army training cartoons together during the Second World War, and Boris Karloff narrated the new special.

Which deadpan dog did Tex Avery create at MGM in 1943?

Droopy, the basset hound who never raises his voice yet always wins, debuted in Tex Avery's MGM short Dumb-Hounded (1943); Avery also created Screwy Squirrel and Red Hot Riding Hood there.

Which Looney Tunes character was said to resemble director Friz Freleng?

Yosemite Sam, short, red-whiskered and explosive, was by writer Michael Maltese's account modelled on his own director; Freleng wanted a tougher foe for Bugs than the mild Elmer Fudd.

Which device for tracing live-action footage did Max Fleischer invent?

The Rotoscope projected filmed footage one frame at a time for tracing; Fleischer tried it out by filming his brother Dave in a clown suit, and the result became Koko the Clown.

Max Fleischer's studio made a lavish series of Technicolor cartoons from 1941 starring which costumed hero?

Superman was a showcase for the studio behind Betty Boop and Popeye, but in 1942 Paramount called in its loans, pushed the Fleischer brothers out and finished the series as Famous Studios.

Which singing frog from the 1955 short One Froggy Evening became the mascot of The WB network?

Michigan J. Frog sings and dances only for whoever holds his box and croaks like any frog once others look, ruining his owner's dreams of riches; Chuck Jones named him years later after his song 'The Michigan Rag'.

What's Opera, Doc? parodies the operas of which composer?

Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries becomes Elmer Fudd's 'Kill the wabbit!' as he hunts Bugs through a pocket-sized spoof of the Ring cycle, a short the National Film Registry preserved in 1992.

Which 1989 short was the first Wallace & Gromit film?

A Grand Day Out, Nick Park's 1989 debut for Wallace and Gromit, sends the pair to the Moon in search of cheese; it was Oscar-nominated but lost to Park's own Creature Comforts.

Which 1949 short introduced Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner?

Fast and Furry-ous began as director Chuck Jones's parody of cat-and-mouse chase cartoons like Tom and Jerry, and the joke proved durable enough to run for dozens of sequels.

Samurai Jack's creator cited which 1970s TV drama about a wandering hero as inspiration?

Kung Fu, with David Carradine as a wandering monk, was the series the creator invoked when pitching Samurai Jack, whose hero roams a future ruled by the demon Aku.

In The Amazing World of Gumball, what kind of animal is Gumball's adoptive brother Darwin?

A goldfish: Darwin was Gumball's pet until he sprouted legs and was adopted into the Watterson family; Gumball himself is a blue cat.

In Regular Show, what is Benson, the boss of groundskeepers Mordecai and Rigby?

Benson, the park manager who bosses Mordecai and Rigby, is a living gumball machine whose gumballs flush bright red when he loses his temper; Pops is lollipop-shaped and Skips an immortal yeti.

Invader Zim, the alien bent on conquering Earth, comes from which planet?

Irk's rulers, the Almighty Tallest, wanted Zim out of the way, so they sent him on a made-up 'secret mission' to a far-off planet they barely believed in, which turned out to be Earth.

Danger Mouse and Penfold operate from a London hideout inside what?

A red pillar box in London hides the secret base of Danger Mouse and Penfold; Cosgrove Hall's spy parody ran on ITV from 1981 to 1992 and spawned Count Duckula.

In Disney's Gargoyles, Goliath's clan lived in a castle in which country in the year 994?

Goliath's clan guarded Castle Wyvern in Scotland in 994 until betrayal and a magic curse froze them as stone; they awaken a thousand years later atop a Manhattan skyscraper.

Maurice LaMarche modelled the voice of the Brain, of Pinky and the Brain, on which film director?

Orson Welles was LaMarche's signature impression: he gave the scheming lab mouse the director's booming, world-weary delivery, and a year later dubbed Welles's own voice in the film Ed Wood.

Which Batman villain was created for Batman: The Animated Series before appearing in any comic book?

Harley Quinn was written as a walk-on part and was meant to appear in just one episode. Her comic book debut followed a year later, in a tie-in to the cartoon.

Which actress went to audition for Lisa Simpson but asked to read for her brother Bart instead?

Nancy Cartwright found Bart the more interesting part, and creator Matt Groening offered her the role on the spot. She went on to voice the ten-year-old boy for decades.

Which American Top 40 countdown host was the first voice of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo cartoons?

Casey Kasem had wanted to play Fred but was cast as Shaggy. He later returned to the part on condition that Shaggy, like him, ate no meat.

In SpongeBob SquarePants, the scheming villain Plankton is married to Karen, who is what?

A computer is Plankton's wife, sidekick and best friend. Creator Stephen Hillenburg named Karen after his own wife.

Which soul singer behind the Theme from Shaft voiced the school cook Chef on South Park?

Isaac Hayes played Chef from the 1997 debut until 2006. He left after an episode lampooned Scientology, the church he belonged to.

In Rick and Morty, scientist Rick Sanchez famously turns himself into what to avoid family therapy?

A pickle is the form Rick takes in the episode Pickle Rick. It won Rick and Morty its first Emmy Award.

In Disney's Lady and the Tramp, which dish do the two dogs share at Tony's Restaurant?

Spaghetti leads to the film's accidental kiss, as the dogs swallow opposite ends of one strand. The scene had been discarded until animator Frank Thomas drew it himself and won Walt Disney over.

Which sitcom star won an Emmy for voicing Sideshow Bob, the cultured would-be killer of Bart Simpson?

Kelsey Grammer gives Bob the cultured tones of his Frasier Crane. The character has been described as "Frasier pickled in arsenic".

Which Star Wars actor became the long-running cartoon voice of the Joker, starting with Batman: The Animated Series?

Mark Hamill, the screen's Luke Skywalker, has made the cackling villain his best-known voice role. It has earned him two Annie Award nominations and a BAFTA games award.

In the Australian cartoon Bluey, what is the name of Bluey's younger sister?

Bingo is four when the series begins. Creator Joe Brumm drew on his own family life: his daughters were between four and six when he made the pilot.

Which character was introduced in the short Mr. Duck Steps Out as the girlfriend of Donald Duck?

Daisy was inspired by Donna Duck, a sweetheart who appeared in a single 1937 short. She has a temper too, but far greater self-control than Donald.

In Futurama, which one-eyed spaceship captain becomes the girlfriend and later fiancée of delivery boy Fry?

Leela believes for years that she is an alien. She then learns she is a mutant whose parents gave her up as a baby so that she could have a better life.

Which princess, cursed to turn into an ogre every night, falls in love with and marries Shrek?

Fiona plans to break the spell by kissing a prince, but true love's kiss leaves her an ogre for good. Her last transformation parodies the Beast's in Beauty and the Beast.

In Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which dog is Pongo's mate and the mother of the fifteen stolen puppies?

Perdita is a blend of two dogs from Dodie Smith's novel: the puppies' birth mother, Missis, and a foster mother whose name the film kept.

In The Fairly OddParents, which fairy is Cosmo's wife, Poof's mother and young Timmy's godmother?

Wanda's swirl of hair was modelled on Wilma from The Flintstones. Her vain twin sister Blonda stars in a soap opera, All My Biceps.

Which best friend and crime-fighting sidekick becomes Kim Possible's boyfriend in the TV movie So the Drama?

Ron Stoppable is edged out when Kim falls for a new student, Eric, and his jealousy makes him face his changing feelings. The pair date through their senior year.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, which waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe grows up to marry Aang?

Katara and her brother Sokka find Aang frozen in an iceberg at the start of the story. As an adult she becomes a world-renowned healer.

In Adventure Time's finale, which bass-playing vampire queen shares a kiss with Princess Bubblegum?

Marceline made her electric bass from her family's heirloom battle-axe. Her romance with Bubblegum was only implied for years before the finale confirmed it.

In Hey Arnold!, which classroom bully secretly loves Arnold and builds shrines to him?

Helga bullies Arnold to keep her feelings hidden. In The Jungle Movie he finally returns them with a kiss, after her locket helps to save his parents.

In the anime Sailor Moon, which rose-throwing hero is the alter ego of Usagi's love interest Mamoru Chiba?

Tuxedo Mask throws roses like darts to distract enemies, then lets Sailor Moon land the finishing blow. In a past life he was her lover, Prince Endymion.

Which Family Guy creator provides the voices of Peter, Stewie and Brian Griffin himself?

Seth MacFarlane also plays the neighbour Glenn Quagmire and newsreader Tom Tucker. A student film, The Life of Larry, got him hired by a major animation studio.

On King of the Hill, proud Texan Hank Hill makes his living selling which fuel and its accessories?

Propane is close to a religion for Hank, so the writers researched the business in depth. The propane industry came to see him as a positive image.

In American Dad!, the family breadwinner Stan Smith works as an agent for which US government agency?

CIA agent Stan brings the extreme measures of his job home to his wife Francine and their children, Hayley and Steve.

Which South Park boy speaks in a muffled voice from inside an orange parka and kept dying in early seasons?

Kenny was based on a real childhood friend of co-creator Trey Parker, also named Kenny, whose coat hood garbled his speech. He would return alive in the next episode with little or no explanation.

Which Beavis and Butt-Head creator went on to voice both Hank Hill and Boomhauer on King of the Hill?

Mike Judge studied physics at university before he turned to animation. He also wrote and directed the satirical film Idiocracy.

Which vintage cartoon superhero was reinvented as the host of a spoof talk show, Coast to Coast, on Cartoon Network?

Space Ghost interviewed live-action guests on a monitor beside his desk, usually believing them to be fellow superheroes. To save money, the show recycled clips from his original series.

Which monotone teenager was created as an intelligent foil to Beavis and Butt-Head before getting her own MTV series?

Daria was added, an MTV executive said, to put the two boys in their place. Her spin-off was developed to appeal more to female viewers.

Which Adult Swim series follows a trio of roommates: a milkshake, a box of fries and a ball of meat?

Aqua Teen Hunger Force stars Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad. In early episodes the trio solved crimes for money, which is where the title comes from.

In Netflix's BoJack Horseman, which pink Persian cat is BoJack's agent and on-and-off girlfriend?

Princess Carolyn represents BoJack in the early seasons, managing a horse still living off his 1990s sitcom, Horsin' Around. Amy Sedaris provides her voice.

On Family Guy, which character was born to multibillionaire parents Carter and Barbara Pewterschmidt?

Lois is voiced by Alex Borstein, a producer and writer on the show. Borstein plays her mother Barbara too, so their scenes together are one actress in conversation with herself.

Which member of the Scooby-Doo gang is the brains of the group, forever losing her glasses and crying 'Jinkies!'?

Velma is severely short-sighted, and her wail of "I can't see without my glasses!" became a running gag. Nicole Jaffe first voiced her, from 1969 to 1973.

Which Winnie-the-Pooh character lives in a 'Gloomy Place' and keeps losing the tail Christopher Robin pins back on?

Eeyore's tail once went missing because Owl had mistaken it for a bell-pull. The character was inspired by a toy donkey that author A. A. Milne's son Christopher Robin was given for Christmas.

Which Peanuts character clings to a blue security blanket and waits every Halloween for the Great Pumpkin?

Linus is also the strip's philosopher and theologian, often quoting the Gospels. TV producer Lee Mendelson called him his favourite Peanuts character.

Which SpongeBob SquarePants character comes from Texas, loves karate and wears a diving suit to survive underwater?

Sandy Cheeks is a squirrel scientist who lives in a bubble-like treedome. Sea creatures who visit must wear "water helmets" to breathe inside it.

Which blue-skinned sorcerer plots from Snake Mountain to seize Castle Grayskull from his archenemy He-Man?

Skeletor was later given an origin as Keldor, half-brother of He-Man's father, his face ruined by acid. That makes the hero his nephew.

Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle wears purple, fights with a bo staff and is the smartest of the four brothers?

Donatello is often the gentlest of the brothers as well as the cleverest. Like them, he is named after an Italian Renaissance artist.

Which sorcerer hunts the Smurfs with his cat Azrael, hoping to turn them into gold?

Gargamel also created Smurfette as a trap for the Smurfs. The scheme failed when she betrayed him and joined them.

Which Autobot leader in The Transformers turns into a truck and is voiced by Peter Cullen in the 1980s cartoon?

Optimus Prime began as a transforming truck in Takara's Japanese Diaclone toy line. He is killed in a final fight with Megatron in the 1986 animated film.

Which Oscar-winning Hollywood legend provided the voice for Maggie Simpson's first word, 'Daddy'?

Elizabeth Taylor recorded the single word 24 times, creator Matt Groening recalled, because her takes "were always too sexual".

In Rugrats, which spoiled older cousin of Tommy Pickles bullies and manipulates the babies for her own gain?

Angelica can talk to the babies and to the grown-ups, so she acts as a bridge between their two worlds. Her parents are doting Drew and workaholic Charlotte.

Which teacher on The Simpsons marries neighbour Ned Flanders after an earlier romance with Principal Skinner?

Edna Krabappel was retired from the show after her voice actress, Marcia Wallace, died in 2013. The producers chose not to recast the part.

Which actor is the voice of both spy Sterling Archer and burger chef Bob Belcher of Bob's Burgers?

H. Jon Benjamin was surprised to be offered Archer, since he did not believe his voice suited the part. He was named 2014's male comedy performer of the year for the two roles.

Which uncredited actress voiced Jessica Rabbit's line 'I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way' in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Kathleen Turner took the part while pregnant because she "just had to show up and do her voice". Jessica's singing was performed by Amy Irving.

Which Ralph Bakshi film, based on a Robert Crumb comic strip, was the first American animated feature rated X?

Fritz the Cat was sold on its rating, with adverts boasting "he's X-rated and animated!". Crumb disagreed with the filmmakers over the film's artistic direction.

Which cartoonist turned his own comic strip about brothers Huey and Riley Freeman into Adult Swim's The Boondocks?

Aaron McGruder first published The Boondocks on Hitlist.com, one of the first music websites. The TV version's last season was made without his involvement.

In Steven Universe, Garnet is the fusion of which two Gems, who marry in the episode Reunited?

Ruby and Sapphire first fused by accident, when Ruby pushed her partner out of the way of danger. They choose to stay fused out of love for each other.

Which comic actor voiced Jay Sherman, the New York film reviewer whose catchphrase was 'It stinks!', in The Critic?

Jon Lovitz at first turned the role down because of film commitments, so the series became a cartoon at the last moment. It was created by two former Simpsons showrunners.

Which 1990s USA Network cartoon starred Jason Alexander as a widowed, lewd private detective living with his family?

Duckman began as a one-shot comic book by Everett Peck. The show's opening credits carried the tagline "Private Dick/Family Man".

In Futurama, which long-suffering green alien assistant to Captain Zapp Brannigan becomes Amy Wong's boyfriend?

Kif Kroker comes from the planet Amphibios 9 and compares his body plan to a sea cucumber. In one episode it is Kif, not Amy, who becomes pregnant.

In Rick and Morty, Rick craves a McDonald's dipping sauce first sold in 1998 to promote which Disney film?

Mulan's tie-in Szechuan sauce was sold with Chicken McNuggets. After the cartoon mentioned it, McDonald's brought the sauce back as a promotion of its own.