In 1927, film producer Charles Mintz approached the Disney studio and cartoonist Ub Iwerks to develop Universal’s first animated character, along with creating all the cartoons.  The result was a short called Poor Papa, featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Universal was not thrilled with the first episode—execs had expected the character to be heavily based

A Space Age counterpart to The Flintstones, The Jetsons hit homes September 23, 1962 as ABC-TV’s first color program. As popular as the cartoon was – and still is today – the original series lasted only one year (24 episodes). The Jetsons aired Sunday evenings, featuring a family residing in Orbit City in the year

In 1865, English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote the tale of a girl who falls down a rabbit whole and lands in a fantasy world. That book was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Dodgson wrote it under the pseudonymn Lewis Carroll. Considered one of the best works of literary nonsense, the book has influenced more

“What’s up, Doc?” It’s one of the most recognizable phrases in the world, and it belongs to a cartoon legend named Bugs Bunny. Bugs Bunny was first seen in 1938 in a cartoon short film called Porky’s Hare Hunt.  The character drawn was the prototype for Bugs Bunny, and he looked a little different than

Who could ever forget Snoopy? That lovable beagle of Charlie Brown’s and a main character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz… Snoopy made his first appearance in October of 1950, two days after the premiere of the Peanuts strip. He received his name when Schulz recalled his mother saying if the family got

Tom and Jerry is one of the most famous duos of all time.  Since 1940, Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse have been making people laugh at the funny scenarios they get themselves into. The duo started out as a series of theatrical short cartoon films that were played in movie theaters before the

Betty Boop, one of America’s most beloved characters, made her debut appearance in 1930 as a canine cabaret signer in the cartoon “Dizzy Dishes.” Since then she has warmed our hearts, made us smile, and charmed us for over 70 years. With her cute wink and saucy personality, she is sure to win the hearts of generations to come.

Porky Pig first appeared in 1935 in the Warner Bros. cartoon, “I Haven’t Got A Hat”.  He was originally paired with Beans the Cat, forming a partnership called Porky and Beans.  The public fell for the cute, stuttering pig right from the start, and within two years Porky starred in more than 30 cartoons and

The Pink Panther first appeared on film in the 1963 Blake Edwards movie, The Pink Panther, starring Peter Sellers as the clumsy French detective, Inspector Clouseau. In the film, the term “Pink Panther” referred to a large diamond with a flaw at its center resembling a pink pouncing panther. This was the inspiration for the character