Tom

 

Thomas "Tom" Cat is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Tom is a blue/grey anthropomorphic domestic short-haired cat who first appeared in the 1940 animated short Puss Gets the Boot Tom was originally known as "Jasper" during his debut in that short, however, beginning from his next appearance in The Midnight Snack and onward, he is known as "Tom" or "Thomas".

His full name "Tom Cat" is based on "tomcat", a phrase which refers to male cats. He is very rarely heard speaking with the exception of a few cartoons (such as Tom & Jerry Tales' League of Cats) and "Tom and Jerry: The Movie". His only notable vocal sounds outside of this are his various screams whenever he is subject to pain or panic. He is continuously after Jerry Mouse, for whom he sets traps, many of which backfire and cause damage to him rather than Jerry. Tom rarely sets out to eat Jerry, only to hurt or compete with him, going to great lengths in order to torment Jerry. However, Tom is shown to get along with Jerry at times.

Tom has changed remarkably over the years, especially after the first episodes. For example, in his debut, he was quadrupedal and had normal cat intelligence. However, over the years (since the episode Dog Trouble), he has become almost completely bipedal and has human intelligence. As a slapstick cartoon character, Tom has a superhuman level of elasticity. When acting as Jerry's antagonist, Tom is usually defeated (or very rarely, killed) in the end, although there are some stories where he outwits and defeats Jerry.

Jerry

Jerry Mouse is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Jerry is a brown house mouse, who first appeared as an unnamed mouse in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss Gets the Boot. Hanna gave the mouse's original name as "Jinx", while Barbera claimed the mouse went unnamed in his first appearance.

The name "Jerry" was chosen by MGM animator John Carr, who submitted "Tom and Jerry" as potential names for the duo after an important Loews Inc. distributor in Texas asked for follow-ups to Puss Gets the Boot. While the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo was considered shopworn by the 1940s, Hanna and Barbera decided to expand upon the standard expected hunter/prey relationship. Their Jerry Mouse, an "incurable scene stealer", served more or less as the protagonist of most of the films; instead of being a "cowering victim" of his pursuer, Tom Cat, he took delight in besting, and often torturing, his antagonist (though sometimes, Tom is just following orders or is even just minding his own business and is antagonized by Jerry). Hanna and Barbera considered Tom and Jerry "the best of enemies", whose rivalry hid an unspoken amount of mutual respect.

In later Tom and Jerry cartoons, Jerry acquired a young ward: a small grey mouse called "Tuffy" or "Nibbles" depending upon the cartoon, who was left on Jerry's doorstep as a foundling baby in the 1946 short The Milky Waif. Jerry and Tuffy were also featured together in a sub-series of Tom and Jerry cartoons set in 17th century France which featured the characters asmusketeers. The first of these shorts, The Two Mouseketeers, won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.

Hanna and Barbera served as writer/directors of the Tom and Jerry cartoons until 1956, when they also became the producers. Fourteen Tom and Jerry cartoons between 1940 and 1954 were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, with seven of the shorts winning that award. MGM shut down its animation department in 1957, but new Tom and Jerry cartoons were produced by Gene Deitchand later Chuck Jones during the 1960s. Jerry would also appear in later Tom and Jerry productions made for television, a series of direct-to-video features, and Tom and Jerry: The Movie, a 1992 theatrical film. Later productions eschewed much of the violence the 1940s and 1950s shorts were known for, and in several of the television shows Jerry was given a red bow tie and a kinder disposition.

Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh, a fictional teddy bear created by A. A. Milne, became an unexpected cultural phenomenon who inspired numerous book, film, and television adaptations from 1926 to the present. Pooh shattered language and cultural barriers around the world, with notable entries to the lexicon being  a Latin book translation and a Soviet film trilogy.

Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin were both based in reality - Milne's son, actually named Christopher Robin, owned a teddy bear that inspired the stories. The younger Milne also owned stuffed animals called Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo; his father used these names as well for the tiger, donkey, kangaroo, and joey in the story. The characters of Owl and Rabbit were added for the story while Disney added Gopher to its adaptations in the 1960s. Milne's bear was named after a black bear named Winnie at the London Zoo and a swan named Pooh. In the stories, Milne explains that the bear is often simply called "Pooh" because he often had to blow flies off of his nose instead of swatting them with his paws.

The setting is Ashdown Forest, which is located in Sussex, England, 30 miles south of London. Milne owned a country home there where his family vacationed in the summer, and he subsequently picked the area as the setting for the Pooh stories. Iconic "Hundred Acre Wood" is in fact Five Hundred Acre Wood and Galleon's Leap is a fictionalization of the Gill's Lap hilltop. The illustrations are likewise directly inspired by the actual landscapes of Ashdown Forest.

Milne's first collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories, titled Winnie-the-Pooh, was published in October 1926. In 1930, Stephen Slesinger purchased rights to Winnie-the-Pooh in the U.S. and Canada, and by the end of the next year, Pooh had exploded to a $50 million a year business. Pooh gained his famous red shirt in 1932, the first time the characters appeared in color, due to Slesinger's drawing the shirt and its being constantly reproduced afterward. (Pooh had worn a shirt even in the first book, but it had not been red until Slesinger colored it red.)

Slesinger's and Milne's widows both licensed rights to Disney in 1961, and the company has produced animated features, direct-to-video films, and television series starring the Pooh characters since 1966. 

Overall, Pooh has had many adaptations: two theatrical, several audio readings, recordings, and dramatizations, five theatrical feature films, five television series, four holiday specials, and five direct-to-video films.

Aladdin

Aladdin was born 18 years prior to the first film to Cassim and an unnamed woman. When Aladdin was only an infant his father left him and his mother in order to find a better life for his family. However, Aladdin's mother was captured by bandits when Aladdin was two, and was presumed dead. Due to being orphaned so early, Aladdin never received a formal education, and thus was forced to learn to survive in the streets of Agrabah. Lacking other means, he steals only to survive, but his good heart often moves him to give what he has stolen to others as poor or poorer than him, making him a sort of Robin Hood-type thief.

When Aladdin was seven he had his first encounter with Razoul, the new captain of the Sultan's guard. Aladdin had stolen an apple from a fruit stand (in the same manner as Jasmine in the first film). Initially, the boy managed to outmaneuver the guards. Eventually, he was apprehended and sentenced to detention within the palace dungeon. However, he managed to escape by picking the locks to his chains. While in his mid-teen years, he stole a vest, a pair of pants, and a fez from a clothes line. When he was sixteen he fell in with a group of circus performers; Aziz, Fatima, Minos and their pet, who would eventually become his best friend, Abu the monkey.

Personality

Aladdin is cheery, trustworthy, bold, loving, generous and resourceful. He is referred to in the first film as a "diamond in the rough", with his true worth hidden beneath his street-rat exterior. His heroism is often demonstrated by his selfless acts and his determination to rescue Jasmine whenever she needs his help. Aladdin's resourcefulness often shows in his ability to easily steal food for him and Abu, but he will often offer it to others less fortunate and reprimand Abu if the monkey tries to take more than they need. Aladdin's simple upbringing has taught him to cherish all that he has, especially those close to him. His concern for others has helped reunite him with his father and meet Jasmine. Unfortunately, this works against him on such occasions when he helps people like Iagoand Cassim, forcing him to deceive Jasmine and the palace guards.

Aladdin is not without flaws. While courting Jasmine under the guise of Prince Ali, he constantly lies about his true identity, feeling that Jasmine would not accept him as he was. He initially acted arrogant, but came to realize that this performance was angering Jasmine. However, he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes, and will do everything in his power to make up for it.

Physical Appearance

Aladdin is a handsome, slender, slightly muscular young man with black hair and brown eyes. As a thief he is shirtless with only a purple waistcoat, white pants with a yellow patch a brown belt and a crimson fez, he is also barefoot. Wheras as a prince, he has a white turban and clothing and Arab style shoes. In the third movie, he wears a similar wardrobe that includes shoes.

Dumbo

Dumbo is the titular protagonist of the 1941 Disney film of the same name. Dumbo is a small elephant and the son of Mrs. Jumbo (which makes him the only boy elephant out of all the elephants seen in the movie). Dumbo is most famous for his giant floppy ears.

He is usually a silent character (except in comics), though he was voiced by Katie Leigh in the 1985 television series Dumbo's Circus.

Dumbo has the personality of a small child. He is playful and very fun. He loves being around his mother and hates being alone. When he does come along, his sidekick Timothy comes along and becomes his best friend. As he is only a baby in his first appearance, he does not talk during the film. However, in Dumbo's Circus, he does talk when he's nearly a teenager.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is the main protagonist in the 1953 film of the same name, and the one of the two protagonists (the other being Jane) ofits 2002 sequel. Peter travels from the enchanted isle of Never Landall the way to London just to hear Wendy Darling spin tales about him and his adventures. While his ego may seem inflated at times, even his arch-nemesis, Captain Hook, knows that Peter's no ordinary boy. He can fly without wings and match Hook's cutlass with nothing more than a dagger. He's also the undisputed leader of the Lost Boys and allows no breaks in ranks. Time makes little difference to him; when you never grow up, life is nothing but fun, whimsy and adventure. He was voiced by Bobby Driscoll in the original film and currently voiced by Blayne Weaver.

Peter Pan is a young boy who lives on the island of Never Land. He has a pixie who is his best friend and sidekick and he is the current leader of the Lost Boys. He spends most days going on adventures and battling the notorious pirate Captain Hook.

An earlier story idea involved Peter's birth and how he came to be. When he was an infant, fairies entered his home and took him away to Never Land. When Peter returned he discovered another baby in his mother's bed. Feeling rejected and forgotten, Peter left and returned to Never Land - now his home. Eventually Peter meets Tinker Bell and gathers a group of younger kids and create the Lost Boys. The idea was dropped early in production as Walt Disneybelieved how Peter came to be was another story.

Personality

Peter Pan is incredibly adventurous and daring. His favorite activities include battling pirates, engaging in friendly wars with the Indians, and listening to Wendy's stories of his adventures. Being a young boy, Peter can be rather impractical at times but when it comes to rescuing his friends, he is far more mature than any adult can be. He is respected and loved by nearly every inhabitant of Never Land with the exception of Captain Hook (and his crew) who despises Peter for cutting off his hand and feeding it to the crocodile during their first battle. Ever since, Peter and Hook have been at wits constantly battling in the hope that one would finally "walk the plank". One of the many things Peter discards is adulthood. This drove him to create a team of kids who also desire to stay young who he deems the Lost Boys. One can say Peter stands as a father figure for the group as well. Peter's most trusted companion is Tinker Bell. Even though they have a close best friend relationship, it is obvious Tink has strong feelings for Peter. Whether or not he's actually aware is currently unknown although in the first film when Tink was close to death, Peter stated "Don't you understand Tink, you mean more to me than anything in the world!". Despite being heroic and charming he can be quite cocky and being an immortal child somewhat he can also be quite immature.

Designs

Many of Walt Disney's envisioned characters went through an evolution of designs, and Peter Pan is no exception. Most model sheets depicted Peter as a small little boy but soon later changed into more of a fairy tale-like creature. Finally Peter was given the look of a nearly teen-aged boy. His outfit is green resembling an elf's attire with a red feather on his Robin Hood like hat. His shoes are a dirty blonde and holds a belt around his waist which holds his dagger.

Abilities

Flight: Peter Pan's most unique trait is his ability to fly without any physical methods, he used this to gain the advantage on others who can't. Semi-Immortality: Peter Pan can't die, but it's never where he can survive death. Eternal Youth: Peter Pan can't age due to being in Never Land which he says nobody can grow up.

Goofy

Goofy is an animated character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. He is a tall, anthropomorphic dog who is best friends with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Along with not being extremely intelligent, Goofy's main flaws is predictably and clumsiness.

Clumsy, unintelligent, childish, and pure goofy are some of the few words that describes Goofy. Aside from this he is extremely lovable and very charming which is shown when he confessed his love forClarabelle. Mickey and Donald sometimes consider him annoying, but they still care for him and they count him as a close friend.

It can be possible that he does not always enjoy being goofy as his "How To" cartoons revolve around him trying out a new "pass time" and going to great lengths to accomplish it properly. Many times, in his classic cartoons, he has been dumbstruck by women being the only one of his friends not to have a love interest at the time. However, in recent years, Goofy has been romantically paired up withClarabelle Cow on a regular basis, though their relationship has been present since the 1970s in some Mickey Mouse comic stories.

He has shown a level of intelligence as he is shown to be a superb sports player which requires the ability to follow tactics. He is also smart enough to raise a child alone and provide the best care and eventually see his child grow into a responsible adult. Goofy sometimes notices things others don't. He is very caring and sympathetic and is always willing to help, although usually ends up doing more harm than good. Goofy has been shown to be embarrassed by his clumsiness at times, but that doesn't stop him trying new things.

While naturally on the carefree side, Goofy has a serious tone most often seen when his son Max is in the scene. Like most parents, Goofy is only strict when necessary and makes certain that a minor friction between him and his son doesn't destroy their bond. While Max feels embarrassed by his father's actions several times, he sees his father as only "highly animated". Goofy's stern side is also seen when he feels he's been insulted, although most of the time it's a misunderstanding. Even though he himself takes pride in being a goofy person, he never stands for others calling him rude synonym names along the lines of dummy, or idiot with the exception of Donald, who berates Goofy often.

Princess Ariel

Princess Ariel is a mermaid who first appeared in Disney's 1989theatrical release The Little Mermaid as the main protagonist. She reprises her role as the protagonist in its prequel television seriesand 2008 prequel. Though she is the tritagonist in the 2000 sequel, while her daughter Melody took her spot as the protagonist. Ariel is voiced by Jodi Benson in all the above animated material except the parody Non-Disney appearances.

The character is based on the protagonist of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" fairy tale, but was developed into a different personality for the 1989 animated film adaptation. Her distinct appearance consists of long, flowing red hair, a green tail and a lavender seashell bikini top. A stage musical version of the 1989 film debuted in 2007, in which the "live" role of Ariel was originated by Sierra Boggess and finalized by Chelsea Morgan Stock, who previously played her sister Andrina. She will be portrayed live again in the ABC series Once Upon a Time by Joanna García.

Ariel is the 4th official Disney Princess and so far the only mother in the Disney Princess franchise.

Ariel is a bright, spirited mermaid who is also adventurous and stubborn. Her curiosity and love for adventure sometimes gets her into trouble. Usually, however, Ariel overcomes any obstacle she faces like she uses magic to change things. Her best friend is a fish named Flounder and she develops a close relationship with a crab named Sebastian, the court's composer. Ariel is also impulsive, as evidenced by her exploring whilst forgetting about the concert. Ariel, is able to risk everything for her love for Eric and for her dreams, even if this might hurt herself. In The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Ariel matures after becoming a mother. Due to the threat of Morgana, she becomes overprotective of Melody in the same manner she was treated by King Triton in the first film. She is shown to long for the sea, but keeps this hidden from Melody for her own safety. Her most notable trait, however, was her deep love and fascination for humanity, having desired to become human during the events of the first film, even prior to meeting her future husband, Eric. She did not always have this trait, however: Until she was 15 years of age, she expressed a deep fear of humanity similar to Triton's xenophobia of humanity, although her witnessing some humans saving a beached dolphin changed her views on the matter. Ironically, one of the people responsible for saving the dolphin was Eric, although she never knew it.

As a mermaid, Ariel is strikingly beautiful; so beautiful in fact that she won an award for most beautiful Disney Heroine. She has an hourglass figure and fair skin. In her childhood, she used to wear a lavender tube top. Her lips were the same color as her skin. From the waist down, she has a green tail with paler green, translucent fins and wears a brassiere made out of lavender seashells. She has large, deep aqua blue eyes and full red lips. Her most defining feature is her long, red hair that matches the color of her lips. In Little Mermaid's Island, her seashell bra looks more like a strapless top that covers her belly.

When she becomes a human, Ariel's lovely tail is turned into two beautiful, long, slender legs with small feet. At first, the only article of clothing she wore was her seashell bra, but wears an old sail with some rope to keep it closed fashioned by her friend Scuttle. Being prepared for dinner, she wears a pink-and-white gown with silver barrettes on her hair and pearl white earrings. Getting ready for bedtime, she wears a pink nightgown. After being taken in by Prince Eric, she wears a dress with light blue sleeves, a dark blue bodice, and a blue (sometimes white) shirt. She also wears a big royal blue bow in her hair and black heels. After she's turned into a human once again, she wears a light blue glittering dress. After she kisses Eric, during their wedding, she wears a white wedding dress with a sparkling golden tiara on her veil. During and after her daughter's christening, she wears a gold and white dress and wears a low ponytail, decorated with a white bow. Ariel also wears a periwinkle gown with an up-do decorated with a golden tiara with green and white gems on her necklace and earrings during her daughter's 12th birthday party. Ariel still wears the same up-do with a green peasant dress when she's on her husband's ship and a blue and white dress with light blue earrings in the song "Here on the land and sea" in the second movie. In one of the video games, she wears an aqua-colored gown with a matching flower on the side of her hair.

Princess Jasmine

Jasmine is the daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah, and thus is a princess. Jasmine's mother is rarely mentioned, and she is presumed to be dead. In the first film, Jasmine has become frustrated with the duties of being a princess, and longs for a life outside of the palace. This clashes with the fact that, according to the law, Jasmine must marry before her next birthday, which results in a problem because Jasmine wishes to marry for love rather than for wealth, glory and power. Jasmine is an official member of theDisney Princess franchise, and is so far the only Princess with an Arabian/Middle Eastern physical appearance.

Physical Appearance

Jasmine is a very beautiful young woman with tan skin and long, lustrous black hair, big brown eyes, and a distinct hourglass figure. She normally wears her black hair in a ponytail, held together by two light blue bands. She normally wears a light blue tube top with loops for her arms, allowing her figure to be shown, and matching pants along with blue shoes. For formal occasions, she has a purple outfit that covers more of her skin and a hair accessory. When Jafar takes control of Agrabah for a short while, he makes Jasmine wear a red outfit with several golden accessories, such as a snake bracelet and gold earrings. Jafar later creates a gold crown for Jasmine from her shackles when he decides to make her his queen.

When Mirage tricks her into using a fake beauty potion, she begins turning into a lamia-like monster. Happening in steps, her legs transform into a tail, then all but her head is transformed into a humanoid reptilian body (arms still existing) with poisnous quills on her tail and red eyes with yellow slits. Finally, her hair turns into a cobra hood with her ears missing and patterns inside it that resemble her earrings.

Personality

Jasmine is free-spirited, and in many ways resembles the "rebellious princess" archetype. She is headstrong, and longs for the freedom that other girls have. This eventually leads to Jasmine running away, but she gets into trouble as she is initially naive regarding the world outside of the palace. Jasmine can be very willful; she refuses all of the suitors that her father chooses, preferring to wed for love rather than for wealth. Jasmine can also be kind and caring, and is considered to be clever and intelligent. She shows a love for adventure, and often accompanies Aladdin on his journeys. Originally though, in the development stages of the film, Jasmine was your typical spoiled brat, and the song "Call Me A Princess" was her introductory song. In Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, she was shown to have Ophidio-phobia; the fear of snakes.

She also cares very much for children as shown in the TV series in episodes like Do The Rat Thing, Web of Fear, Fowl Weather, Of Ice and Men and The Ethereal where she comforts them, is sweet and nice to them and where saves their lives from any danger.

Abilities

Jasmine is quite intuitive, and she has described herself as a fast learner. After one demonstration from Aladdin, Jasmine was able to pole vault across a rooftop. In the series Jasmine is shown to have excellent fighting skills, possibly learned by adventuring with Aladdin. She can hold her own in a fight, and displays some very impressive fighting skill in the television series. And despite her appearance, Jasmine has impressive physical strength, as she could push over a large statue in the third movie. Jasmine can also wield a scimitar.

Donald Duck

Donald Duck (full name first revealed as Donald Fauntleroy Duckin Donald Gets Drafted) is a character created by Walt Disney. Donald is sometimes short-tempered, impatient, angry, but who is always nice, innocent, and honest; he does however suffer the curse of being second-best to Mickey or just plain bad luck. He is a white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap and a red or black bow tie, but no trousers at all. He is presented as a best friend of Mickey Mouse

Donald's voice, one of the most identifiable voices in all of animation, was performed by voice actor Clarence "Ducky" Nash up to his death in 1985. It was largely this semi-intelligible speech, that would cement Donald's image into audiences' minds and help fuel both Donald's and Nash's rise to stardom. Since 1985, Donald has been voiced by Tony Anselmo, who was trained by Nash for the role.

Donald's most famous personality trait is his uncontrollable temper. This has gotten him into some tight spots with his relationship with Daisy, as she is easily annoyed by his constant anger issues. However, things always turn out right in the end. Donald's jealousy towards Mickey's popularity sometimes gets in the way of their friendship and causes him to almost be a villain at times because of his angry temper. Although Donald can be loud, rude and selfish, he is extremely loyal and will do anything to help a friend in need. Donald also has an obsession over being disney's most famous and popular star and also obsessed with money, treasure, gold, etc., which he gets from his Uncle Scrooge, and can sometimes be found participating in a get-rich-quick scheme.

Donald's aggressive nature is a double-edged sword however, and while it at times is a hindrance and even a handicap for him, it has also helped him in times of need. When faced against a threat of some kind, Donald may get frightened and even intimidated (mostly by his nemesis Pete), but rather than getting scared, he gets mad and has taken up fights with ghosts, sharks, mountain goats and even the forces of nature. And, more often than not, Donald has come out on top.

In spite of the negativity, Donald is a generally easy going person. Most of his cartoons start with Donald relaxing, enjoying an activity, or simply not having a care in the world until something or someone comes along and ruins it, resulting in the duck exploding in rage. When not dealing with his scenes, Donald can often be found snoozing in his hammock. Donald Duck's girlfriend Daisy Duck's voice is much easier to understand unlike Donald's first girlfriend Donna Duck who sounded a lot like Donald and she lost her temper a lot just like Donald.

Donald has also been shown to be a bit of a show-off (especially towards his nephews). He likes to brag, especially when he is very skilled at something. This has a tendency to get him into trouble, however, as he also tends to get in over his head. In spite of their rivalries, Donald shares a very loving relationship with his nephews and treats them as his own children. They obviously love their "Unca Donald" with a particular scene in the first episode of DuckTales showcasing them having a heartfelt goodbye moment as Donald prepares to leave for the navy.

Among his personality traits is his stubbornness and commitment. Even though Donald at times can be lazy, and he has stated many times that his favorite place is in the hammock, once he has committed to something he goes in for it 100%, sometimes going to extreme measures to reach his goal. It has been shown several times that Donald is rather sensitive/embarrassed about his voice and often begins an uproar if someone notes their difficulties in understanding it.

Donald has a few memorable phrases that he occasionally comes out with in given situations. "What's the big idea?" is a common one, which Donald usually says when stumbling across other characters in the midst of planning some sort of retaliation or prank, and sometimes when certain things do not go as planned or do not work properly. "Aw, phooey!" is another memorable saying Donald makes, usually after giving up on a particular action or event. "So!" is Donald's usual declaration when confronting someone (or something) antagonizing him. Another popular phrase Donald says, in particular to Daisy, is "Hiya, toots!". "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" is yet another common phrase Donald uses, usually muttered to himself when he's very excited about something.

Doraemon

Where to start? Doraemon apparently first appeared in 1969 or 1970 (it ran as a manga series starting about 1974), with the infamous something-wonderful-pops-out-of-the-desk-drawer story. Since then, it has gone on to become one of Japan's most popular and well-loved manga series, and Doraemon is now perhaps one of the most recognised faces in all of Japan. The comedy series is still continuing, though it suffers from the defection of one of the two original writers. From my own point of view, Books 1 through 30 are probably the classic Doraemon, and the stories seem to solidify and improve at around book 6.

The first story explains the premise of the entire series. Nobi Nobita (Nobita being the first name), is a fourth-grade boy who wears glasses and lives in a subsection of Tokyo. One day, a strange being pops up in his desk drawer --- a round, blue cat-style robot, who fails to introduce himself and instead eats Nobita's afternoon snack and then goes back into the drawer. The matter is eventually straightened out and explained. Nobita's great-great-grandson lives in the 22nd Century --- except, thanks to Nobita's mistakes, the entire family is living in poverty. To rectify this, Nobita's descendant is sending his robot Doraemon back to the past, to help prevent Nobita from making mistakes. Of course, this is a difficult task, since Nobita is the weakest and least intelligent child in his class. And initially, Doraemon isn't the smartest of robots, either. He does, however, have a 4-dimensional pocket on his front, which contains all manner of cool gadgets from the 22nd Century, and it is with these toys that Doraemon will try to save Nobita from a future of poverty and failure.

With this premise, Doraemon and Nobita go on to become, one of Japan's most famous duos. Nobita, as class weakling and dunce, needs lots of rescuing, and Doraemon is obliged to give him the right gadget to fix his situation. Unfortunately, Nobita also has the bad habit of misusing the gadgets and landing himself in yet more trouble - unless some of his school friends get their hands on the gadgets and get themselves into even worse trouble. This is usually the source of the series' comedic humor. However, Doraemon has another, more serious side; starting around Book 8, the volumes begin to close with a story that is longer and more serious than the others. Often touched with a bit of educational science, moral teaching and a hint of conservationism, these stories usually involve Nobita and Doraemon and friends working together to solve a larger problem.

For all his flaws (laziness, stupidity, and cowardice (and occasional attacks of megalomania and selfishness)), Nobita is one of the neighborhood's nicest and most sensitive children, and it is his desire to see justice done that drives the best Doraemon stories. And it is probably why Doraemon himself does not fling up his hands in defeat - though surely it must be tempting, after so many hundreds of stories starting off with Nobita running home in tears, crying "Doraemon! Do something!"

Among some of Doraemon's most commonly produced gadgets are: the Wherever Door, the air gun, the What If phone box, the personal copter, and the Gulliver Tunnel. Another often used device is the time machine, which is, of course, located in Nobita's desk drawer. But aside from these frequently used devices, Doraemon always seems to have something new in his pocket. He has produced miniature spy satellites, car simulators, water-warding rope, portable holes, cardboard games that you step into to play, super food seasoning, a fashion "bug", time mirrors, ice construction sets, real-item encyclopedias, and everything else that could possibly make life a little more interesting.

Of course, the gadget doesn't necessarily make the story. As far as plots go, Nobita is the protagonist, and usually makes the right decisions in really important matters.

In one story, Nobita's efforts to save a stray dog and cat eventually lead him try to save a whole group of stray animals. In desperation, he and Doraemon are forced to send the animals back in time - after increasing their intelligence and giving the animals a hamburger-making machine. Back in the present day, Nobita's friends find a newspaper article about a lost civilisation that left behind miniature buildings - large enough for maybe a dog or cat - and even a statue of a godlike, winged creature whose face just happens to look like Nobita's.

In another story, Nobita and Doraemon decide to help a group of hunters who are tracking down a wolf family in the wilds. Nobita, disguised as a wolf, finds the wolves - who, welcoming him as a friend, tell him about the pain of surviving in a world rapidly being taken over by humans. When his disguise wears off, the wolves try to attack Nobita - but Doraemon rescues him. When Doraemon suggests turning the wolves in, however, Nobita refuses. Together, they somehow persuade the hunters that the area has no wolves.

Of course, there are utterly silly stories, too.

In one silly story, Nobita uses an illness-transferring device to help his sick father, and then runs around trying to find someone to give his new cold to. Unfortunately, the school bully is unexpectedly sympathetic, and Nobita can't bring himself to infect him. Luckily, he and Doraemon happen to run into a man who wants his cold - because he happens to have a crush on a local nurse. And so, in the end, everyone is happy . strangely enough.

In another silly story, Nobita is deeply touched by his teacher's morale-raising lecture, but can't seem to convey the "touching" part of it to anyone else. Doraemon then produces for him a microphone/speaker that makes anything he says deeply inspiring. Nobita of course runs off to show it off to his friends; they are all busy watching the local videotaping of a popular idol. Nobita is determined to inspire and move them more than the celebrity can; unfortunately, he has gotten his microphone switched with a baby's toy, and has to recover it. Finally, with the microphone in his back pocket, he rushes over to his friends to impress them - but accidentally farts while trying to pull the microphone out of his pocket. There is a moment of stunned silence. The last panel shows Nobita fleeing in sheer embarrassment from a mob of pursuing people who are shouting, "What a deeply moving fart that was!"

Doraemon manages to slip in the moral teachings with a good amount of subtlety.

For example, Nobita once manages to pick up a cloning device, with which he makes clones of his "friends," the cunning Suneo and brutish Gian. The clones arrive at 4th-grade age but with the minds of babies. Nobita raises them in a trans-dimensional room, thinking of raising the clones into his well-behaved, friendly, friends/"children." However, the clones' minds mature rapidly, and they begin to figure out that Nobita is weaker and not as bright as they are. Since they watch TV, they realise there is a world outside their room which Nobita is not showing them. So they revolt. Doraemon finds out what has happened, but explains to Nobita that since the clones are living people, they can't be arbitrarily destroyed. However, the clones discover the cloning apparatus by accident, and hit the equivalent of the "Undo" button, thus un-creating themselves and saving everyone a lot of headache.

The Powerpuff Girls

Craig McCracken, a student of California Institute of the Arts, created The Whoopass Girls in 1992 in his short film The Whoopass Stew! A Sticky Situation. Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation selected the short in 1994; McCracken submitted it to Hanna-Barbera's innovative What A Cartoon! Show shorts program (eventually to be produced for Cartoon Network as "The Powerpuff Girls in: Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" as part of World Premiere Toons) while working on Dexter's Laboratory.[4] Announcer Ernie Anderson, the narrator of the pilot episode, passed away in 1997 before the show became a series. "Meat Fuzzy Lumkins" first aired in 1995, followed by a second short, "Crime 101", a year later.

The Powerpuff Girls TV debut in 1998 was the highest rated premiere in Cartoon Network's history. The series consistently scored the highest rating each week for the network across a wide range of demographics -- from young children to adults.

In October 2000, Cartoon Network credited the Powerpuff Girls for its Friday night prime time ratings win among cable networks. By 2001, merchandising based on The Powerpuff Girls encompassed everything from T-shirts, toys, and video games to lunchboxes and dishware. Concerning the Powerpuff Girls success, Craig McCracken has stated, "I thought it would get on Cartoon Network and college kids would watch it and there would be a few random T-shirts out there in the rave scene or in record shops. But I had no idea that it would take off to this extent." 

In April 2005, plans for an anime version, Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z were announced and the series premiered in Japan the following year. The series deviates highly from its American predecessor in terms of style, storyline, and characterization. Cartoon Network in the United States currently has no plans to air the adaptation.

In August 2008, McCracken revealed on his Deviantart account as had been announced in that year's Comic Con that he was working with Cartoon Network on a new half-hour Powerpuff Girls special to celebrate the series' 10th-year anniversary. The special aired on the Pan-Euro version of Cartoon Network on November 29, 2008 on the Powerpuff Girls Birthday Marathon.

Scooby Doo

In 1968, Fred Silverman, executive in charge of children's programming for the CBS network, was looking for a show that would revitalize his Saturday morning line-up and please the watchdog groups at the same time. The result was The Archie Show, based upon Bob Montana's teenage humor comic book Archie. Also successful were the musical numbers The Archies performed during each program (one of which, "Sugar, Sugar", was the most successful Billboard number-one hit of 1969). Silverman was eager to expand upon this success, and contacted producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera about possibly creating another show based around a teenage rock-group, but with an extra element: the kids would solve mysteries in-between their gigs. Silverman envisioned the show as a cross between the popular I Love a Mystery radio serials of the 1940s and the popular early 1960s TV show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Hanna and Barbera passed this task along to two of their head storymen, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, and artist/character designer Iwao Takamoto. Their original concept of the show bore the title Mysteries Five, and featured five teens (Geoff, Mike, Kelly, Linda, and Linda's brother "W.W.") and their dog, Too Much, who were all in a band called "The Mysteries Five" (even the dog; he played the bongos). When "The Mysteries Five" weren't performing at gigs, they were out solving spooky mysteries involving ghosts, zombies, and other supernatural creatures. Ruby and Spears then had to decide what to make their dog. At first, they chose between a large cowardly dog, and a small fiesty dog. When the former was chosen, then the options became a large goofy Great Dane or a big shaggy sheepdog. After consulting with Barbera on the issue, Too Much was finally set as a Great Dane, primarily to avoid a direct correlation to The Archies (who had a sheepdog, Hot Dog, in their band). Ruby and Spears had feared the Great Dane would be too similar to the comic strip character Marmaduke, but Barbera assured them it would not be a problem.

Takamoto consulted a studio colleague who happened to be a breeder of Great Danes. After learning the 

By the time the show was ready for presentation by Silverman, a few more things had changed: Geoff and Mike were merged into one character called "Ronnie" (later renamed "Fred", at Silverman's behest), Kelly was renamed to "Daphne", Linda was now called "Velma", and Shaggy (formerly "W.W.") was no longer her brother. Also, Silverman, not being very fond of the name Mysteries Five, had rechristened the show Who's S-S-Scared? Using storyboards, presentation boards, and a short completed animation sequence, Silverman presented Who's S-S-Scared? to the CBS executives as the centerpiece for the upcoming 1969–1970 season's Saturday morning cartoon block. The executives felt that the presentation artwork was far too frightening for young viewers, and, thinking the show would be the same, decided to pass on it. 

Now without a centerpiece for the upcoming season's programming, Silverman turned to Ruby and Spears, who reworked the show to make it more comedic and less frightening. They dropped the rock band element, and began to focus more attention on Shaggy and Too Much. According to Ruby and Spears, Silverman was inspired by the ad-lib "doo-be-doo-be-doo" he heard at the end of Frank Sinatra's interpretation of Bert Kaempfert's song "Strangers in the Night" on the way out to one of their meetings, and decided to rename the dog "Scooby-Doo" and re-rechristened the show Scooby-Doo, Where are You? The revised show was re-presented to CBS executives, who approved it for production.characteristics of a prize-winning Great Dane from her, Takamoto proceeded to break most of the rules and designed Too Much with overly bowed legs, a double-chin, and a sloped back, among other abnormalities. 

Popeye - The Sailor Man

The name of the famous cartoon figure and comic character created by Elzie Segar in the year 1929 is Popeye, who is generally known as ‘Popeye,the sailor man’. Popeye is actually sailor with pipe in his mouth and highly toned muscular arms. He munches spinach to get incredible strength so that he can fight out the villainous Bluto to save his fiancée Olive Oyl from the villain.

Popeye was first appeared and existed many days as a side character in Segar’s comic strip ‘Thimble Theater’, which continues with the adventures of Olive Oyl and her brother Castor Oyl. Popeye was just a sailor then without any heroic shade. Later the character of Popeye became so popular that the entire comic strip started to revolve around this sailor-man. Then ‘Thimble Theater’ changed into the comics of Popeye where Olive Oyl became Popeye‘s sweetheart. After Segar’s death in 1938, a number of writers continued the comic strips of Popeye, some of them also became much popular.

The next big venture of Popeye was to foot step in the television world as an ainimated character.The Popeye cartoon series was initiated by Max Fleischer Studios in 1933 and later continued by Paramount Studios. In the next 40 years, the viewers could have tasted over 600 shows of Popeye. In the cartoons, the main enemy of Popeye was Bluto, sometimes who is also called as ‘Brutus’. Wimpy and the sweet pie child were added as characters in the Popeye cartoon.

A feature film on the character of Popeye was made by Robert Altman in the year 1980 starring, Robin Williams and Shelly Duvall. The film was literally influenced by the Popeye cartoon series but it also added some different dimensions in the character of Popeye. Nintendo made a video game based on the adventures of Popeye and this game was released in the year of 1982. This Popeye game gathered popularity very quickly and its home versions were also began to be used in the common household video games.

The controversy of Spinach remained for decades. The most popular concept is it was actually the forbidden wide ‘marijuana’. However, recent research also reveals that Spinach may be an herb with somewhat muscle boosting qualities, obviously not like the incredible strength  of Popeye. The Hamburger eaten by another important character Wimpy is actually comes from the common American fast food  ‘Hamburger’. However, whatever be the spinach is, the concept of eating spinach and then beating the villains away has managed to retain its popularity for over 80 years.

Bugs Bunny

When most people think of rabbits, they think of the legendary cartoon character, Bugs Bunny. For those that don't know who Bugs Bunny is, he's the gray rabbit from Looney Tunes and Merrie's Melodies. According to his fictional biography, Bugs Bunny was born 1940 in Brooklyn, NY. His accent is a cross between a Brooklyn accent and a Bronx accent.

The character Bugs Bunny was influenced by an early Disney character, Max Hare. Hare starred in many Disney cartoons and even won a Academy Award for Animated Short film in 1934. Bugs Bunny appeared in his first short cartoon in 1938, entitled Porky's Hare Hunt. The cartoon short was directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton. Ben Hardaway's nickname was "bugs". The introduction cartoon of Bugs Bunny was very similar to a 1937 cartoon called Porky's Duck Hunt, which introduced the soon to be famous Daffy Duck.

Porky's Hare Hunt followed the general plot of the 1937 cartoon, Porky's Duck Hunt , in which Porky pig was a hunter against a prey (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck) which was more interested in driving Porky crazy rather than run away from him.
Bugs Bunny made his second cartoon appearance 1939, in a cartoon entitled Prest-O-Change-O, in which he plays the rabbit of a magician who is never seen on camera.

Bugs Bunny's fourth and probably most memorable appearance was in the 1940 short cartoon entitled Elmer's Candid Camera, in which both characters would meet and start a long war that is still very much alive today. The personality in which Bugs Bunny is famous for emerged in 1940 on Tex Avery's Wild Hare.

It was in this episode that for the first time, Bugs Bunny would come up out of his rabbit hole and utter the now famous quote "what's up, Doc?" to Elmer Fudd. According to many cartoon historians this short cartoon was the first time Bugs Bunny was shown in full character, because most of the other short cartoons he appeared in didn't fully resemble Bugs Bunny in looks or personality. On Bugs Bunny's seventh television appearance, he finally got the name Bugs Bunny.

In 1941 Bugs Bunny became enormously popular in mainstream American culture and he would also go on to become the most popular characters of the Looney Tunes cast. In 1942 Bugs Bunny became the star of Merrie's Melodies, which was a cartoon show that featured one shot cartoon shorts. Also in 1942 Bugs Bunny would undergo a few redesigns to his front teeth to make them stand out more, his head was also redesigned to look more round.

Bugs Bunny was also very popular during World War II, appearing in a two minute U.S war bonds commercial called Any Bonds Today. In 1944 Bugs Bunny was at odds with a group of Japanese soldiers, Bugs was praised for this during World War II, but the cartoon has since been pulled from distribution due to its stereotypes.

Today Bugs Bunny is still a very hardworking show biz man, being the mascot for Warner Brothers, having a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, being featured on a postage stamp and appearing in countless commercials.