Growing up, cartoons were often a big part of our lives.  There was nothing better than grabbing a bowl of cereal and sitting down in front of the TV on a Saturday morning. And when it comes to favorite cartoon characters, it might depend on the generation you were raised in. But when it comes to the best cartoon characters ever created, who wins the top spot?

Variety Of Characters

A website called MovieWeb.com put together a list of the 35 All-Time Best Cartoon Characters Ever Created, Ranked. And on this list, you’ll find a wide range of cartoon characters.  Some of these are classics, while others were created in more recent years.  Another thing about cartoons, through the years, they have evolved. Originally, animation seemed geared more toward children. Now there are animated shows that are anything but kid-friendly.

There’s no doubt that these animated icons become like celebrities.  Disney has done a great job of branding their characters. And there’s no shortage of apparel, stuffed animals, and more merchandise with their iconic characters images on them.

As consumers of cartoons, there’s no doubt you have your favorites. Every character has a personality, and we all connect with them for different reasons through the storylines.  I’ll share my personal opinions and favorites below. But first, let’s look at who MovieWeb has on their list.

Best Cartoon Characters

According to MovieWeb.com, these are the top 10 best ever created.

10. Optimus Prime from Transformers (1984-present)

9. Snoopy And Charlie Brown from Peanuts cartoons (1965-present)

8. Scooby-Doo from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and related cartoons (1969-present)

7. Ash Ketchum and Pikachu from Pokémon (1997-2023)

6. Tom and Jerry (1940-present)

5. Fred Flintstone from The Flintstones (1960-1966)

4. SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present)

3. The Simpson Family from The Simpsons (1989-present)

2. Bugs Bunny (1930-present)

1. Mickey Mouse (1928-present)

While I do think these are some great characters, my list would look a little bit different.  Here are my top 7 favorites!

• 7. The Rugrats

  The Rugrats gang came in at number 12 on MovieWeb’s list.  But I had to add them to mine at a higher rank.  I will say, I didn’t have cable growing up, so when I did get the chance to watch Rugrats, it was always at someone else’s house– like a family member or babysitter. It was definitely a show I enjoyed anytime I got the chance to see it.  I think Tommy would be my favorite character out of the whole gang though! Looking at the more recent photos… it seems it’s changed a bit, but the main characters are still there!
  

• 6. The Jetsons

  How could you not include The Jetson family on the list? They came in at number 29 on MovieWeb’s list. Can you believe the show aired from 1962-1987? I was always so fascinated by the futuristic stuff on that show.  Pretty sure the dog, Astro, was one of my favorites on the show… but does that surprise you?  I also liked the robot housekeeper too!

• 5. The Flintstones

  Fred Flintstone did make MovieWeb’s top 10 at number 5.  Personally, I loved the whole cast… and Fred was quite entertaining.  But out of all of them, I think I liked Pebbles the most.  Pretty sure I was even Pebbles for Halloween one year.

• 4. Scooby-Doo

  Scooby-Doo was number 8 for MovieWeb, but I ranked him at number 4 for me.  It’s a dog, so he definitely ranked high for me.  But I didn’t always get to watch Scooby-Doo, again because I didn’t have cable. A lot of these shows didn’t come on regular TV when I was growing up.  But even today, I feel like I could sit down and watch an episode of Scooby-Doo and be just as entertained as I was as a kid!

• 3. Tom & Jerry

  The whole cat and mouse duo… This was one of my all-time favorites.  MovieWeb ranked them at 6.  They made it a little higher up on my list. This duo was always getting into some kind of trouble to leave you laughing. I feel like this is a cartoon that has withstood the test of time.  The show originated in 1940, and is still iconic.
  

• 2. Tweety Bird

  MovieWeb ranked Tweety and Sylvester together at number 16. This cartoon originated in 1930!  Isn’t that crazy?! It was still massively popular when I was growing up. And while I loved the duo, of the two, Tweety Bird was always my favorite.  In fact, I even have a few Tweety Bird ornaments I still hang on my tree each Christmas!
  

• 1. Winnie the Pooh

  I honestly couldn’t believe this one didn’t make the top 35 with MovieWeb.  Winnie the Pooh will always be my all-time favorite. Each character has such an impact on the show, but at the end of the day, it’s Winnie the Pooh who ultimately had my heart.  And Tigger comes in close second on the show. When the Christopher Robin movie came out in 2018, I had to go see it. And yes, I cried.  I can’t explain it, but I just love Winnie the Pooh that much!

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