By Tim Lambert
The word cartoon comes from the Italian word cartone, meaning the heavy paper on which preliminary drawings for art were made. From the late 17th century to the mid-19th century, the word “cartoon” in English referred to a type of paper. However, around 1843, it was first used to mean drawings in newspapers or cartoons. In the late 19th century, comic strips became popular. The first animated cartoon was made by Emile Cohl in 1908. It was called Fantasmagorie.
The cartoon character Felix the Cat was created by Pat Sullivan. Felix appeared in 1919. He soon proved to be very popular. However, it was the era of silent films, so Felix did not speak. In the 1930s, cartoon characters had voices. For the first time, cartoons were made in colour.
The famous sailor Popeye was created by Elzie Crisler Segar. He first appeared in a cartoon published in a newspaper cartoon strip in 1929. He first appeared in an animated cartoon in 1933.
9 August is Betty Boop Day. She first appeared in a cartoon called Dizzy Dishes released on 9 August 1930. Betty Boop was originally a dog! (a poodle). She later became fully human.
Mickey Mouse first appeared in a cartoon called Steamboat Willie, which premiered on 18 November 1928. Goofy first appeared in the cartoon Mickey’s Revue, released in 1932. Goofy was first called Dippy Dawg. Donald Duck first appeared in a cartoon called The Little Wise Hen in 1934.
Porky Pig was created in 1935. Daffy Duck first appeared in a cartoon released in 1937. The cartoon was called Porky’s Duck Hunt. Elmer Fudd first appeared in a cartoon called Little Red Walking Hood, made in 1937. 30 April is National Bugs Bunny Day. (He first appeared in a cartoon called Porky’s Hare Hunt, released on 30 April 1938). His enemy, Yosemite Sam, first appeared in a cartoon called Stage Door Cartoon. It was released in 1944.
In 1937, the Disney cartoon Snow White was released. Pinocchio was made in 1940. Dumbo, the cartoon about a flying elephant, was released in 1941.
Woody Woodpecker first appeared in a cartoon called ‘Knock, Knock’ released in 1940.
Those two eternal enemies, Tom and Jerry, first appeared in a cartoon called Puss Gets the Boot, released in 1940.
The famous cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew first appeared in 1945. He appeared in a cartoon called Odor-able Kitty. Sylvester the Cat made his debut in a cartoon called Life with Feathers in 1945. He was first paired with Tweety Pie, the canary, in 1947 in a cartoon called Tweetie Pie.
Foghorn Leghorn, the famous rooster, first appeared in a cartoon called Walky Talky Halky released in 1946.
Road Runner and Wile E Coyote first appeared in a cartoon released in 1949. Wile E Coyote constantly tried to capture the Road Runner using gadgets from the Acme corporation. His attempts always backfired.
Peanuts, the famous cartoon with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, was first published on 2 October 1950. In the cartoon Peanuts, Linus is famous for his security blanket. The famous blanket first appeared in 1954. An animated cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas, was made in 1965.
Speedy Gonzales, the extremely fast mouse, first appeared in a cartoon called Cat-Tails for Two, made in 1953. However, he was redesigned in 1955 for a cartoon called Speedy Gonzales.
Captain Pugwash first appeared in a cartoon broadcast in 1957. Pugwash was an inept pirate and the captain of a ship called The Black Pig. He was helped by Tom, the cabin boy.
The Huckleberry Hound Show began in 1958. It featured a blue dog. Yogi Bear was created in 1958. Yogi had a friend, another bear called Boo Boo. He also had a girlfriend called Cindy. A cartoon mountain lion called Snagglepuss debuted in 1959.
Asterix, the famous Gaul, first appeared in a cartoon published in 1959. The first animated Asterix cartoon was made in 1967. A group of Gauls holds the Romans at bay by using a magic potion that gives them superhuman strength.
The cartoon The Flintstones was first shown on TV in 1960. It featured Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma, and their neighbors Barney and Berry Rubble in a town where modern life merged with the Stone Age.
Additionally, in 1960, a cartoon dog named Deputy Dawg made its debut. The cartoon included a muskrat named Muskie and Vincent Van Gopher.
The TV cartoon Top Cat was first made in 1961. It was about a group of alley cats in New York and the hapless police officer Dibble.
In 1962, a cartoon called The Jetsons was made about a family in the future.
The cartoon Wacky Races was first shown in 1968. It included characters like Dick Dastardly and his sidekick, the dog Muttley. The pair starred in another cartoon, made in 1969, Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. Set in the First World War, the two were constantly trying to stop a pigeon carrying messages. They were assisted by the engineer, Klunk, and the cowardly pilot Zilly.
The Great Dane, Scooby Doo, and his human companions, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne, first appeared in 1969. They traveled around in a vehicle called the Mystery Machine, uncovering criminals pretending to be ghosts.
The first Pink Panther Show was made between 1969 and 1978, inspired by the films starring Peter Sellers.
A cartoon called Help! … It’s the Hair Bear Bunch! was first shown in 1971. It was about three bears, Hair Bear, Square Bear, and Bubi Bear in the Wonderland Zoo.
Hong Kong Phooey, a cartoon dog who practices martial arts, was first shown on TV in 1974. He was a janitor, and he was helped by a cat called Spot.
In 1975, a cartoon called The Oddball Couple was shown on TV. It included a cat named Spiffy and a dog named Fleabag. Their secretary was called Goldie Hound.
In 1988, a film called Who Framed Roger Rabbit was released. It featured both cartoons and live action.
In 1989, The Simpsons was first shown on TV.
In the 1990s, with the advent of cable TV, several cartoon channels were created.
The Powderpuff Girls was first shown in 1998. It featured three little girls who are also superheroes. They defended the fictional city of Townsville.
SpongeBob SquarePants first appeared in a cartoon in 1999. He is a sea sponge who works in an undersea restaurant.
