Vintage Cartoon characters have been a part of our lives for many decades. Here’s a list of the Top 9 according to a poll we did on our Facebook page

9. CASPER – Vintage Cartoon

Anybody who lived in the golden age of Vintage Cartoons knows this wide-eyed, fluffy white, adorable and ever love-able child ghost!

Casper The Friendly Ghost is a cartoon based on a 1930s children’s book, featuring a young ghost who prefers friendship over scaring people.

After being rejected by kids he tried to greet, Casper finds happiness when a family welcomes him into their home.

He helped the family by scaring off a greedy landlord.

This was the film that kicked off Casper’s long and illustrious career. Following his initial film shorts, in 1950 Paramount Studios debuted the Casper The Friendly Ghost Cartoon Series.

Every kid loved to dream about the little ghost, and this marked instant popularity for it.

To date, everyone’s favorite ghost has had his own cartoon slot, has appeared in over 40 different comic book series, 5 television shows as well as numerous films.

8. CHILLY WILLY

If you’ve ever come across a chubby little penguin with a face so cute it could melt icebergs, you must be familiar with Chilly Willy.

Vintage cartoons would definitely feel a bit colder without him!

Unlike his frosty relatives who embrace the chill, Chilly Willy is on a never-ending quest for warmth—think of him as the penguin version of a heat-seeking missile, but with a knack for getting himself into hilariously slippery situations.

Just imagine him waddling away from one misadventure only to plunge into another snow-drenched fiasco!

Paul Smith created the cartoon animated series, Chilly Willy, and The Walter Lantz Studios produced it in 1955.

Stuart Palmer, a mystery writer, inspired Smith to use a penguin as a protagonist in his series.

At first, The Walter Lantz Studios hated the fact that Chilly Willy was a cute penguin.

They thought he would not be a relatable character, but they eventually agreed with Smith’s description of the character and he was a hit! Smedley was the dog who was Chilly Willy’s nemesis.

Though arch rivals, Chilly and Smedley appeared always able to resolve their conflicts in the end.

The Woody Woodpecker Show was known for featuring Chilly Willy’s ever popular segments.

7. GUMBY – Vintage Cartoon

Now you didn’t have to be born in mid-century America to know who the gangly green rubbery guy with the sawed-off square-shaped head is.

Did you get it? That’s right, it’s Gumby! Gumby and his sidekick, Pokey the horse, traveled through many adventures together.

He was a likable little guy.

He was kind, caring, and generous and always tried to do the right thing. Art Clokey created Gumby in 1955.

Clokey modeled the clay figure based on the gingerbread man at the suggestion of his wife.

Clokey named Gumby after the muddy clay on his grandparents’ farm, which they called Gumbo.

Art Clokey created the clay animation series known as The Gumby Show which aired on NBC from 1956-1969.

Gumby was so popular that this show was lucky enough to be revived several times over the years and last aired in 1988.

The show creators created over 235 episodes and debuted 1 movie in 1995 over the course of 50 years.

A true Vintage Cartoon

6. MIGHTY MOUSE

“The Mouse of Tomorrow”! Who would’ve ever thought that a superhero mouse who fought off predators in the feline world and had a weakness for harsh fumes (Limburger cheese) would become so popular?

Well, Mighty Mouse was just this mouse. Terrytoons and 20th Century Fox created Mighty Mouse in 1942.

They initially named the character Super Mouse and produced several short films featuring this beloved superhero.

Other television series included The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, and Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures.

The beloved superhero roared to life through not one, but two iconic comic book series, Mighty Mouse and The Adventures of Mighty Mouse, captivating audiences from 1946 to 1968!

There was simply no denying the magic of the mouse’s theme song, “Here I Come to Save the Day,” penned by the talented Marshall Barer, which soared into the hearts of children everywhere, becoming an unforgettable childhood anthem.

Yet, amidst the joy and excitement, parents in the early 1960s raised concerns that Mighty Mouse could inadvertently lead their children down a perilous path, suggesting they might get hooked on cocaine.

Tragically, this outcry cast a shadow over the beloved show, ultimately leading to its untimely cancellation.

5. POPEYE

“I yam I yam and that’s all what I yam”.

If you were vintage cartoons in the 60’s and 70’s you definitely know where this classic saying came from.

What child didn’t love the cartoon sailor whose superhuman strength could be seen by the way his muscles popped out of his arms after eating a nutritious and ever handy can of spinach?

This love-able character had puffed up cheeks and a crooked mouth which always held a pipe.

Then there was Olive Oil, Popeye’s tall, gangly, awkward-looking girlfriend.

Despite her uniquely nasal voice, Olive Oyl’s singing always resonated with a certain charm that was hard to ignore.

It was heartwarming to see the way Popeye’s arch rival, Bluto, sought her attention, reflecting the complex dynamics of affection and rivalry.

This interplay of characters is what made the show so enjoyable, bringing a delightful layer of emotion to their interactions.

Ultimately, Popeye had to use his “spinach super strength” to rescue his girlfriend from the evil Bluto.

Wimpy, who loved hamburgers, often bargained, saying, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Sweet Pea was adopted by Popeye and Olive Oil in the movie Popeye.

The character was created in 1929 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a cartoon strip and became a syndicated series in 1960, running for nearly 25 years with 220 episodes.

The 1980 film, Popeye, starred the late Robin Williams.

4. RICHIE RICH – Vintage Cartoon

In 1953, Alfred Harvey and Warren Kremer’s cartoon character, Richie Rich, debuted in the Little Dot Comic as a pudgy boy in a waistcoat and bow tie.

Despite being the world’s richest boy, Richie longs for acceptance from his peers.

Richie is exceptionally wealthy, with a $ as his middle name and two of everything, yet he struggles with loneliness as his busy parents leave him with only his butler, Cadbury, for companionship.

He has a crush on a girl named Gloria Glad. From 1950 to 1982, Harvey Comics published four series featuring him, and a cartoon aired on ABC from 1980 to 1984.

Two films were made about the character, with MaCaulay Culkin in the 1994 film and David Gallagher in the 1998 film, Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish.

3. ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE

A moose and a squirrel?

It took a lot of ingenuity for creators Alex Anderson, Bill Ward and Jay Scott to believe that a flying squirrel with aviator glasses on his head and a giant moose could turn out to be a popular equation.

Yet it worked! Brilliantly, the creators mixed puns and satire humor into the cartoon series which appealed to viewers of all ages.

The show follows two steadfast friends as they face trouble from their arch rivals, Boris Baderor and Natasha Fatale.

Other introduced characters include Dudley Do Right, Mr. Peabody, and Sherman.

It premiered on ABC on November 19, 1959, and was the highest-rated daytime show that year.

In 1961, NBC moved Rocky and Bullwinkle to their network and implemented bumpers (brief breaks during the show) that utilized a Bullwinkle puppet to make announcements.

One week there was a scandal when, during one of these announcements, the puppet suggested that children pull the knobs off of their television sets so the tv would be tuned into their show the following week.

Parents were outraged when, in 20,000 homes, kids followed the puppet’s directions and pulled the knobs off! As a result, the puppet was fired and the show was canceled on June 27, 1964.

2. UNDERDOG

Underdog’s best friend and companion is his loyal human, Jack Unger. However, the object of his affection is a cute little television news reporter by the name of Sweet Polly Purebred. Another great Vintage Cartoon!

Unfortunately, Polly tends to get herself into all kinds of hot water during most of the episodes.

The premise of the show is that Underdog uses his energy pill and the super strength that comes with it to rescue the girl of his dreams. W. Watts Biggers created Underdog.

This vintage cartoon series aired from 1964-1973. There were 62 episodes.

The creators wrote the energy pill into the cartoon to encourage children to take their vitamins, which Underdog took.

Ironically, producers denied the idea of a 1990’s re-release of the show because they feared they would be blamed for encouraging drug use due to the new culture surrounding substance abuse.

1. WOODY WOODPECKER

“Guess Who? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha he he he he he”. The ever popular life sized, red-haired bird was a favorite among children everywhere in the late 1950’s to early 1970’s.

The Woody Woodpecker Show, created by Ben Hardaway aired on ABC from 1957-1972.

The show continued airing until September 3, 1977.

The show featured Woody and his nemesis, Buzz Buzzard, and followed them along their adventures as viewers rooted for the human-like, giant bird.

Woody also had a niece named Splinter and a nephew named Knothead.

His significant other’s name was Winnie Woodpecker. Other characters who appeared on the show were Andy Panda and Wally Walrus.

Woody was a character children truly loved. In 1999 there was a re-release of the show called The New Woody Woodpecker Show.

Studio producer Walter Lantz initially inspired the character of Woody Woodpecker by recounting a memorable woodpecker’s incessant knocking on the wall of Lantz’s cabin while he and his wife were on their honeymoon.