Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

I went looking for a comprehensive list, but couldn't really find one - maybe we can make our own.

So many cartoon characters voices (along with sometimes their personalities and looks) were based on celebrities - usually ones popular at the times the cartoon were released.
I started looking for Hanna-Barbera characters since, during the 60's, the majority of their characters were based on real-life celebrities, but they weren't the only ones as other studios were doing it too.

So... let 'em rip.

Chip and Dale in the cartoon "Tailspin" were based on Indiana Jones and Magnum P.I.

Edna Mode from The Incredibles was inspired by costume designer Edith Head.

I had no idea. I've never seen that one!

It was a fun show in its time, but I haven't seen it in years, so I don't know if it holds up today. But I love Chip and Dale, so I might have to dig out the DVDs and watch a few episodes to find out. :)

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

One of the earliest examples was Looney Toons basing a couple of singing birds on Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby (and playing off their rivalry as recording stars). The first one I know of was called Swooner Crooner - a Porky Pig jaunt from 1944. The two singers would be reprised as cartoons many times (although not as the original bird characters in regular roles). Several other personalities (or imitations thereof) were featured in the full length version of this cartoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gxYr64Z1EM

I was searching Google for pictures, and I came across this quiz.

Can you recognize the cartoon versions of these classic Hollywood stars?

https://www.decades.com/quiz/can-you...ollywood-stars

Speaking of Bing Crosby, he was the inspiration for the voice & laid-back attitude of "Sugar Bear" - a cartoon bear who was the spokesman for a breakfast cereal.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/ce.../SugarBear.jpg

I knew that Bing Crosby was in Looney Tunes, but I never knew that he was the inspiration for "Sugar Bear".

I only got 1 wrong (Ann Sheridan) - I thought her cartoon character looked most like Bette Davis - but she wasn't an option in the multiple choice! 🙂

I got 100%, but I wasn't sure about that question either. It was about 60/40 that I thought it was Ann Sheridan, so I took a guess, and I guessed right. :)

I never really put this together, but Snagglepuss was based on Bert Lahr (best known for playing the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (1939)).

Apparently there was even legal action by Bert Lahr over the character... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snagglepuss

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...nagglepuss.png

I never knew that, and I don't think I would have ever noticed the similarities of their voices.

Yeah, I can see it (or hear it) in the voices, but Snagglepuss had his own catchphrases that I don't think were ever used by Lahr, and a very different personality from the Cowardly Lion (the only Lahr character I'm really familiar with).

The Vultures in the Disney movie The Jungle Book were inspired by The Beatles, and they were supposed to be voiced by them, but John Lennon didn't want to do it, so their voices were changed, but their look was still based on them.

This one's kind of weird... Tennessee Tuxedo.

I'd like to say he was based on Don Adams, but Adams performed the voice of the animated penguin directly.
The thing is; Adams used the same voice for Tennessee as he did for his character of Maxwell Smart on the TV series Get Smart... and Adams had stated that he based his Maxwell Smart voice on that of William Powell from the Thin Man movies. Which means Tennessee Tuxedo was actually based on William Powell???

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e8/44/12/e...2f5b5efd69.jpg

I wondered if Tennessee's sidekick "Chumley" (a walrus) was based on anyone... and he was... according to Wikipedia:

Bradley Bolke's characterization of Chumley seemed to be taken from Charlie Cantor's voice and personality of Clifton Finnegan on the Duffy's Tavern radio show of the 1940s; there Finnegan played a somewhat similar dimwitted sidekick to the scheming but good-natured bartender Archie.

Bugs Bunny was based on Clark Gable's character in the movie It Happened One Night.

Okay, this one surprised me. I always thought Bugs was "his own thing" with his voice & personality created by Mel Blanc. So thanks for that!

Bugs went through some evolution too - in his initial appearances (first appearing as a character called "Happy Rabbit") he had a different look and more goofy sounding voice in his first few episodes than the later, more fully-established Bugs.

I didn't like his early appearances as much as his later look. I'm glad they changed him :)

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

The Frog (from the Courageous Cat cartoon) was obviously based on Edward G. Robinson.

https://images.sr.roku.com/idType/ro...rs:quality(70)

Art Carney (specifically as "Ed Norton" on The Honeymooners) has been the basis for a couple very famous cartoon characters.

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.town...0716.image.jpg

First, Looney Toons made some very direct homages to The Honeymooners with mice cartoon characters (called the Honey-Mousers), but these were only a very limited series with a few sequels running from 1956 to 1960 (as far as I know).

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lo...rs_Scene_3.png

We all know The Flintstones was based on The Honeymooners, with the four main characters virtually copied for the cartoon. Although Barney's voice changed throughout the series, his best known one sounds very similar to that of "Ed Norton".

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ney_Rubble.png

The other very famous and long-running character that was based on Art Carney's "Ed Norton" was Yogi Bear who had the same mannerisms & inflections as Norton and they even gave him Norton's hat - upturned in the front of course.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Yogi_Bear.png

The Ant and the Aardvark (for those who remember)...

From DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (which also produced the Pink Panther cartoons), it ran from 1969-1971.
Comedian and impressionist John Byner provided both voices - for the Aardvark he impersonated comedian Jackie Mason and for the Ant he imitated the voice of singer Dean Martin.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ardvarkant.jpg

I haven't seen the Honeymooners Looney Tunes cartoons in years, but I remember them. Ed Norton was my favorite character on "The Honeymooners".


I never realized that Yogi Bear was based on Ed Norton, but now that you mentioned it, it makes sense.

I haven't seen "The Ant and the Aardvark" since I was a little kid, so I don't remember it well. I may have to watch it again to see the similarities between the cartoons and the real people.

The Mouse That Jack Built is a Merrie Melodies cartoon that's based on Jack Benny. It has Jack Benny as a mouse, and it also has cast members from "The Jack Benny Show" as mice.

Wonderful!

Ha! I could tell who it was just by the mouse's expression and his hands position! They captured Jack Benny perfectly! Not sure if I remember that specific cartoon though, but it seems familiar!

I'm glad at least one other person is enjoying this thread! 🙂

Not sure if these count.

Venture Bros. -----> Jonny Quest
Morel Orel -------> Davey & Goliath

I'm enjoying this thread a lot, but I just wish I could think of more examples to post.

I'm not familiar with Venture Bros. or Morel Orel, but based on a quick Google search, I think these are cartoons that were inspired by other cartoons, (or claymation for Davey & Goliath), not cartoons that were inspired by real people.

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

A preliminary run down of 60's era, Hanna-Barbera animal characters based on celebrities or famous characters played by celebrities...

Auggie Doggy's Daddy: Jimmy Durante
Droop-a-Long (deputy to Ricochet Rabbit): Ken Curtis (as "Festus" from Gunsmoke)
Hokey Wolf & Ding-A-Ling: Phil Silvers & Buddy Hackett
Mr. Jinks: Marlon Brando
Morocco Mole (partner of Secret Squirrel): Peter Lorre
Lippy the Lion: Joe E. Brown
Peter Potamus: Joe E. Brown
Snagglepuss: Bert Lahr
Top Cat: Phil Silvers (Top Cat's gang were roughly based on the East Side Kids & the players in The Phil Silver's Show)
Yakky Doodle characters: (Chopper = Wallace Beery, Fibber Fox & The Cat = Shelley Berman, Alfy Gator = Alfred Hitchcock).
Wally Gator: Ed Wynn
Yogi Bear: Art Carney (as Ed Norton)

There were tons more secondary characters & quest stars from this era also based on celebrities.

I should have remembered these two. :facepalm:


I don't remember Hokey Wolf and Ding-a-Ling, but I love Buddy Hackett, so I'll have to watch some videos of these characters.

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

Jabberjaw's voice & personality was based on that of "Curly" Howard of the Three Stooges.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/p...nd_friends.PNG

Probably the oldest character on this list... Betty Boop.

Her origins are a little complicated: she was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle!

She was intended to be a generic "flapper" but...
Clara Bow is often given credit as being the inspiration for Boop,[10] though Fleischer told his artists that he wanted a caricature of singer Helen Kane, who performed in a style shared by many performers of the day–Kane was also the one who sued Fleischer over the signature "Boop Oop a Doop" line.[11] Betty Boop appeared as a supporting character in ten cartoons as a flapper girl with more heart than brains. In individual cartoons, she was called "Nancy Lee" or "Nan McGrew"—derived from the Helen Kane film Dangerous Nan McGrew (1930).

More can be found under her origins section: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Boop

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...April_1932.jpg

I didn't know this, but I'm not a fan of the Three Stooges, so I wouldn't have noticed the similarities.


That's interesting. I've read that Betty Boop was inspired by Clara Bow, but I never read anything about Helen Kane.

Underdog... we could rightly say that Underdog's persona (at least that of his bespectacled, secret identity as a shoe shine boy) was that of the comedian who voiced him: Wally Cox.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EzgcYxNVkAAW4sC.jpg

But what's more interesting is Underdog's villains:
Simon Bar Sinister (a mad scientist) was based on actor Lionel Barrymore.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5SUsMaW4AIjkmE.jpg

Riff Raff (an anthropomorphic wolf / gangster) was based on actor George Raft.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/intanibase/...acters/583.jpg

I can see Wally Cox inspiring the shoe shine boy, but I wonder who inspired Underdog.

I would guess that Underdog (like so many others such as Mighty Mouse) was inspired by Superman (albeit an anthropomorphic version... even ol' Bugs donned a Superman suit once)!

Underdog had several things in common with Superman - they had similar superpowers, both used glasses to disguise their secret identity, they both seemed to make a past time out of rescuing female reporters (Polly Purebred / Lois Lane), they both had mad scientists as arch enemies (Simon Bar Sinister / Lex Luthor).

What's funny is as a kid I probably had no idea who Lionel Barrymore or George Raft were, so had no idea the villains were based on real celebrities - for Simon Bar Sinister you can see it as he's pretty much a caricature of Barrymore. :)

That makes sense. I probably knew that, but it's been so many years since I saw an Underdog cartoon that I just forgot.


Looking back, I think I can see the similarities for both of these characters, but I'm sure I didn't know anything about either of those actors when I was a kid watching the show.

This won't come as news to anyone who's ever just heard the voices from the show... but Brain (from Pinky and the Brain) was directly based on Orson Welles.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/...5MzE@._V1_.jpg

She's not bad, she's just drawn that way...
Jessica Rabbit (from Who Framed Roger Rabbit - 1988) was an amalgam of three major celebrities...
She had the allure & vivaciousness of Rita Hayworth, the hairstyle of Veronica Lake and the attitude & look of Lauren Bacall.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/di...ica_Rabbit.png

Robert Zemeckis called her "the ultimate male fantasy".

The Pink Panther was based on Marcel Marceau!

(Sorry, that was just a little joke I made there.)

But, although the Pink Panther cartoon character was silent in most of his appearacnes, I did find this on Wikipedia...

In an early series of Pink Panther animated cartoons, Pink generally remained silent, speaking only in two theatrical shorts, Sink Pink (one line) and Pink Ice (throughout the film). Rich Little provided Pink's voice in these shorts, modeling it on that of David Niven (who had portrayed Clouseau's jewel thief nemesis in the original live-action film). Years later, Little would overdub Niven's voice for Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther, due to Niven's ill health.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pi...5/52/PInky.png

I didn't know that there were any cartoons where the Pink Panther spoke. I'll have to look for those.

Thanks. :)

Tonight I'm going to mention a famous case of misinformation regarding the topic...

It was long held (and I believed it myself until I read otherwise) that Disney's version of Tinkerbell was based on Marylin Monroe - this was not true.

Her true references (all visual since she never spoke in 1953's Peter Pan) were from much lesser known actresses & models (full story is here...)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker...r_Disney_media

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/fc...77f25a14a7.png

I didn't know who Tinkerbell was based on, but I never heard that it was Marylin Monroe. I always thought that most of the Disney princesses were based on real people who were basically unknowns.

Well, I just learned about another Disney princess that was based on an well known celebrity that I never heard about before. (You start researching this stuff and learn all kinds of new things!) But I'll keep you in suspense until tomorrow. ;)

Princess Ariel - (Disney's) The Little Mermaid (1989)

During film production in the late 1980s, animators used actress Alyssa Milano as the main inspiration for Ariel’s look. During The Little Mermaid release, both Alyssa and Ariel shared the same age of 17, but Milano didn’t know that she was a model for Ariel while the movie was being made.

It was only after the fact that Milano found out when Disney invited her to host The Making of The Little Mermaid and concept art revealed to her that the likeness of Princess Ariel was based on young pictures of the actress.

https://static0.thethingsimages.com/...characters.jpg

I didn't know that, but I can see the resemblance. That makes sense too because The Little Mermaid was made around the same time that her TV show "Who's the Boss?" was popular.

Roger the Alien (from American Dad) is based on Paul Lynde!

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...sB_400x400.jpg
https://townsquare.media/site/341/fi...ynde-Roger.jpg

I've never seen "American Dad", but I love Paul Lynde. I had no idea that there was a character based on him.

Disney's Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Most frequently cited is that Belle was based on Audrey Hepburn.

But Wikipedia adds: Belle's European facial features were inspired by those of British actresses Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn. Several additional Hollywood actresses inspired Belle's appearance, including Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly.

https://missdeestyle.files.wordpress.../11/belle2.jpg

Willoughby

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lo...kling_hare.jpg

I had to look this guy up as I never knew his name (he was also called Rosebud, Lennie and Sylvester). This hound dog was a foil for Bugs Bunny and appeared in a few Looney Tunes episodes. He had a goofy voice and was known for his phrase, "Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?"

As a kid I never knew who "George" was supposed to be until around high school when I first saw the 1939 version of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men.

In the movie, Lon Chaney Jr. (of Wolfman fame) played "Lennie" - a large, mentally-challenged farm hand who doesn't know his own strength. Lennie is cared for by his much more worldly friend, George (played by Burgess Meredith).

The hound dog, Willoughby, was based on Lon Chaney Jr.'s specific version of Lennie (who would be played by various actors in other versions, but which would not use the same speech patterns that Chaney developed for the character).

Willoughby first appeared in a cartoon short called "Of Fox And Hounds" (1940) which was a play on "Of Mice And Men."

I've seen this hound dog in the Looney Tunes cartoons, but I never knew any of this background information about him. I didn't even know that he had a name. I just thought he was a random character to go up against Bugs Bunny.

Was reminded of this thread when I saw a commercial with "Charlie the Tuna" the other day (yes, he's still on TV serving as mascot for StarKist Tuna).

https://static-prod.adweek.com/wp-co...08/charlie.jpg



Charlie wore thick glasses and a cap because he was based on comedian Phil Silvers, whose trademark was his heavily-framed glasses, and he usually wore a cap of some sort to cover his bald head. His voice was an impersonation of Silvers'.

Many people today wouldn't know who Phil Silvers is - but he put "Sgt. Bilko" on the map in a popular TV show of the 1950's, and was one of the most popular Broadway, movie & TV comedians of the late 40's through the 60's.

https://www.bpsas.co.uk/media/images...-edit-edit.jpg

For some reason, Charlie the Tuna always reminded me of Charles Nelson Reilly.

As much as I love CNR, he was never quite at the level Phil Silvers was in the 50's - 60's (at least not enough to base a cartoon character on).

Although I have a feeling one of the more modern cartoons may have made characters based on Charles - I'll have to research.

(Do you remember Charles Nelson Reilly hosting a Saturday morning kids' cartoon show? It was called Uncle Crock's Block - with CNR as "Uncle Crock" - he'd show a bunch of new cartoons created for the show while doing little skits in between them)

I've never heard of Uncle Crock's Block, but I remember him being in one of the Sid and Marty Krofft shows. I think it was "Lidsville".

Lidsville = yes, indeed!

And this didn't take too long...
https://www.moviefone.com/news/ralph...dyk-interview/

And,,, info on Uncle Crock's Block
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Croc%27s_Block

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

And... here's an obscurity I just found...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYqnVvWeqCc

I still haven't seen Ralph Breaks the Internet, but now I have a good reason to bump it up on my watchlist.

I skimmed through the Wikipedia page about Uncle Crock's Block and it sounds like a fun show. I wonder if there are any episodes of it online somewhere.

That was kind of fun. I've only seen a few episodes of "Spongebob Squarepants", but it looks like a fun show. I'm familiar with the characters because there's a DVD seller who used to work across the aisle from my table at conventions sometimes, and he played a bunch of clips from different shows, and "Spongebob" was in those clips.

There are a few clips on YouTube.
Here's the opening... (oh no, I forgot all about Jonathan Harris!) ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9naJtTMnBgE

Thanks for the clip. It looks like it was a fun show.

But now I'm sure that I've never seen it. I think I would have remembered it, especially with both Charles Nelson Reilly and Jonathan Harris.

Another reason we can assume Charlie the Tuna was based on Phil Silvers and not Charles Nelson Riley (aside from the timeline & voice) is the personality...

Charlie the Tuna was always trying to sell himself to Star-Kist as a "tuna with good taste" by using some sort of scheme. Phil Silvers, whether as Sgt. Bilko or other roles, was always depicted as a schemer - always trying to get something over on someone - the "used car salesman" type.

Charlie the Tuna was given the same scheming types of attributes - so in every new commercial he'd have some new scheme to try to sell himself (which doesn't make much sense - if only Charlie knew what Star-Kist DOES to tuna fishes they accept!) ;)

Thus the slogan "Sorry Charlie, Star-Kist doesn't want tuna with good taste, they want tuna that tastes good!"

HOWEVER... according to Wikipedia, Charlie was based on someone else entirely named Henry Nemo...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_the_Tuna#History

Although, growing up, most people agreed he was based on Phil Silvers and some websites still concur with that idea.

I wasn't debating the fact that Charlie the Tuna was based on Phil Silvers. I can see the connections that you mentioned, and it makes sense that Silvers could have been the inspiration for the character.

I was just noting that he always reminded me of Charles Nelson Reilly.

I know, gbg. Just my way of introducing more info - like the fact that Wikipedia doesn't even mention Silvers as the inspiration. So there is more contention over who the character was based on beyond just this thread. Just goes to show, a lot of this stuff is not set in stone, and when there are alternate views, I'll try to report on them as well.

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.
 

Just found this YouTube video that is in line with this thread.
Not that every character mentioned was based on a celebrity (as opposed to simply a real, but relatively unknown person) and some in the video have already been mentioned on this thread...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieeNW2-hncM

Re: Cartoon Characters & the Celebrities they were based upon.