Throughout history, cartoon characters have come in many shapes and forms. Some ranging from villains who we love to hate to gifted protagonists whose crazy antics and wild inventions keep us glued to our screens.
In this article, we pay tribute to some of the smartest cartoon characters throughout history who have taught us a thing or two about life and tackling everyday problems.
Velma from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Is an all-time classic featuring Velma, the brains behind their operation; Fred, the high school jock; Daphne, the diva; Shaggy, the hippy; and of course Scooby-Doo, the excitable, talking Great Dane. The gang travels around many strange towns to solve unexplained mysteries and unmask the culprits behind the terror. In most of their adventures, the gang splits up in search of answers and Velma is usually paired with Scooby and Shaggy. While Shaggy and Scooby are easily distracted by food, it’s Velma’s intuition and analytical thinking that solves the mystery.
Brain from Pinky and the Brain
In the hilarious spin-off of Warner Brothers, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain is about the adventures of two talking mice who want to take over the globe. Pinky, a lovable goofy mouse and Brain, the mastermind behind their world domination plans. Throughout the show, Brain uses his wild inventions such as mind control devices and robots to escape his cage and rule the world. While his clever schemes ultimately fail, it’s usually because of Pinky’s shenanigans and not his lack of intelligence.
Jimmy Neutron from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
Another boy-genius who deserves credit is Jimmy Neutron. Much like Dexter, Jimmy is also a young boy who has built his own hi-tech laboratory. However, Jimmy is well adjusted to life outside of his lab and is far less close-lipped about his inventions. Together with his robot dog, Goddard, Jimmy spends most of his time battling evil, saving the planet, and rescuing his parents from invading aliens while still making it home in time for dinner!
Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory
Dexter, Huber Elementary School student and younger brother to busy body Dee Dee is much more than an average kid. He is a boy-genius who somehow manages to fund and build his very sophisticated secret laboratory. Many of Dexter’s wild inventions are hilariously ingenious such as the dinosaur with puppy DNA, an interdimensional monster, and the nightmare-preventing dream machine. While Dexter may be extremely intelligent, he often overlooks common-sense solutions to his daily problems. Dee Dee’s curiosity is usually the reason why most of Dexter’s inventions fail, but that doesn’t mean we can’t give credit where credit is due!
Susan and Mary Test from Johnny Test
There is no denying that twin sisters, Susan and Mary are the brains in the Test family. Despite their young age, the super-genius twins spend most of their time concocting outrageous experiments and inventions which range from mind-control devices to cloning facilities. While their younger brother Johnny is often used as their lab rat, it is usually left up to him to save the world when their experiments go awry. Susan and Mary may be brainiacs but when it comes to winning the heart of their handsome neighbor, Gil, both sisters are clueless.
There are thousands of cartoon characters that each have their own unique strengths and flaws, these are just a few that have captured our imaginations and hearts.
