16 Fantastic Children’s Cartoon Character Series Inspirations.
April 10, 2009 | Thoughts & Words By Sneh Roy | 14 Comments
As a child and as an adult, I have always enjoyed watching cartoons on television. In recent years, they have really evolved and are no longer a child’s domain. Each series on television has its unique look and flavor with a central character and the rest revolving around it. There are some that base all their characters on a fixed formula, like all yellow characters with tubular heads in "The Simpsons"; and then there are some that are as diverse as a bear, a piglet, a tigger and a donkey can be in "Winnie The Pooh". The underlying principal to note here is that they are all extremely unique and are designed outside the box with brilliant names and exaggerated features that would surely stand out in your head amongst the million of things you see everyday. I also think designing for children is quite a challenge because they have a shorter attention span and are easily distracted. The characters have to be really memorable to keep the kids glued to their seats. Magical visuals and sounds are extremely important since the makers cannot rely on witty humor to bail them out, simply because children are too little to appreciate jokes that adults would. Without further ado, I present to you a fantastic roundup of Children’s Cartoon Characters that are out of this world and an inspiration to many a budding artist and illustrator.
Winnie The Pooh
[Based on the original character developed by A A Milne and brought to life by Disney]
Perhaps the most loved of all children’s characters are the truly unique residents of the Hundred Acre Woods. Winnie the Pooh a dear little bear .. well he is a "pooh" and his shy little friend Piglet have the most adorable adventures alongwith the hilarious Tigger, Eeyore the donkey, Rabbit, Lump the Heffalump and Roo.
Me, Eloise
[Based on the "Eloise" series of books by Kay Thompson]
Eloise is a precocious little 6 year old who lives in New York’s Plaza Hotel and the series explores her life and adventures. The books have been beautifully illustrated and the classic hand drawn style continues in the animated series on television.
Rupert Bear, Follow The Magic
[Based on the classic character introduced by Mary Tourtel in the 1920s]
Rupert Bear, the series was recently revamped with a beautiful opening sequence that says "Follow The Magic". It reminds me of another one of my favorites, Noddy.
Mr. Men Show
[ Created by British author Roger Hargreaves in the 70s, The Mr. Men Show is based on the original Mr Men and Little Miss books]
These characters are fantastic, their brilliance lies in their simplicity. They are bold little blurbs of color and expression. How can you not like Little Miss Naughty or Mr. Tickle?
Thomas The Tank Engine
[Based on the fictional Tank Engine created by Rev. W. V. Awdry in his Railway series of books]
If you have a little boy in your life, you could not have escaped the fanaticism of Thomas and his friends. Even before most boys can walk or talk, they are fashioning their arms into the furious little pump of pistons and chugging along the entire house going "Choo Choo". Such is the fervour induced by Thomas the Tank engine and his mates Percy, Henry, Murdoch, James, Oliver and Cranky who haul stuff all day long on the island of Sodor and live their adventures on rails.
Spongebob Squarepants
[Star of Nickleodeon's series by the same name, Spongebob was created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg]
Spongebob is a square, yellow fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant deep on the ocean floor. He lives in a pineapple house and hangs out with his mate Patrik the pink starfish. He is obnoxious and cute, qualities that kids can relate to.
Tom & Jerry
[Tom and Jerry was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 40s]
The ultimate in kid’s slapstick, Tom & Jerry although hilariously violent is up there in cartoon classics and follows the mad capers of a housecat and a smart mouse.
The Powerpuff Girls
[Created by Craig McCracken, the powerpuff girls are an American cartoon series]
Hiiyaaa!! Three little kindergarteners resembling cute Japanese dolls with big goggly eyes have superpowers and their only mission is to save the world before bedtime. That is good stuff!
My Little Pony
[Targeting little girls, My Little Pony is based on the series of toys by the same name developed by toy giant Hasbro]
Ponyville is a fascinating place where sunshine. laughter and magical things live!
Pocoyo
[A British pre-school animated adventures of a curious little boy]
Pocoyo in Spanish means "a little bit of me" and is a gorgeous little series with brilliant characters set in a white 3D space with no backdrops. Pocoyo, the little boy has amazing adventures in this white space with his friends Loula, Pato, Elly and Sleepy bird.
Curious George
[A lovely little kid's series based on the books by Margret and HA Rey]
These fabulous children’s books were made into perfect little cartoons for curious young minds. The original hand drawn style of the illustrations was foregone for a more classic animated style of cartoons, which in my honest opinion ended up increasing the appeal of George the monkey.
Clifford
[A cartoon series based on the books about the big red dog by Norman Bridwell first published in 1963]
Emily Elizabeth gets a little pet and to her surprise and amazement, the little mutt grows into this giant red dog. It is a memorable character that kids love and the stories are brilliant.
Charlie And Lola
[First introduced in books by author Lauren Child, they were later made into a television series]
The scrawny brother and sister duo of Charlie and Lola stand out because of their unique scruffy style. The series itself is unique in its paper piecing backdrop style, a little Parisian chic and lots of patterns and colors.
The Little Einsteins
[Disney's animated series about a bunch of pre-schoolers who understand classical music and explore the world in their rocketship]
The little red rocket is probably the most adored thing in the series, children quickly relate to the four central characters Leo, Annie, June & Quincy.
Bottletop Bill
[An animated series made up of recycled things]
Bottletop Bill and his best friend Corky are weird looking characters made from recycled everyday things, this series plays on the imagination and wins!
Noddy
[A series based on a character created by British author Enid Blyton in the 1940s]
Noddy is a little guy who lives in Toyland. His series is the longest running series in British television history.
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I’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.
I love the illustration style of Mr. Men. So colourful
I’m making an animation/cartoon in university. Its a lot of fun!
Euan’s last blog post..Logo design process – Ezie Designs
That sounds like fun .. are you making like a whole series of characters?
amazing stuff thanx
:O So mush Info :O ? THis Is he MOst AMAzing SIte DUDe?
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Where do you find time and strength to run this creative website? I hardly find the time… I don’t drink coffee …:( other advice?? !
By the way i love cartoon i think they are great not only for children!
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This is a good site
i looooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bob the builder and noddy.
they are soooooo shuuuuweeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttt…
There are quite a few of these that I remember watching as a child which have since been updated and now my daughter watches, Its amazing to see how the artwork has changed over the years with a move towards a more animated look and feel away from the hand drawn look that I remember watching. Either way they are some great shows and my daughter enjoys both the modern versions as well as the old.
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There are definitely some great shows on this list… Hopefully one day Hector will make the grade!
This post was so much fun! My 4 year old and I enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading about each one. He yelled out each cartoon’s name as he saw them, giggling the whole time. Thanks for a fun activity this morning.
What about Dora The Explorer?
good selection of illustrations is that each artist has his own style and fastened to paint …. thanks
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