Buzz
We all think we know Mickey, Goofy, and the other iconic characters, but do we really? It's fascinating that these beloved figures have undergone changes from their original form, and even more surprising is the fact that Betty Boop was originally conceived as a dog, and Tom and Jerry had different names—Jasper and Jinx. Here are 10 astonishing facts about classic cartoon characters.
10. Betty Boop Was Once a Poodle
Back in 1930, the Fleischer brothers introduced Betty Boop as a French poodle with droopy ears and a round black nose. In her first screen appearance, in the 1930 cartoon 'Dizzy Dishes,' she clearly resembles an anthropomorphic dog. Over time, however, she slowly evolved into a full-fledged human character. In the surreal 1931 short 'Bimbo's Initiation,' when Betty entices Bimbo in the final scene, her dog-like features begin to fade, but she still retains her floppy ears.
It wasn't until 1932, in the cartoon 'Any Rags,' that Betty fully transformed into a human. Her once-poodle ears were now reimagined as earrings, signaling her complete shift in appearance. As if to emphasize her newfound femininity, this short includes a moment where Betty Boop reveals her bra—twice.
9. Donald Duck Advocated Family Planning in the Third World
While it’s well-known that Donald Duck was depicted as a Nazi in a series of World War II propaganda cartoons, fewer people are aware of his involvement in educational films in the 1960s. One of these films, titled ‘Family Planning’ and created by Disney for the US Population Council in 1968, tackled the sensitive subject of family planning. In the film, a Latino man and his Indian wife are shown as an ‘average couple’ of the world, receiving advice on how to have fewer children in order to ‘restore the population balance.’ The film’s narrator notes that modern medicine has kept too many children alive, which caused this imbalance.
Throughout the film, Donald Duck makes his appearance in between segments, engaging in comical antics. At one point, he dresses up as a doctor to present the couple with the ‘key’ to the concept of family planning. The narrator explains that this ‘key’ is something anyone can access simply by taking pills or using basic devices.
Although the film's premise may initially seem shocking, it ultimately conveys a logical message. Still, it is odd to witness a beloved character like Donald Duck involved in such a serious topic. At the end of the short film, Donald even gestures toward the audience with an ominous point, while the narrator declares, ‘and all of us have a responsibility towards the family of man—including YOU!’
8. Tom and Jerry Were Initially Named Jasper and Jinx
At 2:24 in his debut appearance in the 1941 cartoon ‘Puss Gets the Boot,’ Tom is referred to as ‘Jasper’ by his owner, Mammy Two Shoes. Although Jerry is not named in this short film, creator William Hanna revealed that the mouse's original name was ‘Jinx.’ The title ‘Tom and Jerry’ was suggested by another MGM animator, though some believe the names were inspired by WWII, where British soldiers were called ‘Tommies’ and Germans were known as ‘Jerries.’ While ‘Tom and Jerry’ was certainly an improvement over ‘Jasper and Jinx,’ it’s odd that no one thought to give Mammy Two Shoes a more realistic name, instead of a term that feels more like a racial stereotype.
Tom’s full name is actually Thomas. In the second episode, ‘The Midnight Snack,’ Mammy calls him ‘Thomas,’ although the title card lists him as ‘Tom.’ It remains unclear whether Jerry’s name is a shortened form of Gerald or Jerome, as no one ever addresses him by a full name.
7. Mickey Was Quite the Jerk
In the early cartoons, Mickey wasn’t exactly an ideal role model for either children or adults. In his first film, 1928’s ‘Plane Crazy’ (featured in the video above), he essentially forces Minnie into a kiss during an airplane ride, in what could be considered a date-rape scenario. At 4:55, Minnie jumps out of the plane to escape Mickey’s unwanted advances.
In ‘The Galloping Gaucho,’ Mickey’s second film from the same year, he watches as Minnie performs for other men in a bar, all the while laughing and drinking beer.
In his early appearances, Mickey took pleasure in mistreating animals. In ‘Plane Crazy,’ he uses a dachshund as the engine for his first airplane, and forcibly plucks the feathers of a peacock to serve as the tail for his second plane. Later, in ‘Steamboat Willie,’ he subjects a cat, a goat, and a duck to torture, forcing them to play as musical instruments.
6. Totoro Inspired the Name of a Legged Worm
Totoro, the beloved character created by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki in 1988's ‘My Neighbor Totoro,’ is so adored in Asia that when a new species of velvet worm was discovered in Vietnam, it was named ‘Eoperipatus totoro’ in tribute to the film. While the name honors Totoro, the scientists were more influenced by the ‘cat bus’ from the same movie, whose many legs resemble the velvet worm’s form.
This isn’t the first instance of cartoon characters influencing the names of species. There are other examples, one of the most unusual being a sponge-like mushroom called ‘Spongiforma squarepantsii,’ clearly named after SpongeBob SquarePants. Additionally, a species of chameleon from the forests of Madagascar was named ‘Calumna tarzan,’ in homage to the King of the Jungle.
5. Smurfette Was A Brunette Created By Gargamel
Initially, all of the Smurfs were male—or at least genderless blue creatures. However, the villainous sorcerer Gargamel created a female Smurf and sent her to the village with the mission to seduce and deceive the Smurfs, as seen at 1:55 in the video above. The Smurfs were unimpressed, and she eventually repented, crying. In response, Papa Smurf made her blonde, after which all the Smurfs fell in love with her and accepted her as one of their own. It turns out, gentlemen prefer blondes—and apparently, so do Smurfs.
Although Smurfette was the sole female Smurf for a long time, with no competition for male attention, later seasons introduced other female Smurfs like Sassette Smurf and Nanny Smurf. Some wonder how the Smurfs managed reproduction before females appeared, but the truth is that Smurfs can be magically created from blue clay.
4. Olive Oyl Was A Poor Single Mother
In 1936, Olive Oyl made a brief appearance in the film ‘Somewhere in Dreamland,’ produced by the same studio behind the Popeye cartoons. Starting at 2:02 in the video above, she is depicted as a single mother with two children living in poverty during the Great Depression. Although referred to only as 'Mother' in the film, she is dressed in Olive Oyl's familiar attire, has the same physical traits—slim body, no breasts, large feet—and is voiced by Mae Questel, the same actress who voiced Olive Oyl.
Cameos by cartoon characters in productions outside of their original series are a common occurrence, both now and in the ’30s. The Fleischer Studios even included Mickey Mouse in one of their short films, portraying him as an evil mouse who locks Betty Boop’s boyfriend in a manhole and laughs in ‘Bimbo’s Initiation.’
3. Goofy Had A Human Wife
In many of the early ’50s cartoons, Goofy was named George Geef, and he had a wife and child. Although his wife’s face is never shown, it's implied she is fully human, not an anthropomorphic dog-like character, because she has five fingers instead of the four fingers common to Goofy and other Disney animal characters, as seen at 4:06 in the video above from the 1951 cartoon ‘The Cold War.’ Additionally, all female characters in Goofy cartoons from that era are depicted as ordinary women without any dog-like features. In at least one episode, we even catch a glimpse of the back of her head, revealing she has normal human hair, as shown in the episode ‘Father’s Weekend.’
Goofy’s unnamed wife doesn’t seem to have the best reputation in town either. In the 1953 short ‘Father’s Day Off,’ it’s suggested that she frequently greets the milkman, grocery man, and laundry man with kisses while Goofy is away. Due to this questionable behavior, she vanishes without explanation in later cartoons, and in the 1995 film ‘A Goofy Movie,’ it is hinted that she passed away. It appears that Goofy is one cartoon dog you don’t want to mess with.
2. Felix The Cat Is A Misogynist
Felix the Cat, the most beloved cartoon character of the 1920s, was not as fortunate in his love life—at least with female cats. In the 1925 short ‘Felix Finds ‘Em Fickle,’ Felix’s girlfriend rejects a flower he offers, insisting, ‘If you love me, get me that one!’ pointing to a flower perched atop a towering 40,000-foot mountain. Felix climbs it, battles bears and vultures, and triumphantly returns with the flower, only for her to call him a ‘dumb-bell’ and complain, ‘I wanted the one next to it!’ Felix, naturally, faints.
In ‘Comicalamities,’ three years later, Felix’s love interest has an unappealing face. With some help from the animator, he redraws her face to make it more attractive. In return, she demands jewels. Felix gets her a pearl necklace and a fur coat, but she still wants more gifts and refuses to show affection. Finally, in a fit of rage, Felix simply rips her out of the cartoon.
In the 1922 short ‘Felix Turns the Tide,’ his girlfriend is thrilled when he goes off to war and promises to marry him when he returns. However, upon his return, Felix discovers she has married his rival and had dozens of kittens with him. This time, Felix, perhaps having grown accustomed to disappointment, laughs it off, saying, ‘Gosh, I had a narrow escape!’ The transformation from a well-meaning Nice Guy to a cynical misogynist was now complete.
1. One Woman Performed Tons Of Famous Voices
Mae Questel, the iconic voice behind Betty Boop, voiced the character from the early Fleischer Studio cartoons of the 1930s all the way through to her final appearance as Betty in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit? In addition to her famous role as Betty, Mae also provided the voice for Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons of the ‘30s, Audrey in the ‘Little Audrey’ series, and even Casper the Friendly Ghost in at least one episode. She was also the voice of Felix the Cat in three of the sound and color episodes produced during the ‘30s. Many of her voice appearances, however, went uncredited.
Beyond her voice work for beloved animated characters, Mae Questel made an impression as an on-screen actress as well. Born to an Orthodox Jewish family with the last name Kwestel, she took on memorable roles such as the Jewish mother in Woody Allen’s Oedipus Wrecks and Aunt Bethany in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
