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We always think we know so much about our favourite cartoon characters such as Mickey, Goofy, and all the other famous characters because we seen so many of their films – but do we really? It is without a doubt that many cartoon characters developed into something different over time from their original design, but not many of us are aware of the fact that Tom and Jerry were originally called Jasper and Jinx or the fact that Betty Boop was once a dog. Here are 10 amazing facts about classic cartoon characters.
1. Olive Oyl was a single mother
In 1936, Olive Oyl appeared in the film Somewhere in Dreamland, produced by the same studio that produced the Popeye cartoons. Commencing at 2:02 in the video above, she is seen living in poverty as a single mother with two children during the Great Depression.
Although the actress is simply referred to as “Mom” in the movie, using the same traditional costumes as Olive Oyl, she has the same physical appearance – slim body, no breasts, big feet – and is portrayed by the same actress, Mae Questel.
Cameos by cartoon characters in productions that are different from those of their regular series are not uncommon, either today or in the mid-30s. The Fleischer Studios even used Mickey in one of their shorts, portraying him as an evil mouse who locked Betty Boop’s boyfriend in a hole and laughed at “Bimbo’s Initiation.”
2. Tom and Jerry were known as Jasper and Jinx
At 2:24:24 in his first appearance in the 1941 animation shown above known as “Puss Gets the Boot,” Tom is dubbed “Jasper” by his Mammy Two Shoes who happens to be his owner. Although Jerry was not named in the short movie, creator Willian Hannah said that the first name of the mouse was Jinx.
The name “Tom and Jerry” was the suggestion of another MGM maker, although some claim that the words were inspired by WW II, when British troops were called “Tommies” and Germans, “Jerries.” While “Tom and Jerry” was indeed the development of “Jasper and Jinx”, no one seemed to think of changing the name “Mammy Two Shoes” into something more like a real name and not a horrible racist.
Tom’s name is, in fact, Thomas. Tom is only called “Thomas” by Mammy, In the second episode, which is known as, “Midnight Snack,” although on the title card he is named Tom. It is unknown whether Jerry similarly demeans Gerald or Jerome, as no one calls him by his first name.
3. Goofy’s wife was a human being
Cartoon characters in the early 50s such as Goofy, had different names as most of us know that Goofy name was known as George Geef, who was married and had a child. While Goofy’s wife’s face has never been shown, we can only imagine that she is not an anthropomorphic dog, but a human being because she has five fingers instead of four – as does Goofy and many Disney animal characters – as you can see in 4:06 in the 1951 “Secret War.”
In addition, all the female characters in the Goofy cartoons of the time are portrayed as ordinary women with no dog traits. If you take a good look at the back of her head in one episode, you will see that she has human air – “Father’s Weekend” is the name of the episode. Goofy’s wife whose name is not known, doesn’t seem to have a good reputation in the city, either.
In the 1953’s episode “Father’s Day Off,” it is suggested that Goofy’s wife constantly receives with kisses the milkman, the grocery store worker, and the man at the laundry while Goofy is not around. Maybe due to her shameless conduct, Goofy’s wife was no longer visible without explanation from cartoons that came out later, and in A Goofy Movie 1995, she is said to have died. It may seem like Goofy is the only cartoon dog you don’t want to cross.
4. Betty Boop used to be A dog
When the Fleischer brothers came up with the character of Betty Boo in 1930, thy first created her as a French poodle, with sharp ears and a round black nose. When she first appeared on screen, at 2:39 in 1930’s episode “Dizzy Dishes” which can be seen above, she looks very much like a mysterious dog.
Gradually she was changed into a fully human being characterized. In the amazing trippy “Bimbo’s Initiation” from the year 1931, when she seduces Bimbo to the last scene, she no longer looked similar to a dog, but still had long ears. It wasn’t until the episode known as “Any Rags,” in 1932, she became a full-fledged human and her earliest ears were turned into earrings. Possibly, perhaps to prove her full femininity, this short show Betty Boop reveals her bra – twice.
5. Totoro inspired the name of a worm with legs
Totoro, who is a very loved cartoon character was designed around 1988 by Japanese animator maker Hazao Miyazaki in My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro cartoon popularity is so high in Asia to the point it was named Eopepiparus Totoro in honor of the film, after new species of velvet worm were founded in Vietnam.
In hindsight, scientists are not so much inspired by the character Totoro himself, but by the “cat bus” in that in the same film, whose several pairs of legs look similar to the velvet worm’s. This is not the first time that a cartoon character has revived biologists.
There were a few other varieties of species inspired by ‘toons, the most uncommon, perhaps being a sponge-like mushroom named Spongiforma squarepantsii, apparently after SpongeBob Squarepants. There is also a species of chameleon native to the Madagascar jungle named Calumna Tarzan after the King of the Jungle.
6. Donald Duck assisted family planning in the third
Indeed, many people are aware of the fact that Donald Duck was portrayed as a Nazi in a series of propaganda cartoons during World War II. But not many people know about Donald Duck’s involvement in a series of educational films during the 60s, the last of which dealt with the tragic topic of family planning.
In the 1968 film seen above, easily called “Family Planning” which was produced by Disney Council of the U.S. People’s Party, the “ordinary couple” of the world (a Latin man and his Indian wife) are taught how to have fewer children. The plan is to bring back the “human standard,” which was interrupted because, as the educator explain to us, modern medicine has saved countless children from death. Donald Duck appears in the middle of each episode making clumsy antics, and he even wears a doctor outfit to give the couple a “key” to the magic of family planning.
This magic key can be found “simply by taking pills or using simple substances, As the narrator explains.” In the end, the video is not as shocking as it used to be and conveys a sense of humor, but it is also amazing to see a beloved children’s character like Donald Duck take part in the episode. At the end of the brief, Donald even pointed out to the audience when the narrator said, “and we all have a responsibility to the human family – including you!
7. Mae Questel performed many voices
The actress that we mentioned in number 4 who is Mae Questel, was best known for voicing Betty Boop, all the way from Fleischer Studio’s first shorts in the 30s to her last appearance as Betty in a 1988 film called Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
However, she also featured Olive Oyl in Popeye’s cartoons in the 30s with Audrey in the “Little Audrey” series. Mae was also the same person who voiced Casper the Friendly Ghost in at least one episode with Felix the Cat in three sound and episodes in color produced in the 30s. Many of her appearances were unconfirmed.
In addition to her work as the voice of famous cartoon characters, she had certain roles to be remembered as a camera actress. For example, an Orthodox Jew-born woman named Kwestel played the Jewish mother in Woody Allen’s Oedipus Wrecks and Aunt Bethany in the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
8. Felix the cat was an anti-feminist
Speaking of Felix the Cat, he was the most famous cartoon character of the 20s. Despite all that success, he had no luck with women — well, women cats. In the video above, 1925 “Felix Finds’ Em Fickle,” Felix’s girlfriend refuse to accept the flower the hero kindly gave her. “If you’re in love with me, take that one for me!” she tells him, while showing him the flower she wanted that was laying on top of the mountain which goes up to 40,000 meters.
Felix goes up the mountain, fights with bears and vultures, came back down victoriously with a flower, but she still wasn’t impressed. She calls him a “dumb bell” and told him that, she was interested in the flower that was next to the one he got her. Felix would faint understandably. In “Comicalamities” after three years, Felix’s romantic interest has a bad face, so with a little assistance from a cartoonist, he redraw it. To show her gratitude, she asks for jewels. He would then get her a fur coat and a pearl necklace, but she still wants more presents and won’t fade, so he’s full of anger – he just snatches her out from the cartoons.
In 1922’s “Felix Turns the Tide,” his girlfriend was happy to see him go to war, and made a promise to him that she was going to marry him when he returned. When he comes back, however, he finds that she is married to his rival, and that she gave birth to many kittens. This time, maybe due to Felix getting used to pain, he wasn’t really hurt, so he laughed and exclaimed: “Gosh, I had a narrow escape!” The misconduct of girlfriend to the timeless transformation from the lucky good Guy eventually reach an end.
9. Smufette was a brunette designed by Gargamel
At first, every Smurfs characters were all male – or, at least, blue creatures. The evil Gargamel then made a female Smurf and sent her to the village on a mission to seduce and deceive the Smurfs, as seen in 1:55 in the video above.
They are not happy with her actions, however, and she eventually turns around and cries as she repent – so Papa Smurf transformed her to blonde. After the change, everyone loves and accepts her as one of them. Gentlemen are interested in blondes, and supposedly the Smurfs do too.
Although Smurfette has been the only Smurf woman in the village for a long time, not facing a male attention contest, seasons that come out after, included other female characters such as Nanny Smurf and Sassette. While some wonder how the Smurfs gave birth before the arrival of women, the fact is that they can actually be created magically with blue mud.
10. Mickey was a jerk
In the early cartoons, Characters such as Mickey was not a role model for children and even adults. Looking back at Mickey’s first film called “Plane Crazy” that was produced in 1928’s which can be seen on the above image, he actually date-rapes the character Minnie mouse, forcing her to kiss her while flying.
At 4:55, she finally comes out of the plane to prevent further development from the sex-obsessed mouse. In “The Galloping Gaucho,” which is the second film that came out the same year, he witnesses Minnie dancing in a bar for other men, while he laughs and drink beer.
The first Mickey also enjoys harassing other animals. In “Crazy Plane,” he uses a fiery dog as a motor to make his first plane fly, and with force ripped peacock feathers he uses it as the tail of his second plane. In “Steamboat Willie,” he abuses a cat, a goat and a duck, using them as music instruments.
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