October 21st, 2011
11:10 AM ET
Friday's Top Five: Animated misfitsFrom the moment Disney’s Steamboat Willie short enthralled audiences back in 1928, cartoons have been an indelible part of American culture. We couldn’t get enough of these whimsical animations, many of which reflected uplifting cartoon escapades. Not today, however. In honor of Charlie Brown's annual return to TV next week with "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," we're celebrating the top five animated anomalies who weren't made of rainbows and cheer. Whether you find them depressing, grumpy, melancholy or simply misunderstood (as we like to call them), tell us which characters we missed with your own list in the comments.
1. Charlie Brown - Let’s see, his famous line is “good grief,” and he wasn’t even happy on Christmas. On the bright side, he inspired the hilarious “Charlie Brown walk” gag on “Arrested Development.”
2. Moe Szyslak – I’ve strayed from “The Simpsons” in recent years, but some of my favorite moments occurred when we were given glimpses of Moe’s miserable existence. The most hilarious sad sack on the list, Moe is lonely, bitter and prone to oversharing.
3. Casper The Friendly Ghost – You just had to root for this adorable apparition with the meek voice and pudgy cheeks. After trying to find a friend and getting rebuffed every time, finally the cutest fox joins up with Casper but then, ZOMG - hunters KILL the fox. And just when you think it couldn’t get any bleaker, Casper is BURYING his dead pal! Welcome to post-war children’s entertainment.
4. Eeyore – I'll admit, I don't get Eeyore. Hundred Acre Wood was an idyllic hamlet where an abundance of honey-fueled animals teamed up for mischievous adventures. What’s not to like? It’s not like somebody FORCED Eeyore to make his house out of flimsy twigs.
5. Daria Morgendorffer – Daria’s deadpan delivery was an awl puncturing the social fabric of any situation. She was Charlie Brown on steroids and became the queen of the disaffected, ironic crowd.
Honorable mentions: Grumpy Bear (at least he was honest about it), Meg Griffin, Wile E. Coyote (eventually you just started feeling bad for the guy), Dave Seville from “Alvin & The Chipmunks” (he could really use a decompression day at the spa), and Garfield.
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Garfield sucks
Heathcliff is the only orange cat I recognize
that is the most funny thing to say so i love the movie and it is the amaing thing so i love the movie and i so alsome and yo like it to
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Why am I such a misfit,
I am not just a nitwit,
you can't fire me, I quit,
That's why I don't fit in.
@LMAO – got a bug up your a$$??
Joyce is a misfit...lol. along with bella, missy, wendy, fernace...there u have ur 5 misfits...lmfao!!
One name tops them all. Philip J. Fry.
Casper must have been really young when he died.
How can you overlook Homer Simpson? Then there was that "Doug" character on nick.
fyi
Meg Griffin doesn't even fit into her family.
"I say, Doo Dah, I say, Doo Dah"
Hey, don't forget Shleprock and Droopy!
Poor Moe. I remember that episode too. I can see why Charlie Brown was depressed too. He was like 8 and bald as hell lol
Care bears. Rainbow brite. Smurfs. My litte pony. GI Joe. Pound puppies. Tom and Jerry. Geeze, the list could go on and on!
Joyce I think you're missing the point. We are looking for MISFITS. Look it up and try again.
what about Squidward? He's always in a bad mood! I love Squidward! LOL!
Grumpy Smurf! "I HATE lists about misfits that don't include me."
You are just pathetic . The rest of us can't even enjoy a few moments of humor , without someone with an unhealthy fixation interjecting some political B.S.....
LMAO
He wasn't animated, but Joe Btfsplk from Little Abner was the original person with the dark cloud over his head. And how about Saturday Night Live's Debbie Downer?
Jiminy (sp) cricket. "I'm no fool no siree I'm gonna live to be 103 I play safe for you and me cuz I'm no fool"
Droopy the Dog was found hanged today at his West Hollywood condo. The cartoon actor had been despondent for decades, as a profession, and finally gave up, hanging himself with a leash once owned by Rin Tin Tin.
Among the mourners at the funeral was Red Hot Riding Hood, who claimed to have had a long-term relationship with him. An arguement ensued when Jessica Rabbit showed up that was only broken up by the timely intervention of Officer P-Porky P-Pig. This was followed by the eulogy read by Thomas "Tom" T. Cat and Jerome "Jerry" T. Mouse. His will, which was read shortly after left all his props to Wile E. Coyote in hopes that he would put them to good use.
Daria = Diarrhea. What total crap. The cave man from Eek the cat
Also Stewie
Land Before Time shattered me as a kid. I also remember Fox and The Hound being severely depressing.
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.
You'd be a mopey puss, too, if you had a pin rammed into your rump 24/7!
Daffy Duck
Yogi Bear
Underdog
Hardy Har Har
Elmer Fudd
Bullwinkle
Boris and Natasha
Dudley Dooright
This list was waaaayyy too short.
Where are you Scooby?
Yeah, Bullwinkle was consumed by existential angst all right.
You forgot Droopy and Chilly Willy the Penguin.
The topic was "Misfits" not "A Bunch of Old Cartoon Characters". Your list is pretty sad if thats who you think of as Misfits. And you can think of more too?
I did an image search on her. OMG there are a lot of people who apparently had inappropriate thoughts about her besides you. I am currently poking myself in the third eye in hopes of wiping away the images.
Love those 7 dwarves–especially stupid–mean Dopey. And what happened to Road Runner–Beep-Beep!!!
Poor pigpen.
No matter where he went, that dark cloud always followed him around.
The "cloud" was under him, not over him. He's filthy and that's all dirt he brings with him.
Dale Gribble (King of the Hill)
You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred.
I don't, I say I don't NEED your love, honey. I got, I say I got my BANDAGES to keep me warm.
You used his moniker but missed him on the list Sad Sack, the original for whom the term was coined!
North American Marlon Brando Look Alikes?
Heard about the little Greek boy who ran away from home because he didn't like the way he was being reared? Uh-huh. He came back because he couldn't bear to leave his brother's behind.
Was Johnny Quest home-schooled? I mean his dad was always dragging him to some jungle to solve some problem. How about Hadji? Was he Johnny's age? ...And that Race Bandit... who names their kid Race?
Race Bannon*, Bandit was the dog. And yes, what kind of father drags his kid around to life-threatening situations on a regular basis?
Is Carl Williott under the impression that "Steamboat Willie" was the first cartoon? Not by a long shot. Koko the Clown, Bimbo, Krazy Kat, and Gertie the Dinosaur were in many cartoons before Mickey Mouse came about.
Actually the Fleischer Bros cartoons were at the same time as Disney. Check out Betty Boop's "old man of the mountain" cartoon on youtube, or "Poor Cinderella."
"Check out Betty Boop's "old man of the mountain" cartoon on youtube, or "Poor Cinderella.""
What does that prove? Check out Koko the Clown: "The Tantalizing Fly" (1919), "Gertie the Dinosaur" (1914), "Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the Circus" (1916), and Felix the Cat: "Feline Follies" (1919).
Koko the Clown and Fitz/Bimbo were Fleischer and date from the late teens.
Diarrhea cha cha cha!!! Diarrhea cha cha cha!!!
I just randomly remembered this, but I'm sure no one recalls "Halloween Night is Grinch Night".
Wile E Coyote reminds me of a certain blogger. Lmao:)
That Casper is the most depressing cartoon I have ever seen. I actually cried watching it.
I remember thinking "God, they show this to little kids?" It's philosophically horrifying. Die and you become a THING with only sketchy memories of existence, haunting some random place.
Of course they showed that to kids. Just watch Disney's "Bambi". The cries of Bambi calling "Mother" in the snow-covered woods still fills my eyes with tears.
Eeyore was clinically depressed because he had no tail – that's kind of serious when you think about it.
Yeah..... I'm depressed I don't have a tail either. End of the road... nothing to do... and no hope of things getting better. Sounds like Saturday night at my house.
I know you're right. That's why I'm having mine injected with tummy fat. ...as soon as I can afford it...
Eeyore had a tail. It just kept falling off. However, as opposed to being clinically depressed, I found him to be clinically depressing and an enabler of others problems. He brought out the doubt in the totally innocent Pooh. He added to the feelings of insecurity on the part of Piglet. He added to the obsessive compulsions of Rabbit. He caused more maternal worry on the part of Kanga. He took the joy out of Roo and Tigger and their play.
She may have been weird to many, but she was as real as it gets...
^