What characters best represent their decade?

G

game freak

New member
I was thinking about this on my way home today. So, what characters do you think would best represent a decade they are from? In my measly 2.5 decades of watching cartoons... I have.


80s - Optimus Prime
Mainly because he's one of those "once in a blue moon" type characters. While battling the evil Decepticons with the Autobots, Optimus Prime tought us the virtues of leadership, kindness, and sacrifice. I believe this giant robot is one of the characters that represent the hope and values we try to believe in America(Much like Superman) We'll never see another character as epic as Optimus Prime.

90s - Homer Simpson
Even though he was technically concieved in the 80s, I think the 90s was when he was at his best. This is when he was the dimwitted but well meaning everyman that everyone can relate to. Even though he's a bonehead, he is capable of showing us things that are pretty deep(like when he told Flanders he was afraid of being human)

00s - Phillip J. Fry
I think we can all agree that in this decade, we've been in a shortage of awesome characters. Fry is a great character because despite being a slow witted, perverted, immature, pudgy turbo nerd, he's still an great science fiction hero. He's also capable of feeling emotion(another trait that's been missing from this decade)
 
If you mean the general culture and attitudes of each decade and/or the typical cartoon character of each decade, let's see:

30s: Mickey Mouse: represents the happy-go-lucky, perpetually-cheerful characters typical of cartoons of the era, as well as appealing to Depression-era audiences needing something to lift their spirits.

Reflective of the culture of the time: those one-shot Merrie Melodies cartoons where nothing happens but singing and dancing to ancient big-band/swing or jazz songs popular at the time.

40s: Bugs Bunny: Represents both the best of the smart-aleck characters popular during the 40s (Woody, Screwy Squirrel, etc.) and the type of characters that would sock it to the Nazis/boost morale during the Second World War.

Reflective of the culture at the time: The various anti-Nazi/anti-Japanese war cartoonsk, or cartoons making fun of bobbysoxers, zoot suits, or Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

50s: Not sure about which character; for the general culture, maybe any of the various cartoons focusing on then-brand new suburban culture (reflecting the stuffiness / rising consumer culture of the 50s).

60s: Bullwinkle perhaps---representing the limited animation popular during the era, along with being a popular character of the time.

Reflective of the culture: Rocky and Bullwinkle for the first half of the decade, ridiculing the Cold War and high tensions between the Soviet Union and the US (along with early 60's pop culture); the various Beatles parodies, "Catanooga Cats" and "George of the Jungle" for the second half (mocking Beatlemania, the counterculture, etc.).

70s: Scooby Doo: most TV cartoons were knockoffs of the Scoobster, plus he was probably the most popular character to come into the fore in this decade (yeah, he was created in the 1969, but still...).

Reflective of the culture: Josie and the Pussycats (the style of music popular/reflected in "The Partridge Family", etc., along with showcasing racial integration); the Charlie Brown specials (some of them seem very 70s in tone/some elements).

80s: The Smurfs: representing cute cartoon characters that're a spinoff of some preexisting product/source (in their case, a comic strip) as well as being merchandised into the stratosphere. Also some of the decade's most popular characters.

Reflective of the culture: Any cartoon based on a toy or video game (the result of Reagan-era deregulation of kids' TV standards and reflecting the "greed is good" decade via making what's basically half-hour toy/video game ads for kids :-p ); also, "Jem" (also a half-hour ad, but reflects the cheesy fashions and music of the decade); any cartoon with kid-versions of adult characters.

90s: The Simpsons: easily the most popular characters of this decade, reflecting the "make fun of everything" cartoons prevalent at the time.

Reflective of the culture: The Simpsons, Animaniacs, Duckman, and various other cartoons that make heavy pop culture references.

2000s: SpongeBob SquarePants: easily this decade's most popular character.

Reflective of the culture: South Park (maybe reflecting how crude culture's gotten, or the current neo-conservative/libertarian attitudes popular in government, etc.?); any cartoon about a kid going to school or revolving around kids in some manner, maybe?

(Hard to decide for the 2000s, I guess, since we're still in this decade...).

-B.
 
I originally meant for people to discuss the decades they were alive in, but Brainatra's post was very interesting so...

I wanna expand on my original Post...

1950s Tazmanian Devil- He could be used to reflect the increased consumption that began with people settling down in suburbs and having more children. I would also like to mention the Charlie Brown(yeah, he was a comic strip at the time, but he eventually was animated) who I think could be used to represent the anxiety people might have felt transitioning after WW2

1960s- The Flintstones. Representing the true move from the big screen to the small screen and is the world's first successful prime-time cartoon, it's also a great representation of suburban culture, which was still carving out it's little niche of americana.


Can't think of anyone better.



I believe they can also represent the time when parental groups were even more powerful than they are now :sweat: Optimus Prime, as awesome as he is fits into the Ad campain character :(
 
Wow, I was just thinking of this very same topic!:eek:
Except, I was going to call it "Time Capsule Cartoons"... Oh well...

I think Tiny Toons definatly captured life in the 90's, the same way Looney Tunes did with the 40's and 50's IMO. From entertainment to modern lifestyle, they really captured the early-to-mid 90's perfectly
 
'90s: Beavis and Butthead

When I think of Beavis and Butthead, I THINK of the '90s- an angst-ridden, nihilistic culture of degenerates, which was VERY reminiscient of the times. I am SO glad that decade is over, but regardless...

that's...all I got at the moment
 
1930s: Popeye the Sailor - A great depression era personality. A hard-working individual who always tries to do what's right, even if he has to knock a few heads around.
 
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