Everybody has a favourite animated pet who they watched growing up, whether it was from Saturday morning cartoons, Disney, or Looney Tunes.
In this blog, we’ve listed 5 of the most popular and iconic cartoon pets of all time.
Scooby-Doo is the canine companion of Shaggy Rogers, a long-haired amateur detective who he shares many personality traits with. Inspired by the hippy generation, Scooby-Doo is a male Great Dane and has the catchphrase “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” that is often satirized along with his “Scooby snacks.”
The television show went through several reinventions from 1969 to present day but still remains a favourite among viewers. The animated series featured four teenagers, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Dinkley, and Shaggy who solve crimes which sometimes involves supposedly supernatural forces.
Pluto is the pet to the most famous animated character of all time – Micky Mouse. Pluto appeared in 89 short films between 1930 and 1953, several of which were nominated for Academy Awards.
Pluto, who doesn’t speak, started out with several different identities. First he was named Rover in the film “The Picnic” and belonged to Minnie, not Micky. To find the right name Walt Disney went through many variations including Pal and Homer the Hound before finally honouring the newly discovered planet and came up with the name Pluto the Pup.
Clifford is a big shy, gentle dog who sometimes gets into trouble because of his size or is tempted into trouble by his acquaintances. His owner is Emily Elizabeth, a friendly and curious eight-year-old girl. Emily got Clifford as a surprise present for her sixth birthday.
Clifford is based on the imaginary childhood pet of creator Norman Bridwell’s wife. He originally wanted to name him “Tiny” but his wife persuaded him otherwise. Emily is based on Bridwell’s daughter.
Clifford’s size in the show is inconsistent and is often shown as being about 25 feet tall from paws to head but can appear much larger.
The newest member on the list, Bolt is a fictional white shepherded dog and star of Disney’s film Bolt. In the film, he spends his entire life on the set of a television show, kept isolated from the outside world.
Bolt has superpowers on the show which he uses to save his owner Penny from the evil Dr. Calico. Fooled by the shows producers, Bolt believes he actually has the superpowers displayed onscreen. Bolt escapes from his Hollywood set and must face reality where he discovers his superpowers aren’t working.
Bolt was produced by the Pixar chief John Lasseter and was the first movie to be distributed in 3-D.
Snoopy is perhaps the most iconic cartoon pet of all time. Owned by Charlie Brown, Snoopy first appeared in the 1950 comic strip Peanuts. Charles Schulz originally wanted to call him “Sniffy” but found the name was used in a different comic strip.
In the early days, it was unclear if Snoopy had an owner or not. Other strips show Snoopy on a leash with Patty or Shermy and not Charlie Brown. Eventually Snoopy is shown in his famous doghouse in Charlie Brown’s backyard where he writes stories and daydreams.
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