Here at jeffpearlman.com, where dreams come true and bribes are accepted, I like having up-and-comers speak their mind. Hence, the following was written by Yaron Weitzman, a junior at NYU, an aspiring journalist and the pride of New Rochelle.
His assignment: Write an essay on the world’s best cartoon character …
Everyone has a favorite cartoon character. Whether it’s Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, ask any person who they feel the greatest cartoon character of all time is, and you can bet they will have an answer ready for you off the top of their head.
I always thought mine was Daffy Duck. I loved Lonny Tunes growing up, and Space Jam has long been one of my favorite movies. However, as I started to write this post, I realized that I really had no legitimate reason for liking Daffy. Sure his stupidity and lisp always cracks me up, but do I really consider him the greatest cartoon character of all time?
I decided to investigate. I asked my mom who my favorite cartoon characters growing up were. She said Mega Man. No help there.
I asked my dad who his favorite cartoon character was. He answered Bugs Bunny. A solid choice, and while I have always admired Bugs Bunny, he’s sort of the Yankees of cartoon characters (I don’t mean this to be flattering).
I then moved onto my 19-year-old brother and asked him the same question.
“Stewie Griffin†he said.
And that’s when it hit me. The problem I was having was that I was essentially limiting my search to the greatest Loony Tune off all time, not the greatest cartoon character. Ask anyone in my father’s generation who his or her favorite cartoon character is, and the answer will almost always be a Loony Tune. But that’s just not the case anymore. From shows like the Simpsons to South Park, today’s cartoons and cartoon characters have entered into an entirely different world. Intelligent political and social jokes have replaced the classic slapstick humor utilized so effectively by the Lonny Tunes characters. Instead of seeing an Acme anvil dropped on Wiley Coyote, you’ll see the Simpsons make some crack ripping on the EPA.
So with that in mind, the greatest cartoon character off all time has to be Eric Cartman of South Park. Nobody has ever made antisemitsm, homophobia, and anti-“gingers†so funny. Most important, no one has ever made these xenophobic views seem more ridiculous and absurd. What makes Cartman so special is that he is one of the only characters that both my inner 7-year old and tmy inner college student find hilarious. Whether it was his fart jokes 10 years ago, or his take on the current economy, Cartman has never failed to bring a smile to my face. Eric Cartman is the greatest cartoon character of all time.
Respect his authoritah!
