Female Cartoon Characters

This article is solely dedicated to the bravery, beauty and charisma of female cartoons who have always been there for their male counterparts, and have managed to save the day in their own sweet and charming way.

Female cartoon characters have been there since the evolution of cartoons, supporting the male characters through thick and thin.

They have been portrayed as the sexy Betty Boop to the intelligent Velma Dinkley. They have also been a real source of inspiration and a support-system to the many cartoon story lines since many ages. 

As a child, I would love waking up early in the morning and see my favorite superheroes fight crime, save the whole world, and make time for their girlfriends too. Sure, they did fight crime and made the world a safer place to live in, but the ladies by their side also played an important role in their lives, and became equally famous by supporting them always through thick and thin.

From the many that are and were famous over time, here, we have listed, in no particular order, some of the best.

So let’s see who they were,

The Powerpuff Girls

Debuted: 1998

Creator: Craig McCracken

Memorable Lines: Not so fast Mojo-Jojo!!-Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup 
Sugar. Spice. And everything nice were chosen to create the perfect little girls but the accidental spilling of a chemical X by professor Utonium created the Powerpuff girls. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are the world’s cutest crime fighters who attend kindergarten and try to save the world from evil forces and come home before their bedtime, i.e. 9:00 PM.

Olive Oyl

Debuted: 1919

Creator: Elzie Crisler Segar

Memorable Lines: Popeye, they’re taking me away, because they like me! They like me, they’re taking me away and I don’t like it…! 

This thin lady made her famous debut in 1919 through comic books. She is Popeye’s girlfriend, Bluto’s obsession and a doting mother or aunt to Swee’Pea (it isn’t clear if Swee’Pea is her son or nephew). Her most famous moments include fighting with Popeye, her irritating behavior, her thin body, long legs and her amazing quick wit. This lady is going to stick around for a long time.

Wonder Woman

Debuted: 1941

Creator: William Moulton Marston 

Memorable Lines: Go in peace my daughter. And remember that, in a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman.

Probably, the most popular female superhero, Wonder Woman is what every little girl dreams to be. She is the warrior princess of the Amazon, an advocate of peace and love who is often forced to use her famous unbreakable Bracelets of Victory, the Lasso of Truth and Glided Battle of Armor to defeat evil forces. She is also one of the founders of Justice League with Batman and Superman. A shining symbol of sexual equality, Wonder woman is also one of the most famous icons of feminism.

Betty Boop

Debuted: 1930

Creator: Max Fleischer 

Memorable Lines: So be human all the time! Boop-boop-de-doop-oop! 

It has been seven decades since her debut and her career isn’t what it used to be, still Betty Boop lives on in the hearts of millions of her admirers. She originally appeared as a dog in Dizzy Dishes but due to her sudden popularity among viewers, she was transformed in the cute and sexy character who audiences loved dearly. Betty Boop was one of the first cartoon characters designed for adults and was also hailed as Hollywood’s first animated sex symbol. However, after the application of the Motion Picture Production Code (Hays code) her popularity fell drastically because the creators were forced to clean her avatar. Betty appeared on the screen again with a cameo in the Oscar winning Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) which surged her popularity like never before.

Penelope Pitstop

Debuted: 1968

Creators: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Memorable Lines: Last time we left Penelope, she was in the clutches of the Hooded Claw.

Millions remember Penelope screaming “HAY-ULP” whenever she was attacked by The Hooded Claw. This damsel in distress sports a racing pink attire, drives a Compact Pussycat and is never out of beauty supplies. She is always threatened by The Hooded Claw aka Sylvester Sneekly who wants to get rid of her in order to claim her inheritance. His every attempt is unsuccessful as Penelope is always saved by the Anthill Mob, a group of tiny gangsters and their trusty old classic car Chuggaboom.

Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Debuted: 1989

Creator: Glen Keane

Memorable Lines: I’m sixteen years old – I’m not a child anymore…! 

Ariel aka The Little Mermaid was originally a fairy tale originally created by Hans Christian Andersen but looking at the sad nature of the plot, Disney creators made a different personality for the animated version. Ariel lives in Merfolk and is the youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena. She is extremely rebellious in nature and longs to be a part of the human world, much to her father’s dismay who despises humans. Her best friends are Flounder and Sebastian, the latter also serves as her father’s advisor. Ariel is the fourth official Disney Princess and is the only one to become a mother.

Dee Dee

Debuted: 1995

Creator: Genndy Tartakovsky

Memorable Lines: Oooh! What does THIS button do? 

Dexter’s Laboratory wouldn’t be the same if Dee Dee wasn’t present to destroy everything. Sure, our boy genius hated his hyperactive, clumsy and tall sister but it was her who add the humor and destruction in Dexter’s life. Whenever she ran like a deer in her little brother’s laboratory, explosions happened and irreparable damage was caused. She might be a crazy soul but she truly cared for her brother and always ready to save him from any situation. A true optimist, Dee Dee might be Dexter’s worst nightmare but she always had a good heart.

Minnie Mouse

Debuted: 1928

Creators: Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks

Memorable Lines: Yoo-hoo! Mickey. 

In addition to being Mickey’s leading lady and the queen of the Disney Universe, Minnie Mouse is also one of the most popular female cartoon characters and a global icon. She made here debut in the 1928 classic Steamboat Willie which made Mickey and Minnie global icons. Minnie is described as a cheerful, upbeat and optimistic female who has a good heart and is always ready to help others. Due to the popularity of Donald Duck and Goofy, Minnie wasn’t seen as often with Mickey in cartoons but that didn’t affect her popularity at all, she is Mickey’s leading lady and will always be so.

Marge Simpson

Debuted: 1987

Creator: Matt Groening 

Memorable Lines: You can never raise a hand to a child. Just stop cutting the crust off their sandwiches. They’ll get the message.

Marge is a replica of every married woman in this world who puts family first. A typical American wife with a strong mind, she understands the needs of her sweet daughter and tolerates every prank of her mischievous son. If that isn’t enough, the lazy husband adds up to the pile and then there is that sweet toddler, Maggie. Her famous blue hairstyle was inspired by The Bride of Frankenstein and a style that the creator’s mother wore in the 60s. She is unemployed by choice and prefers being at home and taking care of the family. Marge is a prime example of greatness seen in every wife/mother.

Princess Jasmine

Debuted: 1992

Creators: Ron Clements and John Musker

Memorable Lines: How dare you? All of you! Standing around deciding my future. I am not a prize to be won! 

A free-spirited girl and the sixth official Disney princess. An intelligent woman with a clear mind of her own. Even though Jasmine is the princess of Agrabah, she didn’t want to live like a caged prisoner behind the walls of her palace. Her only true friend is her pet tiger, Raja who helps her escape the palace and explore the outside world. She believed in living freely and even fell in love with a thief, Aladdin. Her cunning nature played an important role to save Aladdin and trap the evil Jafar in a lamp.

Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble

Debuted: 1960

Creators: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Memorable Lines: Da-da-da duh da-da CHARGE IT!! 

The inspiration for most family shows on air today, The Flintstones was a unique cartoon which focused on two families, instead of one. The two wives Wilma and Betty were the only logical beings in the show. The ladies were doting mothers and amazing wives who loved their husbands in-spite of their immature behavior. These vintage women were idols of young girls all around who wanted a family just like the Flintstones.

Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Debuted: 1991

Creator: Linda Woolverton

Memorable Lines: I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. / I want it more than I can tell. / And for once it might be grand / To have someone understand / I want so much more than they’ve got planned… 

One of the most beautiful and courageous female cartoon characters, Belle is an official Disney Princess. This Disney Princess is originally based on Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont and several alterations were made to the character for the Disney film adaptation. Belle is described as beautiful, loving, optimistic, bookish, and courageous. After her father is imprisoned for entering beast’s castle, Belle agrees to take his place and becomes his prisoner. Gradually both become friends and develop romantic feelings for each other. In the end, her true love for the beast breaks his curse and transforms him into a handsome prince.

Lisa Simpson

Debuted: 1987

Creator: Matt Groening

Memorable Lines: Prayer. The last refuge of a scoundrel. 

Another shining star from the Simpson’s family, Lisa is the second child of Homer and Marge and a multifaceted personality. She defends animal and environmental rights, has liberal political views, plays the saxophone, loves jazz music, and plays with Malibu Stacy dolls. She is a vegetarian and is considered a child prodigy. Her IQ is the highest in the family and spends most hours studying or reading something. Currently Lisa is a practicing Buddhist after being introduced to the core concepts of Buddhism by Richard Gere.

Lois Griffin

Debuted: 1999

Creator: Seth MacFarlane 

Memorable Lines: Remember kids, if it’s terrible, at the end we all say “You did it!”

Lois Griffin is the wife of Peter Griffin and a mother to Meg, Chris and Stewie. She was born in the wealthy Pewterschmidt family and met Peter when he used to work as a towel boy for her aunt. Lois is often shown to be cold-hearted and displays no emotion to others. A recovering meth addict, Lois speaks with a typical New York accent. She is a homemaker but gave piano lessons in the early episodes. She has a black belt in Tae-Jitsu and can speak Ukrainian.

Kim Possible

Debuted: 2002

Creators: Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle

Memorable Lines: What’s the sitch? 

She is everything: A straight-A student, cheerleader, fashionista, and a super agent. She saves the world with her sidekick/best friend/boyfriend Ron Stoppable even during school nights. Other important members include, 10 year old super genius Wade and Ron’s pet naked mole rat, Rufus. She lives in Middleton, USA and drives a Cobra GT which was mysteriously supplied by the IDA.

Other Honorable Mentions

Other than the famous names mentioned above, here is a list of female cartoons that are still remembered by cartoon fanatics all over the world.

Before we got busy in our jobs and love life, as kids all we wanted to do is watch cartoons during weekends and holidays. Not many would agree, but these characters taught us a lot about life and more than that they gave us our first heroines who taught us to be brave, independent and unique.