List of breakout characters facts for kids

A breakout character is a character in a story, TV show, or game who wasn't meant to be the main star but becomes super popular! These characters often get talked about a lot, copied by fans, or even get their own spin-off shows or movies because people love them so much.

Popular Animated Characters

From TV Shows and Movies

• Pinky and the Brain (voiced by Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen) were two lab mice from the Emmy Award-winning show Animaniacs. They became so popular that they got their very own show!
• Scrat from the Ice Age movies quickly became a fan favorite. This funny squirrel-rat even starred in his own short films.
• Jessie the Yodelin' Cowgirl first appeared in Toy Story 2. She became so loved that she's now seen as an iconic character in the Toy Story world and even a mascot for Pixar. Jessie later starred in her own special, Toy Story of Terror!.
  • Buzz Lightyear also became super popular from Toy Story. He got his own movie and even his own TV show!
• Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls is a tough and popular character.
• Chip 'n Dale are two mischievous chipmunks who became very famous.
• Astronut is a funny blue alien who first appeared in Deputy Dawg cartoons. He became so popular that he got his own cartoon series and even his own TV show!
• Stewie Griffin (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) from Family Guy. The show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, was surprised by how popular Stewie became. He then had to create more stories just for Stewie!
• Bullwinkle J. Moose (voiced by Bill Scott) was a sidekick on Rocky and His Friends. Even though the show was named after Rocky the squirrel, Bullwinkle, the silly moose, got most of the jokes. He became so popular that the show was renamed The Bullwinkle Show!
• The Minions from the 2010 film Despicable Me were loved by everyone! They quickly became the most popular characters and are now mascots for Illumination Entertainment. They star in many short films and even their own movie.
• Little Audrey first appeared in a cartoon called Santa's Surprise. She was a little girl from Manhattan, New York City. Little Audrey was very popular and became the official mascot of Paramount Pictures.
• Shaun the Sheep started as a supporting character in the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit film A Close Shave. Shaun then got his own successful show in 2007 and his own Oscar-nominated movie in 2015. He is now one of Aardman's most famous characters.
• Perry the Platypus is the pet of the main characters in Disney's Phineas and Ferb. But secretly, he's a spy who fights the silly villain Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz! Perry became one of the show's most popular characters.
  • Stacy Hirano is a fun-loving, energetic teenager who loves video games. She became a very popular character in Phineas and Ferb.
• Tinker Bell was originally Peter Pan's fairy sidekick in the 1953 Disney film. She became so popular that she's now one of The Walt Disney Company's most iconic characters. Tinker Bell even has her own movies and is a symbol of "the magic of Disney."
• Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is a beloved Disney character.
• Gabby, Twinkeltoes, Sneak, Snoop & Snitch are popular characters from Fleischer Studios' 1939 film, Gulliver's Travels.
• Woody Woodpecker first appeared in a 1940 short called "Knock Knock" with Andy Panda. Woody became a huge global success, and audiences loved him! He quickly got his own cartoon series and became Walter Lantz's biggest star and the official mascot of Universal Pictures.
• Jiminy Cricket was introduced in Disney's 1940 film Pinocchio. He became one of Disney's most popular cartoon characters.
• Felix the Cat was first created for a single film called Feline Follies. But his debut was so popular that he immediately got his own series. Felix became one of the most iconic cartoon characters ever!
• Bugs Bunny first appeared in 1938. Audiences loved him so much that Tex Avery gave Bugs his first starring role in the Oscar-nominated "A Wild Hare" in 1940. With his clever personality, Bugs quickly became the most popular character in Looney Tunes and is still their leader today. He even became the official mascot of Warner Bros.!
• Daffy Duck first appeared in 1937. He was just one of many ducks Porky Pig was hunting. But Daffy became even more popular than Porky! He soon starred in his own shorts, starting in 1938.
• Porky Pig was the first major Warner Bros. cartoon character. He first appeared in 1935 as a sidekick to a character named Beans the Cat. Porky proved much more popular than Beans, so he became the main star! His cartoons also helped introduce future stars like Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny.
• Foghorn Leghorn first appeared in 1946 as a supporting character. But this loud rooster with a Southern accent quickly became more popular. He soon became the main star of his own shorts, with the original main character becoming his sidekick!
• Tasmanian Devil (also known as Taz) first appeared in 1954. At first, some people at Warner Bros. didn't like Taz, thinking he was too wild. But fans loved him and sent many letters asking for more Taz cartoons! He later became even more popular through toys and even got his own show, Taz-Mania.
• Humphrey the Bear is a popular Disney character.
• Dick Dastardly and Muttley, the villains from Wacky Races, became so popular that they got their own show, Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines.
  • Penelope Pitstop, the only female racer on Wacky Races, also became very popular and got her own show!
• Tola from Bolek and Lolek is a well-liked character.
• Elmyra Duff from Tiny Toon Adventures became so popular that she's an iconic character from the series. She even got her own show later, teaming up with Pinky and the Brain!
• Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella) from The Lion King became incredibly popular. They got their own TV show, their own movie, and have tons of fan art!
• The Chipettes from Alvin and the Chipmunks. After first appearing in the 1980s cartoon, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor became very popular. They now appear in all Alvin and the Chipmunks movies and shows!
• Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson) from Adventure Time first appeared in the show's first season. She quickly became a fan favorite and even got her own mini-series!
• Yogi Bear became the most popular character on The Huckleberry Hound Show. He quickly got his own show because fans loved him so much!
• Donald Duck first appeared in a 1934 cartoon. He gained huge popularity with his funny, sometimes grumpy personality. Donald Duck soon got his own series of theatrical cartoon shorts!

Popular Anime and Manga Characters

From Japanese Animation and Comics

• Syaoran Li from Cardcaptor Sakura. He started as a secondary character but became a very important friend and later a love interest for Sakura. Many episodes even focused on his point of view! Syaoran Li is now an iconic character in the series.
• Asuka Langley Soryu from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Asuka became a global cultural icon because of her popularity. She is also the official mascot of Gainax.
• Mikoto Misaka from A Certain Magical Index became so popular that she even got her own spin-off series, A Certain Scientific Railgun!

Popular Comic Book Characters

From Comic Strips and Books

• Krazy Kat started as a small drawing at the bottom of another comic strip called The Dingbat Family. This "basement strip" grew much larger than the original! It became its own daily comic strip and later a full-page Sunday cartoon. The creator, George Herriman, was even given a lifetime contract because the publisher loved it so much!
• Nero from The Adventures of Nero was first a side character in a series about Detective Van Zwam. But readers loved the silly, lazy, and stubborn Nero more than the clever detective! So, the series was renamed after Nero.
• Popeye first appeared 10 years into a comic strip called Thimble Theatre. He was just a sailor hired for one adventure. But Popeye fans demanded his return, and the series was later renamed Thimble Theater, Starring Popeye! Because of his popularity, Popeye got toys, movies, video games, and his own cartoon shorts.
• The Smurfs were originally supporting characters in Peyo's comic series Johan and Peewit in 1958. These little blue men became so popular that they got their own series a year later! This led to tons of toys, a TV show, and other productions.
  • Smurfette first appeared in 1966. She became so popular that she is now a global icon and the main protagonist of the Smurfs franchise! She is also the official mascot of Peyo Creations.