Cartoon Characters You Didn't Know Were Inspired By Real People - Looper

Movies ByBrian Boone/Aug. 14, 2017 1:35 pm EST Cartoon characters obviously aren't real, but they can feel just as fully developed as any flesh-and-blood human being—and in some cases, there are some very good reasons for this. As it turns out, some of animation's most memorable characters seem like real people partly because their personality traits and antics really were actually inspired by the stories of real-life people. From classic animated movies to your favorite TV 'toons, there's a rich tradition of animators basing characters on flesh and blood individuals—and in some cases, those characters ended up resonating so strongly with the audience that they became fixtures on the shows. While their animated adventures may have been more (ahem) colorful than the truth, these film and television icons never would have been drawn in the first place without the people who inspired their creation—sometimes unwittingly. Here are a few memorable examples of beloved cartoon characters and...