This is my own idea for an animated series. I don’t expect it to be a reality anytime soon, but I wanted to just throw my ideas out there to prove I came up with some.
Premise:
As the title suggests, this series wouldn’t be afraid to admit it’s a cartoon. All of the characters would be self aware, because the premise demands it. It would be about a bunch of Toons be given access to their own animated series. One of the higher-ups at the streaming service employing them (called “Yukkemup”) has a fondness for cartoons, having grown up on them. He knows they aren’t treated with the respect they deserve, and unfortunately, therein lies the caveat.
His bosses have granted him permission to green light this series, but it has to be successful. If ratings slip, it’s getting canned. (And probably getting replaced by something AI. to boot.) The Toons thus, are tasked with putting together a sensational show. Think “The Muppet Show” mixed with “Disney’s House of Mouse”. Every episode would have a topic (Birds, Art, Stupidity, etc.) that would be hosted by a different character. And as long as I’m dreaming, there would be guest stars. They’d be characters from other animated series. (No, it’s not just an excuse to get to meet some of my idols.)
Now, I’d like you to meet the characters. There are too many of them to feature in every episode, so many would only appear when needed. They’re not the most fleshed out ideas, as their main purpose would to be to entertain. Some of them won’t work anyway, but I’ll mention them for completion’s sake. We’ll do one a week until I run out. Maybe I’ll delete this new page before that even happens!
Characters:
Alex– The first character I’ve ever made, and yes, a self-insert. Come back! See, I thought of something: in a world where Toons exist, wouldn’t it stand to reason that fanmade characters would too? And wouldn’t they hate their lot in life? Alex, being an animated version of me, would have a direct pipeline to his world’s god. All of his peers would treat him differently. You think its impossible enough being friends with your boss?
As the main character, Alex also has to keep things running smoothly. Everyone looks to him as their leader. Puts a lot of pressure on the guy. He’d also be the only character that would be absolutely voiced by me.
The Four who Explore– As is stated, a group of explorers. Husband and wife, Addison and Emily; Emily’s older brother, Max; Addison’s close friend, John. Exploring is what they like to do. If its on the planet or beyond, they’d just like to say they’ve been there. Haven’t really ever fleshed them out. I’ve always pictured Addison as a comical sort, Max is a genius who only tags along to see the inventions he invents put to use, Emily is a daredevil sort who doesn’t look before she leaps, and John is kind of a loser. But one that doesn’t let that get him down.
I’ve also considered a villain for them to face. Her name would be Julie, but I never really figured out what kind of motivation she should have. I liked the idea of them knowing her from childhood, but changed that when I decided to have the married couple meet as adults. Both are from wealthy families who also disowned both of them upon seeing who they married.
Glorx– An alien known as a Glore. Glores come from the planet Glo, which has two suns that orbit it putting the planet in perpetual day. There’s basically no free water. Glores had to adapt just like anything does. Their green skin contains chloroplasts to help generate a food supply. Most of their face is taken by a single eye that isn’t rooted in place like ours. Rolling freely around, means they can scan any horizon with no difficulty. And a lack of eyelids means blinking is done by strong muscles contracting tightly around the ocular region.
Pointy ears for catching sounds and pointy teeth that allow them to bite through anything edible round out the physical appearance. Their humanoid bodies wear suits that reflect some of the excess sunlight and helps keep muscles moving. Their biggest survival tactic though, was using interstellar travel to visit other worlds and bleed them dry of resources. Guilt was never had as none of the dominant species were sentient enough to cry. Glorx is one of the scouts whose job is finding new worlds to mutilate.
He is joined by his ship’s computer, Genesis model E, or Gen-e for short. She’s advanced enough to have a crush on her clueless commander. He also has a pet named Glurp. A slimy little wad of goo with a single eye stalk protruding out. Probably the smartest of the three, but not able to talk and is content to eat all day. They found Earth and were shocked to find “intelligent” life on it. They’ve decided to stay and analyze the people and see if they’re worth keeping around. Gen-e is capable of uploading her conscience into a robot body to accomplish this.
Jack– A toy. Specifically, a toy that looks like a Lego minifigure, but is legally distinct from them. His brand of playsets is known as Stickbricks. Kinda run by Toy Story rules. They enjoy being played with, and don’t show any sign they’re alive to the humans. The sets also have a sort of hive mind going on. The “people” can control the pieces to reshape themselves into whatever they want or need at the moment. As the figure that comes with the most sets, Jack is always seen as the leader by the more-simple minded figures. Don’t be too hard on them though, their heads are literally hollow.
Professor Cooliay– A man of science. Doesn’t hold any kind of degree; he just gave himself the ‘professor’ title to sound credible. A recluse who mostly kept to himself in order to tinker with the natural world. He didn’t bother anyone so they didn’t bother him. His character arc began when he had developed a beet/meat hybrid he called ‘meets’. His theory was: if it grows out of the ground, it’s healthy to eat. To really speed things along, he made sure to use radioactive tools in his gardening.
What a surprise he would receive the next morning. The meets had failed to grow, but his D.N.A. that he left on the tools mutated with the aid of the radioactivity and gave rise to a larger than normal flower. Nestled in the petals: a baby girl. He was very excited as he had always wanted to dissect a human, but couldn’t find a way to do it without potential witnesses. (It’s around here that I should mention I have no idea what age-range audience this stuff would be for.) You shouldn’t worry though, when the baby woke up, his heart melted as any good parent would, and he adopted her on the spot.
He named her Joy. Coming from a unique background, she was always a bit sickly and malnourished looking. Cooliay does his best though! And she loves him as any child would a parent. Once she got over the shock and horror she developed after hearing what her dad’s first intentions with her were, of course.
Host– If you tune your TV (at all) to the animal channel, or chanimal, you’ll find the only program airing is a wildlife documentary about all the creatures that roam the Tooniverse. Starring Host, your host. A man who loves animals, often to his own detriment. He’s the kind of guy who would give a leopard a hug then ask you to marvel at how it eviscerates his bowels.
Wherever he goes, he carries along what looks like a pet carrier. It’s not, of course. If you open the door and walk towards it, you’ll find yourself transported to the most amazing wildlife reserve you can or can’t imagine. With every kind of biome available to keep every species he finds happy. I’d also like it known that I came up with this idea as early as 2002, long before any “fantastic” movies were released. I’m not mad I was beaten to the punch, but don’t want people thinking I had to steal for this idea.
The Raccroon– If you’re ever in a desert, and think you hear a ghostly sound wailing over the dunes, it might just be one of these animals. Slightly smaller than your average raccoon, and able to make sounds that are similar to human singing. The first human to discover this species really exploited it as the world’s only crooning racoon. He didn’t treat the animal well, of course. And it probably would’ve died in his captivity.
Luckily, other people found other specimens, and the novelty wore off. And animal activists managed to save the original from being put down and got it sent to a very wonderful zoo. Now happy, the beast can croon as much as he likes as well as befriend the other well cared for animals. Species like the slobster; (a crustacean that sticks whatever to its carapace for camouflage,) the giraffe-necked turtle; (a chelonian whose neck can’t be retracted into its shell, but can reach food on trees,) and the mammal of indeterminable order. (It looks like a bat, but has a rodent’s teeth. Some call it a flying squirrel.)
Superson– Every year, a group of evil mastermind villain types gather together to meet, talk, and give awards for the misdeeds they committed. “Most Civilians Lost”, “Biggest property damage”, that sort of thing. The most prestigious award is “Most Innovative”. To win this, you have to do something that changes the crime scene on a worldwide level. It hasn’t been given out since the last time it won, which was unleashing a kaiju.
Krimmin Null (I’m not real happy with that name) wants this award to secure his place in the history books. He figured he had the perfect answer: an evil superhero. A kind of being that looks heroic slash angelic, and gets you to lower your guard. Then the chaos begins. He designed the being to look pweciouswy adowabul. Little kid body, wearing footie pajamas, a cape, scruffy hair and even a missing tooth. The name comes from the fact the kid is super, a person, and his son.
Wouldn’t you know it, during his first test run of being evil, he accidentally managed to do some good. Before he could explain, he was instantly rewarded. Kids love rewards and he began searching for any more ways he could get things. Becoming a protector of sorts for the city; only if he’s well compensated you understand. Kinda makes him stand at odds with his creator. Has all the standard powers: super strength, ice breath, eye lasers, and flight, but he can’t do that one indefinitely. Even if he’s just moving through the air like superheros do, it’s still flight and still uses energy.
Bowler– A boy around nine years old or so, was part of his local youth bowling team. He also sucked pretty bad. With threats to remove him after he lost their next game, he wished on a star with no other option. But that was no star. It landed on Earth, and the boy found it was a piece of alien machinery. One of their cameras to be precise. It had three lenses, and could move around on little feet if it ever got dislocated. In short, it looked an awful lot like a bowling ball.
Nothing came to retrieve it, so the boy decided to keep it and use it to help him win games. Which happened thusly, and nobody ever knew how he got so good so soon. (They don’t play perfect so as to not give the game away.) The boy named his toy ‘Bowler’. And I never thought of a name for him, so I figured everyone on the show would just call him ‘the bowler’. I can at least tell you I picture him being of Indian descent.
The Singin’ Sisters– Melody, Harmony, and Symphony were a trio of orphans found on the step of a couple of musicians. They adopted the three, and discovered they had an innate talent for singing. Despite being 2 years old. The kids made it big, even starring in music videos with the biggest name in music. (So big, that I can’t make it out. Sorry.) Then, they surpassed him. Like all divas, he wasn’t pleased to have to share the spotlight.
He had hired goons kidnap the three and spread them across the country. Each was adopted anew, with a new name and identity. (No one was able to recognize who they were with the split up.) They grew up with vastly different activity preferences. (Sports, science, and art.) But all kept a love for singing, with no memory of their very early childhood. All three entered singing competitions as High School seniors, all were good enough to go state, and when they finally met up, they instantly recognized the other two.
Now, they sing the theme song, provide back-up for other characters, and reunite with their original dads. And the one who did this to them lost everything. Serves him right.
Justin– A teenager and unfortunately, the surly type. Fancies himself a tortured artiste that nobody understands. His art of choice being stop-motion movies that make no sense. Making those is all he enjoyed doing, so he kept himself cooped up in his room whenever he wasn’t at school. His mom worried about him terribly, but as the world’s leading expert on robotics, was always too busy to try and connect with him. But there was a way!
She built a robot and programmed it to be his younger sister. The machine was dubbed “Child-sized humanoid robot in solid titanium enamel.” C.H.R.I.S.T.E. for short. She’s an eager to please robot who attaches herself to her brother the moment she lays her mechanical eyes on him. In turn, he’s constantly annoyed to have his privacy bothered. Though, he probably cares for her more than he lets on. Even dubbing her his film crew. Maybe he just appreciates free labor.
The robot has a sad side, though. She’s very well aware that her family will die someday and she won’t join them in whatever lies beyond. She tries not to think about that.
Grandpa Slug– A gastropod who never could enjoy life being so low on the food chain, with not much in the ways of self defense. He decided to do something drastic to ensure his continued existence: Adoption. He stole took in a butterfly egg to raise the caterpillar as his own. Once a butterfly, she could now carry him around. Eventually, she had offspring of her own, earning the slug his title. He also adopted a bullfrog tadpole for protection, but that acts more like a pet than a child. Don’t worry. He grew to genuinely love all of his new family.
And that’s what I call the original 12. Not the first characters I dreamt up, but the ones I first pinpointed origins for. If character limits need trimming, (which they most certainly do,) I want the ones previously mentioned to be left alone.
Louie– It was hard to be a fan of the baseball team, The Casenpoint Pointers, but they never gave up no matter how much they sucked, and that was uplifting. One fan, (this character) sang a song to bolster their spirits, and they immediately won game after game. Everyone was convinced the kid’s singing voice was magical and hounded him day and night, asking for wish fulfillment. Got to a point where the kid had to hide himself among a bunch of other animated weirdos to get some peace.
Of course, his singing voice really is as magical as they claim. Whatever he sings, comes true. He knew he should never have given away his secret, but that team was just so likable! He hates having to sing in secret, because it really is his passion. He’s also got a thing for Melody, but I worry about that. The original idea was for her to only see him as a friend, and then everyone started giving Pepe crap until he just about vanished. I could just have them be a couple, but I don’t want all my characters to have neat little relationships. There’s no drama in that.
Grin– A scientist decided to answer once and for all what happens if you die in your dreams. Turns out, it brings your nightmare into reality. Grin is a tall, thin, shadowy being with goat-like eyes, and shark-like teeth. His one and only goal is to capture people and, well, turn them into nightmares. Just for his amusement. He force feeds his victims a candy he calls “Numb-numz”. This creates numbing so potent, your body isn’t even aware its in pain, and thus, you don’t die.
Now Grin can shape them into whatever he pleases. Really giving me the chance to show how twisted my imagination can get. I’m talking attaching a woman’s head to a body made of only hair. Cramming eyeballs into a kid’s sockets until his head is bulging at the seams. Taking every tooth out of a man’s head and replacing each one with a tongue. This would probably be the first character I’d have to abandon, but I still love him.
I thought about giving him an assistant at one point. A woman named Harriet, that he turned into a half-hare human, and actually found she loved the new her. But she was giving me too heavy of Harley Quinn vibes, so I moved on.
The Greatest Treasure Hunt– A pretty old idea. The gist: ten kids go to a dilapidated schoolhouse that is ready to be torn down due to lack of funding. The children decide to follow a map they found that is said to lead to untold riches. Never bothered to give the kids names or personalities, using them as little more than background characters. So why bring them up at all?
It’s because I liked the biggest obstacle I thought for them to face. A rival treasure hunter would build and sic some kind of ugly, bionic ape on the kids and it would capture them no problem. But when ordered to kill, it refuses. It thought this whole thing was just a game of tag. I like that ape and don’t know if I should keep him around or nix the whole thing.
Alma & Elmo– Twin infants that have yet to be born. Seeing as this is a cartooniverse, this doesn’t make them embryos. Rather, the stork just hasn’t delivered them yet. Alma is pretty content with whatever life is gonna give her, but the impulsive Elmo wants more. The way he sees it, being a human baby is boring. You can hardly move, much less speak or eat solid food. Who says they have to be humans anyway?
Their segment would be very formulaic. Convincing his sister to aid him, Elmo would alter their delivery schedule to get them being registered as anything but humans. Sharks, eagles, pigs, vampires, some kind of species where the infants are the ones in power and adults are more like children, what have you. They may look like humans, but being born as a different species allows them to live as that kind does. They wouldn’t drown or freeze or starve or what have you.
Storks would eventually catch on, things would be reset, and Elmo learns nothing. Now, I’ve heard it said that you shouldn’t create characters in the same series that have the same initials as others. I’d hate for others to confuse the two with Addison and Emily, but if names must be changed, I’d let the babies keep theirs. They’re good twin names.
The Strange Family– No, like their last name is literally ‘strange’. And they revel in that fact. Addams familyesque, but aware that everyone thinks they’re odd and don’t care because they enjoy their life. Father: Mister. A short, round man who makes his living creating taxidermy projects for sports bars. Featherbearing trout, crackerjackalopes, and werewolverines. Those kind of things. Pays well in a world that runs on puns.
Mother: Arietes. A proud wife and mother who runs the household. Complete opposite body-shape as her husband. Keeps up the upkeep on the moat surrounding their domicile, makes Halloween costumes for it, treats the roaches and rats to tea, and walks the family pet: a Horseshoe crab named Mary Jane. Eldest son: Euouae. His parents really love vowels. Like typical teens, tends to be embarrassed by his family. Unlike typical teens, he prefers to get his privacy by hiding in the woodshed. He collects all the splinters he gets.
Twins: A girl named P.B. and her younger brother, J. Good names, since they always stick together. Really though, they won’t go anywhere without the other. And yes, they have asked to be sewn together multiple times. Their parents only say no because they doubt the stitching would hold. He’s exactly one second younger, due to holding onto her leg during birth. She’s a sports fanatic who loves combining rules from already existing sports to make her own, regardless of any sense it would make, and he is a bookworm who only needs to read any book once to memorize it.
Infant: a 3-month old girl they nicknamed Squeak. (Because she can’t pronounce her birth name: Squeal.) Much more capable than other children her age. Able to wrestle, run, box, and lift about as much as your average olympic gold medalist. Could probably make it on her own if she could speak and use a toilet.
The Rainbow Children– On the planet Huse, there is a race known as Tones. They look relatively like humans just with pointier ears and a lack of a nose. They are also much more colorful. Each person on the planet is completely one color ranging from all across the spectrum. The rulers are King Alabaster and Queen Sable, who had quadruplets in blue, red, yellow and green (Named Cerulean, Cerise, Citrine and Celadon.)
But there was an epidemic sweeping their planet that was deadly to infants. The parents decided to send their offspring to Earth due to it being a planet they could survive on. The kids were put in an orphanage, labeled freaks, and given the insulting names of Blue, Red, Yellow and Green. Blue, being the eldest, always tried to keep calm about things for the benefit of his siblings, though he was often the most sad.
Red, was quite the opposite. Fiery temper and short fuse made her lash out at every bully they met. Yellow, on the other hand, was shy, timid and reserved. Speaking the least of the quartet. And Green was always masking his misery with comedy. Things only improved when another alien race came to Earth, looking to use the population as a food source. Seeing the colorful kids made them think that they were diseased and would spread, so they left in search of healthier meats.
And the children were now worldwide heroes. Once they turned fifteen, their parents finally showed up to come back for them. (They got lost.) The kids decided to split their time between worlds, having grown to love Earth and now having a job as part of this weird series.
Ninja Lad– In universe, one of the most successful video game series made. So much so, that the main character thought giving an animated series spin-off might be worth a try. Flopped hard due to the fact he’s a silent protagonist. He has a fairy companion, as many video game stars do, and that little guy does most of the talking. His name is Ferrus.
They’ve ended up as part of this group of oddities, to try and rebuild any credibility they have left. Being a playable character pays well and all, but programming all those death animations really hurts. Speaking of, here’s how death functions in this show: If you die, you come back. Toons don’t die. But! If you die outside of your series, you’re dead there. Just there. You can’t go back to another series because you no longer exist in that world. And you’re less powerful there too, so any evil beings trying to take over other series have a chance to be stopped.
Back to the character deluge!