# The Most Iconic Domestically-Created Character for Each Country **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263 "2020-08-16T15:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/81 "2020-08-17T04:03:31Z")
England/Great Britain: Aside from ones already mentioned Alice from _Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland_ ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/82 "2020-08-17T04:10:18Z")
Transylvania: Count Dracula ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/83 "2020-08-17T04:16:24Z")
Irish creator ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/84 "2020-08-17T04:33:37Z")
John Bull Uncle Sam ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/85 "2020-08-17T13:02:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > > > And for the US: The Little Tramp > > The Little Tramp (or Mickey Mouse) may be famous American characters. But I don’t feel they’re iconic. > > That’s why I suggested Superman. Superman represents the way America wants to see itself; possessing of overwhelming power that gives us the ability to do anything but also having a code of virtue that prevents the misuse of all of that power. I take your point, but let me ask a question: if Superman represented how America wanted to see itself at a particular time (most especially the sixties, maybe?) is it not also the case that the downbeaten but spirited Little Tramp was also how Americans saw themselves at a particular time? My understanding was that part of the success of the character was that he was an Everyman figure that could be readily identified with, especially at a time of poverty in the US. j ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/86 "2020-08-17T18:09:18Z")
I read that both Sinbad and Aladdin were created by a early French translator of the Arabian Nights. It would be interesting to find out what actual Arabics think of the characters. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/87 "2020-08-17T18:19:55Z")
Brittania? Columbia? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/88 "2020-08-17T18:25:09Z")
Of course, regardless of where Aladdin was created, he himself was said to be Chinese, not Arabic. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/89 "2020-08-17T23:30:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I can’t think of anyone more iconic than Mickey Mouse. IMHO Mickey Mouse is the icon of iconicness. But Superman is easily the second-best suggestion for the US I’ve seen in this thread. No alternate suggestions, but it occurred to me that an interesting topic would be domestic versus international views of iconic characters for each nation. I bet there would be some significant disconnects. (would Italians agree that the most iconic character in their country is Pinocchio?) At one time, The Little Tramp was the most recognized character worldwide (which may say more about the global reach of silent film more than the global reach of the character, but still…) ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/90 "2020-08-18T00:56:01Z")
I don’t think of Mad Max as iconically Australian. But then never been a fan. I’d vote for Skippy - love our kangaroos. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/91 "2020-08-18T00:57:37Z")
Not Ned Kelly? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/92 "2020-08-18T01:00:30Z")
He’s not a fictional character. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/93 "2020-08-18T01:05:27Z")
Right. Legendary, but not fictitious. Kinda like Bat Masterson or Wyatt Earp. I wonder if Batman isn’t more iconic now than Superman. ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/94 "2020-08-18T01:10:35Z")
Not for me. Ned Kelly was a violent thief. I am not sure why he is made a hero - he’s not like Robin Hood - no stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Oh - my surname! I am a bit slow. 🙂 My husband’s ancestor was one of the police involved! Skippy for me! ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/95 "2020-08-18T01:44:08Z")
USA: Uncle Sam ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/96 "2020-08-18T11:05:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Australia: [Skippy the Bush Kangaroo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skippy_the_Bush_Kangaroo) Surely we can do better than bloody Skippy! In addition to Crocodile Dundee, Mad Max and Dame Edna Everidge: **Ginger Meggs** > **[Ginger Meggs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Meggs)** > > Ginger Meggs, Australia's most popular and longest-running comic strip, was created in 1921 by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class household. While employed at The Bulletin, Bancks submitted cartoons to the Sydney Sunday Sun, where he began his Us Fellers strip in 1921 in the "Sunbeams" section of the Sunday Sun. Ginger first appeared in Us Fellers on 13 November 1921, drawn by Bancks. When Banck... **Barry McKenzie** > **[The Adventures of Barry McKenzie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Barry_McKenzie)** > > The Adventures of Barry McKenzie is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a character created by Barry Humphries for a cartoon strip in Private Eye. It was the first Australian film to surpass one million dollars in Australian box office receipts. A sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, was produce... **The “Magic “ Pudding** > **[The Magic Pudding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Pudding)** > > The Magic Pudding: Being The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff is a 1918 Australian children's book written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay. It is a comic fantasy, and a classic of Australian children's literature. > The story is set in Australia with humans mixing with anthropomorphic animals. It tells of a magic talking pudding named Albert which, no matter how often he is eaten, always reforms in order to be eaten again. He is owned by three companion... **Blinky Bill** > **[Blinky Bill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinky_Bill)** > > Blinky Bill is an anthropomorphic koala and children's fictional character created by author and illustrator Dorothy Wall. The character of Blinky first appeared in Brooke Nicholls' 1933 book, Jacko – the Broadcasting Kookaburra, which was illustrated by Wall. Wall then featured Blinky Bill in a series of her own books, including Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian, Blinky Bill Grows Up, and Blinky Bill and Nutsy. The books are considered quintessential Australian children's classics, a... **Uncle Dick** from “[The Potts](http://www.cartoonists.org.au/blog/2020/08/03/the-potts-turns-100)” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/97 "2020-08-18T12:06:12Z")
Is the Magic Pudding a “character”? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/98 "2020-08-18T12:32:37Z")
US - **Uncle Sam** ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/99 "2020-08-18T12:53:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is the Magic Pudding a “character”? Albert is a sentient, walking, talking (magic ie everlasting) bowl of pudding with a sassy attitude. Being voiced by John Cleese in the animated movie version, I’d reckon he’d be classified as a character by most definitions. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263/100 "2020-08-18T13:06:42Z")
That’s the kind of character I was hoping to learn about. Like when you’re walking through the airport in a country you have never been to before, and every gift shop has t-shirts and mugs and toys and magazines with the face of some character you have never heard of before. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-iconic-domestically-created-character-for-each-country/918263.md?page=6)