Maybe I’m odd in this respect (among others), but there are a few cartoon characters that I want to be like. Not in every respect, of course, but I wouldn’t mind counting them among my second tier of role models. So here they are, in no particular order:[ul][li] Franklin Sherman (Jay’s dad from The Critic). He’s old, rich, and completely mad. There’s a somewhat cynical touch to his madness, but he’s there for his son when he needs to be there.[/li][li] The Tick. His heart’s in the right place, but his head is missing. He really is quite the hero, though; so what if he’s fighting things that don’t make any sense to other people?[/li][li] Zorak (from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast). Zorak sees all, and he doesn’t like it. His cutting wit is an inspiration for sarcastic folk like me. As an aside, I’ve been told that I look and sound like Zorak–I’ll take the second part as a compliment.[/li][li] The Infraggable Krunk (the cartoon character, not the poster). Subtlety is not his middle name. When there’s a problem, he always has a solution, even if it is the same every time (“Krunk smash!”).[/li][/ul]
If I can avoid the repeated kicks to the 'nads, I’ll be a second Riff. He has more time and money to build cool stuff, and he looks cool in a trenchcoat.
It is not a matter of who I WANT to be like. I am forever cast in the mold of Wile E. Coyote.
Yeah, old Wile E. Brain constantly overflowing with unbelievably screwball schemes that almost work. Gets really close, sometimes. Always winds up on the losing end.
But he never, never gives up. Won’t admit defeat. has infinite confidence in himself.
Devil-may-care, overflowing with chutzpah, doesn’t mind messin’ with people’s heads…* Son, Ah say, Son, Ah’m not a chicken! That ovah theya is a chicken!*
I don’t know about wanting to be like anyone, but I know as a kid I had THE hugest crush on Derek Wildstar (Kodai) from Star Blazers. Ooooooooooooh just thinking about it gives me shivers. He was my first EVER crush, and I was happy to see a number of Star Blazers revival sites on the net. Yippie. If I had to pick a cartoon character to be I’d choose Nova Forrester - the blonde chick who had a crush on him for the entire run and finally got him in the end, if I recall correctly. Other than that, I wouldn’t mind being Shirley McLoon (Shirley the Loon) from Tiny Toons - you know, that (duck?) chick that used to hang out with Babs and Buster Bunny and talked like she was friends with Moon Zappa? She was the coolest - I loved that Valley accent, though I hated anyone who talked like that when I lived in L.A…
Hobbes, from Calvin and Hobbes…he always found true wisdom in simplicity and a nap in front of the fireplace. Besides, he could stuff himself at will. That’s just cool.
The Tick…he was Mighty![sup]TM[/sup] as established in the first episode.
Jason Fox from Foxtrot…because nobody does a better Halloween costume than he does.
I’d like to be Urashima Keitaro from Love Hina. A smart kid, hard working, kind, honest, innocent (you never know how valuable innocence is until you lose it), and well loved. It doesn’t get better than that, does it?
Tatewake Kuno from Ranma, of course. Devilishly handsome, eloquent, rich and he has a cool samurai theme song that plays whenever he says more than 3 words. How cool is that?
All kidding aside, Krunk’s one of my favorites also (obviously). Subtlety be damned; his solution is simply to pound anything that confuses him to dust. Rather like me, in that respect…
Some of the others I’ve unwittingly emulated over the years:
Homer Simpson - Inside every man, there is a Homer, sitting in his underwear on a threadbare couch, eating pork rinds and drinking Windex.
Bugs Bunny - Great sense of humor and incredible wisecracks.
The Tick - He manages to go through life with the intelligence of a burned-out match, and is the walking incarnation of the phrase, ‘ignorance is bliss’.
Skull from PvP - Much the same reasons.
I just identify with the big dumb strong types - I guess that just hits pretty close to home.
