# When You Were a Kid, What TV Character Did You Identify With/Want to Be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158 "2011-10-29T05:18:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/21 "2011-10-29T13:29:50Z")
And along the same lines, I had a huge crush on Robin in Kindergarden, and somhow got that crush mixed up with wanting to _be_ him. One of the very few ‘playful’ things my mother ever did for me was to make me a Robin cape. I was soooooooo disappointed that I couldn’t wear it to school! Next crush: Peter Tork of the Monkees. Didn’t want to BE him tho! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/22 "2011-10-29T15:10:38Z")
I definitely identified with Spock. I thought I was similar to him: logical and unemotional. When I was younger, though, it was Drake Andrews of **The Aquanauts**. I can’t remember why, but I liked the show and stopped watching when he left. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/23 "2011-10-29T15:28:36Z")
I always wanted to be The Professor from _Gilligan’s Island_. That dude could do _anything_! ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/24 "2011-10-29T15:33:45Z")
I wanted to be Barbara Cooper, the Valerie Bertinelli character from _One Day at a Time_. She’s about the same age as me, but in the show she was so pretty, and funny, and had a cool mom and sister. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/25 "2011-10-29T15:40:26Z")
I wanted to be Apache Chief: smart enough that even Batman defers to him in his area of expertise, and as big and strong as he needs to be – and not because he happened to be from Krypton or whatever, but because he _ **worked** _ for it. (Plus, in a twist on Seanbaby’s quip, it impressed me that as far as I could tell the guy simply _ **was** _ the Apache Chief: it was literally as if, in an emergency, we’d call on the Flash and Green Lantern and, say, the Israeli Prime Minister, who didn’t bother with a mask or a secret identity. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/26 "2011-10-29T15:44:15Z")
As my username indicates, I always wanted to be Ponch on _CHiPs_ (the late 70s-early 80s show about California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops). We used to have a dog named Ponch, which was already her name before we adopted her. I became a _CHiPs_ fan because of our dog. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/27 "2011-10-29T16:32:18Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Mostly I wanted to be Mr. Spock. I really didn’t want to be ANY of the females that were portrayed on TV, not that I can recall right now, anyway. > > In my peer group, it was common for the kids to declare which actor/character from TV shows and movies that they wanted to be. And I was always the weird one who didn’t identify with a female, I identified with males. Yes, I’m heterosexual, and female…I just didn’t want to be a stereotypical ditzy female. Well, there weren’t any good female characters to identify with! I can’t think of a single one that I actually wanted to be (oh, wait, Wonder Woman.). I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard and the A-Team and stuff like that, and the girls were always peripheral or dopey. Who would want to be Mallory Keaton? I liked Mindy on Mork and Mindy, and Wonder Woman. That’s all I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/28 "2011-10-29T17:03:14Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I always wanted to be The Professor from _Gilligan’s Island_. That dude could do _anything_! Except repair a boat. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/29 "2011-10-29T18:38:37Z")
My “who I’d want to be like when I become an adult” was Thomas Sullivan Magnum. The guy I wanted to be when I was a kid was Ricardo Tubs, from Miami Vice (sometimes it would jump to being Castillo whenever he went on samurai sprees) ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/30 "2011-10-29T18:57:54Z")
[Michael Knight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Knight_%28Knight_Rider%29). But then, I’m German, so no big surprise there. ---
**Author:** ![LaurenIpsum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@LaurenIpsum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaurenIpsum)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/31 "2011-10-29T19:22:50Z")
Being a teen/tween in the early 90s, I wanted to be Clarissa Darling. She had friends but wasn’t part of the snobby cliques, and I loved her clothes. (Well, at least at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/32 "2011-10-29T19:38:53Z")
Sailor Mars or the pink Power Ranger. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/33 "2011-10-29T20:45:26Z")
Elizabeth Walton or Laura Ingalls ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/34 "2011-10-29T20:49:48Z")
> [@Stauderhorse](#): > > The titular character from Hey Arnold! He was so cool and collected and had passion for a lot of different things. Yep. Plus he had the sweetest room. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/35 "2011-10-29T21:14:06Z")
Bret Maverick: good looking, lady killer, fast with a gun, and quick with a quip. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/36 "2011-10-29T21:22:15Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Well, there weren’t any good female characters to identify with! I can’t think of a single one that I actually wanted to be (oh, wait, Wonder Woman.). I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard and the A-Team and stuff like that, and the girls were always peripheral or dopey. Who would want to be Mallory Keaton? > > I liked Mindy on Mork and Mindy, and Wonder Woman. That’s all I can think of. I was an adult when those shows came out, so they don’t qualify. Heck, I didn’t even like the comic Wonder Woman when I was a kid, because she was always getting tied up (and sometimes spanked) and even as a kid, that didn’t appeal to me in a role model. I wanted a strong, smart woman as my role model. There really weren’t any available. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/37 "2011-10-29T21:27:44Z")
I can’t remember wanting to ‘be’ a kid on a show, but I wanted to live in The Addams Family’s house. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/38 "2011-10-29T21:29:59Z")
Batman. I also liked X-Men (the cartoon, so that dates me as young), but didn’t like the female characters much, except for Storm. I also think I wanted to be Jennifer Love Hewitt from Party of Five. Or maybe I just wanted Scott to be my boyfriend. I never wanted to ‘be’ Claire Danes when she was in My So-Called Life, but I definitely related. ---
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/39 "2011-10-29T21:36:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I can’t remember wanting to ‘be’ a kid on a show, but I wanted to live in The Addams Family’s house. I wanted to be Wednesday from the Addams Family and live in their house. Plus, cool toys. Otherwise, I wanted to be Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who. She was smart, inquisitive, and pretty. Plus she got to travel with the Doctor. What could be better? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158/40 "2011-10-29T21:49:53Z")
Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-were-a-kid-what-tv-character-did-you-identify-with-want-to-be/601158.md?page=3)