Ann's Toon Harem

U2QueenBee's Toon Harem

If you've been to Animated Lust (Rated PG!) then you know what this is about. If you haven't, then I suggest you go there promptly so as to establish my relative sanity in your mind. Basically, a toon harem is a place for animation fans to honor their favorite characters. My harem is divided into 3 sections: the harem proper, where the "boy I wish these guys were 3-D" men are, a sort of "Womens Department" for female characters I admire and/or see as good role models, and a third section for all those adorable cuddly animal characters I'd love to hug! And now, without further ado, my Toon Harem!

#1: Batman*

Batman/Bruce Wayne from Batman: The Animated Series (voiced by Kevin Conroy) is without a doubt the most attractive animated character I have ever seen for any number of reasons. Of all the superheroes in the comic pantheon, I have always admired Batman the most because of his humanity. Here is a man who spends his life fighting evil and crime without the aid of super-strength, wings, telepathy, magic, or any other supernatural gift. Batman is vulnerable to both physical and emotional pain - indeed, it is this great sense of guilt, helplessness, and vengeance for his parents' murder which drives him to be Batman night after night. Whatever he has achieved in terms of physical prowess, detective skills, computer savvy, linguistics, etc., he has done on his own through hard work and training. One suspects that since outwardly he has had wealth, luxury, looks, and business success virtually handed to him on a silver platter, he feels it necessary to work that much harder as Batman to prove he is deserving of his "fairytale" life. I find this dual aspect of his life fascinating as well - that the real mask he wears is the persona of Bruce Wayne, somewhat dimwitted, playboy billionaire. It is only in the guise of Batman that his true personality and character emerge. He is a classic romantic hero. Batman is, in some ways, like the title character from Edward Arlington Robinson's poem, "Richard Cory" - others feel envy for his "easy" life without realizing the darkness and pain that secretly accompany it. But for all his problems, Batman is a profoundly strong and loving man. His obvious respect for Alfred as both a friend and a father-figure and his compassion and concern for Robin as a sort of younger brother and protege, not to mention his yearly memorial to the spot of his parents' death, all bear testament to the amount of deep emotion beneath his often stoic exterior. Whenever I watch Batman I just want to reassure him that he is the same man no matter what he calls himself, that he is not to blame for the tragedy in his life, that he is a hero who deserves all the love and happiness who can get, that he doesn't need to be lonely anymore, over and over until he really truly believes it. And to be wrapped up in that strong, mysterious embrace...*swoon* ;) Powerfully physical and powerfully emotional - what more could a girl want?

Nemesis*

Hawkgirl*

Ooh I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover!

Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Narf!

Ranting Swede*

I unfortunately do not remember where I got all these images. If you are the owner of one of the above images and wish to be credited, or have the image removed, please e-mail me at u2queenbee@yahoo.com. Thank you!

All character names and likenesses are copyright their respective owners (ie. Disney, Aardman Animation, DC Comics, etc.) and are used without permission. All descriptions are written by me and are not to be used without consent.

Some images used are courtesy of Animated Lust, Bonkers Online, Art of Agrabah, the Official Batman: The Animated Series and New Batman Adventures sites, Aardman Animation, www.disney-clipart.com, www.dizpins.com, Rogue Unlimited, and the Hercules: The TV Series Officially Unofficial Site. Please visit their sites for more great animation images and info!

Ok, ok, so he's not technically a cuddly animal, or even a cuddly rug. But the Ranting Swede from Sheep in the Big City is hilariously silly and somewhat surreal, and he doesn't really fit anywhere else! Rant on, good sir! The art is by me because I couldn't find a picture of him anywhere.

I suppose Gadget could go into the Cuddlies category as well, but I put her here because she is probably the animated character who is most like me. I wouldn't say I have a "mind-bashingly high I.Q." but I am the intellectual type and I do get bored easily, not to mention that I have long blonde hair and love purple. I watched Rescue Rangers when I was young and always loved Gadget best for her intelligence and sweetness. I feel she is a good role model for girls because she is incredibly smart and gifted with mechanics, a field which traditionally is reserved for males, while still being kind, approachable, and down-to-earth (rather than "nerdy" or an outcast.) Plus, she wears comfortable, sensible clothes and doesn't need loads of makeup or a ditsy attitude to be beautiful and attractive! You go girl!

Mighty Mouse was, I believe, my very first crush, back when I was around 3 (which should give you some idea how old I am, heh.) I don't remember a lot about him or the show, other than watching it, liking it, and having a Mighty Mouse coloring book which was my favorite, but my family tells me I had quite the crush on him, so I thought I'd put him in here for old time's sake. :)

Goliath from Gargoyles (voiced by Keith David) reminds me a lot of Batman. He's moody, he's strong, he's fit, he's a natural leader, he's a good guy, he's serious, cynical and mistrusting, and he's sensitive and tender yet still capable of an almost savage fury in defense of justice and those he loves. Plus, those wings are just darn cool.

Samurai Jack is another super-serious guy on a crusade for good who reminds me of Batman (sensing a pattern here?), square jaw, firm set mouth and all. His skill with that katana of his is amazing, and for all the stylized simplicity of his figure you get the feeling he's quite the looker too.

This page is dedicated to the talented men and women who have devoted their lives to bringing our favorite characters to life through their art, their writing, and their voices.

Mighty Mouse

Fred Jones

Fred from Scooby-Doo was another of my early crushes back in elementary school. For some reason, I really really loved that red tie...I even had a dress with a similar bow on it which I referred to as my "Fred tie" dress. What can I say, it was the '80s.

Launchpad McQuack

Yes, that's right, once upon a time I had a crush on a duck. A talking, plane-flying duck, but a duck nonetheless. I loved the show Ducktales and for some reason I got the feeling that if Launchpad were human (and 3-D) he'd be really cute. Besides, I always liked his character best as he was funny and incredibly sweet and innocent without being irritating.

Miguel

I only saw The Road to El Dorado recently and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I instantly took a liking to the boyish and musical Miguel (voice: Kenneth Branagh.) His childlike way of looking at the world reminded me of myself, and that long floppy hair and big smile are irresistable.

Samurai Jack*

Gambit*

Li Shang

Aladdin*

Genie*

Goliath*

Robin*

Fa Mulan*

The Ladies

Gadget Hackwrench

The Cuddlies

While you're here, why not visit the rest of my website to see some cartoon and comic fanart and learn more about me and my interests? Click here to go to my homepage.

Robin (voice: Loren Lester), aka Dick Grayson, Gotham State University student, is young, clever, charming, agile, and sarcastic, and possesses a healthy, wry sense of humor. While he shares with Bruce Wayne a background both priveleged and tragic (having lost his parents at a young age and subsequently being taken into Bruce's care at Wayne Manor), his more optimistic and free-spirited attitude and his penchant for making wisecracks make him the pefect foil and complement for Batman on his adventures. Since I began watching Batman: The Animated Series when I was in high school (and continuing through college) myself, I found Robin a much more relatable character - the kind of guy I'd like to meet at school and go out with for coffee. (And what a cute smile!)

Mulan is one of my personal heroes. As soon as I saw Mulan it became tied with Aladdin as my favorite movie of all time. I am a proud feminist and I was pleased to see a "fairy-tale" style story where for once, the Big Strong Man didn't have to rescue the Dainty Little Princess. At last, it was girl power for real - Mulan saves Li Shang, the male lead, not once but twice from being killed by Shan Yu - oh, and saves the rest of China into the bargain, too! She is clearly no wilting lily, nor is she portrayed as unwomanly, like some other female heroines, or relying purely on feminine wiles to get the job done. Her martial arts skills are more than a match for both Shang and Shan-Yu, the training sequence clearly shows her outrunning, outfishing, and outfighting the men, and at times she seems to have more sense than the rest of the army put together. Her courage in battle and at the palace are virtually unmatched, and her ability to think quickly rather than collapse under pressure ultimately save the day. This is not your stereotyped "heroine" who goes to pieces under the slightest strain and requires manly assistance at every turn. Best of all, her motivation for becoming a soldier is not to impress or follow a man like a foolish lovestruck puppy, but out of patriotism, a desire to discover her true self, and most importantly to save her beloved father. Brave, brainy and beautiful, Mulan really does have it all - and in the end, she still isn't doomed to a lonely life of ignominious spinsterhood because of it. The fact that she may not just be a fairy-tale, and may quite possibly have really lived is just the icing on the cake. If only there were more such role models for girls today!

Medusa*

Tempest*

Batgirl*

Rogue*

Jasmine*

The Warners: Yakko, Wakko, and Dot*

Pinky and the Brain*

Bonkers

Bullseye

Timon*

Shaun the Sheep

Gromit

Cri-kee

Mushu

Pain and Panic

Carpet

Heh heh...Nemesis, Demi-Goddess of Vengeance from Hercules (the series) is too funny. I've always liked the mythological figure of Nemesis (particularly when I'm in a bad mood) and the animated version, while not exactly how I pictured her, is quite cool, with her arms that turn into weapons and her crazy war-cry. Given that I too, threaten to smite people for irritating me, her near obsession with smiting the wicked is near and dear to my heart. Basically, she's like me with really bad PMS. ;)

Medusa is, and has been for a long time, my favorite mythological character, ever since I saw a painting (Alice Pike Barney, 1902) in a book which made me think differently about her - that instead of being simply a hideous beast, she was a beautiful, tortured woman. Disney's portrayal of her fits with how I see her almost exactly - not a cruel, grotesque monster, but a sweet, very human young woman who is beautiful in her own way. She is cursed and reviled for what she is, but really she's just different. Consider that historians now believe Medusa was a benevolent goddess before she became the villain in the Theseus myth, and it's no wonder that anyone, particularly any woman, who has ever felt "abnormal" or misunderstood would find Medusa a powerful symbol of strength and, in this case, hope for acceptance of both the light and dark, beautiful and ugly parts of one's personality.

Tempest the Amazon princess rules! And lest you think otherwise, remember the fate of the unfortunate sophomore who cut in front of her in the lunch line. ;) Feminist to a fault, a fierce warrior but not without compassion, and with a weakness for musicians (well, Orpheus anyway), Tempest is a pretty good role model for an exaggerated stereotype. Amazons are always cool, anyway...anything that challenges the culture of masculinity and male dominance is a good thing in my book. Plus, doesn't she have cool hair?

I'll tell you what really curdles my goat cheese!

How can anyone *not* love the Warners? They're wacky, sweet, funny, huggable, and completely insane. Animaniacs is my favorite show ever, bar none, and I am proud to say that they are now my adopted sibs and refer to me fondly as Big Mama Dot. (I'll have to scan that picture of me in my Dot Halloween costume with the little guys.) :) They're just so lovable! Canny, topical wit, clever writing and classic comic timing combined with a knowing childlike sensibility and a healthy dose of good old-fashioned weirdness made Animaniacs a show loved by kids and grown-ups alike, and perfect for those of us with kids' hearts trapped in grown-up bodies and minds. Which is all a very complicated way of saying "Animaniacs is cool! The Warners rule! Faboo!"

Narf! The very concept of Pinky and Brain as lab mice trying to conquer the world should appeal to anyone (like me) with a bizarre sense of humor (hi Mr. Greene!) Aside from being cute and fuzzy (look at those sweet faces!) Pinky and Brain are perfect foils. Brain's dry cynicism and Pinky's...well, Pinkyness set each other off wonderfully. I defy anyone not to laugh at some of the "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" responses of Pinky's, and the caricatures of famous contemporary and historical figures and events make both the Animaniacs shorts and the full-length episodes appealing to adults. Plus, it's fun fun silly willy! Yippee hurrah for the lab mice!

Bonkers was never a very popular show and didn't last long, but I was one of the dedicated fans. As much as I usually don't care for cats I found Bonkers to be a very lovable character. His childlike tooniness is a bit like Wakko's and his good heart, loyalty to his friends, and simple but firm belief in the power of 'toons are very endearing. I also liked the message in the show that cartoons, in their way, are as real as anything else in the world, with which I suspect few other animation fans will disagree.

Ok as weird as this sounds, I only really got into Batgirl after I had this weird dream a few years ago. I was already starting to get into the animated series, but then I had this dream one night that I *was* Batgirl, flying around Tower City and saving people from...someone, I forget who. Anyway it was a really funny (and fun) dream, and after that Batgirl sort of became my alter-ego. Shh, don't tell. ;)

Rogue is awesome (wow that sounds cheesy.) She's spunky, sassy, super-strong, and manages to keep a witty sense of humor despite childhood traumas and her inability to touch others. For anyone who ever felt isolated as a child (or a grown-up) Rogue embodies that feeling of being totally alone in a world full of other people. I've only just started reading comics, but so far X-Treme X-Men seems to portray her pretty well - the way I imagine her from the series. She was always my favorite X-Man (or should I say X-Person), and she and Gambit make such a cute couple (in the series at least.)

Ack! Need more Justice League episodes! My husband and I both really like the new Justice League cartoons, and Hawkgirl (while not my favorite JL'er - Batman holds that spot, natch) is still pretty darn nifty. I love her directness: when in doubt, when faced with an obstacle, whack it really hard with your mace. Plus, my husband says she reminds him of me. (Should I be afraid?)

In terms of sheer jaw-dropping gorgeousness, I have to say Jasmine is probably the most beautiful animated heroine ever. Ok, so her figure is somewhat anatomically impossible: those masses of jet-black hair, the wide, soft brown eyes, the perfectly formed nose - heck, she even looks good in that burlap robe she wears in the marketplace! Whenever I watch Aladdin I can't help wishing I looked like Jasmine...she looks how beautiful you feel when you look up at a starry sky. She was also one of the first Disney heroines to stand up for herself and say "I am not an object - *I* will decide my future," which is always a good thing. She is clever, fit, spunky, and brave (ever see the episode where she rescues Aladdin from Mozenrath?) without being unfeminine. Woohoo!

The movie Aladdin came out at a fairly tumultuous point in my life when I was 15, and it seemed to encapsulate a lot of the things that were on my mind at the time: love, discovering your true self, and above all freedom. The animation featured scenes showing some of my favorite things, like wide starry skies, wild horses running, travel to exotic places like Egypt and China, places I have always wanted to see. Anyway, long story short Genie was a stand-out character and became my "boyfriend" thanks to a remark by my wonderful geometry teacher Sr. Jeanne(ie). I started drawing Genie on chalkboards, notebooks, geometry quizzes, t-shirts, you name it, and Big Blue will always have a special place in my heart. :)

Much as Jasmine is the most beautiful heroine in my opinion, Aladdin is the handsomest Disney hero of all time. Just look at the man: thick, longish black hair, big sensitive brown eyes, a sly crooked smile, and a physique which is nicely muscular without being overly buff. What a hottie! Plus he's got a cute little monkey for a pet and he can think well on his feet. The Disney animators were having a top day when they designed Aladdin and co., n'est-ce pas?

Li Shang is quite cute, a superb martial artist, and smart (and humble) enough not to let Mulan slip through his fingers. It's interesting, because instead of the hero in Mulan being worldlywise and mature while the heroine is naive and innocent, Shang has a lot to learn about life as well - his path and Mulan's are pretty similar. The scene where Shang bows before his father's helmet and Mulan places the doll there illustrates the transition from boyhood to manhood and girlhood to man, er womanhood quite effectively. See? We're not so different after all.

Ah Gambit, aka Remy LeBeau of the X-Men. Embarrassingly enough, the main reason I liked Gambit more than all the other X-Men (except Rogue, of course) was because he spoke French, which I was studying (and now speak rather fluently.) Granted, it's only a little French, and the Cajun dialect at that, but at the time I was something of a Francophile so there you are. Even before I knew Rogue and Gambit were a Great Marvel Couple I thought they'd be cute together, and was thrilled to the core of my foolishly romantic soul when they professed their love. I'm such a girl. Anyhoo, in the comics at least he's also quite handsome and charming. Like I said, such a girl. ;)

As soon as Bullseye came onscreen in Toy Story 2 I fell in love with him. The expressions he makes are too precious - it's amazing how much he can communicate without words. And those floppy legs are so adorable! *squeal*

Timon is my favorite character from The Lion King. At the time, he reminded me a little of myself (I was staunchly anti-romance back then.) He's silly and sarcastic and manages to make the best of being stuck out in exile with Pumbaa. His loyalty to his best friend is also very admirable, and he makes such cute little faces!

Shaun from A Close Shave is such a cutie. I love the whole Wallace and Gromit series, and brave little Shaun saving the day is a classic scene. I gave a plush Shaun to my sister for Christmas a couple years ago and she went crazy. :)

Gromit is the very lovable (and highly intelligent) dog from A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave. How the folks at Aardman managed to make a silent claymation dog who doesn't even have a mouth to speak of be able to say so much nonverbally, well, it's a triumph of animation. How can you not love a dog who reads "Dogstoyevsky" and "Engineering for Dogs?" Incidentally, my fondness for Wallace and Gromit helped to impress a certain young Englishman named Dave, who is now my husband.

This is my friend Julie and I (except we're not evil minions of the lord of the underworld, of course.) I'm chubby, love purple, and no stranger to pain; she's thin and energetic, has big eyes, and worries a lot. And besides, for evil minions they are pretty cute. :)

Another triumph of animation! Without a face, a head, or even a body per se, Carpet still manages to convey a wide range of thoughts and emotions. In both the film and the animated series he proves himself capable of quick thinking and bravely and loyally ready to assist the gang throughout their various mishaps and brushes with danger. Which isn't bad going for a rug, all things considered.

Now normally I'm not overly fond of most bugs (although they often seem overly fond of me) but for Cri-kee I'll make an exception. Regardless of whether or not he's actually lucky and despite the fact that he appears to be missing two legs, he's an awfully cute little arthropod to me. His tiny size doesn't stop him from being a loyal and helpful friend to Mulan both at home and on the battlefield.

Mushu, like Timon, is an excellent "funny sidekick" character. I would never have thought to use Eddie Murphy as the voice for a demoted Chinese guardian dragon, but it turned out to be a spectacular success, and with his fast-paced humor and modern, Western way of speaking Mushu was perfect comic relief for the heavier themes of war and sexism in Mulan. Plus, he's a dragon, and dragons are cool!

Characters with an asterisk (*) are those for whom I have drawn related fanart, which should be online shortly.