A cartoon is a 'simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a humorously exaggerated way'. Cartoons have evolved from their origins as drawings to satirical sketches in newspapers in the 1800s, and more recently to an exaggerated representation of human life as shown by modern examples such as The Simpsons. Cartoons, as humorous drawings, originated in 1843 when satirist magazine, Punch, used the term to describe the sketches by artist John Leech.

Comic Strips originated in the late 19th century in American newspapers. The difference between comic strips and the gag cartoons of the same era, is primarily that of length. The comic strip will tell a story in a series of images with text attached in speech-bubbles or captions. The motion picture would be the biggest step in the evolution of the cartoon, most famously made by the films of cartoon legend Walt Disney.

Disney's first venture into animated film is shown in the Alice Comedies, a series of short films that combine a real girl with an animated cat, all set in front of an animated landscape. Disney would go on to create some of the most influential cartoons in history, including the most recognisable cartoon character of all - Mickey Mouse.

Disney would go on to create some of the most influential cartoons in history, including the most recognisable cartoon character of all - Mickey Mouse. Warner Bros. cartoons began soon after Disney and would introduce the world to a number of amazing characters that remain popular to this day.

Bugs Bunny appeared for the first time on screen in the 1940 animation A Wild Hare. In 2002, Bugs Bunny was named by a popular television magazine as the greatest cartoon character of all time. Other popular Warner Bros. characters include Speedy Gonzales, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig

Another popular company to produce animated cartoons was the American company, Hanna-Barbera. Hanna-Barbera produces classics including Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. These animations would influence some of the biggest hits of the century, as cartoons began to mimic real-life and have more realistic characters instead of the animals or fantasy stories of Disney and Warner Bros.

As style of cartoons changed, the most popular animated series of all time was born, as the world was introduced to The Simpsons. The Simpsons were different from the fantasy and fairy tale style. H However, Disney has been opting for computer animations with its most recent films including Ratatouille, Finding Nemo and WALL-E. With new film-makers, animators and artists always looking for the next-big-thing, cartoons will always be popular for creators and the viewers, so the cartoon will continue to go from strength to strength.

50. BOBBY HILL 49. WONDER WOMAN 48. DARIA 47. BATMAN 46. SUPERMAN 45. GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE 44. SPIDER MAN 43. THE POWERPUFF GIRLS TOP 50 CARTOON CHARACTERS

42. ANGELICA PICKLES 41. FELIX THE CAT 40. BORIS BADENOV AND NATASHA FATALE 39. TOM AND JERRY 38. WOODY WOODPECKER 37. ALVIN (THE CHIPMUNK) 36. DONALD DUCK 35. MIGHTY MOUSE 34. YOGI BEAR AND BOO BOO

33. SPACE GHOST 32. BILL FROM ‘SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK’ 31. ARTHUR 30. WINNIE THE POOH 29. REN AND STIMPY 28. TOP CAT 27. HECKLE AND JECKLE 26. JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS 25. SPEED RACER 24. TWEETY BIRD AND SYLVESTER

23. UNDERDOG 22. GUMPY 21. PINK PANTHER 20. GEORGE JETSON 19. BETTY BOOP 18. FAT ALBERT 17. BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD 16. MR. MAGOO 15. SCOOBY DOO AND SHAGGY

14. PORKY PIG 13. DAFFY DUCK 12. ERIC CARTMAN 11. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 10. ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE 09. WILE E. COYOTE 08. POPEYE 07. THE GRINCH 06. FRED FLINTSTONE

….. and now to the top 5

5. CHARLIE BROWN 4. BART SIMPSON 3. MICKEY MOUSE 2. HOMER SIMPSON 1. BUGS BUNNY