Whom I'm Thankful For: Animated Edition

Inspired by a lovely TV-and-movie critic I know who is working on an end-of-the-year list, I thought I'd try my own compilation. So I shall here list my favorite female TV characters of all time. The criteria were a mix: embodiment of feminist principles, coolness, strength, intelligence, importance, making it in a man's world, badassosity, and my personal affection. In short, characters who made me say, "She's so frickin' awesome!" and who made me feel cooler about being a girl. And extra points for any character I dressed as for Halloween. I've decided to make a separate list for animated shows, since they were highly represented! So, without further ado:



1) Carmen Sandiego (Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?)

Oh man, I loved this broad. Oh man, I STILL love this broad. Not the game show or the video game version (though I loved them by association)--the cartoon series version. The version where she was voiced by Rita Moreno and always got away. Not only was she an outlaw and a rebel, she was smart, witty, badass, cucumber-cool, and could operate solo just as well as with her legions of overly-appropriately-named henchpeople. The secret to her success? In her own words: "Think out your plan like a woman of action--act out your plan like a woman of thought." (In 8th grade it meant so much to me that I could quote that and it specifically said woman.) Her pride was sometimes an asset, sometimes a liability, and her refusal to use violence opened the door to 100% likeability for girls like me. And she taught me about female pirates! Halloween costume? Check--11th grade. Truth be told, I would be her anyday.

2) She-Ra (She-Ra)

The obvious choice. This Princess of Power was a revolutionary, fighting against a tyrannical sorcerer and his Evil Horde and...ok I actually remember very little of this cartoon, just that I loved it. Even at a tender age I realized she kicked ass, and that women with swords are H-O-T. During recess my fiancée (we were 5) would pretend to be He-Man, and I She-Ra. Not at the same time, though--they were twins after all. (Halloween? Yep, when I was like 6!)

3) Rogue (X-Men)

Storm was too Spock-like, Jean unforgivably lame for preferring Cyclops to Wolverine. But Rogue? She was a firecracker, had awesome powers (flight, invulnerability, super strength) and an awesome backstory, plus the affections (however star-crossed) of Gambit, who was let's-be-honest SO FRICKIN HOT OMG. But I digress. The serious downside of her power (draining people's strength=not so much with the smooching) only made it cooler that she held onto that southern charm--and Gambit dug her even if she couldn't put out. I would be her for H-ween in a second if I thought I could pull off the unitard.

4) Ivy (Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?)

The older half of the brother-sister detective team who time and again proved ALMOST a match for our scarlet lady, Ivy was a martial arts master with a stellar IQ. She didn't have to brag about her smarts (unlike her sometimes arrogant and often annoying brother Zack), but she handled every situation with aplomb. Zack knew the foreign languages and the fancy gadgets, but Ivy was the General--and never the butt of the joke. She was someone I totally wanted to be like. Maybe that's where I get my obsession with red hair...

5) Jane Lane (Daria)

I have a great attraction to sidekicks. And like many sidekicks, Daria Morgendorffer's artsy friend Jane was the coolest character on the show. This gravelly-voiced, alternative-looking lady was just as sarcastic and principled as Daria, but you got the strong feeling that she was an outcast because she WANTED to be, not because she had to be. Though a scholastic underachiever, she was a gifted artist and, in one episode, a track star (before quitting out of disgust that athletes were given academic shortcuts), and when she wanted to she did well with boys. In an early episode she meets a guy at a party and promptly makes out with him in the laundry room, and you know that's behavior I approve. In a later episode they even addressed the burning Would-Jane-Sleep-With-A-Girl question. (The answer was no, but it was impressive that they broached the subject.) Perhaps most importantly, she was a crucial foil to her bespectacled best friend. She actually had interests and wanted to DO things--and she often got Daria to step a little bit outside all those fences she put between herself and the world. Way to send the message that high school may be lame, but you don't have to be.

6) Officer Renée Montoya (Batman: The Animated Series)

Even before she was outed in a comic book, I knew Montoya was the real deal. She would probably be higher on this list if she'd been in the cartoon a little more, but she certainly wasn't neglected. A foil to the sloppy and pig-headed Bullock (pictured), she was the only one of Gotham's Finest besides Gordon whom Batman, and the audience, could totally trust. When suspended due to a mysteriously botched bust involving Batman, Montoya pursued the case even without gun and badge, and was proven right in the end. A resolutely tough cop, she was still undeniably human--in one episode, upon hearing the (false) news of Batman's death, she allows herself a rare moment of vulnerabilty, not just in front of us, but in front of Bullock. Far grittier and more interesting than, say, Bat Girl--in part because she's a creature of reality and not fantasy--it's no wonder she got more attention in 52.

7) Daria Morgendorffer (Daria)

If I sounded critical of Ms. Morgendorffer before, well, the greatest heroes are flawed. But who could not relate to this girl, whose chirpy, popular younger sister derides her as a "brain," whose parents and teachers don't understand why she can't put down the books and hit the pep rally...whose friend Jane has a dreamy musician older brother who would never be right for her but...oh Trent...drool... Sorry, where was I? Right. As the series went on, her character actually developed (!) and she was more than just a collection of deadpan quips. But her words from the first episode are still the most telling: "I don't have low self-esteem! I have low esteem for everyone else." Who hasn't been there?

(Halloween: two years ago.)

8) Aeon Flux (Aeon Flux)

Do I really have to explain this one? She's a renegade, a double agent, on no one's side but her own, she kicks ass in EPIC AMOUNTS and her sexuality is totally her own. And don't let the ridiculous fetish garb fool you--business comes first. In this strange totalitarian regime run by her on-again, off-again lover Trevor, she might appreciate boning for old times' sake, but fond feelings don't mean she won't put a bullet in your head. Plus, the show is SO WEIRD. But I think I'll pass on Halloween for this one.

9) American Maid (The Tick)

I hope you all know this show--if not, you definitely owe it to yourselves. If you are familiar with the escapades of that giant blue moron, you will also remember American Maid, the only competent superhero living in The City. The "World's Most Patriotic Domestic" was your go-to girl-- she had strength, agility, and a tactician's level head. Though she'd roll her eyes at the ineptitude of Die Fledermaus, Sewer Urchin, and The Tick himself, she never hesitated to dive in with them, whether battling Chairface Chippendale or checking out that new superhero nightclub. But just when you think she's all-business and too cool for this crowd, her constant bickering with Die Feldermaus (obviously her ex) would interfere at a climactic moment, and you'd love her all the more. Halloween? Last year! I got recognized, like, once, but it was worth it.

[Sorry for all the links...man I love this show.]

10) April O’Neill (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

She was the first. A fearless, inquisitive reporter who poked her nose where it "didn't belong," she was rewarded with four of the best (and most subterranean) friends a girl could ask. Also, at our tender age, my sister and I were fascinated by the fact that she had pockets on her breasts. Or maybe that was just me.

Honorable Mention: Detective Elisa Maza (Gargoyles)

She probably should've made the main list, but I never reallygot into the show, despite having seen a fair amount of it. (This guy my frosh year bought the whole series off eBay and hosted "Watchings.") This tough-as-nails NYC cop braved the normal gunfire and undercover sting operations, and on top of it faced all sorts of magical, paranormal, and biorobotic danger due to her April-O'Neill-esque friendship with Goliath and his stony crew. Of course, April never fell in love with Leonardo, which is what truly gives Elisa her edge. Oh, and the badass detective stuff, the ability to beat people up, the cool head and the low voice.* And I just found out she's half African-American, half Native American! Okay, she definitely deserves to be on the main list, probably in the Top Five, but I don't have quite the emotional attachment to her so here she'll stay. It was stiff competition.

Next time: Live action!

*Actually, a lot of these ladies had low/rich/gravelly voices. Interesting.