20 Greatest Frog Characters of All Time
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When thinking of cartoon animals, the most famous ones likely pop up in your mind first—Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, and Winnie the Pooh, for example. But plenty of lovable and memorable characters are modeled after frogs, even though they may not come to mind immediately.
Read on to learn more about the 20 greatest frog characters of all time.
The 20 Greatest Frog Characters of All Time
1. Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is probably the most famous of all frog cartoon characters. Kermit’s the lovable, pragmatic, and most easily recognizable protagonist in countless Muppet productions. Created by Jim Henson and first appearing in 1955, Kermit thee Frog has been thee frog for generations, from the boomers to the Gen Z crowd.
2. Tiana
Tiana is the protagonist from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. She first appears in the movie as a hardworking waitress with big dreams of opening her own restaurant one day. She is transformed into a frog after kissing a prince who had been transformed into a frog by a witch doctor. The kiss takes Tiana as a victim of the curse and sets the tone for the rest of the movie, where she embarks on an adventure in a bayou to find a cure.
3. Pepe
Pepe the Frog is a cartoon character and internet meme that first appeared in 2005 in an online cartoon called Boy’s Club. Though initially innocent, Internet users have appropriated the Pepe character, turning him into a meme and placing him in many wild circumstances. The meme proliferated in controversial online venues like 4chan and 8chan, resulting in racist memes and imagery featuring the character.
4. Mr. Toad
Mr. Toad is a classic literary character from the children’s novel The Wind in the Willows. First published in 1908, it explores the story of its main characters, Mole, Ratty, and Badger, who help the mischievous Mr. Toad after he becomes preoccupied with cars and gets into trouble.
5. Michigan J. Frog
The singing, dancing, top hat-wearing Michigan J. Frog was originally featured in the Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies film series. Though he may be a minor character in the film shorts, he eventually became the mascot of the WB Network.
6. Keroppi
Keroppi is a character created by Sanrio in the late 1980s and the main protagonist in Keroppi and Friends. This cheerful, energetic, and adorable character was originally meant for the Keroppi universe but is often seen as a Hello Kitty character.
7. Frogger
Frogger is the star of the classic 1981 arcade game developed by Konami. The game aims to help a series of frogs reach their home by assisting them across a busy road and hazard-filled river. Frogger is generally considered one of the best video games of all time.
8. Tsuyu Asui
Tsuyu Asui is a major protagonist in the Japanese superhero manga series and its anime, My Hero Academia. She is a human girl, but her frog-like personality traits and appearance earned her a spot on our list of greatest frog characters. Tsuyu’s frog-based abilities given by her Quirk make her proficient in close and long-range combat, giving her a fighting style that makes her a force to be reckoned with and one of the best anime frogs we can think of.
9. Hypnotoad
Hypnotoad is a large toad-like creature that appeared in the science fiction cartoon Futurama. He first appeared on the show in 2001 and has large oscillating eyes that emit a hum and have hypnotizing powers. Though he got famous from Futurama, Hynotoad has gained popularity in various internet forums, achieving meme status.
Prince Naveen is one of the main characters in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Naveen is a charming and suave prince who is transformed into a frog by a witch doctor’s curse. Desperate to return to his human form, Naveen seeks out a princess to kiss, accidentally turning Tiana into a frog in the process.
11. Ribby and Croaks
Ribby and Croaks are a frog duo in Cuphead, a run-and-gun indie video game first released in 2018. The pair is the video game’s first difficult fight, unlocked for the player after defeating the Root Pack.
12. Aogaeru
Aogaeru is a frog spirit and a minor character in the anime film Spirited Away. He works at the bathhouse under Yubaba. He is the second spirit to recognize Chihiro as a human.
13. Gamabunta
Gamabunta is a grumpy, stubborn toad and a supporting character in the Naruto franchise. Sometimes referred to simply as Bunta, this character is the chief toad of Mount Myōboku and is a force to be reckoned with. He can release oil and water from his mouth and knows his way around the sword, making him one of our list’s most memorable anime toads.
14. The Bigheads
Ed and Bev Bighead are characters from the cartoon and comic book series Rocko’s Modern Life. They live next door to the main character. With her overbearing attitude, Bev “wears the pants” in the family, though she is much friendlier and kinder than her husband. Ed is an antagonistic character in the TV show and is known for his bossy, hostile, and intolerant attitude.
15. Flip the Frog
Flip the Frog first appeared in Fiddlesticks, a 1930 Celebrity Pictures theatrical cartoon short. This was the first sound cartoon to be photographed in color. Flip was a Chaplin-esque character, often finding himself involved in Great Depression-era conflicts.
16. King Harold
King Harold is the king of Far Far Away and the father of Princess Fiona in the Shrek franchise. First appearing in Shrek 2, the King Harold character was born as a frog but was turned into a human after seeking the help of Fairy Godmother. He eventually reverts back to his original frog prince form, where he remains until his death in Shrek the Third.
17. Genghis Frog
Genghis Frog is one of four Punk Frogs in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. The Punk Frogs is a group consisting of four frogs that were trained by the nefarious leader Shredder. As with many Ninja Turtle characters, the four frogs were introduced as monster of the week in the 1987 cartoon. He is the most well-known of the four punks because his action figure was released first.
18. Hoppity Hooper
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Hoppity Hooper was an American television series that originally aired on ABC from 1964 until 1967. It followed its main character, Hoppity Hooper, a plucky frog, and his friends, a fox named Waldo P. Wigglesworth, and a Civil War-era bear named Fillmore.
19. Gamakichi
Gamakichi is a toad from Mount Myōboku, and the oldest son of the aforementioned Gamabunta. He is a funny and condescending toad in the Naruto universe and is the personal summon of Naruto Uzumaki.
20. Jean-Bob
Jean-Bob is a French character from The Swan Princess. He believes himself to be a prince who was turned into a frog, so he’s always trying to get Odette to kiss him to turn him back into human royalty. Jean-Bob is always getting himself into all kinds of trouble but has his friends to back him up and get him out of tough situations.
Final Thoughts
While frogs and toads may not be the most popular animal characters in TV shows, movies, and books, there certainly is no shortage of memorable amphibian characters. Which of the above 20 characters is your favorite?
Featured Image Credit: Kurit afshen, Shutterstock
