Childhood crushes are nothing to be ashamed of – even if they happen to be cartoon characters. While this might sound odd, it actually makes a whole lot of sense. After all, developing crushes is part of growing up, and who better to crush on than a favourite character you’ve come to know so well?
Here, we take a walk down memory lane and round up 15 cartoon crushes the HuffPost Canada team had but are too embarrassed to admit. We bet you had some of these too!
Who would have thought Goofy’s son would be so swoon worthy? Maximilian won our hearts in “A Goofy Movie” when he hijacked the school assembly and became a celebrity among his peers. Not only that, but his cool factor shot through the roof when he accidentally landed on stage with pop singer Powerline and exuded enough confidence and dance skills to make us scream. Just watch.
Daphne from “Scooby-Doo” ignited our love of redheads. The fashion-forward Mystery Inc. member was a quick thinker and knew how to kick some serious butt (after all, she does have a black belt in karate). Her fearlessness of ghosts also made her crush worthy in our books.
We totally understood Helga’s obsession with Arnold. After all, “Football Head” had a great personality. Arnold always went out of his way to help others even when it wasn’t in his best interest. He was someone we admired, hence our inevitable crush on him.
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the voice actor of Arnold grew up to be one very attractive man.
Anyone who’s seen “Sailor Moon” has witnessed the dreaminess of Tuxedo Mask (née Darien Shields). Not only did he have an unforgettable love story with our favourite sailor scout, but his mysteriousness and perfect timing in the face of danger constantly drew us in. And damn, did he ever have luscious, shiny hair.
There’s a reason why Bugs Bunny would turn into a complete dork every time he saw Lola in “Space Jam.” Lola Bunny oozed sex appeal thanks to her low voice and hypnotic curves. But of course, as kids, all we cared about was the fact that she was a fiercely strong female who could kick ass at basketball. As Michael Jordan said, “That girl’s got some skills.”
Dot Warner, aka Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third, was the only girl of the Warner siblings. While seemingly cute and innocent, we knew that Dot wasn’t afraid to tell it like is and keep her brothers Yakko and Wakko in check. Besides her strong personality, we couldn’t help but crush over the girl who always kept us laughing.
Bart Simpson? Really? Yes, really. Bart was the first bad boy to ever steal our hearts. Think about it. His maniacal laughter, his skateboard and his utter disregard for authority made him so badass in our eyes. Who wouldn’t fall for him?
Megara was different from the other Disney princesses. She had no interest in Hercules (or any other man for that matter) and was determined to save herself. Her snarky comments and free spirit were also a refreshing change. And it didn’t hurt that she ended up saving Hercules during his showdown with Hades.
“Arthur” was a childhood staple for many Canadian kids growing up in the '90s. And while some were more drawn to Arthur Read or “The Brain,” we were always crushing on Buster Baxter. Besides being Arthur’s best friend, Buster was also the class clown. And who doesn’t love a guy who can make you laugh? As one HuffPost editor explained, “Girls dig that.”
While Aladdin isn’t the hunkiest of the Disney princes (hello Hercules!), he won us over with his charm and courage. Though he started as a mere street rat, he turned his life around by becoming a hero and winning over the fiercely independent Princess Jasmine – even though he lied about his identity. And to top it all off, he opened our eyes to a whole new world of adventure! (Forgive our cheesiness, but you know it’s true).
Dainty as she was, Gadget from Disney’s “Rescue Rangers” was never one to be underestimated. This fast-talking mouse was a brilliant inventor who challenged us to think outside the box. We admired her for her quirkiness and passion for science, as well as the way she inspired us to embrace our talents.
While shirtless, muscular men might make us swoon today, that’s not why we fell for Shang in the first place. The army captain was strong and fearless, and made us feel like we could do anything. Plus, his beautiful singing voice and well-known song, “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You,” had us dancing for days.
We’re not afraid to admit it: We had the biggest crush on Bubbles. Of the Powerpuff Girls, Bubbles was the cutesy one. Though many would call her ditzy or naïve, we saw her as young and innocent – just like us. But while Bubbles was certainly sweet and gentle, she knew how to fight just as well as her sisters.
Fads come and go, but some stay cool forever. In this case, a simple backwards baseball cap has never looked so good on a cartoon character. T.J. Detweiler from “Recess” is known for his signature red hat and as the leader of his group of friends. We fell for this school boy thanks to his laid-back demeanor and his crazy school antics.
Sorry Wonder Woman, we were all about Firestar when we were growing up. The superhero first appeared in “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” in the 80s and blew us away with her crazy-cool ability to manipulate microwave radiation. That alone, plus the fact that she was friends with Spider-Man, made her instant crush material.
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