Cartoon characters have to eat too, right? We recently asked ourselves, and others we know, who are the most food-obsessed cartoon characters you’ve ever known. Read on to find out the top picks.
Shaggy Rogers from Scooby Doo
Scooby-Doo’s slacker sidekick is not just a crime-solver, he is one dedicated foodie with a craving for such strange meals like extra-cheese pizza with pickles, chocolate-covered hot dogs and Shaggy Snacks. Little known fact: Vegan Casey Kasem was the voice of Shaggy, but quit when asked to voice over a Burger King commercial. He returned seven years later after producers agreed to make Shaggy a vegetarian.
Dagwood Bumstead
Patriarch of the Bumstead family and husband of the famed Blondie, Dagwood was obsessed with his mountainous sandwiches, which included a selection of meats, carrots, cheeses, lettuce and even a hard-boiled egg. The term “Dagwood” is widely used among the older generation when a massive deli sandwich is dropped on a table, though kids are likely to scratch their heads at the reference.
Popeye
The healthiest-eating cartoon character on our list, Popeye’s desire for canned spinach was never nearly as appetizing as Wimpy’s love of burgers. However, the reader sure comes away with the idea that spinach gives a person super-human strength while eating burgers just makes one lazy and fat. Popeye often crushed the cans, oozing the spinach either directly into his mouth or sometimes through his pipe. Popeye statues have been erected in spinach-growing communities such as Crystal City, TX and Alma, AK.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
My nephew Conner reminded me that Michelangelo and his crime-fighting brothers are the pre-eminent, pizza-obsessed cartoon characters. The ’90s cartoon show lives on thanks to Nickelodeon, and their favorite pizza orders—some strange, others actually appetizing—were recently brought to life in this Foodbeast article, 24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pizza Orders IRL.
Homer Simpson
Beer and donuts. These two carb-based foods are at the heart of Homer’s love of food. Sure, he devours pizza, pork sandwiches and more, but he always returns to Moe’s and to his love of the fried doughy goodness. When a runaway monorail is saved from plunging off the tracks thanks to a giant donut-shaped sign, Homer even immortalizes the phrase, “Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?”
Are we missing your favorite cartoon foodie? Let us know who we missed and why they are your choice!
- Dagwood cartoon: Comic Book Religion
- Popeye cartoon: HitchFit
- TMNT cartoon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
