50 Cartoons Of The ‘50s That Are Filled With Nostalgia

Premiered in 1930
 
Probably one of the most famous cartoons in the history of television, Looney Tunes was able to not only survive the 1900s but also stay relevant during the 2000s and early 2010s. With Bugs Bunny holding the wheel of the show as the main character, this show created and established so many characters, with some even remaining part of our current pop culture.

Premiered in 1940
 
A series able to reach many different generations, Tom and Jerry is one of the few cartoons of the ‘50s that is still alive today. American animated comedy Tom and Jerry follows a foolish cat's never-ending hunt for a cunning mouse. Jerry is the vivacious mouse, while Tom is the persistent cat. The characters hardly ever spoke; the action and visual humor carried the entire series.

Premiered in 1940
 
One of the more modern famous series, The Woody Woodpecker Show is a show that not only dominated the screen of the 1950s but was also revived in the upcoming decades following the ‘50s. With the simple premise focused on the character Woody the Woodpecker, this show was able to bring awareness to the woodpecker bird for the people who tuned in to watch this show.

Premiered in 1958
 
While not having a series of his own at the start, Yogi the Bear did appear in some of the 1950s series that were quite popular. Yogi is a smooth-talking bear who not only helps educate children about the dangers of nature, but also how to preserve it so that they can enjoy the trees and animals outside the windows.

Premiered in 1956
 
A single bird can be annoying, but two - now that's a show. Heckle and Jeckle, two cartoon birds created by Paul Terry, are the stars of the famous ‘50s cartoon The Heckle And Jeckle Show. Known for their smartness and cleverness, these birds annoyed other characters and were also seen interacting with other famous cartoon characters of that decade.

Premiered in 1955
 
A mighty figure does not always have to be a huge figure. The Mighty Mouse Playhouse was an anthology-style cartoon featuring the main hero, the mighty mouse. Much more so than the original film shorts, the series is credited with popularizing the Mighty Mouse figure in mainstream culture. Though Mighty Mouse wasn't particularly well-liked in theatrical cartoons, he remained Terrytoons' most well-liked character. Television is what turned him into a cultural icon.

Premiered in 1958
 
Nothing says strange like a magical cat with strange powers. Felix the cat, the protagonist of the Felix The Cat series, traveled with a magic bag that can manufacture goods as well as alter shape, form, and function. The Professor would usually come up with some crazy plan to try and take Felix's magic bag.

Premiered in 1958
 
If there is a magic cat, you can be sure that there is a talking dog… with a southern accent. While Huckleberry Hound is the protagonist of The Huckleberry Hound Show, not all focus was given to him. An array of characters existed in this show, each with unique talents and abilities. Every episode began and ended with the shot of Huckleberry Hound.

Premiered in 1949
 
The Road Runner Show is possibly the best example of why one shouldn’t give up on dreams or ambitions. While at first being part of the Looney Tunes universe, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner soon became household names and in the ‘60s even got their own cartoon series to boast about.

Premiered in 1957
 
While cats and dogs are not known for their friendliness to each other, this show perfectly displayed what kind of shenanigans both of them can come up with. The Ruff And Reddy Show is a show about the exploits of Reddy, a courageous and kind but not particularly intelligent dog, and Ruff, a clever and dependable cat.

Premiered in 1959
 
A moose and a squirrel go to a bar and become an instant classic duo in the cartoon universe of characters. Bullwinkle, a lovable but clumsy moose, and Rocky, a brave flying squirrel, have continuing adventures in this series. While the old series might start some fires due to the design of the main villain, the renewed series of the 2018s is much more friendly to modern culture.

Premiered in 1949
 
While not having his own independent series, Mr. Magoo's character did have a lot of short episodes released during the 1950s, some of which were nominated for a few Oscars. Mr. Magoo is an elderly guy whose eyesight is deteriorating, but he is either unaware of this or is too stubborn to acknowledge it and/or take action.

Premiered in 1945
 
Casper The Friendly Ghost has made a name for itself in every household in the world. If there is a strange sound, or if your keys disappear, it must surely be the work of Casper, the friendly ghost. As the name gives away, in his series Casper made a ton of friends, but also a few annoying enemies, who either hurt him or his friends.

Premiered in 1957
 
With the cartoons on this list focusing more on the English-speaking audience, Hergé's Adventures Of Tintin is one of the more famous French cartoon series. The main characters of this cartoon are Tintin and his dog Snowy, who go on many crazy adventures with the aid of Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Thompson & Thomson, and others.

Premiered in 1959
 
Modern for its time, starting as a segment of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, Fractured Fairy Tales reimagined favorite fairy tales from children’s childhoods with a ridiculous modern twist, featuring a crazy ensemble cast of princesses, fairy godmothers, evil queens, and trolls.

Premiered in 1959
 
Even dogs can be super dads to their puppies. Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy are the heroes of the cartoon series named after them - Augie Doggie And Doggie Daddy. The plot revolves around the follies of a super parent who tries his best to improve his son's schooling while sometimes occasionally disliking Bobi because of his lack of discipline. The young puppy, who has an unwavering love for his father, is incredibly intelligent and driven by a desire to achieve his goals and please his father.

Premiered in 1959
 
A smart dog is hard to find, but one who wears glasses and hangs out with an even smarter boy? Now that is impossible to even imagine. Peabody, the main character of the cartoons, is the smartest creature in existence and graduated from Harvard when he was just three years old. Going on strange adventures with his friends, this cartoon dog might be the smartest being in all of the cartoon world.

Premiered in 1958
 
Dixie and Pixie, two curious mice with a nice eye for fashion, and Mr. Jinks, a cat, mess with each other in the same way that Tom and Jerry do too. With the show being developed by the same pair of creators as Tom and Jerry, the plot is very similar, but with the constraints of a small budget, two mice and a single cat are not quite on par with the original duo of Tom and Jerry.

Premiered in 1955
 
Being the poster boy of the cartoon world, Mickey Mouse is the best example of how a character can survive even the hardest of years. With the show oriented at the younger audience, The Mickey Mouse Club was hosted by real people, while also including several animated skits of Mickey Mouse and his friends.

Premiered in 1959
 
A character with a long list of accomplished works, this cat named Snagglepuss is one of the most recognized characters currently seen in the media. A pink cat sporting quite an outfit of an upturned collar, cuffs, and a bow tie, this character began to appear in the year 1959 and got a solo cartoon in the 1960s.

Premiered in 1956
 
There is a lot of fun to be found by playing with play-doh, clay, and other easily molded materials. By using the “claymation” method of filmmaking, The Gumby Show was able to stand out from the audience by showing the many adventures of Gumby and his horse.

Premiered in 1959
 
A catchy song determines quite a lot for the success of a cartoon. The cartoon Quick Draw McGraw centers on a lanky and stupid mustang horse that wreaked havoc in the Old West. Armed with a six-shooter, horrible times await if he can reach it in time.

Premiered in 1959
 
Everybody has heard of Thomas the steam engine, but few have heard of Ivor the Engine, outside the country of Wales. The animated series Ivor the Engine centers on the exploits of a diminutive green steam locomotive named Ivor who works for the Merioneth and Llantisilly Railway Traction Company Limited, residing in Wales' "upper left-hand corner."

Premiered in 1953 
 
A hero of the cold, Chilly Willy, and the cartoon Chilly Willy, stand side by side with Woody The Woodpecker. The penguin Chilly Willy is trying to reach the goal of staying warm. He tries to achieve this in numerous ways, one being by wearing warm clothes and venturing to distant lands to fulfill his goal.

Premiered in 1957
 
The villains of the colonial era, pirates became hero-like figures in cartoons, and in the Captain Pugwash cartoon, pirates are the main characters of the story. Captain Horatio Pugwash, the cartoon’s titular hero, navigates the open seas in his ship, the Black Pig, with the help of cabin boy Tom, pirates Willy and Barnabas, and the Master Mate. Cut-Throat Jake, the Flying Dustman's captain, is his most ferocious adversary.

Premiered in 1959
 
Not all cartoons are destined for great things, and Clutch Cargo was not able to reach its audience completely. Clutch Cargo, an intrepid man who undertook hazardous missions all around the world, served as the protagonist of the series of adventures. He had his little ward Spinner and his pet Dachshund Paddlefoot with him when he was on the assignments.

Premiered in 1959
 
A good duo of characters can make any cartoon a perfect piece of media. Beanie and Cecil, titular characters of Matty's Funnies With Beany And Cecil, joined the more famous Matty character for adventures that awaited them in the seas. In a play on child psychologists, Beanie and Cecil were added to make a statement about the violence on TV.

Premiered in 1947
 
Laughter is the best medicine, not a cure for every disease, but the solution, when the time arises. Appearing alone or with friends, Audrey, the titular character of Little Audrey, is known for her random bursts of laughter and her reddish brown hair, which is tied with three different ribbons.

Premiered in 1958
 
Clowns can be scary, but in this ‘50s cartoon, Bozo the clown is the hero and main protagonist of the cartoon Bozo: The World's Most Famous Clown. This animated series follows Bozo the clown and his sidekick Butch, as they travel around some of the craziest, most exciting, and wildest places a child can imagine.

Premiered in 1959
 
A cartoon that started in the late ‘50s and continued into the ‘60s, The Hector Heathcote Show is a cartoon starring the titular hero - Hector Heathcote. Historical and fun, this series was able to not only entertain the audience watching it but also able to teach them the main facts about the American Revolutionary war.

Premiered in 1959
 
A type of saga series, Noggin the Nog is based on the Norse saga and tries to stay true to the original material. The cartoon follows the adventures of Noggin, a son of a king, as he ventures to find a wife for himself or forfeit the crown destined for him. Mixing a Nordic style into the cartoon, it is one of the more unique cartoons available to see.

Premiered in 1959
 
When two great natural enemies join forces, nothing is stopping them from solving the hardest possible cases. Snooper and Blabber follow the detective pair of a cat and a mouse as they try to solve various crimes, from simple robberies to more complex cases, of escaped monkeys and so on.

Premiered in 1954
 
A cartoon show not made from animation, but with a puppet, Howdy Doody was a show centered around the puppet named Howdy Doody. Wearing 48 stars on his cheeks, with each representing the states in the United States (Hawaii and Alaska were not yet states). Its voice was provided by the original creator of the puppet.

Premiered in 1949
 
Nothing says old like black and white format. Jim and Judy, two American children who appeared in the show, entered their television set and went on adventures in Teleland. Looking at the ratings, this series didn’t get a lot of positive words.

Premiered in 1956
 
Shot by CBS to create their cartoons, this theater was an attempt of capitalizing on the popularization of cartoons in the ‘50s. Hosted by Richard Wayne Van Dyke, this theater was short-lived, as it couldn’t rival the big names like Tom And Jerry and other great cartoons on this list.

Premiered in 1953
 
This show took it a step further by including the viewers in the process of the show. Winky-Dink And You encouraged parents to buy their children pre-made supply kits and join in on the fun. In that kit was a plastic screen that used static electricity to adhere to the TV tube. Children were urged to doodle on the screen to help out and rescue a character when they required more aid.

Premiered in 1956
 
The Gerald Mcboing-Boing Show was a short-lived television cartoon starring Gerald McBoing-Boing, a young child who communicates using sound effects rather than speech. The series was based on several animated short films produced by the UPA animation company, each of which was an adaptation of a Dr. Seuss story.

Premiered in 1959
 
An officer of the law is as good as their ability to sniff out the clues of the scene. By this measure, the cartoon character Deputy Dawg is ready for the task at hand. The hero of the The Deputy Dawg Show is a deputy in a backwoods Southern town and plays an important role in catching the bad guys coming by it.

Premiered in 1944
 
Another duo, similar to Tom and Jerry, is Herman and Katnip, a cat and a mouse. The mouse Herman and the cat Katnip's exploits are depicted in these cartoons as they go on various misadventures. Hosting a variety of other side characters, the duo was quite successful in capturing the attention of the audience.

Premiered in 1955
 
The British sure know how to poke some fun at themselves. The fictional European nation of Rubovia's Royal Family is the subject of this British children's puppet television program. Pongo, the Queen's pet dragon that turns into a cabbage when he hiccups, is one of the show's regular characters.

Premiered in 1950
 
A rabbit can be as brave as any other knight from the many stories of the old medieval times. This show, Crusader Rabbit, follows the amusing exploits of the valiant Crusader Rabbit and his companion Rags the Tiger. Maybe after seeing this show, the view of the cuddly friends that we call rabbits will change.

Premiered 1950
 
The bird of the oceans, Paddy the Pelican is the main protagonist of The Adventures Of Paddy The Pelican. It is well-known and notorious for its awful pencil-sketch animation, recycled voice acting, rambling narration that appears to have been improvised, muddled audio, and other low-budget issues.

Premiered in 1957
 
In the era of atomic fear, Colonel Bleep succeeded in making light fun of this era. In this cartoon, Colonel Bleep, Squeek, and Scratch fight against interplanetary bad guys including Doctor Destructo, the universe's most ruthless criminal, The Black Knight, and Captain Patch, a stranded pirate, from their earthly base.

Premiered in 1957
 
When a character duo becomes ambitious and famous, sometimes a small spin-off is in order. These characters were first featured on the first Captain Kangaroo Show. The cartoon Tom Terrific was about a boy who could transform into anything. Tom Terrific and his friends engaged in villainous combat with the antagonist Mighty Dog Manfred.

Premiered in 1958
 
A cartoon about a small child for a young audience, The Adventures Of Spunky And Tadpole follows the adventures of Spunky, a young, creative child, and his friend Tadpole, a live teddy bear. They experienced adventures together all across the world, from helping law enforcement apprehend criminals to taking part in human spaceflight and visiting the Moon.

Premiered in 1959
 
Existing only for a single year, this cartoon didn’t win in the long run. A western cartoon centered around a red-haired boy, Bucky, and a boy from Mexico, Pepito, not only was the plot weak, but the characters could be seen as a bit too stereotypical.

Premiered in 1959
 
The same pair that created Tom And Jerry also took up the job of creating a cartoon about an elegant wolf. By speaking with a Franco-Canadian accent, Loopy, a gentleman wolf, mutilates the English language. He also consistently dons a toque knit cap. He bravely tries to erase the negative connotations associated with wolves and begins each episode with his catchphrase, "I am Loopy De Loop, the good wolf."

Premiered in 1949
 
An adaptation of the live series titled Captain Video and His Cartoon Rangers, this cartoon was a science fiction creation. While the original series spanned more than 1000 episodes, the cartoon was a short-lived adventure.

Premiered in 1932
 
Nothing says popular and strong like longevity. As the name The Puppetoon Show suggests, this show uses puppets to create a cartoonish look. Even to this day, a small number of movies are being released with Puppetoons as the main characters of cartoons.

Premiered in 1956
 
Nothing sounds as catchy as the phrase “Pow Wow!” Pow Wow, a young Native American boy, the tribe's medicine man, and a young Native American girl who is one of Pow Wow's friends are all depicted in the animation. Due to failure to renew the copyright, this series did not continue to be produced.