This article was originally published on Kueez
1. Fred And Wilma Were The First Televised Couple To Sleep In The Same Bed
Although it is common for TV couples to sleep in the same bed today, it used to be taboo. In the '50s and '60s, couples would sleep in the same room, but they usually had separate twin beds, like we saw in I Love Lucy. However, The Flinstones, which premiered in 1960, decided to switch things up.
While Fred and Wilma weren't the very first couple to sleep in the same bed on TV, they were very close. The sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny was the first to show a couple in the same bed. Fred and Wilma were the first animated couple, though.
2. The Flintstones Wasn't Originally Supposed To Be Set During The Stone Age
Can you imagine if The Flintstones took place in a different time period? We can't. When Hanna-Barbera decided to create the animated sitcom, they wanted to make the show about a family, but they didn't know where the setting would be or even in what century.
The studio considered a hillbilly family, a pilgrim family, a Native American family, and a Roman family. After The Flintstones premiered, it was an instant success, and Hanna-Barbera launched the show The Roman Holiday 12 years later, about a family living in Rome in 63 CE.
3. SpongeBob Was Born From A Perfect Marriage Of Interests
When Steven Hillenburg was coming up with the idea for Spongebob, he decided to combine two things he loved: drawing and the ocean. In college, he majored in marine biology and minored in art, and worked at the Ocean Institute in California.
While working there, Hillenberg created the comic precursor to Spongebob called The Intertidal Zone. He later enrolled in the California Institute of the Arts to pursue animation and landed a job with Rocko's Modern Life. He was encouraged to develop the series, and that is how our favorite sponge was born.
4. Bikini Bottom Is Based On A Real Place
Home to Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Sandy, and the rest of the underwater crew, Bikini Bottom is the setting in Spongebob. However, it is based on an actual place in the pacific ocean. Bikini Atoll, a coral reef, inspired the fictitious town.
The former nuclear test site for the United States during the Cold War is now just a reef full of fish. Although, fans have theorized that the characters of the show are a result of the nuclear testing. There have been many conspiracy theories about the characters, but this one definitely makes the most sense.
5. The Powerpuff Girls Originally Had A Less Kid Friendly Name
Before they were made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were fighting crime under a different name. The trio got their start on a McCracken student film at CalArts, and the name was much less kid-friendly than The Powerpuff Girls.
The girls were called The Whoop-A** Girls, and they seemed much tougher than the crime fighters we got to know. Instead of getting their powers from Chemical X, The Whoop-A** Girls got their powers from a can of whoop-a**. We don't know how many children would have been allowed to watch that.
6. The Powerpuff Girls' Eyes Were Inspired By Margaret Keane's Work
Margaret Keane is an artist known for her paintings of subjects with large eyes. When Craig McCracken imagined the girls, he was inspired by her paintings and decided to use that style for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. It would be hard to imagine them with smaller eyes.
The animators for The Powerpuff Girls were also instructed to draw their feet like they were, "socks filled with wet sand." That's an interesting description, but we oddly understand exactly what they were trying to create. These two things helped to create an iconic cartoon.
7. Arnold Was Voiced By Six Different Actors
"Move it, football head!" Hey, Arnold was one of the many iconic cartoons from our childhood and, because all the children characters were voiced by children, Nickelodeon had to come up with a solution for their maturing voices. Children don't stay young forever like Arnold.
Voice actor Lane Toran voiced a majority of Arnold's scenes, but his voice started to change. Therefore, they used J.D Daniel, Phillip Van Dyke, Spencer Klein, and Alex D. Linz for his voice throughout the five seasons. It seems like a lot of work, but that's the price to pay for wanting a child's voice.
8. The Children Characters Were Voiced By Actual Children
In most animated series, children are voiced by adult actors. However, Hey, Arnold was different because all of the children's characters were voiced by children. At the time, this was unheard of because it's much more difficult for studios to hire minors since there are many more laws when it comes to working with children
Having kid voice actors voice made the show more authentic, and the cast actually grew up together off set. It was an extraordinary time, and it makes us appreciate the show even more. It makes them seem even more genuine in their portrayals.
9. God Is The Only Simpsons Character With Five Fingers
If you look closely, the residents of Springfield only have four fingers except for one character on the show. This is a common thing in animated series, but one character breaks that trend: God. In the episode "Homer the Heretic," Homer meets the man upstairs with a long beard and flowing robes.
When you focus on his hands, you will notice that God has more realistic hands than the other characters. The only other time we saw a character with five fingers was Jesus in "Thank God It's Doomsday." However, when Jesus appears in other episodes, he has four fingers. Maybe it was a slip-up or some profound message.
10. Maggie's Price Has A Special Meaning
While most people click "skip intro" while watching shows on streaming platforms these days, OG Simpsons fans will remember the days of watching new episodes live and sitting through the iconic theme song. A lot is going on in the opening sequence, and one thing that happens is Maggie being scanned by a mindless cashier.
When Maggie is scanned, the cash register says she is $847.63. This wasn't an accident. In 1989, when the show premiered, that was the monthly cost of raising a child. Things have changed today, and it is much more expensive to have children than it was back then.
11. Futurama Was Named After An Exhibit At The 1939 World's Fair
In 1999, Matt Groening followed-up the monumental success of The Simpsons with this futuristic idea. With influences like Blade Runner and The Jetsons, Futurama proved to be another win for the cartoonist. Although the show takes a comedic look at what the future might hold, it was actually based on something from the past.
At the 1939 New York World's Fair, GM built a mammoth attraction called Futurama, a scale-model city predicting what the world would look like in 1960. To pay homage to its namesake, in the pilot episode of Futurama, Fry hears a lab worker yell, "Welcome to the World of Tomorrow."
12. Each Episode Of Futurama Took About A Year To Make
Futurama was definitely a labor of love when it came to production because each frame of animation and joke was under public scrutiny. Because of this, there is about a year's worth of work involved in each episode. It starts with the story idea, and that is directed word-by-word and scene-by-scene.
The episode is then recorded by the actors like an old radio show, and then it goes to the animators. That process can take around six months to finalize, and with seven seasons, that seems like a lot of work. However, it looks like it paid off.
13. Peter Griffin Was Inspired By A Real Person
It's hard to imagine anyone acting like Peter Griffin from Family Guy in real life, but the character is actually based on a real person. In many interviews with the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, he said the basis for the character was a security guard he knew at RISD.
MacFarlane said the real Peter Griffin had a heavy Rhode Island accent, and everything he said was so loud. The man had no filter, which is just like the on-screen character. The man, Paul Timmins, said he was very proud to be the inspiration, and he even wears that signature button-up with round glasses.
14. Four Different Actors Have Been Hired To Voice Meg
While Meg isn't the most beloved member of the Griffin family, most people recognize Mila Kunis as the character's voice. However, she wasn't the first person to portray the family outcast. During the first season, Lacey Chabert, known for playing Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls, played Meg.
There were many rumors that Chabert got fired from the show, but she set the record straight in a 2006 interview. She explained, "I left the show on my own accord, and only because I was in school and doing Part of Five at the time." We wonder if she would have left knowing the show was going to be a huge hit.
15. Aliens Appear In Almost Every Episode Of South Park
While there are many small details to catch in South Park, and some viewers might have missed these hidden characters that appear in almost every episode. According to an urban legend, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker placed a hidden alien in every episode since the pilot.
In the early seasons of South Park, an alien can be seen hiding somewhere, but the Easter egg was decreased in recent years. Usually, those aliens are good at hiding. They might be living among us, and we would never realize.
16. Cartman Has Committed Every Crime Imaginable
Although he was only arrested a handful of times, Cartman probably has a worse criminal record than Hannibal Lecter. Cartman has committed murder, theft, arson, prostitution, cannibalism, war crimes, hate crimes, and many other terrible acts among his crimes.
Despite committing many other crimes, he doesn't seem to be locked up for life as he should be. Cartman is an iconic character, and if he were stuck in jail, South Park would not be the same show. There must be some special rules in Colorado where the show takes place.
17. Rick's Burping Habit Started Because Of A Recording Room Blooper
Rick and Morty has become a cult-classic animated series throughout its four seasons. Fans of the show may love or hate Rick's burping habit, but it wasn't initially written into the show; the inspiration for it was a complete accident.
While recording for a Doc and Mharti short, Justin Roiland accidentally burped. It was hilarious yet gross, and he decided to try it a few more times. When Dan Harmon, creator of the show, heard the voices, he asked Roiland to add the burping to Rick's part, but he had to drink a lot of bubbles in order to perfect it.
18. Rick's Catchphrase Was A Complete Accident
Although Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon will say that they hate catchphrases. Yet, Rick's iconic "wubba lubba dub dub" has become a staple of the show. Rick uses the phrase to punctuate a joke, and it was revealed that it translates to "I am in great pain, please help me" in the language of the Bird People.
It was another accident by Roiland because the line was initially supposed to be a nod to The Three Stooges. However, he read the line wrong while recording, and they decided to keep it in the show. It ended up working and adding to the storyline.
19. Mr. Crocker Wasn't Originally Created For The Fairly OddParents
Mr. Crocker might creep us all out with his strange obsession with fairies, but he was almost not part of this cartoon. The creator of Fairly OddParents said Mr.Crocker was created for another show he was trying to sell at the time. However, executives thought Fairly OddParents was missing something.
The creator needed a bad guy for Fairly OddParents, so he plucked Mr. Crocker from one show and placed him in this show, and the rest is history. It's hard to imagine what the show would have been like without the crazy, twitchy teacher.
20. Chompy The Goat, Mr. Crocker, The Mayor, Juandissimo, And Dinkleberg Are All The Same Person
There are minor characters throughout the many seasons of Fairly OddParents, and it would probably be expensive to have a different voice actor for each character. Therefore, the creators of the show had to use the same voice actor for many roles.
The voice behind Dinkelberg, the Mayor, Chompy the Goat, Juandissimo, and Mr. Crocker was Carlos Alazraqui. Alazraqui was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program. He probably gave F's to every person who didn't vote for him.
21. Tommy's Signature Outfit Is Different In The Pilot Episode
If you are a true Rugrats fan, you will know that Tommy's signature outfit throughout the series was a light blue shirt and a diaper. However, in the pilot episode, his outfit was slightly different from what fans recognized during the rest of the series.
In the pilot episode of Rugrats, Tommy is wearing a red shirt and overalls. They must have realized that this would not be as iconic as a shirt and diaper because what baby actually wears pants? Although, the overalls would have been more comfortable to hold his screwdriver.
22. Rugrats Was Inspired By One Very Simple Question
Rugrats was one of the most iconic shows of the '90s and the creator, Arlene Klasky, had one simple question when she was coming up with the idea for the show. Klasky asked herself, "If babies could talk, what would they say?"
Klasky also wondered about the logic that drives tiny humans to stick their hands in toilets. Although we were all babies once, we will never fully understand why we, or they, do the things they do. We are sure we all did some questionable things as toddlers.
23. Courage The Cowardly Dog Was Based On A Real Couple In New Mexico
We don't know about you, but as children Courage the Cowardly Dog scared us to the point of nightmares. The cartoon was set in Nowhere, which is actually a real place in New Mexico. In real life, there was a couple and their dog that lived in the open like the show.
The show's creators heard about this couple and their dog that frequently reported bizarre and paranormal activity, including a creature they identified as a "Skin Walker." After they reported it, the couple went missing under strange circumstances and only the dog was found.
24. Courage's Owners Are Named After Two Famous TV Characters
Many show writers take inspiration from other pop culture references, and the creators of Courage the Cowardly Dog wanted to do the same. Two years before the premiere of Courage the Cowardly Dog, a little show named Friends was taking over the world.
Courage's owners in the show are named Muriel and Eustance, and if you are a die-hard fan, you will know that those are Chandler and Ross' middle names. The writers must have been huge fans of Friends and wanted to pay homage to the show.
25. The Wild Thornberrys Often Got Animal Facts Wrong
Despite being a show about a girl who talks to wild animals, The Wild Thornberrys often got animal facts wrong. It was supposed to be educational and entertaining, so we assumed that the information provided was accurate, and it helped that Eliza's dad was the star of a popular nature show.
While some of the facts were right, there was other information that was only half true or straight-up false. For example, Eliza says the Komodo dragon is the largest reptile in the world when actually it’s the largest lizard (the crocodile is the largest reptile).
26. The Thornberrys Couldn't Figure Out Their Morals
The Thornberrys clearly know a lot about animals, and they often learn lessons about not interfering with nature too much and letting the food chain do its job. However, their morals are pretty inconsistent, and they often let the children roam around unsupervised.
Nigel and Marianne tell their children to stop giving water to animals during the dry season because they shouldn't interfere with nature. However, they also keep a chimpanzee as a pet. The Thornberrys even live in a non-eco-friendly camper, so we aren't really sure what they stand for.
27. Bob's Burgers Was Supposed To Have A Much Darker Concept
While we know and love the show for being a light-hearted comedy, Bob's Burgers was supposed to have a much darker concept. When the creator first pitched the show to Fox, Loren Bouchard imagined the Belchers as a family of cannibals with their restaurant serving as a cover for their lifestyle.
While Fox decided that to steer Bouchard away from the cannibal concept, he did sneak in the idea in the pilot episode. Louise spread a rumor that the family's burgers were made of human flesh. This would have been a much different show if it went that way.
28. John Roberts Was Cast As The Voice Of Linda Belcher Because Of His YouTube Videos
You might be surprised to find out that Linda Belcher is actually voiced by a man. John Roberts, the voice behind Linda, is the only cast member that doesn't use his real voice. Instead, the nasal whine is an imitation of Roberts' actual mother.
Prior to Bob's Burgers, Roberts posted many YouTube parody videos of his overly dramatic mom, wigs and all. The videos quickly went viral, and they caught the attention of the show's creator. They asked him to use the voice to bring Linda to life, which has worked thus far.
29. None Of The Characters In BoJack Horseman Have Tails
Although most of the characters in BoJack Horseman are animals, you might notice that none of them have tails. That decision was made by the production design team because they tried drawing them with tails, but for some reason, they looked better without them.
The only character that is seen with a tail is a scorpion with its stinger. The designer rationalized this random tail by saying, "So he’s got this big tail thing, but I rationalize it by saying it’s coming out of his upper back."
30. The Human Characters In BoJack Horseman Were The Hardest To Create
While there are only a handful of human characters on BoJack Horseman, they were actually the hardest ones to create. Humans are the most challenging to draw because we are used to analyzing all the features on the human face.
Even the slightest tweak can make a huge difference in human characters. For example, Todd went through many different variations before they decided on his final form. Even when they thought they had him right, the artists ended up making even more changes as the series went on.
31. Archer Was Supposed To Have A Different Title
Archer has given us everything from "phrasing" to the kick-butt crime-fighting action we missed in other animated series. This spy agency doesn't do things by the book, but we have loved the unique show and all its characters throughout the years. However, it almost had a different title.
In the show, Sterling's code name and Mallory's dog are named Duchess, and it was the initial title of the show until the final day of animating the opening sequence. It was then that the creators decided to call the show Archer after Sterling and Mallory.
32. The Time Period Is Never Specified In Archer
In Archer, Cold War-era politics tend to drive the show's plot, yet there are present-day references. The computer technology is definitely outdated, but all the characters have cellphones. Therefore, the time in which the show takes place is a bit confusing because it is never specified.
The creator of the show said the time period for Archer is ill-specified intentionally. Adam Reed said he took specific things from his favorite decades to create this unique time, and the only reason they have cell phones is that it is easier than having someone go into a phone booth.
33. Dexter Was Voiced By Two Different Women
Dexter's Laboratory was the first original cartoon for Cartoon Network, and it became iconic. When deciding what Dexter would sound like, the creators sought out the help of Christine Cavanaugh, who was behind the incredible Chuckie Finster on Rugrats.
After three seasons, Cavanaugh retired from the voice acting business. She was replaced by Candi Milo, who voiced Dexter for the rest of the show. Sadly, Cavanaugh passed away in 2014, leaving the cast and crew devastated.
34. Dexter Has An Accent Because All Well-Known Scientists Do
While Dexter might have had two different voice actors throughout the series, there was one distinct thing that both actors had to carry over for the character. As fans know, Dexter has a very distinct accent for his science voice.
The inspiration came from other distinct scientists, and they called his voice a small Peter Lorre. Dexter's accent made the show even more interesting, and it was an iconic addition to '90s cartoons. Nothing can compare to this show.
35. Abbott And Costello Were Major Influences For The Show
Scooby-Doo was a showed that shaped our childhoods, and it is still something that people watch and love today. However, we had no idea where the show got inspiration and influence from until now. Apparently, the '70s cartoon was influenced by the comedic duo Abbott and Costello.
The Abbott and Costello movie, Hold That Ghost was the template for the series. The characters in the movie mirror the gang, and all they were missing was a dog. The template worked for Scooby-Doo, and the series ended up taking off.
36. Casey Kasem Voiced Shaggy For 30 Years But Left Due To Veganism
Shaggy is one of the most memorable characters of the Scooby-Doo gang. His voice and mannerisms make him iconic, and that is mostly thanks to Casey Kasem. For nearly 30 years, Kasem voiced Shaggy, but in 1995 he left due to a personal conflict.
At the height of Scooby-Doos' popularity, Kasem was asked to do Shaggy's voice for a Burger King commercial. However, Kasem is a vegan and felt uncomfortable. He refused to even return to the show until the producers made Shaggy a vegetarian. He thus became the first vegetarian cartoon character.
37. Fox Wanted King Of The Hill To Be A Companion Show For The Simpsons
King of the Hill was a cartoon filled with a dry sense of humor that made it seem like it wasn't a cartoon. The show was one of the longest-running cartoons besides The Simpsons, and it was added to the list of "100 Greatest Television Shows Ever."
Initially, Fox wanted the creator, Mike Judge, to create an animated companion series for The Simpsons. Judge's contract said he would get paid whether they liked the idea or not, so he wrote a pilot for a show he would actually want to watch and they ended up loving it.
38. King Of The Hill Had Two Series Finales
While most shows have only one series finale, King of the Hill ended up having two. In the show's tenth season, Fox canceled it, so "Lucky's Wedding Suit" was written and produced as the series finale. However, the network decided to change their minds.
The staff moved out of their offices, and they were ready to call it quits when Fox decided to change their minds. King of the Hill was then renewed for another three seasons. Both "series finales" were good, just like the rest of the show.
39. The Jetsons Were Cancelled Due To Lack Of Color
When The Jetsons was on TV, times were very different than today. In 1962, less than three percent of American homes had colored TVs, but the show was broadcast in color. The color situation caused issues, and people watching on black and white TVs were missing out on the show's vibrance.
The immersive world of The Jetsons looked flat and boring in black and white, which led to the show being canceled. However, when people watch the reruns today, it is hard to imagine a show like this going off the air since we all have colored TVs.
40. The Jetsons Predicted Tanning Beds
Like many other shows, The Jetsons predicted many inventions that would come in the future. Specifically, on the show, tanning beds existed in Miami, Honolulu, and Riviera. However, in the 1960s, tanning beds hadn't arrived in the US yet.
It wasn't until 1978 that Frederich Wolff realized how nice tan skin looked, so he founded the indoor tanning industry and brought it to the US. Because of him, Americans and people all over the world have the luxury of looking leathery or orange.