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THE MOST POPULAR CHARACTERS ON EARTH!
Who are the most popular global screen characters of all time? It is certainly not Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Amitabh Bachchan, Clint Eastwood, Shahrukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Gregory Peck or any of the huge superstars that we can think of. Yes, all of them have their own domains of unquestionable popularity and acclaim. But, each one of them is still a stranger in many parts of the world, in spite of globalization, the internet and many other forms of communication that have shrunk the world. If we look at it in terms of simple popularity (i.e. the one whom the largest number of global audiences might be able to recognize), then perhaps Rowan Atkinson might rank higher than all the names mentioned above. The name Rowan Atkinson might not be familiar to all of you, but none of you can fail to recognize the name or face of Mr. Bean. Right from the most elite audiences to the remotest places (which have the luxury of TV), Mr. Bean is a familiar face. Maybe, even not by name, but by his antics which don’t need any language to get across to the audiences. Another similarly popular character (though not on the same scale as Mr. Bean) is one called Didi (of the Didi Comedy Show also called Non-Stop Nonsense) which used to be aired years back on DD.

  Tom & Jerry
But, there are characters that can beat even these comic kings when it comes to popularity. These characters are not people, but creations of animation. We all have to agree that cartoons are perhaps the most popular visual medium on earth at the moment. It is difficult to come across a person who has never seen or read a cartoon. Our fascination with cartoons has changed and evolved with time. There was a time when comic strips in newspapers and comic books (called comics) were the most widespread medium of cartoons. It started off in newspapers as a weekly feature (every Sunday). There used to be a small strip of Tarzan consisting of around three pictures, with one adventure stretching for months on end. In spite of its small and unobtrusive size in the newspaper’s corner, it used to be the most eagerly watched feature, by children and grown ups alike. Then came a time when comics were available wholesale on stands in the form of books. We must thank the likes of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle for bringing about this trend in the Indian publishing industry. There were also popular international comic books available at this time, the oldest and most long standing of them being he Adventures of Tin Tin. There were also others like Archie (a coming of age comic book) and the all-time favorite comic book genre of superheroes (from Phantom, Mandrake to our desi heroes like Chacha Chaudhari).

Then came the color TV revolution which gave us a whole new experience of cartoons. Today we may perhaps have to confess of an overkill of cartoons which are sometimes loaded with violence and a blaze of colors that can leave one feeling giddy (like the Jetix series). But, it all started off with simple and sweet cartoons brought to us by Walt Disney – Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck kind of cartoons. These were funny, cute and colorful. These two characters come close to being the most popular characters to have been created on earth ever. It is difficult to catch anyone who has never heard of these names.

A few years later came the cat and mouse duo who took the cartoon world by storm. Tom and Jerry are perhaps the all time most familiar and popular characters to have been presented on the screen. Calling a couple of cartoon characters the most popular of all time might sound like a pretty lofty statement. Yes, but we are not talking about fan clubs, or silver jubilee runs or Oscar nominations, we are just talking about the number of people who would have watched them on screen and would be able to identify them by just a glance. It has to be this cat and mouse duo who takes the top spot when it comes to such a scale of assessing popularity.

Now, more than 70 years after they first made their screen debuts, they are still as popular as they were during their initial days. They have seen a great many changes that the world has undergone, including the World War, the demolition of the Berlin wall, collapse of the Soviet Union, the cold war, color television, internet, Ipods, Faceook, T20 cricket and whatnot. But, Tom and Jerry have not changed, nor the appreciation that they command all over the world. And, we all know that it is not just children who go ‘ga-ga’ over Tom and Jerry, it is people of all age groups. Their only brush with the big screen was in 1992. Now we hear, there are plans from Warner Brothers to bring out another movie featuring the crazy duo. That will be one treat for all those who love simple entertainment, the kind that brings alive the child in you. Tom and Jerry may have crossed 70, but they look goof enough for 70 more. Hats off to Hanna Barbara.
Tags : Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Walt Disney
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