Until the late 1960s, the only African American characters seen in American animation were all some sort of grotesque stereotype, if they were seen at all. The civil rights movement finally forced changes in animation, including improved representation of Black characters.
One of the first recurring Black characters in American TV animation is Pete Jones, a supporting character in the 1969 series “The Hardy Boys.” A show based on “Hot Wheels” also debuted the same year, and featured a Black recurring character. The following year gave us “The Harlem Globetrotters” (the first American TV cartoon to feature a predominately Black cast) and “Josie and the Pussycats” (featuring Valerie, the first recurring Black female character in American TV animation). While all of these characters mark major landmarks, they’re also all based on pre-existing properties. Thus, I thought I’d look at the first Black animated characters that are original ones.
My criteria:
- I’m just looking at US animation.
- The characters need to be created for television.
- They need to be original characters not tied to any pre-existing property (comics, athletes, books, movies, musicians, etc.).
- I’m looking at supporting characters (i.e. in the cast, but not the main star(s)) and main stars (i..e. the show’s named after them, and it’s a full-fledged half-hour show, not part of an anthology).
- I’ll look at male, female, and nonbinary characters.
I did the best research I could for this post, but if I missed an example, please let me know.
Supporting character
Male: Freight Train, “Where’s Huddles?”
“Where’s Huddles?” is a Hanna-Barbera series that aired on CBS during the summer of 1970. The series centers around the misadventures of Ed Huddles and Bubba McCoy, best friends and neighbors who play pro football for the fictional Rhinos.
One of their teammates is an African American player nicknamed “Freight Train”; as far as I know, his real name is never given. Freight Train’s not only the first Black animated TV character that’s not tied to a licensed property, but also the first recurring Black animated character on primetime TV. Freight Train’s voice actor is actor/singer Herb Jeffries.
On video: “Where’s Huddles?” is available on a DVD set.
Female: Mrs. Thomas, “Sealab 2020”
“Sealab 2020” is a Hanna-Barbera series that debuted on NBC in 1972, airing for a single season of 15 episodes (two supposedly unaired). The show is about the 250 residents of an undersea scientific research facility in the then-far-off year 2020. Plots revolve around various underwater challenges, including endangered species, ecological and man-made disasters, and other problems.
Decades later, Adult Swim revived the series as a parody (titled “Sealab 2021). The show’s also been referenced in recent Hanna-Barbera related media such as DC Comics’ Hanna-Barbera crossovers and “Jellystone!” (Jabberjaw somehow has ties to Sealab in both). Not surprising, seeing as we’re now past 2020.
One of the Sealab crewmembers is Mrs. Thomas, the mother of main character Ed Thomas. Mrs. Thomas (no first name given) works as a schoolteacher for the facility’s youth. Mrs. Thomas is voiced by Olga James, a singer/actor known for her role in the film “Carmen Jones.”
On video: “Sealab 2020” is available on a DVD set, though the unaired episodes aren’t part of it. Adult Swim’s “Sealab 2021” is also collected in its entirety on DVD, and is streaming on Max.
Nonbinary: Milo, “Danger & Eggs”
“Danger & Eggs” is a short-lived Amazon Prime Video series that ran for one season in 2017. The show is about the adventures of a girl, D.D. Danger, and her friend Phillip, a giant anthropomorphic egg. The show features inclusive LGBTQ representation, including Milo, a nonbinary friend of the duo. Milo is voiced by Tyler Ford.
On video: The series is still available on Amazon Prime Video, but not on physical media.
Main star
Male: Jamal, “C Bear and Jamal”
As far as I can tell, this short-lived series is the first half-hour cartoon with a predominately Black cast that isn’t based on any pre-existing or licensed property, athlete, celebrity, sports team, etc. “C Bear and Jamal” ran on Fox Kids from 1996 to 1997 for 13 episodes. The series is about the adventures of a grade-schooler, Jamal, and his teddy bear, C Bear (voiced by rapper Tone Loc). C Bear only comes to life for Jamal, trying to offer him useful life advice; he also has some magic powers, take the duo on some adventures.
On video: “C Bear and Jamal”‘s only physical media release was a handful of episodes released to DVD back around 2000; unsurprisingly, the DVD’s long out of print. It’s also unavailable for streaming; YouTube uploads are probably the only way to watch this series.
Female: Penny Proud, “The Proud Family”
“The Proud Family” ran on Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005, for two seasons of 52 episodes. One of the more popular shows of the 2000s, the series received a made-for-TV movie (wrapping up the series), as well as a 2022 revival on Disney+.
The main star is Penny Proud, the family’s teenage daughter, who deals with the daily aspects of life with her friends, family, and classmates. Black female characters have been series headliners dating to the 70s (Dee Dee in “Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels,” etc.). However, “The Proud Family” as far as I can tell is the first show with a predominately Black cast that’s headlined by a female character, and is an original, non-licensed property.
For me, the show has its moments, though Suga Mama isn’t a favorite character of mine. Her less-than-pleasant relationship with her son Oscar (Penny’s bumbling but well-meaning father) makes me think they’d be better off living apart, and her as one of those relatives only seen at Thanksgiving (if that).
On video: “The Proud Family” is one of the few animated TV shows Disney’s given a full DVD release. Given Disney’s lackluster treatment of its TV animation side on home video (even shows like “Kim Possible” don’t have full DVD sets), that’s surprising.
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
