Top 10 Cartoon Characters Voiced By Their Creators

The variety of characters played by comedian Nick Kroll on “Big Mouth” is simply staggering! Exploring the misadventures of puberty, the sitcom was co-created by Kroll and best friend Andrew Goldberg. While the show focuses on fictionalized child versions of themselves, the Andrew character is voiced by John Mulaney and Kroll voices Nick himself. He also brings to life Maurice the Hormone Monster - who couldn’t sound more different than Nick Birch. In addition, he voices Coach Steve, Rick the Hormone Monster, Lola Ugfuglio Skumpy, and a whole host of others, giving all of them completely distinct personalities.

Who else but Mike Judge could pull off that famous goofy scream? Hank Hill’s the main protagonist of the series; loosely modeled after Tom Anderson from “Beavis and Butt-Head” - you can almost hear it in their voices. Unlike the retired veteran, however, Hank is much more down-to-earth and acts as the voice of reason… you kind of need to be when you’re dealing with friends and neighbors like his. Despite being so levelheaded, Hank isn’t above losing his temper or raising his voice when he wants respect… and you’d do well to give it to him when you hear that stern tone. Be glad his anger is loud and clear… unlike Mike as Boomhauer.

Sometimes, unlikely combinations make for the most interesting characters. Meet Lumpy Space Princess, voiced by creator Pendleton Ward – a sassy, floating purple blob that thinks she and her lumps are all that and a bag of chips. Oddly enough, Ward came up with the voice for LSP by cursing in a valley girl voice around the office… a strange origin, but it makes it all the more fitting for such a strange character. Her outrageous personality and voice are guaranteed to make you love LSP …lumps and all.

They say you can be your own best friend, but Mike Judge takes it literally by voicing both Beavis and Butt-Head. Beavis is the wilder one of the duo, which is made evident by his constant cackling through his lower lip biting. Butt-Head, being the more laidback of the two, has a deep voice and laughter that both sound slow and dim, with a telltale lisp mixed in. Anyone can do these voices, but Mike set the bar for voicing both of these stereotypical teenage dimwits while they discuss all things cool and sucky… and occasionally harm one another.

One perk of being a cartoonist is getting to voice as many different characters as you want. Co-Creator Christopher McCulloch takes advantage of this by voicing over 20 characters on the show, including Hank Venture – the adventurous half of the titular Venture Twins. Outside of that, McCulloch’s acting shines when he works alongside co-creator Doc Hammer as a voice-acting dynamic duo. Probably their most hilarious work as a duo is voicing the unexpected married couple – The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend. McCulloch’s shrill Monarch voice perfectly complements Hammer’s comically manly voice for Dr. Girlfriend; and the chemistry they share only strengthens both creators’ skills as humorous and believable thespians.

Who else could’ve voiced Disney’s most beloved icon other than the founder himself? Even before Mickey could talk, Walt Disney provided vocal noises that go hand and hand with the comedic music and sound effects. Though composer Carl W. Stalling spoke Mickey’s first words, Disney set the standard for our favorite mouse’s voice – shy, falsetto, and bubbling with cartoony optimism. By the 1940s, Disney had retired voicing the Mouse in short films, but returned to the role for the 1950’s run of “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Sadly, Walt Disney passed away in 1966, but his voice for his own creation served as inspiration for all future Mickey Mouse portrayers –such as the late Wayne Allwine.

They say family is your best inspiration for a character. Alex Hirsch took inspiration from his actual Grandpa Stan, and created and voiced the money-loving crotchety Great Uncle - or “Grunkle”- Stan Pines. Like his personality, Hirsch’s voice for Stan is very gruff while mixed with his own high voice. While his tone is usually cynical, he can sound pretty childish when he wants to… at least it’s a voice that won’t haunt your dreams like Bill Cipher’s –also played by Hirsch. Despite his greedy and world-weary attitude, Stan cares a lot for his family; and if anyone can take down Bill, it’s him… surprisingly.

The titular grandpa and grandson dimensional-hoppers both share the voice of series co-creator, Justin Roiland. In addition to being able to alternate between both characters –Rick’s voice being more gravelly and apathetic while Morty’s is more apprehensive, Justin has a great talent in being able to improvise his lines, and even make impromptu conversations between the two. This is his way of making the dialogue feel more natural, and it works –he even makes special preparations for Rick’s constant burping. It takes comedic skill to deliver unscripted dialogue with yourself, but Justin pulls it off for these two with ease… and you would not believe where their little conversations can go.

On top of writing and animating every episode on a tight schedule, Matt Stone and Trey Parker also voice nearly every male character on “South Park.” One of Trey’s favorite voices is Eric Cartman. Like a lot of his and Matt’s kid voices, Trey’s pitch is raised slightly; but what really brings it home is the nasally lisp-like accent that can only be heard from a spoiled little bigot. With this silly voice, Trey successfully displays all the elements of Cartman’s personality – from scheming and manipulating, to throwing tantrums, to acting… just plain pathetic. While some can’t stand him, others will agree – it’s just not “South Park” without Cartman’s nasally voice.

Before we unveil our number one vocal cartoonist, here are a few honorable mentions.

Mordecai by James Garland "J. G." Quintel
“Regular Show” (2010-17)

Ralph Bighead by Joe Murray
“Rocko’s Modern Life” (1993-96)

Jeff the Spider by Maxwell Atoms
“The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” (2001-07)

It’s practically become a law that Seth MacFarlane has to play at least one character in his projects. “Family Guy” is no exception, where he voices DOZENS of characters, including three members of the Griffin family. These three include Peter –the dimwitted husband and father, Brian –the scholarly talking dog, and Stewie –the tyrannical toddler with a British accent. While this trio’s interactions are just Seth talking to himself, their distinct accents highlight their differing personalities and help build a chemistry between each other –especially Stewie and Brian. The only thing more impressive than acting as all three is singing as all three –and Seth pulls it off effortlessly, showcasing an actor’s true talent-juggling capabilities.