Top 20 Cartoon Characters that Should Be in Prison

“Johnny Bravo” (1997-2004)
There’s nothing wrong with a confident guy seeking companionship. But, this blonde beefcake didn’t quite keep up with the times. As a result, Johnny’s attempts at charm come off as self-centered, dim-witted, and incredibly misogynistic. Still, being a Grade-A jerk, isn’t enough for a jail sentence. Where Johnny finds himself in hot water is when he starts harassing people, and not taking no for an answer. It’s even worse when he broadens his search pool. It feels like he’s tried to hit on every single girl in Aron city, age-inappropriate and non-human candidates included. That’s right, when we say no one is safe from Johnny’s harassment, we really mean “no one.”

“The Amazing World of Gumball” (2011-19)
There’s a very fine line between playfulness and plain cruelty. Gumball Watterson doesn’t just cross that line, he frequently pretends that it doesn’t even exist. Just ask Larry, or Darwin, or, really, anyone or anything else Gumball hangs around. The show often plays it off with jokes, but there’s nothing remotely funny about Gumball’s narcissistic behavior. Especially because, most of the time, it puts everyone close to him in serious danger. He’s a textbook example of “disturbing the peace.” But, despite that, he’s not one to really apologize for all the mischief he causes. Clearly, Gumball needs a few nights in juvenile hall – or, at least a very long grounding.

“Courage the Cowardly Dog” (1999-2002)
The scariest part of this show isn’t the monster or aliens; it’s Eustace. This dog-owner’s husband has intentionally put Courage in harm's way more times than we can count. That’s not even including all the episodes where Eustace laid hands on the protagonist. There’s simply no excuse for his actions. So, Eustace doesn’t even try to give one. Instead, he remains a stubborn, unlikable villain to the very end. Suffice it to say, he’s doled out enough cruelty and neglect to put him in the slammer for a very, very long time. While that doesn’t end up happening, Eustace still gets a heaping dose of satisfying karma every now and then.

“F Is for Family” (2015-21)
As it turns out, the friendly next-door-neighbor spends most of his time intoxicated on various substances. Before you ask, yes, these substances include some of the highly illegal variety. Either way, it’s not uncommon for Vic to wake up from a week-long bender not knowing what day it is anymore. To make matters worse, he’s been known to drive while under the influence, too. Clearly, he’s a danger to himself, and everyone around him. Keep in mind, he’s also a father. For the sake of everyone’s safety, Vic needs to be put into custody – and hopefully given some long-term help for his substance use disorder.

“The Venture Bros.” (2003-18)
In the name of science, there’s pretty much no end to the amount of global damage Rusty Venture has caused. It’s to the point that we wouldn’t be surprised if any number of government agencies busted down his door to put him in cuffs. It could be because of his dangerous inventions. Or, maybe it’s that his kids are actually illegal clones. Or, perhaps it’s just that he’s an immature man-child in desperate need of a time-out. In highsight, it’s not too shocking that Rusty turned out this way. Based on the actions of his dad, it’s clear this kind of behavior runs in the family.

“King of the Hill” (1997-2010)
The Hill family patriarch only cares about four things: Hank, Hank, propane, and Hank again. Anyone who gets in the way of that gets to see his ugly side. Rather than taking the high road, Hank always solves problems with name-calling, violence, or both. It’s not like this is a rare occurrence, either. The amount of times Hank has committed battery over the years is downright staggering. The number of offenses grows even bigger if you include all the other criminal offenses he’s guilty of. At this point, the only question remaining isn’t whether Hank is innocent or not, it’s why he hasn’t been convicted yet.

“Total Drama” (2007-14; 2023)
It’s hard to tell if this guy was hired to host a TV show, or torment a bunch of unsuspecting victims. Either way, the end result is eerily similar. Chris McLean is probably the only game show host to fill his challenges with life-threatening obstacles. Sharks, explosions, humiliation; you name it, Chris has probably tried it. What’s more, he has the gall to laugh at the contestants’ pain, too. Chris did have a run-in with the law at the end of season four. But, despite that and a short stint behind bars, he ultimately returned the following year with new and fresh ways to endanger his competitors and the planet. This show must have an airtight legal team.

“Futurama” (1999-2003; 2008-13; 2023-)
You’d think that, above all else, a robot would have some self-restraint. But that’s not the case with Bender. He’s the type of bot to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants; consequences be damned. Full disclosure, Bender’s hijinks are usually full of gut-busting hilarity. However, when you stop to think about it, you realize just how little he cares about the well-being of others. In a different show, any character who committed this much crime would be labeled an irredeemable villain. So, even though he’s good for a few jokes, the fact of the matter is that the galaxy would be a lot safer if Bender was powered off for good.

“The Boondocks” (2005-14)
If you could put someone in jail for a bad attitude, Uncle Ruckus would be there a hundred times over. He has a knack for bringing down the mood just about everywhere he goes. But, considering he’s a raging, bigoted racist, that might be on purpose. Despite the fact that he’s Black, he still feels the need to spew all sorts of horrific hate speech and target non-white people on the basis of race. As a matter of fact, it might be genuinely difficult to find a single scene where Uncle Ruckus doesn’t say something offensive. Given that he appears in many of the show’s episodes, that’s a big feat.

“Beavis and Butt-Head” (1993-97; 2011; 2022-)
If you’re going to read these two their rights, it’s probably faster to list all the laws they haven’t broken – mainly because there aren’t that many left. That’s right, even though they’re just teens, Beavis and Butt-Head have gotten away with some unspeakable crimes. Crashed a plane? Check. Burnt a building down? Also, check. Caused a mass outbreak of food poisoning? Again, check. We could go on, but you get the point. At the rate they’re going, who knows what Beavis and Butt-Head will be like as adults? Unless someone holds them accountable for everything they’ve done, these two are destined to be staples on the most-wanted list.

“American Dad!” (2005-)
He may be under the protection of Stan Smith, but that doesn’t stop Roger from scheming up a storm with various false alter egos. Once outside the Smith household, Roger finds himself waist deep in what would surely be identity theft and fraud charges in the real world. The irony is not lost on the writers of “American Dad!” either, considering that most of Roger’s deceptive identities are either in jail or wanted for a wide range of crimes such as abuse and possibly even serial murder. With even an entire floor of the CIA dedicated to finding and capturing him, it is safe to say that Roger indeed deserves to go down for his dastardly deeds.

“Gravity Falls” (2012-16)
At first, taking on the appearance of a traveling child psychic, the pig-nosed and conniving Lil’ Gideon soon proves himself to be quite the villainous mastermind. On top of commercial sabotage on Grunkle Stan’s Mystery Shack, Gideon’s criminal record proves to be quite extensive, with attempted murder charges as well as overt fraud. However, the biggest crime in Gideon’s file would have to be when he summoned the mind-demon Bill Cipher into Gravity Falls, allowing for Cipher’s eventual near-destruction of the universe. We’re not even sure how to classify that one…

“The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)
There are some babysitters you just shouldn’t leave your kids at home with. Someone should’ve told the Turner family that before they hired Vicky, the sadistic teen. Although she would be tried as a minor, Vicky’s track record is less than clean, exposing poor Timmy to various weapons and acts of cruelty that should have had Mr. and Mrs. Turner scrambling for a Nanny Cam. Yet Vicky’s incredible ability to act pleasant around adults makes her an unsuspected predator, but she’s pretty much the reason for Timmy’s need for his fairy godparents. Her Vicky’s psychological mistreatment could very well lead to a dangerous future for Timmy.

“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)
He may have the citizens of Bikini Bottom scrambling to his restaurant for Krabby Patties, but Eugene H. Krabs’ mistreatment of his own employees would get him in serious hot water with any respectable labor board. With inhumane working conditions, Mr. Krabs’ stingy business model is downright illegal. In a more major turn of events, the shrewd restaurateur has also poisoned his loyal customers with tainted food and caused the near-extinction of Bikini Bottom’s jellyfish population, all in the name of turning a profit. He also famously plotted the murder of health inspector Yellowtail using SpongeBob as an accomplice.

“The Simpsons” (1989-)
Let’s just say that if there were an award for world’s greatest dad, Homer Simpson would not even be in the running for a shot at the title. With instances of horrific treatment, especially in his routine strangling of Bart in public and in private, driving under the influence, and negligence at a dangerous nuclear power station, Homer Simpson probably should be thrown in jail every so often for intense rehabilitation. Not the only Springfieldian to dabble in petty crime, another potential candidate could be the evil tycoon C. Montgomery Burns, who has done everything from racketeering to enslaving a missing Brazilian soccer team for free labor.

“Archer” (2009-)
He may be the world’s deadliest spy, but the seriously amoral and selfish Sterling Archer should definitely be under the eye of the law. Pretty much a visual stand-in for shady intelligence operatives of the twentieth century, Archer’s lavish lifestyle is that of someone who truly believes he is above the rules. Seeing that he has orchestrated various shady operations with his covert agency, ranging from trafficking illicit substances to orchestrating a coup in Central America, Archer’s body count alone should require some heavy investigation. We’re wondering what other crazy shenanigans Archer will get mixed up into in future seasons.

“South Park” (1997-)
Eric Cartman has committed more crimes before age thirteen than most career criminals accomplish in a lifetime. Cartman’s biggest offenses can be chalked up to disturbing the peace in forms of prejudiced and hateful rallies, as well as the kidnapping and attempted murder of non-gingers. But Cartman’s most disturbing offense is definitely the murder by proxy of local jerk Scott Tenorman’s parents. While he didn’t pull the trigger himself, he did go the extra mile with the chili, which contained questionable ingredients – if you catch our drift – that was eventually fed to an unsuspecting Tenorman. He also purposefully infected Kyle out of spite. Bone-chilling, indeed!

“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)
He may just be a normal man living his life in Quahog, but Peter Griffin has racked up a laundry list of crimes both petty and major. His outright emotional mistreatment of his daughter Meg, as well as his constant public intoxication (and sometimes substance use) could have him sent away to the big house for a few years at least. On a much larger scale, Peter has also committed sexual harassment, robbing a bank, and blowing up a hospital. Much like his evil infant son Stewie, who also has a mile-long criminal track record, Peter should definitely be considered Public Enemy Number One.

“Rick & Morty” (2013-)
Whatever the crime, this guy has probably done it. Mad scientist Rick Sanchez has the dubious honor of committing heinous crimes in not just one, but an infinite number of existential planes, leading to the destruction of entire universes and species. Even responsible for killing versions of himself, Rick’s carefree attitude makes him a remorseless criminal. Although he technically was put away for his various offenses, this turned out to be a ploy to steal his portal gun formula, meaning that the tragic anti-hero of “Rick & Morty” has never truly answered for his very disturbing crimes.

“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)
It doesn’t really need to be said, but there’s something overtly wrong about being a proud predator. No stranger to terrifying acts of depravity, Glenn Quagmire fits the bill for being one of the worst offenders to get away with his crimes. Committing almost every disgusting crime under the sun, he wouldn’t stand a chance staying clear of the courts in the real world. On top of all that, “Family Guy” creators turned Quagmire into a horrific sadist in a tasteless parody that had the deviant murder the entire Simpson family! Let’s just say it is high time for Quagmire to “giggity-giggity-go-down.”