Top 20 Cartoon Dads You Are Glad Are Not Yours

#20: Hugh Test

“Johnny Test” (2005-08; 2009-14; 2021-22)

We have to cut Hugh Test a little slack – being a stay-at-home Dad taking care of three kids is no easy task. It’s even harder when said kids embark on wild misadventures every day, and your wife is rarely ever home to help out. Despite his efforts, Hugh’s fatherly skills still leave a lot to be desired – he’s very strict and obsessed with keeping the house clean. Worst of all, he’ll threaten the kids with ridiculous punishments for the most trivial reasons. If you’re not home by dinner time, you can say goodbye to your favorite activity forever… or worse, face the horror of eating his dreaded meatloaf!

#19: Professor Membrane

“Invader Zim” (2001-06)

Professor Membrane is arguably one of the most brilliant and insane scientists in the world. Unfortunately, such a profession has a negative effect on his kids, Dib and Gaz. He’s often so wrapped up in his lab work that they are lucky to see him in person once a year. The rest of the time, he relies on drones and pre-recorded messages to keep an eye on them. To make matters worse, Professor Membrane completely disregards Dib’s supernatural beliefs, publicly regarding his son’s passion as “foolishness”. While this doesn’t mean he doesn’t love his kids, it just seems scientifically impossible for any of that love to translate to actual parenting.

#18: Randall "Rand" Ridley

“Inside Job” (2021-22)

For the longest time, poor Reagan struggled to form real connections with other people. There’s perhaps no one that bears the brunt of the blame for this than her dear old dad, Rand. Even during her childhood, Rand never bothered to show his daughter any genuine affection. Instead, he invented a robot bear to give her hugs so he wouldn’t have to… and it scarred her for life. Worse yet, Rand tampered with Reagan’s memories and kept her isolated to further his own selfish goals. Sure, there are moments when he actually seems to care for his daughter, but it’s always too little, too late. Sometimes, distancing yourself from a problematic family member is the best thing for everyone.

#17: Gabriel Agreste

“Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” (2015-)

We chuckle at how cartoony Gabriel Agreste is as a villain, but underneath the theatrics lies a complex monster. He’s cold, distant, and overprotective of his only son, Adrien, trying to control every aspect of his life. As a supervillain, he frequently schemes to steal our titular heroes’ Miraculouses to further his own goals– and he doesn’t shy away from using innocent citizens to do his bidding. When Gabriel learns that Adrien is Cat Noir… not much changes. He continues to manipulate him but now, it feels so much worse as he’s exploiting his son’s emotional vulnerabilities. While we sympathize with Gabriel’s desire to revive Adrien’s late mother, the end clearly doesn't justify the means when you’re gaslighting your own child.

#16: Stan Smith

“American Dad!” (2005-)

As a CIA agent, there’s hardly anyone as patriotic as Stan Smith. He excels at showing his love for America, but falls completely flat at fatherhood. While Stan cares for his family, he can be an extreme control freak and this overbearing attitude weighs heavily on his kids, Steve and Hayley. Stan disapproves of Steve’s soft, nerdy nature and tries to mold him into his own version of a man. On top of that, he constantly butts heads with the rebellious Hayley, especially over their differing political beliefs. But we’ll give credit where it’s due– at least Stan is usually there for his kids, which is more than we can say for his own father, Jack.

#15: Drew Pickles

“Rugrats” (1991-2004)

Being a good father means being able to discipline your child when necessary. Unfortunately, Drew Pickles never quite learned this lesson when it came to raising Angelica. He absolutely adores his daughter and, unlike his wife, actually makes time for her. But the thing is he’s a total pushover, always hesitant to lay down the law and usually caves to Angelica’s every need. This results in her becoming a spoiled princess. When Drew does punish Angelica, it’s frankly always shocking, but we all know he’ll be bending over backwards for her by the following week. Drew can criticize his little brother Stu all he wants, but let’s be real, he’s not exactly in a position to talk.

#14: Cotton Hill

“King of the Hill” (1997-2009; 2010)

One of the undeniable highlights of “King of the Hill” is watching Hank and Bobby grow closer as father and son. Unfortunately, Hank's relationship with his own father is far from heartwarming. Cotton Hill is a short-tempered, short-statured war veteran who’s determined to make the world around him as miserable as he is. Throughout Hank’s childhood, Cotton constantly berated and undermined him, and this mistreatment only got worse as he grew up. Just as an example, Cotton named his newborn son “Good Hank” to spite the actual Hank. We won’t deny the hardships Cotton faced during the War, but that doesn’t excuse the generational trauma he inflicted on his son.

#13: Mr. Turner

“The Fairly OddParents” (2001-06; 2008-17)

We’ll always be thankful to Mr. Turner for giving us some of this show’s funniest memes. That said, he’s still a terrible dad. He’s incredibly silly, often going off on some frivolous adventure with his equally clueless wife, leaving their only son at the mercy of Icky Vicky. Besides being negligent and twice as childish as Timmy, Mr. Turner’s antics frequently put his family at risk of mortal danger. While there are plenty of times when he tries to do the right thing for Timmy, the bad moments tend to outweigh the good ones– and let’s not forget, his wife is barely any better.

#12: Butterscotch Horseman

“BoJack Horseman” (2014-20)

BoJack’s father, Butterscotch, was long dead before the series even began. But the flashbacks we’re shown paint a bleak picture of the nightmarish childhood BoJack endured. Butterscotch couldn’t have cared less for his family and he became overly dependent on alcohol. He barely gave his son the time of day, and when he did, it was to dish out more physical and emotional pain. Worst of all, he used alcohol to try and manipulate BoJack, which only contributed to his own dependency issues. It’s debatable which parent had a stronger impact on BoJack’s life, but there’s no doubt that Butterscotch’s parenting was deplorable– may he hardly rest in peace.

#11: Rick Sanchez

“Rick and Morty” (2013-)

Everyone loves to point out how pathetic Jerry is as a father and a person. But is Rick any better? It’s complicated. On one hand, he cared enough to travel across dimensions to avenge his family’s deaths, and even took the time to start a new one with their counterparts. On the other hand, the way he treats his current family is pretty messed up. He frequently endangers and traumatizes his grandchildren, and enables his daughter’s problematic traits, all while seeking short-term solutions to his problems rather than permanent ones. At least he can admit that he’s a bad father, but only time will tell if he can change for the better.

#10: Trigon the Terrible

“Teen Titans” (2003-06)

While some people can say they have bad fathers, not everyone can relate to one that threatened the fate of the universe. Later on in this animated series, it’s revealed that Trigon is the real father of Teen Titan member Raven, and it’s safe to say that they haven’t seen eye to eye on a majority of issues ever since she was born. The omnipotent demon king possesses absolutely no empathy and seeks to conquer Earth in spite of his own daughter’s vow to protect it. Perhaps the only thing Raven has inherited from dear old dad is his powerful demonic power, which also prevents him from besting her in combat.

#9: Robert ‘Big Bob’ Pataki

“Hey Arnold!” (1996-2004)

The king of Big Bob’s Beepers has two daughters – however, the way that he raves about his eldest child would lead most to believe he only has one. When not absorbed in his chain of beeper emporiums, Big Bob can be seen blatantly favoring Olga over his younger and lesser-achieving daughter Helga. If you were wondering how bad this favoritism gets, it’s to the point that he sometimes forgets Helga’s name and just refers to her as Olga instead. This has resulted in Helga adopting a rebellious and even resentful attitude toward her father, and has also driven a wedge between her and her big sister.

#8: Mr. Krabs

“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)

Most dads couldn’t put a price on the happiness of their daughters... but this crustacean isn’t like most dads. There happens to be nothing in the seven seas that Mr. Krabs enjoys more than money, which can often pose a problem to Pearl. Despite the fact that she’s his one and only daughter, Mr. Krabs can’t bring himself to sacrifice a dime for her, and will obtain the crudest substitute for her many requests. But as the owner of Krusty Krab is also unable to see Pearl disappointed, Mr. Krabs will often send his own employees as scapegoats in attempts to take the heat off of him.

#7: Stephen Stotch

“South Park” (1997-)

Most of the parents in “South Park” are even less mature than their kids and hilariously incompetent to boot. Take Randy Marsh for example, whose antics always leave his kids utterly embarrassed. But the real crown for Worst Dad goes to Butters’ father, Stephen. Butters is arguably the most innocent kid in town, yet his father berates and punishes him over the smallest issues, and barely wants to hear his side of the story. At this point, it has become a running gag for Butters to get grounded for no reason, which Stephen always claims is “for his own good.” In reality, it seems the only lesson Butters needs to learn is to steer clear of his Dad.

#6: Homer Simpson

“The Simpsons” (1989-)

Unfortunately for this cartoon dad, you don’t get an “A” for simply showing up. Homer can be described as a very simple man with a less than stellar childhood, which he often cites as the cause of his poor parenting skills. When he’s not at work or sitting on the couch with a cold one, he’s incredibly lost when trying to effectively communicate with his kids. Homer often employs harsh disciplinary actions against his misfit of a son, Bart, is in no way supportive of his daughter Lisa’s mental gifts and we’re still not sure if he even knows of his infant Maggie’s existence.

#5: Martin Mertens

“Adventure Time” (2010-18)

Being separated from your father at birth can be tough, but it can be even tougher once you find out why. With his true father’s identity a mystery to him for most of his life, Finn finally receives the opportunity to rescue Martin Mertens from the Citadel. However, upon coming face to face with his long lost son, Martin displays no signs of happiness - though he does show plenty of signs of relief about escaping. A truly selfish and uncaring guy, the truth is soon revealed: Martin never lost Finn to begin with. He actually abandoned him in the woods after which he was found and raised by Joshua, who pushed Finn and his adoptive brother Jake to fight when they needed to.

#4: Clay Puppington

“Moral Orel” (2005-08; 2012)

We’re still scratching our heads trying to figure out how a sweet kid like Orel ended up with a father like Clay Puppington. Every trait that Orel possesses, Clay is the exact opposite – he’s unreasonably strict, controlling, and overly dependent on alcohol. He openly resents his wife and stepson while treating Orel like a puppet - manipulating him emotionally and mistreating him physically. His own childhood was a mess, so naturally, he’s made it his life’s mission to ensure that his family and the citizens of Moralton share his pain. The only decent thing Clay ever did was conceive Orel, and we’re happy to say that he inherited absolutely none of his father’s vile traits.

#3: Dr. Jonas Venture, Sr.

“The Venture Bros.” (2003-18)

For a while, Rusty Venture seemed like a pretty inept parent, often neglecting his two sons and treating them like they were expendable. Sadly, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. On the surface, Rusty’s father, Jonas, was the dashing, charismatic leader of the original Team Venture. Behind the mask, however, he’s a sociopathic and manipulative man who gambles with the lives of everyone around him, especially his own son. He exposed Rusty to violence and sex early on and showed little regard for his safety. As far as he’s concerned, he can always make another Rusty. Thankfully, Rusty improved as a dad over time, but he forever remained in his own father’s horrible shadow.

#2: Fire Lord Ozai

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)

There’s tough love, then there’s just being a horrible father. Ozai subjected both his son Zuko and daughter Azula to a cruel and harsh upbringing in hopes that one of them would one day succeed him as Fire Lord. As Azula harbored some of the same sadistic properties as her father, she soon became highly favored, while Zuko became horribly disfigured and was banished from the Fire clan. Azula would soon recognize the evil in her father’s ways though, as his lack of compassion or approval later caused her to go completely mad.

#1: Peter Griffin

“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)

If a grown man must regularly be fathered himself, it’s safe to say he shouldn’t have any kids of his own. Peter’s incompetence may only be matched by his carelessness, making his own wife untrusting of his supervision over his kids. Unlike his father in law, Carter Pewterschmidt, Peter doesn’t have the means to buy his children’s affection, and has even admitted to not having any interest in them. Whenever he isn’t ignoring his kids, Peter is regularly seen tormenting or insulting them, which is a fate that more often than not falls on his least favorite, Meg.