Animated kids’ shows are all about funny characters and heartwarming stories, but many famous characters have very sad backstories. Animated shows for children often have a lighthearted tone and the purpose of entertaining and even educating their young audience. In order to achieve that, these animated shows have charming, funny, and relatable characters, whether heroes, villains, or allies, but even the most cheerful and fun ones have sad backstories that might have taken viewers by surprise.
The backstories of some characters from animated kids’ shows are sometimes revealed at the beginning of the show to give the audience an idea of what’s about to happen, while some are revealed in parts throughout the show. Other shows, however, dedicated one or more episodes to exploring the backstories of one or more characters, revealing how sad they truly were while also showing exactly why the characters are the way the are. Some of these stories later got a happier twist after the show ended, but many remain as some of the most heartbreaking in TV history.
10 Stan Pines – Gravity Falls
Grunkle Stan carried a lot of trauma & guilt
Grunkle Stan is Dipper and Mabel’s great-uncle and owner of the tourist trap the Mystery Shack. Stan is a cunning and highly manipulative salesman, he’s selfish and greedy, but also very charismatic and loyal, and he kept a big secret for many years that filled him with guilt: he was responsible for his twin brother Ford’s disappearance into a dimensional rift. Even before that, Stan was disowned by his family and friends and ended up in jail at some point (and was banned in many, many states). Although he got a happy ending as he reconciled with Ford and they went on new adventures together, it’s understandable why Stan was the way he was at the beginning of Gravity Falls.
9 Grizzly, Panda, & Ice Bear – We Bare Bears
The bears went through a lot before finding each other
The backstories of Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear were explored a couple of times throughout We Bare Bears, and they went through a lot before forming their unique family. Grizzly was born in a forest, and as a young cub, he got stuck in a large tree during a rainstorm. Crying loudly in fear, baby Grizzly was rescued by a fireman, who gave him his hand to grab onto. Baby Grizzly held tight to his wrist and felt the warm and soft comfort of it, a sensation he felt again many years later when he then-inexplicably grew too attached to a big burrito.
Panda was born in captivity in China, and he unintentionally escaped while trying to watch a TV. Ice Bear came from the Russian Arctic, where he was raised by a man named Yuri, who took him in while Ice Bear ran away from a pack of hunting dogs. While with Yuri, Ice Bear learned to cook, wield an axe, read, do math, and more, and Yuri also taught him to be kind to others. Yuri had to let him go on a floating iceberg as Ice Bear was being chased by hunters, and when Ice Bear arrived in England, he became part of a gang until he remembered his promise to Yuri of being kind to others.
8 Snoopy – Snoopy’s Reunion
Before Charlie Brown, Snoopy had another owner
The TV special Snoopy’s Reunion explored Snoopy’s backstory, and it was revealed that Charlie Brown wasn’t his first and only owner. At the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, puppy Snoopy was the first one of his family to be sold, to a girl named Lila. Snoopy and Lila quickly bonded, but the landlord changed the rules in the apartment complex Lila lived in and forbade the ownership of dogs, so Lila had to take Snoopy back to the farm. Snoopy was all alone as all his siblings had gone to their permanent homes, until one day, Charlie Brown arrived and took him home. A sad and alone puppy Snoopy is enough to make anyone shed a tear.
7 Danny Fenton – Danny Phantom
Danny’s powers come at a great cost
Danny Fenton is a 14-year-old boy living with his ghost-hunting parents and his older sister, Jazz. Upon pressure from his best friends, Danny explores his parents’ Ghost Portal, which ends up infusing his DNA with ectoplasm and transforms him into a half-human, half-ghost. Although this gives him powers while in ghost form, such as the ability to fly, to become invisible, intangible, overshadow people, and more, he also becomes the target of his own parents, who fail to see that the ghost is actually their son. Not only has Danny dealt with peer pressure from those closest to him and his parents see him as a threat, but his powers, while cool, also make him feel lonely.
6 Courage – Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage had strong reasons to be afraid all the time
Courage being constantly afraid of pretty much everything is understandable after learning his backstory. When he was a puppy, Courage saw a veterinarian take his parents away to send them to space as subjects of his dog-breeding experiment, and Courage couldn’t save them in time. Alone and scared, Courage watched from an alley as the rocket with his parents launched, but he was then rescued by Muriel.
5 Steven – Steven Universe
Steven’s story is one of grief & love
Steven Universe is a half-human and half-gem young boy and the son of the Crystal Gems’ leader Rose Quartz and Greg Universe, a human musician and car-wash owner. In order to create Steven, Rose Quartz gave up her physical form, and what was left of her was a pink, pentagonal-faceted gem embedded in Steven’s navel. Because of this, the other Gems see Steven and Rose as the same entity, and in Rose’s absence, they raise Steven. Throughout Steven Universe, Steven struggles with the weight of his mother’s legacy while also trying to figure out his own identity.
4 Dr. Doofenshmirtz – Phineas and Ferb
Doofenshmirtz dealt with parental neglect, bullying, & more
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz is a mad scientist and the main “enemy” of Perry the platypus, though with time, they have grown to appreciate each other. At one point in Phineas and Ferb, Doofenshmirtz’s backstory is explored, revealing his parents were abusive and neglectful to him, choosing his brother Roger over him, forcing him to be a lawn gnome, dress as a girl, and his parents didn’t even show up at his own birth (yes, really). It’s easy to see why Doofenshmirtz became a mad scientist, but it’s also clear why he developed a close friendship with Perry, as he was his one true friend even if he ruined his experiments.
3 Arnold Shortman – Hey Arnold!
Arnold grew up without knowing what happened to his parents
The main character of Hey Arnold! was kind, loyal, and supportive, but behind all that was a sad boy who wanted to learn the truth about his parents. Arnold was raised by his grandparents, Phil and Gertie “Pookie”, as his parents disappeared during a mission in the jungle when Arnold was two years old. All that was left of them was a diary, which Phil read to Arnold to try to give him some closure.
Luckily, the TV movie Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie gave Arnold a happy ending as he, with the help of his friends, found his parents in San Lorenzo. Arnold’s parents caught the sleeping sickness, and with Helga’s help, Arnold released the cure for them. At the end of the movie, Arnold is back at the boarding house with his grandparents and his parents, who have made a full recovery.
2 Ice King – Adventure Time
The Ice King’s backstory mirrors a real-life illness
Ice King, born Simon Petrikov, is the main antagonist in the first seasons of Adventure Time but he eventually becomes a supporting character. Simon Petrikov was an antiquarian who purchased a magical crown, which he soon discovered was turning his skin blue and making him act erratically. This led his fiancée to leave him, and he later met the young orphan Marceline, who he took under his wing. Unfortunately, with time, the crown’s influence also made Petrikov completely forget himself, so he had to abandon Marceline for her safety. The Ice King actually wore the crown so he could use its power to protect Marceline, despite knowing what it was doing to his mental health.
1 Chuckie Finster – Rugrats
Chuckie didn’t remember his biological mom
The main characters in Rugrats represent different types of families, and in Chuckie’s case, he was the one raised by a single parent, his father Chas. Chuckie’s mother, Melinda, passed away when Chuckie was a baby, and it’s implied she had a terminal illness as she kept a journal with poems and more for Chuckie. Although Chuckie was loved by his father, friends, and their parents, he felt the absence of his mother in the movie Rugrats in Paris. Chuckie’s life took a heartwarming turn when Chas married Kira, who adopted him and Chas adopted her daughter, Kimi.
