Mr. Magoo
One look at Mr. Magoo, and you’ll recognize those squinty eyes, round nose, and top hat. The cartoon geezer himself is half-blind, but even he’d probably be able to see that much of his appearance comes from comedy legend W.C. Fields.
Though they may look alike, the two could not be more different. Magoo is upbeat and kind, while Fields’ comedy schtick involved more a misanthropic character.
Harley Quinn
When Paul Dini thought of giving the Joker a female sidekick, he based her manic personality on his college friend, Arleen Sorkin. He took inspiration from her when writing the character, but he didn't stop there.
The DC writer asked the "Days of Our Lives" actress to voice Harley Quinn's part, giving her one of the most iconic roles of her career. Sorkin voiced Harley in feature films and video games, and after retiring, she was succeeded by Tara Strong.
Jessica Rabbit
If it were ever possible for a cartoon character to be the object of everyone's eye, it was Jessica Rabbit. Creator Richard Williams explained, "I tried to make her look like Rita Hayworth; we took her hair from Veronica Lake."
Director Robert Zemeckis kept saying, "What about the look Lauren Bacall had?" Williams designed Jessica of Hayworth, Lake, and Bacall and described the combination as the "ultimate male fantasy."
Ariel
Ariel has a much more interesting story than one may initially. The little mermaid's character was based on various women. Alyssa Milano, who at the time starred on "Who's The Boss?" served as the main visual model for one of Disney's favorite princesses.
Animators also drew inspiration from astronaut, Sally Ride, basing Ariel's underwater hair movements on those of Ride's in space. It's pretty cool to think that Ariel's hair movements under the sea are actually movements seen in space!
Leopold "Butters" Stotch
"South Park" show creators Matt Stone and Rey Parker based Leopold "Butters" Stoctch on co-producer Eric Stough, who they saw as an innocent good-two-shoes.
Butters is depicted as a more optimistic and naive kid than the show's other characters. Though he started out as a background character, he has developed into one of "South Park's" most notable personalities.