Children's Day is recognized on different days depending on where you are in the world.
In China, Children's Day is celebrated on June 1 and is formally known as "the June 1 International Children's Day".
To the children, animation is an esesntial part of their life. Animation can free their mind, inspire their ideas and help them establish their own outlook on the world.
In the lead up to celebrating the day, let’s look at some of the beloved characters that Chinese Post 80s and 90s grew up with.
1. Pleasant Goat
First appearance: Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf (June, 2005)
Age: 12
Species: goat
Personal qualities: clever, positive, lucky
Social influence: The cartoon character became enormously popular with Chinese schoolchildren after its debut in 2005. Cashing in on the cartoon's success, the producer made an animated feature in 2009. It generated a box office revenue of 130 million yuan ($18. 97million) during Chinese New Year that year.
2. Shuke and Beita
First appearance: Shuke and Beita (1989)
Age: 28
Species: mice
Personal qualities: selfless, just, observant
Social influence: Created by Zheng Yuanjie, known as the King of Fairy Tales in China, Shuke and Beita have won lots of fans as they smartly solve problems in their adventures.
3. Chen Xiang
First appearance: Lotus Lantern (July 30, 1999)
Age: 18
Species: human
Personal qualities: brave, persistent, filial
Social influence: The production took four years and required over 150,000 animation frames and over 2,000 painted backgrounds. It was the most popular film in China in 1999 and heavily influenced China's animation, marking the peak of the domestic industry.
4. Black Cat Sheriff
First appearance: The Story of Black Cat Sheriff (1984)
Age: 33
Species: cat
Personal qualities: brave, decisive, smart
Social influence: One of the most common memories among kids born in the 1980s and 1990s.
5. Nezha
First appearance: Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979)
Age: 38
Species: god-turned-human
Personal qualities: naughty, passionate, heroic
Social influence: Nezha is often depicted as a young hero among Chinese, instead of a teenager. He is often shown flying in the sky riding on the wind fire wheels, has the universe ring around his body, the red armillary sash around his shoulders and a fire-tipped spear in his right hand. Sometimes, he is shown in his "three heads and six arms" form.
6. Monkey King
First appearance: Havoc in Heaven (1964)
Age: 53
Species: monkey
Personal qualities: supernatural, rebelling, magic
Social influence: Monkey King is the most iconic fictional character in Chinese history, no matter in TV series, film or animation.
7. Mcdull
First appearance: My Life as McDull (2001)
Age: 16
Species: pig
Personal qualities: lazy, simple, imaginative
Social influence: McDull is an anthropomorphic pig cartoon character created in Hong Kong by cartoonist Alice Mak and Brian Tse. McDull has featured in several comics, TV shows, and films, and has become extremely popular in Hong Kong and East Asia.
8. Big Head Son
First appearance: Big Head Son and Small Head Dad (1995)
Age: 22
Species: human
Personal qualities: curious, lovely, naughty
Social influence: As the name suggests this family-friendly cartoon tells touching stories about a family where a big-headed child has a small-headed father and a mother who's always wearing an apron. The animation mainly conveys the significance of love to the audience.
9. Haier Brothers
First appearance: The Adventure of Haier Brothers (1995)
Age: 22
Species: hominid
Personal qualities: brave, intelligent, loving
Social influence: As the most successful animation aiming to popularize science, The Adventure of Haier Brothers not only offers a feast for little kids, but broadens their horizons.
10. Calabash Brothers
First appearance: Calabash Brothers (1986)
Age: 31
Species: human
Personal qualities: powerful, skillful, encouraging
Social influence: The 1980s series was one of the most popular animations in China. While it has been praised as much as Havoc in Heaven domestically, it was released at a point when the Chinese animation industry was in a relatively depressed state compared to the rest of the international community. Still, the series was translated into seven different languages.
11. Rukawa Kaede
First appearance: Slam Dunk (Oct 1, 1990)
Age: 27
Species: human
Personal qualities: handsome, diligent, responsible
Social influence: Since its debut in the early 1990s, the character Kaede Rukawa was well-received and managed to win the hearts of thousands of female students in China.
12. Doraemon
First appearance: Doraemon (December 15, 1969)
Age: 48
Species: cat-shaped robot
Personal qualities: inspiring, honest, loyal
Social influence: In March, 2008, Japan's Foreign Ministry appointed Doraemon as the nation's first "anime ambassador". A Ministry spokesman explained the novel decision as an attempt to help people in other countries understand Japanese anime better and to deepen their interest in Japanese culture.
13. Tonari no Totoro
First appearance: Tonari no Totoro (April 16, 1988)
Age: 29
Species: mystical creature in the forest
Personal qualities: philanthropic, kind, generous
Social influence: British online newspaper The Independent recognized Totoro as one of the greatest cartoon characters, describing the creature as "at once innocent and awe-inspiring, King Totoro captures the innocence and magic of childhood more than any of Miyazaki's other magical creations".
14. Mickey Mouse
First appearance: Steamboat Willie (November 18, 1928)
Age: 89
Species: mouse
Personal qualities: smart, helpful, cute
Social influence: As an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves, Mickey has become one of the world's most recognizable characters. Mickey Mouse's global fame has made him both a symbol of The Walt Disney Company and of the United States itself.
15. Donald Duck
First appearance: The Wise Little Hen (1934)
Age: 83
Species: duck
Personal qualities: mischievous, temperamental, interesting
Social influence: Donald is one of the most popular Disney characters and was included in TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character, and is the most published comic book character in the world outside of the superhero genre.
16. Hello Kitty
First appearance: 1974
Age: 43
Species: Japanese bobtail
Personal qualities: anthropomorphic, lovely, childlike
Social influence: As a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, Hello Kity has risen to become a global marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year by 2014.
17. Conan
First appearance: Detective Conan (Jan 19, 1994)
Age: 23
Species: human
Personal qualities: considerate, intelligent, righteous
Social influence: In 2006, the Japanese government used Conan in campaigns to help promote crime awareness among children.
18. Snoopy
First appearance: Peanuts (October 4, 1950)
Age: 67
Species: dog
Personal qualities: innocent, imaginative, good-natured
Social influence: Snoopy and Charlie Brown were ranked by TV Guide as the 8th greatest cartoon characters of all time.
19. Pooh Bear/Winnie the Pooh
First appearance: Winnie the Pooh (1926)
Age: 91
Species: teddy bear
Personal qualities: naive, slow-witted, friendly
Social influence: Winnie the Pooh is one of the best known characters in British children's literature, and a 2011 poll saw Pooh voted onto the list of icons of England.
20. Sailor Moon
First appearance: Sailor Moon Chapter 1: Usagi - Sailor Moon (1991)
Age: 26
Species: goddess
Personal qualities: powerful, accident-prone, just
Social influence: Imagine Games Network listed Sailor Moon as the 9th top anime character of all time. Sailor Moon's dress style became a fashion trend across China in the 1990s.
