The Underdogs

Sometimes the small, shy, and dorky are actually the hero in disguise. The Underdog, is a common concept, portrayed by the main character in many cartoons. Let's begin with a character who actually goes by the name, Underdog. Created in 1964, Underdog is the story of a shoe shine puppy that transforms himself into a superhero when Sweet Polly Purebread gets into trouble. Since then, many "underdog" characters have appeared onto the scene. The main trait that an underdog exhibits is being an outsider, as the rest of the world feel as though they are incompetent or insignificant. Daria is a high school teen who portrays herself as smart, cynical, and sarcastic. Daria's personality makes her a less favorable character in her suburban town of Lawndale. Courage, from the show Courage the cowardly dog, is an inner secret hero that hides behind his insecurity, shyness, and most of all his scaredy-cat ways. Like most underdogs, Courage is bullied, by one of his owners, a old grumpy man named Eustace. Last but not least, is Doug Funnie. Doug is a nerdy outsider who experiences common predicaments at school and in his new town, Bluffington, Virginia. Doug's character exhibits the underdog theme as he is unpopular at school and is often overlooked and bullied by antagonist character, Roger Klotz. Even though the term underdog references an individual who is popularly expected to lose, these cartoon underdogs are inner heroes, who ultimately steal the limelight.