Cartoons are lighthearted explorations of human nature wrapped in brightly colored visuals. The characters that populate this medium are no less famous or iconic than their live-action counterparts. For example, there aren't a lot of people who've never heard of Mickey Mouse.

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These characters are usually playful and whimsical, but many of them also embody universal ideals—such as intelligence, maturity, compassion—that motivate and inspire viewers, regardless of their age. Effort tends to be rewarded in the cartoon narrative; it doesn't matter if a character wins as long as they try. That said, there are a few cartoon characters whose hard work inevitably pays off.

10 Donatello Continues To Pursue Excellence In All His Endeavors — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Donatello TMNT

As the iconic TMNT theme song goes, "Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines," but this is a gross oversimplification of the smartest turtle's responsibilities. His IQ, likely at the same level as Shredder's, is far beyond his peers.

Donatello doesn't waste the intellectual gifts he's born with, nor does he bask in his own brilliance (as Michelangelo tends to do). He continues to pursue excellence no matter how demanding the task.

9 Wile E. Coyote Goes To Comically Extreme Lengths To Capture The Road Runner — Looney Tunes

Wile E Coyote makes a bad decision

Looney Tunes' Wile E. Coyote wants to capture the Road Runner more than anything else in the world. His desire is so great that he's willing to go to extreme lengths to succeed, even if it means hurting himself in the process.

Wile E. combines his own strategic skills with an assortment of overly convoluted contraptions made by ACME, setting seemingly inescapable traps for his quarry. Unfortunately, the coyote's hard work never pays off, which is probably for the best.

8 Rainbow Dash Accepts Her Mistakes And Grows Into A Better Pony — My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Rainbow Dash in My Little Pony

Rainbow Dash is loyal to a fault: she flat-out throws herself into difficult situations when her friends are in trouble. On the other hand, her competitive nature occasionally comes off as abrasive, but it also demonstrates her eagerness to prove herself.

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There is little that dampens Rainbow Dash's dazzling self-confidence because she understands that success is a product of backbreaking labor. Most importantly, she accepts the necessity of making errors and becomes a better pony as a result.

7 Skeletor Relies More On His Tireless Efforts Than On Plain Strength — He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe

Why Is Skeletor So Muscular?

He-Man monopolizes most of the spotlight, but his nemesis Skeletor's accomplishments are almost as impressive. His abilities and intelligence allow him to evade capture most of the time, even if he's eventually defeated by He-Man.

Although Skeletor takes pride in his sadistic villainy, it's clear that he relies on his tireless efforts more than plain strength when it comes to achieving his goals. In fact, he even collaborates with He-Man on occasion.

6 Courage Sets His Timidity Aside To Protect Muriel From Harm — Courage The Cowardly Dog

Courage scared of what is on the television in Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage is indeed a cowardly dog—he balks at the prospect of taking on the supernatural entities that attack his home in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas.

And yet, when push comes to shove, Courage sets his timidity aside and strives to protect his family, including Eustace (who despises him). Through his actions, this chicken-hearted canine shows that he's actually far braver than most cartoon characters out there.

5 Atom Ant's Strength Lies In His Ant-Like Industriousness — The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show

Atom Ant

Atom Ant's name is arguably a pun on the word "adamant," which means both stubborn and unyielding: a reflection of his heroic determination.

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While blessed with a collection of superpowers, from flight to durability, Atom Ant's true strength lies in his ant-like industriousness. It's not like he has much of a choice, though, given the local police department's woefully inadequate response to threats like Professor Von Gimmick and Ferocious Flea.

4 Charlie B. Barkin Fights Tooth And Nail To Achieve His Goals — All Dogs Go To Heaven

Charlie Barkin in All Dogs Go to Heaven

The smooth-talking Charlie B. Barkin has "the brain of a con man but the heart of a marshmallow." This self-serving character undergoes a major transformation upon meeting Anne-Marie, eventually sacrificing his life in order to keep his beloved friend safe.

Before his martyrdom, however, Charlie fights tooth and nail to reincarnate himself on Earth, proving that it's truly impossible to "keep a good dog down."

3 Tom Cat Never Stops Plotting Different Ways To Catch Jerry — Tom & Jerry

Tom and Jerry Mouse Trouble

Few cartoon characters work as hard as Tom, whose sole ambition is to teach Jerry Mouse a lesson. He rarely succeeds in this endeavor, but he contends against all odds just so he can fulfill his objective.

Tom never stops plotting out different paths towards victory, no matter how often his slippery opponent evades his clawed clutches. Interestingly, Tom doesn't really want to eat Jerry, or even harm him—the pair appreciate each other's company too much for that to happen.

2 Dick Dastardly Dedicates Himself To Cheating With Unbreakable Focus — Wacky Races

Dick Dastardly Wacky Races

Dick Dastardly relishes the idea of cheating infinitely more than winning. He would rather lose the race than win fair and square, and subsequently dedicates himself to the task with unbreakable focus.

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Dastardly's Mean Machine is considerably faster than every other vehicle on the track, but he prefers to entrust his victory to scheming and deception (and, to a point, Muttley). In his own eccentric way, Dastardly tries to be the best version of himself.

1 Gadget Hackwrench's Scientific Mind And Multi-Tasking Talents Perfectly Define Her Personality — Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

Gadget in Chip n Dale

Gadget devises a variety of fascinating inventions to help the Rescue Rangers out wherever possible. Her scientific mind and multi-tasking talents define her personality perfectly, particularly in terms of thinking outside the box.

Gadget's only problem is her inability to narrow her concentration down to a single line of thought, but she inevitably manages to break out of her rut and outthink her enemies, often on the fly.

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