Funny animals - Definition and Overview

Funny animal is a slang term used to describe a genre of cartoons and comics in which the main characters are anthropomorphic animals. It usually refers to humour-oriented cartoons or comics, but not necessarily always. Walt Disney's characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy are considered to be "funny animals", as are Warner Bros's Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. Humans sometimes appear in "funny animal" stories, such as Elmer Fudd in the Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Occasionally, a serious story will be told using anthropomorphic animals as the main characters, such as in Art Spiegelman's Maus. The characters in these stories are sometimes referred to as "funny animals", though it is meant in an ironic way.

An alternate term for "funny animal" is "furry", though this is usually reserved for serious cartoons or comics which deal with issues other than child-level comedy. Examples are such publications as Omaha the Cat Dancer, and Fritz the Cat.