This week, MTV finally released a marvelous box set of Daria, the alternative-rocking cynic's favorite TV series about high-school survival. As I reacquainted myself with the show's great characters (including arty best friend Jane and fashion-clubbing brat Sandi), I wondered: What makes a cartoon chick cool? After evaluating TV history and plucking from all areas of the animated spectrum, Movieline has chosen the ten coolest cartoon females in history. All listed ladies are sublime, but the #1 retains an untouchable patina of sophistication, camp, and cool.
10. Cheetara
Nothing makes a cartoon character cool like cheetah genetics and a lingering sixth sense. Of all the ThunderCats, Cheetara and her bo staff most often compelled us to yell, "Go!"
9. Dr. Girlfriend
The Lady Gaga of Adult Swim, Dr. Girlfriend adds diabolical smarts, crisp tailoring, and sincere gender and sexual ambiguity to the phenomenal Venture Bros. Without her, Monarch would seem like your everyday, twisted, space-age retooling of Aladdin's Jafar.
8. Angelica Pickles
Though Angelica was never the "star" of Rugrats, she is unarguably the Nickelodeon classic's most popular character. With a treadmill-conquering mother and milquetoast father to boss around, Angelica was the playpen's unchallenged sorceress. Bonus: As a translator between the babies and adults, Angelica can be considered a mystical conduit.
7. Judy Jetson
Judy's not exactly the poster child for dynamic personalities, but her shock-white hair and blithe Valley girl instincts render her an untouchable teenybopper princess. The mulberry outfit is also ferocious.
6. Marge Simpson
Representing the maternal side of cool cartoon characters, Marge Simpson vacillates between sympathetic housewife and self-possessed authority. She's rational, cool, and openly sexual when she wants to be, making her, subversively, the coolest member of the Simpson clan.
5. Valerie Smith
Without Valerie, Josie and the Pussycats would look like some sort of Highlights magazine drawing sent in by Tammy-Jane Fairbanks of Newport News, Virginia. Valerie's an unflappable showstopper who coruscates sass and effervescence. "Long tails and ears for hats!" sounds rock 'n roll when Valerie sings it. Plus, two tambourines at once? My definition of a wunderkind.
4. Buttercup
The Valerie Smith of the Powerpuff Girls, Buttercup is the least compromising and most aggressive Powerpuff heroine. She's also the funniest, and the most likely to make others cry, which was a key criterion of this list.
3. Storm
Of all the comic books to enjoy a Saturday morning cartoon revamp, Fox's X-Men gave us the most electric -- and undeniably libidinous -- cast. Rogue was a cackling knockaround gal, Jean Grey was a solid combatant, and Jubilee was... well, a little dull, but Storm's weather-bewitching powers and literally possessed focus cement her as a comic book doyenne for the ages.
2. Daria Morgendorffer
Daria is not just an animated anomaly as a cynical female high-schooler -- she's also completely layered. As Daria's seasons progressed, we saw less of the dismissive Lawndale High misanthrope of the first season and more of a contemplative, witty, and realistic woman who entertained notions of romance and outright optimism. Her favorite show Sick, Sad World may mirror her signature brand of detachment, but Daria's greatest accomplishment remains transcending animated confines to seem positively (and refreshingly) real.
1. Natasha Fatale
Before most other good guy/bad guy cartoons assigned one allotted villain slot to an unamused female, there was Natasha Fatale, a fabulous foe who made no apologies for her KGB brass, chain-smoking, and Thin Man partn
ership with Boris Badenov. Rocky and Bullwinkle's characters may all seem like smart-mouthing sock-puppets, but Natasha's brand of blase evil and style qualifies her as the show's most legendary character -- and the greatest female badass in cartoon history.