UHS Students’ Favorite Cartoon Characters

Who would think that it’s so easy to meet characters such as Michelangelo, Cookie Monster, and Buzz Lightyear? Well, it is. All it takes is a walk down the halls of Urbana High School to see how popular characters such as these are. Students at UHS absolutely love characters from children’s shows and movies such as TMNT, Sesame Street, and Toy Story. They’re on bags, shirts, sweatshirts, and more, which are sold at stores like Hot Topic and at Spencer’s. They’re everywhere.
During Class Color Day in the 2010 Homecoming Week, even more characters could be seen. Freshmen were Ninja Turtles; sophomores were Spongebob; juniors were Elmo; seniors were Cookie Monster. Sophomore Jesus Olmedo said the reason is that, “They’re awesome; they’re fun to watch—and funny. They’re entertainment for little kids, and teenagers too.”
Why, really, has this trend become so popular in American High Schools? The best way to answer this question is to ask the students themselves.
A survey was posted on Surveymonkey.com and also sent to many UHS students to see what their input on the subject is.
The results of one question told us that a majority of the students had liked them as a child. Another popular reason was that they liked the cartoon products you can buy. The third answer was that they like them because everyone else does. Senior Trevor Richmond, supporting that reason, said that it’s a trend, that, “Once one person does it, everybody does it.”
Another question produced the information that the majority of the 15 students surveyed, favored Toy Story’s characters, and the least favored characters were from Hello Kitty.
Students from UHS were also interviewed individually. They contributed their opinion on the matter. Everyone was in favor of this trend. Students, both with and without this cartoon character merchandise, are supportive.
Trevor Richmond, who commented earlier, obviously supports the trend, for he carries a Toy Story Backpack with pride.
Zippy Goldenfeld said, “I don’t have any, but it’s cool.”
The UHS students’ input on cartoon characters answered the question as to why so many of them are interested in those cartoons and their characters.
Everyone at UHS sees these characters everywhere, and with the information gathered, it seems as if this trend will not die very soon. After all, almost everyone questioned answered that people’s thoughts and comments about their cartoons don’t affect them. It isn’t very likely for this to change.