Meet the actors who voice your favourite cartoon characters from Peppa Pig and Homer Simpson to Scooby-Doo
THEIR voices are beamed into millions of homes every day - but would you recognise the real faces behind your favourite cartoons?
From the teen schoolgirl who plays Pepper Pig to the hipster who voices Hey Arnold!, here are the people who bring the much-loved characters to life.
1. PEPPA PIG
Harley Bird might be the most famous teenager you’ve never heard of… because she’s the voice of Peppa Pig.
The 15-year-old has been playing the cartoon hog since she was five and recently admitted she couldn’t read when she first landed the role.
Speaking to the , she said: “All the Peppa guys used to tell me how they wanted me to say the line and I just got used to copying them.
“So as well as doing an amazing job they were also teaching me how to read as well.”
Harley, who lives in Tring, Herts, with her parents and three siblings, says she’s had to adapt her voice over the years to ensure she still sounds like four-year-old Peppa .
She said: “I have to go quite a bit higher and more childlike and a bit more cheeky with the way I talk.”
2. HOMER SIMPSON
US actor Dan Castellaneta has voiced Homer Simpson since the cartoon’s debut in 1989.
The 59-year-old comedian says he was drawn to the part because of its inherent childishness.
He told The New York Times: “There’s an aspect of me that’s very kidlike, like Peter Pan.
“Like Homer. He’s a big ten-year-old.”
Dan has bagged more than five Emmys for his role as the lovable patriarch.
He also voices other characters in the long-running animation including Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Mayor Quimby and Sideshow Mel.
3. HEY ARNOLD!
Hey Arnold! followed the adventures of a hapless school kid with a head shaped like an American football.
But the man who voiced the Nickelodeon character has grown up to be a smouldering hunk.
Lane Toran, who was the voice of Arnold during the first 41 episode of the cartoon in the late 1990s is now an actor and musician.
Based in LA, Lane shares shots of his hipster lifestyle with his Instagram fans.
He went on to voice characters in Disney’s Recess films as well as having minor roles in TV programmes, including Nashville and Satisfaction.
4. FAMILY GUY
The Family Guy cartoons are voiced by a wealth of Hollywood talent including Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green.
Mila Kunis plays Meg Griffin, the eldest child and black sheep of the family.
The 33-year-old bagged the part after producers saw her performance on That ’70s Show.
Mila says her character is “the scapegoat”, adding: “Meg gets picked on a lot. But it’s funny. It’s like the middle child.
“She is constantly in the state of being an awkward 14-year-old, when you’re kind of going through puberty and what-not.
“She’s just in a perpetual mode of humiliation. And it’s fun.”
5. PIKACHU
Learning the lines for Pikachu must have been quite an easy task for Japanese voiceover artist Ikue Otani.
The bright yellow Pokemon rarely uttered anything except his own name, over and over again.
Ikue has played both male and female roles in numerous Asian animations, including Naruto and Detective Conan.
6. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
He’s famed for living in a pineapple under the sea, but did you know SpongeBob SquarePants is voiced by an US comedian?
Tom Kenny, 54, who has bagged an Annie Award for his role as the cute sponge, describes the character as “kind of like a Munchkin but not quite”.
He has also voiced Dog in CatDog, numerous characters in The Powerpuff Girls and Eduardo in Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends.
SpongeBob SquarePants debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999.
7. BOB THE BUILDER
Bob The Builder was given a dramatic makeover in 2014 to bring him into the hi-tech age.
He was given a high visibility vest, a slick new city pad and a state-of-the-art computer to draw up his plans.
Neil Morrissey was also replaced by Harry Potter actor Lee Ingleby to voice the famous handyman.
Lee said: “I was very excited to be given the opportunity to be the voice of such a well-loved character.
“My little nephew is such a huge fan of Bob that I had to jump at the chance.
“Capturing a child’s imagination is so important. I just wish I was half as good at DIY as Bob is.”
Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt plays Bob’s trusted business partner, Wendy.
8. SCOOBY-DOO
Don Messick was the original voice of Scooby-Doo from 1969 until 1997.
The role was then passed to Scott Innes and before being taken over by Frank Welker in 2002.
The 71-year-old US actor also voices Fred Jones in the much-loved animation.
Scooby-Doo was the Great Dane who solved mysteries alongside four teenagers, Fred, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley and Norville ‘Shaggy’ Rogers.
9. RUGRATS
Angelica Pickles was the spoiled brat who took centre stage in the 90s cartoon Rugrats.
The pigtail-wearing youngster, who was the cousin of Tommy and Dil Pickles, was the ultimate anti-heroine.
US actress Cheryl Chase provided the voice for the cartoon villain.
She also worked on the film The Rugrats Move, Rugrats Go Wild! And Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.