Daria Morgendorffer: Female cartoon characters who rock our worlds

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is still going strong on Netflix, so we’re revisiting our first look piece and our other favorite cartoon characters.

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For the honor of Grayskull, She-Ra has the power!

Now that we’ve got your attention, we should probably let you know that DreamWorks Animation’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has released a set of new images from the upcoming highly-anticipated Netflix show, headed by Eisner Award-winning writer & artist Noelle Stevenson.

The new images reveal several main characters from the reboot of the mid-80s She-Ra: Princess of Power, which saw Princess Adora raise her magic sword and become the most powerful woman in the universe so she could kick ass and defeat evil. These returning characters include Adora and the titular She-Ra voiced by Aimee Carrero, Glimmer voiced by Karen Fukuhara, Bow voiced by Marcus Scribner, and Catra voiced by AJ Michalka.

Although the new She-Ra shares similarities to her 80s predecessor, there are some marked differences between the two, particularly in her physique which is now broader and stronger (changes we’re more than happy to embrace).

This blond boss was one of our fave female superheroes then and we were pleased with what the updated Netflix show brought to the table. Here’s our homage to the female cartoon characters who rock our worlds.

Foxxy Love – Drawn Together

Sassy, sexy, and taking no shit from anyone, Foxxy Love is still one of the most badass cartoon characters to have ever graced our screens.

Not only is she the mother hen of the house in Comedy Central’s Drawn Together, offering pearls of wisdom to her roomies, but she’s also headstrong, smart, and totally open to men and women when it came to her bedroom activities. This is a woman who can kick butt, solve an issue, party hard, and watch the backs of everyone while she’s at it.

Valerie: Josie and the Pussycats

Valerie is the all-singing, all-dancing, all ass-kicking member of the iconic comic book trio Josie and the Pussycats. In the animated TV version of the comics, Valerie is the character who saves the day thanks to her smarts and her mechanical and scientific genius. She’s also (always a cause for celebration) more tomboyish than the other two, Josie and Melody, and we loved her for it.

Lisa Simpson: The Simpsons

An absolute feminist icon and a girl we’d truly love to see as the next POTUS, Lisa isn’t ashamed of being an overachiever. A headstrong vegetarian Buddhist who joins MENSA, is a sick AF sax player and jazz musician, and has an IQ of 159, unlike many other female cartoon characters who came before her, Lisa teaches girls across the world to always aspire for greatness no matter what their gender. And that is why they call her Lisa Lionheart.

Bubbles: The Powerpuff Girls

Each one of these pint-sized superheroes has her own super-speed, super-strength, and super-hearing abilities, and each comes with her own lethal doses of cuteness.

However, if we had to pick one of the three, we’d go with Bubbles purely because she taught us that you can still be nice and kick some serious butt. She’s happy, kind-hearted, and adorable, and while she might lean to the more gullible side, she embraces her weaknesses and perseveres in the face of her enemies – including the dastardly Mojo Jojo!

Amy: Futurama

Amy, voiced by Lauren Tom, is the rich kid of the group in Matt Groening’s infamous animated sitcom, known for being kinda ditzy, kinda shallow, but also very kind. We’re not sure about the show’s decision to make a mockery of her evidently unhealthy relationship with weight loss and appetite and in a modern setting this plot point would not pass.

However, the character herself is endearing and charming, and for a girl with such uptight parents, she’s refreshingly free-spirited. We also love her role-reversing relationship with Kif Kroker, which showed that it’s totally rad for the male to be effeminate and vice-versa and is absolutely essential when your boy bae’s knocked up with a whole lotta alien spawn.

Daria Morgendorffer: Daria

Daria is more than a cartoon character – she’s a way of life. Ever since her appearance on MTV in the late 1990s, we’ve been channeling her snarky outlook and grunge style with vigor and determination. Fueled by misanthropy and cutting wit, Daria was and still is the perfect example of sardonic apathy, showing that together with a bestie who shares your pessimistic outlook, you can take on the world in Creepers, one take down at a time.

Liane (Cartman’s Mom): South Park

Controversial choice, we know, but hear us out – Cartman’s mom deserves a medal for her contributions in parenting, sexuality, and small-town living. Not only does she deal with her Cheesy Puff-guzzling son with a smile and a tray of treats in hand, but she owns her sexuality and her hermaphroditism, and she does it all as a single mom. Plus she can be totally cutting when she needs to be.

Unity: Rick and Morty

Okay, she’s not a recurring character, nor is she a singular woman. But we think this seductive mind hive voiced by Christina Hendricks is deserving of a mention on this list as a woman who comes closer than most in getting Rick to settle down.

Unity proves what’s possible if you put your (multiple) minds to it, taking the forms of multiple genders, races, and species and using this power to create an entire planet of Unitys. What other cartoon character can say the same?

Lana Kane: Archer

Lana is the perfect match to Archer as one half of TV’s greatest dysfunctional relationship – she’s strong, she takes crap from no one, and she’s relentlessly intelligent, able to dole out epic one-liners at the drop of a whiskey bottle. It’s for these reasons she’s the fiercest female cartoon character.

Diane Nguyen: Bojack Horseman

Voiced by Alison Brie, Diane is an American writer, misunderstood intellectual, and third-wave feminist from Boston who lives with her anthropomorphic husband, Mr. Peanutbutter.

One of the reasons we love Diane so much is for her portrayal of depression and the complications that arise from building long-term relationships. She’s strong in her convictions but prone to suffering, and she takes time to bounce back as she heals herself and the relationship with her husband.