*Originally published Published on April 16, 2024 08:30AM EDT at People // By Alexandra Schonfeld
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These iconic characters would not be the same without the talented actors who voiced them.
Whether its nailing SpongeBob SquarePants' famous laugh or finding the perfect tone for the pint-sized tots on Rugrats, these actors' abilities to shift their voices is one impressive feat.
From Tom Kenny's decades-long run as the guy "who lives in a pineapple under the sea" to Christine Cavanaugh's turn as several of the iconic characters of the 1990s, learn more about 17 actors who brought some of your favorite TV characters come to life.
Tom Kenny has voiced the guy "who lives in a pineapple under the sea" since SpongeBob SquarePants premiered in 1999. Beyond his work as the lovable sponge, Kenny, 61, is also the voice of Gary the Snail on the series and has lent his voice to several other projects including The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time and Rocko's Modern Life.
SpongeBob's best friend Patrick has been voiced by Bill Fagerbakke since the show's start. Fagerbakke told PEOPLE that when the show first premiered, his daughters — who were 4 and 6 at the time — "loved it."
"And I went, 'Yes, this is going to be fun.' I figured for a few months and then something else comes along, you hope. But 25 years later," he said.
In addition to extensive voice work, the 66-year-old has appeared on Young Sheldon and How I Met Your Mother.
Tara Strong's voice can be heard on numerous television shows including The Fairly OddParents as Timmy Turner, Rugrats as Dil Pickles and the My Little Pony franchise as Twilight Sparkle. But from 1998 to 2004, the 51-year-old was the voice behind Bubbles on The Powerpuff Girls.
In addition to her work as Buttercup on The Powerpuff Girls, E.G. Daily's voice can also be heard on shows like Rugrats as Tommy Pickles and Curious George as Steve. Early in her career, the 61-year-old appeared on Laverne & Shirley and CHiPs.
Before stepping into the role of Blossom on The Powerpuff Girls, Catherine Cavadini, 62, lent her voice to the 1980s series Kidd Video and Jem.
As well as voicing Mojo Jojo on The Powerpuff Girls, older audiences might recognize Roger Jackson's voice from the Scream films, as the 65-year-old is the voice that comes through the phone when Ghostface calls.
Before her death in 2014, Christine Cavanaugh gave voice to numerous iconic characters including Babe in the 1995 film of the same name, Chuckie Finster on Rugrats and Dexter on Dexter's Laboratory.
And speaking of Chuckie Finster, while Cavanaugh voiced the red-headed tot for the majority of episodes during the original show's run from 1992 to 2003, Nancy Cartwright stepped in to voice Tommy's pal later on in the series.
Cartwright, 66, has also voiced Bart Simpson on The Simpsons since 1989.
E.G. Daily has voiced Tommy Pickles for decades, starting back in 1991 when the original show first aired. Most recently she reprised the role on the Rugrats reboot that kicked off in 2021.
During Pinky and the Brain's four-year run, Maurice LaMarche played the smaller of the two mice, The Brain. LaMarche, 66, has had a storied career in voice acting that included other roles on shows like Space Goofs, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Futurama, Rick and Morty and the film Zootopia.
The second half of the Pinky and the Brain duo was voiced by Rob Paulsen, 68, whose voice has also featured on shows like Animaniacs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Jeff Bennett, 61, played the titular role on Johnny Bravo from 1997 to 2004. His voice can also be heard on Animaniacs, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Pepper Ann, Dexter's Laboratory and as the Man in the Yellow Hat on Curious George.
Everyone's favorite teacher Ms. Frizzle was voiced by none other than Lily Tomlin for The Magic School Bus' four seasons. While we only hear her voice in the role, Tomlin, 84, has of course starred in numerous projects in front of the camera, including Nashville, 9 to 5 and Grace and Frankie.
From 2001 to 2005, Kyla Pratt voiced Penny Proud on Disney Channel's The Proud Family. The show returned with a reboot titled The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder in 2022, and Pratt, 37, reprised the role nearly 20 years later.
Another Disney Channel cartoon favorite was Kim Possible, which aired from 2002 to 2007. Christy Carlson Romano, 40, voiced the titular character after landing her breakout role on Even Stevens.
Jean Vander Pyl voiced Wilma — and Pebbles! — Flintstone in the 1960s series The Flintstones. She would reprise the role on numerous occasions and also lent her voice to another popular cartoon of the time, The Jetsons. In 1994 she appeared in The Flintstones live action movie as Mrs. Feldspar.
Before Alan Reed voiced Fred Flintstone on the series, the actor lent his voice to Disney's Lady and the Tramp in 1955. In 1961, he also appeared in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
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