10 Left-Handed Cartoon Characters

The Simpsons‘ Ned Flanders. How to Train Your Dragon‘s Hiccup. Tom & Jerry‘s Jerry. These are just a few of the several iconic animated characters who are left-handed. Still, this is a rare group, which is reflective of representation in the real world as well, as only 10% of the world is left-handed.

In fact, the aforementioned Flanders is so proud of this trait that he even ended up owning a mall shop called The Leftorium, an exclusive store that only sells products for southpaws Similarly, other Simpsons characters like Bart Simpson and Mr. Burns also prefer using their left hand. However, The Simpsons isn’t the only animated property known for left-handers, as a number of other film and television series shine a spotlight on this community too.

10 Hiccup (How To Train Your Dragon)

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is the central protagonist of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Introduced as the bumbling son of a Hooligan chief, he later turns into a confident warrior and leader of the tribe.

His left-handed traits can be seen from the scenes in which he’s either in the middle of a battle or when he rides the dragon Toothless. After befriending the creature, Hiccup brought about a watershed moment of peace in Viking history. It was only after Hiccup’s unlikely friendship that his peers began to function in tandem with dragons instead of attacking them.

9 Arnold Shortman (Hey Arnold)

The titular protagonist of the Nickelodeon series Hey Arnold is arguably one of the nicest characters on kids’ television. A perpetual optimist, he’s a smart child who often offers positive advice to kids and adults around him. It’s most likely that he inherited such qualities from his equally humanitarian parents.

Additionally, not only is the affable Arnold left-handed, but his classmates Brainy, Rhonda Lloyd, and Curly Gammelthorpe also share the same trait, making Hey Arnold quite a revelation for left-handed representation in animation.

8 Mr. Burns (The Simpsons)

Charles Montgomery Burns aka Mr. Burns often serves as the antagonist on The Simpsons. Having owned the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Burns is the richest and oldest person in the town. Despite looking physically frail, he can often resort to ruthless methods to get what he wants.

The Season 3 episode “When Flanders Failed” offered the first hint of Mr. Burns being left-handed. Interestingly, the show’s creator Matt Groening is also a lefty, which could account for all of the left handed representation on the show.

7 Jerry (Tom & Jerry)

The brown house mouse Jerry is globally known for his starring role in the Tom & Jerry series of shorts and its associated spin-offs. More than often, Jerry is found to be either running away from the antagonistic cat Tom or antagonizing him back in revenge.

Jerry’s preference for the left hand is evident whenever he holds a pen or pencil. An example of this can be a scene in which Jerry is drawing tic-tac-toe symbols on Tyke’s body.

6 Chuckie (The Rugrats)

Chuckie Finster is the best friend of Tommy Pickles on Rugrats. Even though he’s a loyal friend and a brave toddler, he’s also often very cynical and hates getting into childish trouble, unlike his adventurous friends.

Chuckie’s left-handedness is revealed in an episode aptly titled “Chuckie’s a Lefty.” When Angelica finds Chuckie coloring with his left hand, she labels him as a freak and desires to exhibit him under her “Weird Stuff Show.” The episode ends on a moralistic note with the toddlers realizing that being left-handed is not a freakish quality.

5 Tiana (Princess And The Frog)

On closer observation, it can be noticed that The Princess and The Frog‘s Tiana might be the only Disney princess with dimples. However, that’s not her only unique quality, as she is also the only left-handed Disney princess apart from Mulan.

These physical characteristics were intentional, as animator Mark Henn based Tiana’s appearance on the likeness of her voice actress Anika Noni Rose. Apart from making the character left-handed, Rose also asked Henn to make the princess have a round nose and full lips.

4 Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)

As mentioned earlier, The Simpsons‘ Ned Flanders is so passionate about his left-handed nature that he even created the Leftorium. The store specializes in products for left-handed customers (including left-handed can openers and even left-handed cars), but it has had a mixed track record when it comes to business.

Flanders is otherwise a good-natured and highly-religious neighbor to The Simpson family. Apart from the Leftorium, Flanders also runs the Flancrest Enterprises and legally owns The Simpsons’ house.

3 Coraline Jones (Coraline)

Based on the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, Coraline is a dark fantasy film featuring a young girl who ends up discovering a parallel universe in her new house.

Coraline is a curious 11-year-old who is not afraid to face the secrets she unearths, no matter how sinister they might be. Coraline’s parents, on the other hand, are often disinterested in their everyday lives and often neglect her presence. In a few scenes, Coraline is also revealed to be a lefty as she scribbled on a notepad with her left hand.

2 Doug Funnie (Doug)

Doug‘s Doug Funnie is an introverted and insecure sixth-grader who often struggles to fit in his class and impress his crush Patti Mayonnaise. His everyday adventures are then documented in his journal at the end of every episode.

Additionally, Doug’s left-handed abilities are on full display whenever he writes this journal. Doug also often tends to have a rich imagination, creating his own alter-egos while conjuring dreamy scenarios in his writing.

1 Bart Simpson (The Simpsons)

A central protagonist on The Simpsons, Homer’s son Bart is a rebellious ten-year-old who often engages in one prank or the other. He was seen as the series’ breakout character especially for the initial seasons, finding his place on most of the franchise’s promotional products and tie-ins.

At the beginning of every episode, Bart is shown to be scribbling a modification of the sentence, ‘I will not…’ on the school chalkboard, implying that his defiant ways often land him in trouble. This running gag establishes Bart’s left-handedness.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(726 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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