Be it kids, or adults, the iconic cartoon characters like Mickey, Tweety or Tom and Jerry have and will always rule our hearts. But do you know these favourite cartoon characters were almost named something else? Read on to know more.

Mickey Mouse was called Mortimer.

Walt Disney christened his famous mouse character a Mortimer. Later, his wife Lillian interfered as she felt this name didn’t quite fit with the character and suggested to using the word Mickey which sounded way more friendly and lovable. Disney changed the name and also added Mortimer Mouse and another character in the Mickey Mouse cartoon series.

Tom and Jerry were Jasper and Jinx.

When the beloved cat and mouse duo came on-screen in their first cartoon, “Puss Get the Boot”, they were called Jasper and Jinx. However, William Hanna and Joe Barbera didn’t like the names as they felt it didn’t click with the characters. Later the duo came up with the names Tom and Jerry, which became classic cartoon characters!

Pluto was Rover.

Pluto was called Rover in the first couple of cartoons and was Minnie’s dog, not Mickey’s. Later Walt Disney felt that Rover didn’t strike well with the loved character. Names like Pal and Homer were explored before settling for the name ‘Pluto’ that sounded most distinct. Pluto first appeared in October 1930 as the cherished pet dog cartoon character.

Tweety was Orson.

In the 1942 cartoon short, when the bird character managed to escape Babbit and Catstello, the bird character had no name. The production staff called the bird character ‘Orson’. It was only in the second appearance, the short ‘Birdy and the Beast’, that the bird was officially called ‘Tweety’!

Goofy was Dippy Dawg.

Goofy debuted in 1932 as Dippy Dawg and had a beard and glasses. After two years, in 1934, when the cartoon ‘Orphan’s Benefit’ came out, the lovable dog character was called Goofy. In the 1950s, Goofy was incarnated as ‘George Geef’.

Betty Boop was Nancy Lee.

Betty Boop was originally a poodle. She was also Fleischer Studios cartoon’s supporting character named Nancy Lee or Nan McGrew. As the time passed and the character developed, her floppy ears transformed into hoop earrings, and she got a button nose. She was then called Betty Boop.

Yosemite Sam had three probable names.

The cartoon character creators felt that the rootin’ tootin’ gunslinger should have a Western-like name and explored many names like Texas Tiny, Denver Dan and Wyoming Willie. Finally, the character was called the memorable ‘Yosemite Sam’.

Surely, this will make you wiser about your treasured cartoon character.