Vampires have been popular characters in fiction for decades, not only in books but also in movies and TV. Vampires are enjoying a renewed interest, thanks to Twilight and True Blood. But cartoon vampires were sucking blood long before Edward and Bill arrived on screen. Here are the best fanged undead in cartoons.
1. Count Blood Count
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My favorite cartoon vampire is Count Blood Count in the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Transylvania 6-5000." He's spooky, he's funny and he's a bat! He lives in his own creepy castle. He spars well with Bugs and represents our iconic idea of a vampire. Count Blood Count puts up a good fight, until he finally gives up, being smashed by a flagstone one too many times. Watch a video of "Transylvania 6-5000" at YouTube.
2. Count Duckula
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Count Duckula is a little bit Dracula, a little bit Daffy Duck. He has the scratchy, slobbery voice of Daffy, but is always scheming for someone's death. First introduced in the Danger Mouse series, Count Duckula was popular enough to win his own cartoon series. Watch a video of Count Duckula at YouTube.
3. Vampire Burns
Twentieth Century Fox
Next is Mr. Burns as a vampire in The Simpsons season five "Treehouse of Horror." "Bart Simpson's Dracula" is fashioned after Gary Oldman's performance in Bram Stoker's Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The parody shows the Simpsons coming to Vampire Burns castle and being lured into his trap, using the same gimmicks and special effects as the movie, such as a shadow that behaves independently from Mr. Burns. Even without the winged hairdo, though, Mr. Burns makes a great ghoul.
4. Angel
Fox Home Entertainment
Though the Buffy the Vampire Slayer animated series never took off, the promo has found life on YouTube. You can imagine how dark, brooding and sexy the Angel character would have been (voiced by the original dark, brooding and sexy Angel, David Boreanaz). To prove this series' long-lasting popularity, there are rumors about making a second Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. But wouldn't a cartoon series, with the visual style of the comic and the witty banter of Joss Whedon, be totally awesome? I can only dream. Watch the video of Buffy the Vampire Slayer animated series at Den of Geek.
5. Drak, Jr.
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Drak, Jr., nephew of Dracula, was leader of the Drak Pack, which included descendants of Frankenstein and the Werewolf. Those crazy kids morphed into monsters, but to save people, not kill them. They wanted to balance the scales for the evil their ancestors had done. The series was short-lived in the 80s, but the idea of making monsters into heroes was a trend that continues even now.
