Everyone
Cartoons have always felt safe to me as an autistic person. The bright visuals, expressive voice acting, and familiar storylines create a sense of comfort that I still return to as an adult. When I’m having a difficult day, revisiting shows like SpongeBob can help me relax almost immediately.
Part of that comfort comes from seeing characters who remind me of myself and other autistic people. Whether intentionally written that way or not, these characters can create a sense of belonging. And when creators confirm a character is autistic, it validates what many viewers recognized all along.
Here are six canonically autistic cartoon characters who have helped expand autism representation in animation.
Note: Definitions of common terms and phrases used on this blog are available on our Glossary page.
SpongeBob, SpongeBob SquarePants
From 1999 to today, SpongeBob SquarePants has been an iconic part of cartoon culture, and the star of the show was confirmed as autistic by his creator, Tom Kenny. His unapologetic enthusiasm, sincerity, and kindness make him loveable and connect him to his community in Bikini Bottom, challenging the idea that autistic traits should be hidden.
While SpongeBob hasn’t had a line where he self-describes as autistic yet, there’s video footage of Kenny’s confirmation at Motor City Comic Con in 2024 that proves he’s part of the community.
“SpongeBob’s really on the spectrum too, as a character,” he said, describing a fan interaction at another Comic-Con event in Texas.
“They said, ‘Is SpongeBob himself autistic as a character?’ and I said, ‘Of course! Yes, of course he is!’”
The creator AutieJake on YouTube briefly touches on the autism superpower narrative, saying, “He’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit, I think. I love how he’s supportive of SpongeBob being autistic instead of getting defensive and shutting it down like others might.”
“He might not know too much about autism, but he knows how much SpongeBob as a character means to autistic people, and he chooses to acknowledge that and give validation to the idea that autistic people see his character as being autistic too,” he adds. “That’s refreshing and nice to see.”
Tom Kenny has also supported the idea that “everyone is a little autistic,” a myth that undermines real experiences lived by autistic people. Reflecting the virality of his Comic-Con video comment later, he added, “I’m not a medical doctor, and SpongeBob is an imaginary character. I’m not really qualified to speak.”
While discussions around Tom Kenny’s comments continue, many autistic viewers strongly identify with SpongeBob, and Kenny has publicly expressed support for that interpretation.
Norma Khan, Dead End: Paranormal Park
While SpongeBob’s autism confirmation came years after the show debuted, some newer series have intentionally included autistic characters from the start.
Norma Khan is a rare and amazing representation of intersectionality in the autism community. Autistic, bisexual, and Pakistani-American, funny, ambitious, and anxious, she belongs to many different communities at once. The show invites viewers to join her along her path of self-discovery, showing how her many identities shape her experiences.
The creator of the comic that preceded the show, Hamish Steele, is autistic and drew on his experience to write her character. Before the show aired in June 2022, he confirmed her to be autistic, leading him to his own autism diagnosis that same year.
Entrapta, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
“Bots! Hordak! Tiny Food!”* These are three of Entrapta’s special interests or hyperfixations, and she pursues them almost constantly. The only character on this list classified as a “genius inventor,” Entrapta is also complex and learning. She spent much of her life in isolation and shows kindness and compassion to the people around her in ways they might not understand, for example, with data, contraptions, and her knowledge of STEM. A crucial part of the cast and plot, she was written to be autistic, designed with consultation from autistic people, and confirmed to be canonically autistic on X by showrunner ND Stevenson in May 2020.
While Entrapta communicates differently than her peers, often opting to demonstrate feelings through inventions and problem-solving, she’s a deep feeler and thinker who is dedicated, loyal, and forgiving towards her friends. Throughout the series, much of the conflict between her and the rest of her friend group comes from her communication differences rather than a lack of empathy.
That distinction is important because autistic people are often unfairly stereotyped as lacking empathy when we just have a different way of showing it.
Complex and resourceful, Entrapta is a loveable outsider who ultimately finds her people: A group of magical princesses and one very evil clone.
June Chen, The Ghost and Molly McGee
Proudly autistic 11-year-old June loves ghost-hunting, technology, and gadgets.
She’s a supporting character for the main cast, but her presence is appreciated as casual representation of the autistic community. This establishes us as a visible, valued part of our communities, challenging ableist ideals and spreading awareness and acceptance beyond our limited circles.
June also helps audiences see autistic people as ordinary members of their communities rather than outsiders who require constant explanation. Historically, autistic characters were often introduced as educational lessons or special episodes. June simply exists within the world of the show. Her being autistic is acknowledged without becoming the focus of every interaction. She knows she’s autistic, talks about it openly, and continues living her life. We find that representation refreshing!
Donatello, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Donatello’s complexity makes him unique. While his intelligence is a major part of his identity, the show doesn’t portray him as a one-note genius. He’s impulsive, competitive, and sometimes struggles socially, showing how autistic people are allowed to be imperfect and still confidently, authentically them. His sarcastic, self-assured personality broadens the range of traits typically associated with autism.
Like SpongeBob, Donatello was confirmed as autistic by the series writer for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who posted about it on X in August 2022, saying Donatello “falls somewhere on the spectrum.” His obsession with science, hyperfocus, stimming, and sensory processing differences are just a few examples of how this shows up in his on-screen behaviour.
Billy, Mandy, & Grim, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
The ever-dark and moody Mandy is a rare gem among autistic-coded characters, providing rare representation for the dry-witted, sharp-tongued autistic girls who likely would’ve slipped through diagnostic cracks while the show was airing from 2001 to 2007.
Made by autistic creator Maxwell Adams, each of the show’s three main characters represent part of how he experiences the autism spectrum. Mandy represents “the cold, rational way [he] learned to view the world in order to survive.” Billy represents “the fun and joyous inner world” where he likes to spend his time, and Grim represents the “moral mediator” balancing the two. Billy West, an autistic voice actor, voices several famous characters on the show.
The character Billy demonstrates the value of unconventional thinking. While his logic often only makes sense to him, he approaches most situations with joy, imagination, and creativity, all of which are scarcely shown by Grim or Mandy. Somewhat comparable to SpongeBob, he is loved by audiences for his personality, not because he excels at traditionally valued skills.
Unlike Billy and Grim, Mandy reflects traits that have historically been overlooked in girls and women. Rather than presenting as bubbly, nurturing, and highly social, she’s direct, logical, independent, and uninterested in social conventions. While this behaviour might be viewed negatively in girls and praised in boys, the show celebrates Mandy for her charm and fearless attitude, challenging gendered expectations.
Her emotional restraint can also be interpreted as a coping mechanism rather than an absence of feeling, once again challenging the myth that autistic people lack empathy. Some of us who may appear that way to neurotypical folks may have learned to suppress emotional expression as a way of navigating environments that feel overwhelming or unpredictable, like Mandy.
As a mediator, Grim represents the constant balancing act many autistic people feel between competing needs and ways of thinking. Often stressed and exhausted, Grim is often caught between embracing spontaneity and maintaining order, between emotional impulses and practical concerns. Rather than embodying a collection of autistic traits, he represents the process of navigating them.
Foundationally based in the autistic experience, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy was groundbreaking for our community.
Conclusion
Autism representation in animation has come a long way. For years, autistic viewers often had to search for pieces of themselves in characters who were never explicitly written that way. Today, more creators are building autistic characters into their stories from the beginning, allowing autistic audiences to see themselves reflected more clearly on screen.
That’s worth celebrating! It’s also a reminder that there’s still room for even more diverse autistic stories in animation.
On that note, who else should we add to this list? Let us know, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
We used several online resources to create this article. You can find them below.
Sources
- The Importance of Representation in Storytelling | Creative Pathways at CreativeBC
- Autistic Cartoon Characters: Which are on the spectrum? | Phantom Strider on YouTube
- Tom Kenny, Autism, & SpongeBob SquarePants | Autie Jake on YouTube
- Maxwell Atoms on Tumblr
- Wikipedia pages:
- Autistic Characters Wiki:
- Disabled Characters Wiki
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
- DeadEndia Wiki (Wiki for Dead End: Paranormal Park)
Image credit:
Top row: SpongeBob from SpongeBob SquarePants, produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and United Plankton Pictures, Inc.; Entrapta from She-Ra and Princesses of Power, produced by Dreamworks Animation Television and Mattel Television for Netflix; Norma from Dead End: Paranormal Park, produced by Netflix animation and Blink Industries.
Bottom row: Donatello from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; June Chen from The Ghost and Molly McGee, produced by Disney Television Animation; Billy, Mandy, and Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
