With The Smurfs in 3D proving that the ’80s fanbase remains solid in supporting the little blue guys, I was inspired to list down some of the most memorable blue characters in movies and television. You might remember some of them — it’s an assortment of old and new but no matter which era they emerged, they are all quite remarkable.

Batman: Before the movie version of the Caped Crusader of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne, played by actor Adam West donned a a blue cape and tights and fought crime with his loyal sidekick Robin on the small screen during the ’60s. The TV version is less dark and had a more comic feel to it with exclamations of bam! whap! sock! and the like punctuating each hit against the billionaire’s foes.

The Smurfs: Before it became a movie in 2011, this group of blue skinned, pint sized creatures were part of a comic strip developed and illustrated in 1958 by a Belgian cartoonist named Peyo (I didn’t know that the Smurfs were that old). It was later adopted into an animated series and brought smiles to faces of children in the ’80s (myself included). Smurfs live in their Smurf village and use the word Smurf as an adjective, a noun a verb to personalize some of the most common exclamations e.g. Smurftastic! They are essentially very cute.

Nav’i: A tribe of sentient extraterrestrial humamoids who inhabit the lush jungle moon of Pandora (definition sourced from http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Na’vi), the Nav’i is better known as the blue guys from the movie Avatar. The tribe has a special bond with their diety Eywa, which allows them to connect with one another, and with nature to pool their energies and thoughts together.

Beast/Mystique: One is a furry genius and one is an extraordinary shapeshifter, these two main characters in the X-men franchise illustrate that embracing one’s difference is essential to moving forward and achieving one’s goal. While one (Beast) has chosen to stay with the X-men to contribute his intelligence to the cause of humans and mutants coexisting peacefully, one (Mystique) has chosen to join the Brotherhood of Mutants to dominate the human race.

Blue Three: Many fans would remember Blue Three — Ryuuta Nanbara, or Frankie in the English dubbed version from the hit series Chodenshi Bioman, one of the most popular Japanese TV shows in the ’80s where five teenagers with special skills are chosen to be part of a team of heroes that transform and man a giant robot called Bioman, and battle against an evil genius known as Dr. Man. The team is somewhat managed by a robot who looks a lot like C-3PO named Peebo. Back to Frankie, he is an excellent scuba diver whose most distinctive trait is his loyalty and determination. His special weapon is Electric Sword and his special attack is Super Sky Diving, but I remember that he also had Sonic Ear that enhances his hearing but I can’t find any reference to it anywhere.@-@

Panthro: Since the Thundercats are getting a reboot on the franchise, I would like to call attention to this mean looking muscled blue dude called Panthro, who is the most mechanical and technical member of the Thundercats. While he is the most scantily clad in the ’80s with a costume most reminiscent of a muscleman in the Big Tent (with spikes, even), Panthro is also the most temperamental of the Cats. His special weapon is his spiked nunchucks.

Bloo: While Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is no longer churning out new episodes, I love the character of Bloo, the mischievous fast talking imaginary friend of a kid named Mac. He stays at the Home which is sort of an adoption house for imaginary friends but has cut a deal with Mrs. Foster, the owner not to be put up for adoption so long as Mac visits him everyday (which he does). What I like about his character is that he thinks he is super smart and cool. He is always up to something, and it always backfires which adds to the comedy of the series.

Marty Wolf: Remember this guy from Big Fat Liar? Marty Wolf, played by Paul Giamatti, is the big shot screenwriter who stole the idea of a big Hollywood movie of the same title from a 14-year-old kid named Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz), who has a reputation for playing fast and loose with the truth. Shepherd, with the help of his best friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) take on Hollywood to regain the trust of Jason’s parents. Giamatti spent the better part of the movie dyed blue as he gets his karma handed to him big time in a meticulous operation of revenge staged by all of the people whom he has irked, annoyed and angered throughout the years.

Dory: Last but not least is the forgetful and earnest Dory, the Blue Tang voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in the movie Finding Nemo. Dory  accompanies a clownfish named Marlin who is in search of his son, who has been captured by a scuba diver, and teaches the agitated dad the virtue of friendship, patience and loyalty in one of Pixar’s most successful film offerings to date.

Did I miss anyone? Feel free to sound off on the comments section below. 🙂