1

Robin, Batman’s boy wonder

Image: Studbee

Holy teamwork! Since his first comic book appearance in 1940, Robin has been Batman’s dependable backup even when things got rough. Sure, he often found himself tied up by villains, but his bravery and quick wit always made him the perfect No. 2. Whether it’s Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, or any of the Robins since, the Boy Wonder brought heart to Gotham’s dark nights.

2

Tonto, The Lone Ranger’s trusted partner

Image: V

Long before duos like Batman and Robin hit the screen, there was Tonto. Played by Jay Silverheels, this brave and loyal companion stood by the Lone Ranger through thick and thin. He didn’t just tag along; he was the Ranger’s conscience, guide, and moral compass. Without Tonto, the masked man would have been just another cowboy in the desert.

3

Ethel Mertz, Lucy’s partner in chaos

Image: Pawel Czerwinski

When it comes to classic comedy duos, Lucy and Ethel take the cake. Ethel Mertz was the level-headed neighbor every mischievous friend needs. She complained, she warned, and yet, she always joined in on Lucy’s hair-brained adventures. Let’s be honest, without Ethel, Lucy’s messes wouldn’t have been half as funny.

4

Piglet, small in size, big in heart

Image: Taha

In the Hundred Acre Wood, courage doesn’t come from being big or brave; it comes from being there. Piglet’s tiny voice and timid ways make him easy to overlook, but his loyalty to Winnie-the-Pooh is second to none. When he takes Pooh’s paw and says, "I just wanted to be sure of you," it melts every heart.

5

Ed Norton, Ralph Kramden’s comic counterpart

Image: Aleks Dorohovich

From The Honeymooners , Ed Norton was the easygoing neighbor who kept Ralph Kramden’s temper in check most of the time. Played by Art Carney, Norton’s goofy charm made him one of TV’s most lovable sidekicks. When Ralph barked, "Get out!" we all knew Ed would be back by breakfast.

6

Barney Fife, Mayberry’s greatest deputy

Image: Bruna Araujo

Every small town has that one guy who means well but causes chaos. For The Andy Griffith Show , that was Barney Fife. Don Knotts’ Barney turned bumbling into an art form: nervous, loyal, and always just one mistake away from disaster. Andy’s patience made for perfect chemistry, and together they gave us some of TV’s most wholesome laughs.

7

Art Garfunkel, the harmony behind the melody

Image: Marius Masalar

Paul Simon may have written most of the hits, but without Art Garfunkel’s golden voice, those songs wouldn’t have soared. Bridge Over Troubled Water still gives goosebumps thanks to Art’s heartfelt delivery. His harmonies gave Paul’s lyrics wings, and even though Simon got most of the credit, Garfunkel made sure the music had a soul.

8

George Costanza, Jerry Seinfeld’s lovable disaster

Image: freestocks

George Costanza was the friend you couldn’t live with or without. Selfish, neurotic, and hopelessly insecure, he somehow made Jerry appear to be the most well-adjusted man in New York. Jason Alexander turned George’s every meltdown into a comedy masterclass. As sidekicks go, he’s the one who proves misery really does love company.

9

Chewbacca, Han Solo’s fuzzy conscience

Image: Justin Wilkens

Who needs words when a growl says it all? Chewbacca was more than Han Solo’s co-pilot; he was his moral compass, mechanic, and best friend rolled into one very hairy package. Brave, loyal, and endlessly patient, Chewie made the galaxy far, far away feel a little more human.

10

Donkey, the heart of Shrek

Image: Dovydas Žilinskas

If there’s one friend who’ll stick with you no matter how grumpy you are, that’s Donkey. Voiced by Eddie Murphy, this chatterbox proves that friendship can melt even an ogre’s heart. He sang, he talked (a lot!), and he taught us that everyone deserves to be loved… How could we not love him?

1

"Buffalo Bill" Cody

Image: Illinois State University, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If we had to name the most famous cowboy in history , Buffalo Bill Cody would probably be a top contender. Throughout his lifetime, Cody greatly contributed to shaping the image we have of the American West.

Born in Iowa in 1846, he earned his nickname while working for the Union Pacific Railway, where railroad workers were amazed by his hunting skills. But history had bigger plans in store for Cody, and he would soon become an actor , traveling throughout the eastern United States performing plays based on stories of the Wild West for more than 30 years.

Eventually, poor business management and a certain change in popular interests led Buffalo Bill to ruin and he retired from show business just two months before his death in 1917. He was, however, mourned by millions of people who considered him a hero.

2

John Henry "Doc" Holliday

Image: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz

John Henry "Doc" Holliday was born in 1851 in Griffin, Georgia, into a wealthy family. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in Philadelphia but was shortly thereafter diagnosed with tuberculosis and advised to live in the drier, hotter climate of the West.

In Dallas, Texas, he pursued his trade as a dentist but also discovered saloons and whiskey. Soon, realizing that gambling could be much more lucrative than dentistry, he began his professional gambling career.

The rest of his life was spent among crooks, gunfights, and jailmates in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. At only 36 years old, his lungs could not keep up with his gunslinging way of life and he finally met his death in 1887 in a hotel bed in Colorado. It is said that his last words were, "This is funny."

3

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

Image: yavuz pancareken

The lives of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid became legendary pretty quickly. As early as 1903, their exploits inspired the first modern film —Edwin S. Porter's _The Great Train Robbery_— and since then, their adventures have not ceased to be portrayed by popular culture. In a way, they symbolize the definitive end of the romanticized Western era at the hands of 20th-century industrialization and urbanization.

Both cowboys were members of a gang known as "The Wild Bunch," which earned them a reputation as bank and train robbers. According to lore, after several years of crime and run-ins with the law, the bandits managed to escape to Latin America. Eventually, they were caught and killed in Bolivia in 1908. The fact that their graves were never found helped fuel the myth that they had, in fact, returned to the United States and lived in anonymity for many more years.

4

Jesse James

Image: Steve

Jesse James's life is one of the most emblematic of the Wild West. His criminal career began after his involvement with pro-Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War. Along with the Younger brothers, he created a gang with which they robbed banks, trains, stagecoaches, and stores from Iowa to Texas and from Tennessee to California.

It is believed that throughout the years they netted more than a quarter of a million dollars. Despite the gory nature of their heists and murders, the gang often had public sympathy.

Jesse's death is as controversial as his life. At only 34 years old, he was shot in the back by one of his gang partners, who hoped to obtain a state reward in exchange for his betrayal. The public was not happy with the government conspiring to assassinate a citizen, no matter how criminal, and the matter became a scandal, resulting in Jesse James's rise to mythical status.

5

Annie Oakley

Image: International Film Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From an early age, Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses, better known as Annie Oakley, took up hunting to help support her family. At the age of fifteen, she won a competition against the famous marksman Frank Butler, to whom she later married. Together, they appeared in several exhibitions across the country and, in 1885, joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

Annie was able to open the edge of a letter, shatter glass balls thrown in the air, and hit dimes held between her husband's fingers or apples placed in her poodle's mouth by shooting from 30 paces away. Her life was so rich and fascinating that she was the inspiration for several movies and plays.

6

Billy the Kid

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

According to legend, Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid, killed at least 21 people during his career as a notorious outlaw in New Mexico. However, he cemented his place in the pantheon of frontier legends not so much for his murders as for his personality and incredible marksmanship skills.

Born in the late 1850s in the Irish slums of New York City, McCarty had to reinvent himself as a gunslinger after the death of his mother when he was just a teenager. His life and the events surrounding his death at the hands of legendary lawman Pat Garrett were immortalized in numerous films, books, and songs. In fact, Billy the Kid holds the record as the most portrayed individual in cinematic history.

7

Lucille Mulhall

Image: Melissa Walsh

By 1900, split riding skirts allowed women to compete in rodeos without shocking Victorian-era audiences. But the truth is that women have been participating in exhibitions even in the early days of the Old West.

Lucille Mulhall is considered America's first legendary cowgirl. Born in 1885, Lucille grew up on her family's ranch in Oklahoma, where she acquired her incredible cattle-roping skills. She began performing in shows as a teenager and, throughout her career, competed in many rodeos, setting a few roping world records.

8

Belle Starr

Image: Pixabay

Perhaps the most famous female gunslinger in the history of the West was Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr, better known as Belle Starr. Born in Missouri in 1848, Belle had a fairly well-to-do childhood and was a bright student. However, when her family moved to Texas after the Civil War, the young girl stumbled upon the James-Younger gang. After falling in love with Cole Younger, she became a member of the gang.

That love affair didn't last long, but a few others followed, which led her to live outside the law for the rest of her life. Her alleged riding and gun skills increased her fame throughout the country, turning her into a legend.

9

Wyatt Earp

Image: National Archives at College Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wyatt Earp belonged to a large family whose members were famous for being gunfighters, gamblers, bison hunters, miners, and lawmen. While all were notorious Wild West characters, it was Wyatt's exploits that have gone down in history. His life is testimony to the ambiguity that prevailed at a time when there was no distinction between upholding the law and transgressing it.

After a long life traveling the American West as a deputy sheriff, bounty hunter, and saloon owner, in 1905 Wyatt settled permanently in Los Angeles, California. He became a film consultant in Hollywood, befriending producers, directors, and actors. It is even said that John Wayne took Earp’s stories as inspiration for some of the tough characters he portrayed on the big screen.

10

"Wild Bill" Hickok

Image: Turuncu Sakal

James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill," is a legendary folk hero thanks to the many stories that romanticized his life as a soldier, gunslinger, gambler, marshal, and actor. Over the years, his adventures have been retold numerous times in pop culture. The truth is that Hickok did more in his thirty-nine years of life than most who lived twice as long.

Since his birth in Illinois in 1837, he is said to have been involved in some of the most dramatic and, at the same time, most spectacular events in the history of the Wild West. His death, unsurprisingly, is also legendary. In 1876, while playing a game of poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, a man named Jack McCall shot him in the back of the head. The cards he was holding at the time —two pairs of Aces and black Eights— became the well-known "dead man's hand."

1

Punxsutawney Phil

Image: Steve Wrzeszczynski

Every February 2nd, the eyes of the nation turn to a small town in western Pennsylvania. That’s where Punxsutawney Phil, a weather-predicting groundhog , is roused from his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob to look for his shadow.

According to tradition, if he sees it, we get six more weeks of winter; if not, spring is just around the corner. The quirky ritual began in 1887 and has since grown into a full-blown celebration.

2

Balto

Image: Meg von Haartman

In the winter of 1925, a deadly diphtheria outbreak threatened the remote town of Nome, Alaska. It was the sturdy Siberian Husky Balto who helped deliver the lifesaving antitoxin across snow and blizzard conditions to Nome.

Although dozens of dogs and mushers contributed to what became known as the Great Race of Mercy , Balto was hailed as a national hero. He even received his own statue in New York’s Central Park just a year later—a monument that still stands today, inscribed with the words: "Endurance, Fidelity, Intelligence."

3

Seaman (a.k.a. "Scannon")

Image: The New York Public Library

In 1803, explorer Meriwether Lewis purchased a Newfoundland dog for $20 and named him Seaman. The dog became a four-legged member of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition .

He accompanied the Corps of Discovery as they crossed the North American continent, helping with hunting, standing guard, and even surviving a wound from a beaver attack.

The funny bit is that for a long time it was believed that William Clark’s journals referred to the dog as "Scannon," but it might have been a dizzy transcription of his handwriting.

4

Smoky the War Dog

Image: Simona Jašauskytė

Found in a foxhole in New Guinea during World War II, Smoky was a Yorkshire Terrier weighing just four pounds—but her size turned out to be her superpower .

She was trained by her rescuer, Corporal William Wynne, and famously ran communication wires through a narrow pipe beneath an airstrip in Luzon, Philippines.

After the war, Smoky became one of the first recorded therapy dogs, visiting wounded soldiers and performing tricks to lift their spirits. Today, she is honored with memorials in both the U.S. and Australia.

5

Sergeant Reckless

Image: Irina Nakonechnaya

During the Korean War, a small Mongolian mare purchased by U.S. Marines for $250 and nicknamed Reckless made multiple trips through enemy fire to deliver ammunition and evacuate wounded soldiers, sometimes entirely on her own.

For her bravery, she was promoted to Staff Sergeant , awarded two Purple Hearts, and allowed to eat scrambled eggs, Coca-Cola, and beer with the troops. Today, statues in Virginia and California honor her legacy.

6

Cher Ami

Image: William Chen

In the chaos of World War I, a pigeon named Cher Ami saved nearly 200 men from the "Lost Battalion" by flying a crucial message across enemy lines —despite being shot, blinded in one eye, and wounded in her leg during the flight.

Her message arrived, artillery fire was redirected, and the soldiers were rescued. For her bravery, Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and was later taxidermied after her death. You can still visit her at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

7

Old Bob

Image: Philippe Oursel

Abraham Lincoln’s beloved driving horse , Old Bob, was a familiar sight in Springfield, Illinois, often seen trotting through town pulling the future president’s buggy.

But his most memorable appearance came in 1865, when he walked riderless and draped in a mourning blanket during Lincoln’s funeral procession. The image of the grieving horse moved the nation and was widely reproduced in illustrations and prints.

8

Pauline Wayne

Image: Susan van Bragt

Pauline Wayne, a Holstein cow, was the last cow to reside at the White House. Gifted to President William Howard Taft by a Wisconsin senator, Pauline grazed on the White House lawn and provided fresh milk for the First Family.

She even survived a brief brush with danger when she was mistakenly sent to a slaughterhouse during a train trip—but was rescued just in time.

9

Macaroni

Image: Sergej Karpow

When Lyndon B. Johnson gifted a pony to young Caroline Kennedy in the early 1960s, he probably didn’t expect Macaroni to become a national sensation—but that’s exactly what happened.

The little white Shetland pony often grazed on the White House lawn, delighting photographers and stealing the spotlight during Camelot-era press coverage. Macaroni received fan mail, appeared in Life magazine, and even inspired a song by folk legend Pete Seeger.

10

Old Abe

Image: Arnaud Padallé

Old Abe was a bald eagle who became the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Perched on a shield-topped staff, he accompanied troops into battle, reportedly screaming whenever gunfire broke out.

He survived multiple campaigns and quickly gained legendary status, later appearing on military insignia and even on U.S. war bond posters in both World Wars.

11

Fala

Image: D_Theodora

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier, Fala, traveled with him on countless trips, had a press secretary, and even appeared in cartoons and newsreels.

One of the most famous White House pets in history , Fala was awarded a unique honor: he is the only presidential pet with a statue near his owner’s memorial in Washington, D.C.

12

Checkers

Image: SlimMars 13

In 1952, then–vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon gave a nationally broadcast speech defending himself against accusations of financial impropriety. His emotional turning point was declaring that he would keep one gift no matter what: a black-and-white cocker spaniel named Checkers, beloved by his daughters.

Some believe the heartfelt mention of the pet was inspired by the earlier success of Fala. The speech struck such a chord that it is still known today as "the Checkers speech."