Commons:Character copyrights

Per COM:CHARACTER, all appearances of a character are covered by copyright so long as the character's first appearance is still protected by copyright, even if those appearances are in otherwise public domain works. Future appearances will give rise to their own copyrights. The following table gives the copyright information for various popular characters:

Wikimedia Commons and its servers are located in the United States and follow American copyright length, as well as the country of origin. If a work is public domain in both countries, it may be uploaded.

In the United States, older works had to have their copyrights renewed (this requirement was removed with the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992), many older works are in public domain due to lack of copyright renewal.

Green background colors indicates that a character is in public domain while flaxen colors indicates either a special case or unclear copyright status (unclear for us, as of 2024).

Literature Origin

Character	First appearance	Source country	Expiration	Notes	Original author/copyright owner	Renewal (if applicable)
Pinocchio	Giornale per i bambini (1881-1882), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883)	Italy	1920	The original character was never copyrighted in the United States. The Disney version is copyrighted until 2036.	Carlo Collodi (d. 1890)
The Sneetches	Redbook (1953)	United States	1978		"Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991)
The Zaks	Redbook (1954)	United States	1979		"Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991)
Cthulhu	"The Call of Cthulhu" (1928)	United States		Despite several claims to the contrary, there is currently no evidence that any company or individual owns the copyright to any of Lovecraft's works, and it is generally accepted that it has passed into the public domain. Lovecraft himself was extremely generous with his own works, and actively encouraged others to borrow ideas from his stories, particularly with regard to his Cthulhu Mythos. Many of the writers Lovecraft collaborated with lived on much later into the 20th century, e.g. Clark Ashton Smith (d. 1961), August Derleth (d. 1971), Robert Bloch (d. 1994) etc. Certain elements of the Mythos are theirs, or have been created by other still-living authors. What these writers created in the Mythos won't enter the public domain until later on, unless their creations are already in public domain if the copyrights to the stories weren't renewed.	H. P. Lovecraft (d. 1937)
Conan the Barbarian	Weird Tales (1932)	United States		Conan appeared in "The Phoenix on the Sword" in 1932, he also appeared earlier the same year in "People of the Dark", neither story had their copyrights renewed. All of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories published during his lifetime are in public domain. Stories by Howard and other authors published later on are still copyrighted.	Robert E. Howard (d. 1936)
Zorro	The Curse of Capistrano (1919)	United States	1995	Often has issues with trademarks. Only the first few books and films are in public domain.
Sherlock Holmes	A Study in Scarlet (1887)	United Kingdom	2001 (UK)	In the US, the character was never copyrighted, but the final Arthur Conan Doyle story entered the public domain in 2023.	Arthur Conan Doyle (d. 1930)	None
Peter Rabbit	The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)	United Kingdom	1978 (US) / 2014 (UK)		Beatrix Potter (d. 1943)
Winnie-the-Pooh and related characters	Winnie-the-Pooh (1926)	United Kingdom/United States	2047 (UK) / 2022 (US)	Some Pooh works were simultaneously published in the United States so they're public domain for our purposes. Disney's character designs are still under copyright until the 2060s.	A. A. Milne (d. 1956) and E.H. Shepherd (d. 1976)	Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) RE0000636587 Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) RE0000718378 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) RE0000869560 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) RE0000903184
Sam Spade	The Black Mask (1929)	United States	2025	The Maltese Falcon was initially serialized in The Black Mask Later printed in full as The Maltese Falcon (1930) In Warner Bros. Pictures v. Columbia Broadcasting System the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the character of Sam Spade was ineligible for copyright because "if the character is only the chessman in the game of telling the story he is not within the area of the protection afforded by the copyright" and that Sam Spade and other "characters were vehicles for the story told".	Dashiell Hammett (d. 1961)	R179950-R179952 and R202664-202665 for the serial R205663 for 1930 novel
Nancy Drew	The Secret of the Old Clock (1930)	United States	2026	Later re-written in 1959; which has its own copyright	Mildred Benson (d. 2002) under pseudonym Carolyn Keene Russell H. Tandy (d. 1963) for illustrations	R197875
Tsathoggua	Weird Tales (1931)	United States	2027	Part of the Hyperborean cycle and the Cthulhu Mythos. Originally created by Clark Ashton Smith for the story "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros", but appeared in stories by his friends Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft before his story was published ("The Children of the Night" and "The Whisperer in Darkness" respectively)	Clark Ashton Smith (d. 1961)	R230427 for the issue of Weird Tales with "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros"
Babar the Elephant	The Story of Babar (1931)	France	2027 (US)/2008 (France)	The first Babar book was published in France in 1931, and in the United States in 1933.	Jean de Brunhoff (d. 1937) Be careful not to use illustrations by his son, Laurent de Brunhoff, who took over his father's series and died in 2024.	R265890 for The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler	Gone with the Wind (1936)	United States	2032	The film from 1939 will be public domain in 2035	Margaret Mitchell (d. 1949)	R318689-318690 for the 1936 novel R399224 for the 1939 film
The Thing (from another world)	Who Goes There? (1938)	United States	2034	First published in Astounding Science Fiction in the August 1938 edition	John W. Campbell (d. 1971)	R365826 for the August 1938 edition
Madam Mim	The Sword in the Stone (1938)	United Kingdom	2035 (UK/US)	First published in the United States in 1939	T. H. White (d. 1964)	R377500
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer	Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939)	United States	2035	Often mistaken for being public domain. The 1964 television special is in the public domain due to an improper copyright notice. However the special is restricted as a derivative work of the original character, song, and other copyrighted elements present Sound recordings of the 1949 song will not enter the public domain until 2060	Robert L. May (d. 1976)	R404750 for the 1939 book R639542 for the 1949 song
Horton the Elephant	Horton Hatches the Egg (1940)	United States	2036		"Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991)	R428772
Mike Hammer	I, the Jury (1947)	United States	2043		Mickey Spillane (d. 2006)	R608341
Bilbo Baggins	The Hobbit (1937)	United Kingdom	2033 (US) / 2044 (UK)	Houghton Mifflin published the first American edition of The Hobbit in spring of 1938	J. R. R. Tolkien (d. 1973)	Copyright was restored under Uruguay Round Agreements Act
Winston Smith and Big Brother	Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)	United Kingdom	2045 (US) / 2021 (UK)		George Orwell (d. 1950)	R641953
Noddy	Noddy Goes to Toyland (1949)	United Kingdom	2045 (US) / 2039 (UK)		Enid Blyton (d. 1968)
Aslan	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)	United Kingdom	2046 (US) / 2034 (UK)		C. S. Lewis (d. 1963)	Copyright restored under the URAA
Worzel Gummidge	Worzel Gummidge, or The Scarecrow of Scatterbrook (1936)	United Kingdom	2032 (US) 2047 (UK)		Barbara Euphan Todd (d. 1976)
Hercule Poirot	The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)	United Kingdom	2047 (UK) / 1976 (US)		Agatha Christie (d. 1976)
Miss Marple	The Royal Magazine (1927)	United Kingdom	2047 (UK) / 2023 (US)	First novel was The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)	Agatha Christie (d. 1976)	R209544 for 1930 book
Curious George	Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys (1939)	France	2035 (US) 2048 (France)		H.A. Rey (d. 1977)
Guy Montag	Fahrenheit 451 (1953)	United States	2049		Ray Bradbury (d. 2012)	RE0000105689
James Bond	Casino Royale (1953)	United Kingdom	2049 (US) / 2035 (UK)	Simultatenously published in the US and UK Later film rights under separate copyrights	Ian Fleming (d. 1964)	RE0000108490 for the 1953 book
The Grinch	How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957)	United States	2053	The animated TV special by Chuck Jones, where the Grinch was first portrayed as green as opposed to white, is protected until 2062	"Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991)	RE0000238319 for the 1957 book RE0000621446 for the 1966 TV special
The Cat in the Hat	The Cat in the Hat (1957)	United States	2053		"Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991)	RE0000240391
Basil of Baker Street	Basil of Baker Street (1958)	United States	2054	Parody of Sherlock Holmes. Sometimes mistaken for a Disney original creation.	Eve Titus (d. 2002)	RE0000294923
Norman Bates	Psycho (1959)	United States	2055	The Hitchcock film is separately copyrighted until 2056	Robert Bloch (d. 1994)	RE0000319609 for the book RE0000400889 for the 1960 film
Mary Poppins	Mary Poppins (1934)	United Kingdom/United States	2030 (US)/2067 (UK)	The first Poppins book was published simultaneously in the United States The Mary Poppins character, in a much less defined way, first appeared in a 1926 short story Mary Poppins And the Match-Man that was published in New Zealand's The Sun	P. L. Travers (d. 1996)	R292340 for the first book
Thomas the Tank Engine	Thomas the Tank Engine (1946)	United Kingdom	2042 (US) / 2068 (UK)		Wilbert Awdry (d. 1997)

Live Action Origin

Character	First appearance	Source country	Expiration	Notes	Original author/copyright owner	Renewal (if applicable)
King Kong	King Kong (1933) novelisation (1932)	United States	1932	Often has issues with trademarks. See for example Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. While the films are still copyrighted, the character is in public domain.	Merian C. Cooper (d. 1973)	Novelisation was released prior to the film without a copyright notice.
Ronald McDonald	Washington D.C. McDonald's commercial (1963)	United States	1963	Be cautious of trademarks, as this is an active advertising character.	Willard Scott (d. 2021)	Commercial released without copyright notice.
Keystone Cops	Hoffmeyer's Legacy (1912)	United Stars	1968		Hank Mann (d. 1971) Mack Sennet (d. 1960)
The Tramp	Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)	United States	1971		Charlie Chaplin (d. 1977)
Kermit the Frog	Unidentified first episode (Sam and Friends; 1955)	United States	2061	It is debated whether Sam & Friends was pre-recorded (in which case it would be public domain due to a lack of copyright notice) or a live show (which would legally not count it as "published"), in the latter situation, there is further debate as to whether Kermit's first pre-recorded appearances after Sam & Friends (commercials for Eskay Meats, which also lack copyright notices) would count as his "debut".	Jim Henson (d. 1990)
The Three Stooges	Soup to Nuts (1930)	United States	2026	The actors their namesakes are derived from are technically already public domain on virtue of being real people. Moses Horwitz' character, Moe, was initially named named "Harry Howard"	Benjamin Stoloff (d. 1960) Rube Goldberg (d. 1970)
Charles Foster Kane	Citizen Kane (1941)	United States	2037		Orson Welles (d. 1985) Herman J. Mankiewicz (d. 1953)
Ro-Man	Robot Monster (1953)	United States	2049		Phil Tucker (d. 1985) Wyott Ordung (d. 2005)
Godzilla	Godzilla (1954)	Japan	2050 (US) 2068 maximum (Japan)		Tomoyuki Tanaka (d. 1997) Eiji Tsuburaya (d. 1970) Ishirō Honda (d. 1993) Shigeru Kayama (d. 1975)
Gill-man	Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)	United States	2050		Milicent Patrick (d. 1998) Harry Essex (d. 1997) Arthur A. Ross (d. 2008) Maurice Zimm (d. 2005)
Ralph and Alice Kramden	"TV or Not TV" (The Honeymooners, 1955)	United States	2051	Inspiration for Fred and Wilma Flintstone.	Jackie Gleason (d. 1987)
"Beaver" and the Cleaver family	"It's a Small World" (Leave it to Beaver, 1957)	United States	2053		Joe Connelly (d. 2003) Bob Mosher (d. 1972)
Sooty	Episode 1 (Sooty, 1955)	United Kingdom	2050 (US) 2060 (UK)	Soo becomes public domain in the US in 2060, but will enter with Sooty and Sweep in the UK.	Harry Corbett (d. 1989)
Wilkins & Wontkins	"Cannon" (Wilkins Coffee commercial, 1957)	United States	2053	Often mistaken for being public domain, as very few commercials featuring them had copyright notices, however, "Cannon" was one of the few to have a notice	Jim Henson (d. 1990)
Rowlf the Dog	Purina dog food commercials (1962)	Created in the United States First shown in Canada	2058 (US) 2061 (Canada)		Jim Henson (d. 1990)

Animation Origin

Character	First appearance	Source country	Expiration	Notes	Original author/copyright owner	Renewal (if applicable)
Peg Leg Pete	Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925)	United States	1954	Originally depicted as a bear, the more well-known feline incarnation became public domain in 2024.	Walt Disney (d. 1966) Ub Iwerks (d. 1971)	Short was not renewed
Sam the Snowman, Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, Bumble, and the Misfit Toys	Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)	United States	1964	Released with a mispelled copyright notice. Rudolph and certain other elements such as music that predate the film remain under copyright.	Romeo Muller (d. 1992) Larry Roemer (d. 1995)
Bosko	Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid (1929), Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930)	United States		Bosko was the first Looney Tunes character. Bosko first appeared in Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid, a test film which wasn't released in theaters. He first formally appeared, along with his girlfriend Honey, in Sinkin' in the Bathtub. In 1933, Harman and Ising left Warner Bros., taking the rights to the Bosko characters with them, making more cartoons through MGM. However, Warner Bros. retained the rights to the cartoons. None of the copyrights to any of Bosko's works made through the 1930's for Warner Bros. were renewed. Later appearances, in MGM cartoons and the TV series Tiny Toon Adventures, are still copyrighted. Note that Bosko's character design was very heavily based on blackface minstrel shows, it is advised to practice caution if you intend to revive the character.	Hugh Harman (d. 1982) Rudolf Ising (d. 1992)
Tweety	A Tale of Two Kitties (1942)	United States	1970	Known as "Orson" in his first appearance, and first named Tweety in his second appearance, Birdy and the Beast. Later character design first used in Tweetie Pie is still copyrighted.	Bob Clampett (d. 1984)	No known renewal for the first short. R524619 for Birdy and the Beast
Dan Backslide, the Dover Boys, and Dora Standpipe	The Dover Boys at Pimento University (1942)	United States	1970		Chuck Jones (d. 2002)
Casper the Friendly Ghost	The Friendly Ghost (1945)	United States		The character was originally created for a children's book that went unpublished. The short film he was introduced in did not have its copyright renewed. Later appearances and supporting characters are still copyrighted.	Seymour Reit (d. 2001) Joe Oriolo (d. 1985)
Colonel Montgomery J. Klaxon and Calvin T. Burnside	"The Television Job" (Calvin and the Colonel; 1961)	United States	1990	An animated remake of Amos 'n' Andy		None
Felix the Cat	Feline Follies (1919)	United States	1995		Pat Sullivan (d. 1933) Otto Messmer (d. 1983)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit	Trolley Troubles (1927)	United States	2023	Later redesigns by Manuel Moreno may still be copyrighted. Original copyright for Trolley Troubles ended in 1955 when the copyright was not renewed.	Walt Disney (d. 1966) Ub Iwerks (d. 1971)
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse	Steamboat Willie (1928)	United States	2024	Later redesigns are still copyrighted, see here and here for lists of designs by year. Note however that the lists are only comprised of animation and comic strip art, not posters or anything else where a design would have been shown first.	Walt Disney (d. 1966) Ub Iwerks (d. 1971)
The Noid	Domino's Pizza commercial (1986)	United States	1986, 2082 at maximum	Debut commercial released without a copyright notice and was never registered. However, a copyright notice may have been printed on the film provided to broadcasters.	Tom Masters (identity unknown) Will Vinton (d. 2018)
Doug Funnie	Florida Grapefruit Juice commercial (1988)	United States	1988, 2084 at maximum	See the Noid. Originally an adult and not a child.	Jim Jinkins (currently living)
Betty Boop	Dizzy Dishes (1930)	United States	2026	Some later shorts not renewed		R198400
Pluto	The Chain Gang (1930)	United States	2027	First named as Rover in The Picnic (1930) First named as Pluto in The Moose Hunt (1931)	Walt Disney (d. 1966) Norm Ferguson (d. 1957)	R204524 for The Chain Gang R204528 for The Picnic R225455 for The Moose Hunt
Donald Duck	The Wise Little Hen (1934)	United States	2030	A different Donald Duck appeared in The Adventures of Mickey Mouse (1931).	Walt Disney (d. 1966) Dick Lundy (d. 1990)	R27781 for The Wise Little Hen R225437 for The Adventures of Mickey Mouse
Goofy	Orphan's Benefit (1934)	United States	2030	First appeared as Dippy Dawg in Mickey's Revue (1932)	Walt Disney (d. 1966) Pinto Colvig (d. 1967)	R281004 for Orphans' Benefit R237770 for Mickey's Revue
Porky Pig	I Haven't Got a Hat (1935)	United States	2031	Some later shorts not renewed	Friz Freleng (d. 1995)	R311533
Daffy Duck	Porky's Duck Hunt (1937)	United States	2033	Some later shorts not renewed	Tex Avery (d. 1980) Bob Clampett (d. 1984)	R363524
Elmer Fudd	Little Red Walking Hood (1937)	United States	2033	Originally a hero, and without a name and looking more like the prototype Egghead who debuted earlier the same year. He would gain his familiar appearance in 1940's Elmer's Candid Camera	Tex Avery (d. 1980) Chuck Jones (d. 2002)
Doc, Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)	United States	2033	The concept of the Seven Dwarves in the context of the Snow White story is public domain, but the individual dwarf personalities, designs, and names were a Disney invention.	Complex, many story writers and sequence directors of equal importance.
Bugs Bunny	A Wild Hare (1940)	United States	2036	Appeared in three earlier prototype versions Several cartoons failed to have their copyrights renewed.	Complex, had several fathers	R434265
Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse	Puss Gets the Boot (1940)	United States	2036	The cat was named Jasper and the mouse was unnamed at first, they would not be called Tom and Jerry until the second short The Midnight Snack (1941)	William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006)	R404444 for Puss Gets the Boot R439708 for The Midnight Snack
Woody Woodpecker	Knock Knock (1940)	United States	2036		Walter Lantz (d. 1994) Ben Hardaway (d. 1957)	R423773
Daisy Duck	Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940)	United States	2033	A prototype version called Donna Duck appeared in 1937 in the film Don Donald	Carl Barks (d. 2000)	R329715 for Don Donald R411801 for Mr. Duck Steps Out
Dumbo	Dumbo (1941)	United States	2037	The original book from 1939 is not known to be extant, and its publication is dubious. Sometimes mistaken for being a fairy tale like other early Disney films.	Helen Aberson-Mayer (d. 1999) Harold Pearl (d. 1975)	R442538 for the 1941 film
Mighty Mouse	Mouse of Tomorrow (1942)	United States	2038		Paul Terry (d. 1971) Isadore Klein (d. 1986)	R471862
Droopy, Red, and Wolfie	Dumb-Hounded for Droopy and Wolfie, Red Hot Riding Hood for Red (both 1943)	United States	2039	An earlier incarnation of Wolfie as a caricature of Adolf Hitler was featured in Blitz Wolf a year prior.	Tex Avery (d. 1980)	R480799
Spike the Bulldog	The Bodyguard (1944)	United States	2040	Prototypical incarnation as an unnamed, yellow bulldog debuted 2 years earlier.	William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006)
Yosemite Sam	Hare Trigger (1945)	United States	2041		Friz Freleng (d. 1995)
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner	Fast and Furry-ous (1949)	United States	2045		Chuck Jones (d. 2002) Michael Maltese (d. 1981)	R627299
Taz	Devil May Hare (1954)	United States	2050		Robert McKimson (d. 1977) Sid Marcus (d. 1985)
Yogi Bear, Boo Boo Bear, and Ranger Smith	"Huckleberry Hound Meets Wee Willie / Cousin Tex / Yogi Bear's Big Break" (The Huckleberry Hound Show, 1958)	United States	2054		William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006)
Huckleberry Hound	"Huckleberry Hound Meets Wee Willie / Cousin Tex / Yogi Bear's Big Break" (The Huckleberry Hound Show, 1958)	United States	2054		William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006)
Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right & associated characters	"Jet Fuel Formula" (Rocky and His Friends; 1959)	United States	2055		Jay Ward (d. 1989) Alex Anderson (d. 2010) Bill Scott (d. 1985)
Fred Flintstone, Wilma Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Betty Rubble, and Dino	"The Flintstone Flyer" (The Flintstones; 1960)	United States	2056	Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble were first introduced in episodes from Seasons Two and Three during 1963 and will enter the public domain in 2059	William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006)	RE0000396998 for The Flintstone Flyer (1960) RE0000555065 for The Blessed Event (1963) RE0000547359 for Little Bamm-Bamm (1963)

Comic Origin

Character	First appearance	Source country	Expiration	Notes	Original author/copyright owner	Renewal (if applicable)
Blue Beetle	Mystery Men Comics #1 (1939)	United States	1967	Dan Garret, the first character to be called Blue Beetle, is in public domain. Later appearances of Dan Garrett (notice the spelling of the last name), Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes are still copyrighted.	Charles Wojtkoski (d. 1985)	No renewal
Captain Marvel (Fawcett Comics), Shazam, Doctor Sivana	Whiz Comics #2 (1940)	United States	1968	Several issues of Whiz Comics didn't have their copyrights renewed. Later depictions of the characters, as published by Fawcett and DC, have separate copyrights	Bill Parker (d. 1963) C. C. Beck (d. 1989)
Plastic Man	Police Comics #1 (1941)	United States	1969		Jack Cole (d. 1958)	No renewal
Blackhawk	Military Comics #1 (1941)	United States	1969	No renewal	Chuck Cuidera (d. 2001) Bob Powell (d. 1967) Will Eisner (d. 2005)
Captain Atom	Space Adventures #33 (1960)	United States		Later editions and usages still subject to copyright	Joe Gill (d. 2006) Steve Ditko (d. 2018)
Gnorm Gnat	Gnorm Gnat (1973)	United States	1973	Notable among comics and Garfield fans for being a failure that led to the massive success of the latter franchise. The original Gnorm Gnat strips were published in the Pendleton Times from 1973 to 1975. Neither the strips nor the newspaper in which they were published included any copyright notices.	Jim Davis (currently living)
Garfield and Jon Arbuckle	Jon (1976)	United States	1976	The original Jon and Garfield strips were published in the Pendleton Times from 1976 to 1978. Neither the strips nor the newspaper in which they were published included any copyright notices. The Garfield comic strip began including copyright notices only once picked up for syndication in 1978. The appearance of Garfield in Jon and in the 1977–78 strips differs from his appearance in more recent strips. Odie is known as Spot and Pookie is known as Huggy. New material from the later series is separately copyrighted.	Jim Davis (currently living)
Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse	The Dingbat Family (1910)	United States	1986	Krazy in particular is notable as an early example of a genderfluid cartoon character.	George Herriman (d. 1944)
Harold Hamgravy and Olive Oyl	Thimble Theatre (1919)	United States	1995	Original strip protagonists and love interests, following the introduction and subsequent popularity of Popeye, Harold was abandoned; and Olive was relegated to Popeye's love interest instead.	E.C. Segar (d. 1938)
Rupert Bear	The Little Lost Bear (1920)	United Kingdom	2019 (US/UK)		Mary Tourtel (d. 1948)
Little Orphan Annie and Daddy Warbucks	Little Orphan Annie (1924)	United States	2020	Based loosely on the poem Little Orphant Annie, which had already become public domain by 1924.	Harold Gray (d. 1968)
Buck Rogers	Buck Rogers comic strip (1929)	United States	2025	Buck Rogers is based on Anthony Rogers from Armageddon 2419 A.D. (1928), a work that was not renewed. Many now iconic parts of Buck Rogers are later additions to the character. For example, Buck Rogers first ventured into space in January 1930.	Philip Francis Nowlan (d. 1940)
Namor	Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1, Marvel Comics #1 (both 1939)	United States	2035	The character appeared in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, likely first published before Marvel Comics; the former doesn't seem to have had its copyright renewed.	Bill Everett (d. 1973)
Cerebus the Aardvark	Cerebus the Aardvark #1 (1977)	Canada	2073 at maximum (US)	Dave Sim has criticized the use of copyrights to restrict the use of creations which would have more quickly become public domain under earlier copyright law, and has arranged for his body of work to fall into the public domain following his death. Cerebus is already free to a degree, as Dave Sim has stated that other creators are free to use his characters in their own works.	Dave Sim (still living)
Popeye	Thimble Theatre (1929)	United States	2025	Several of Paramount's cartoons did not have their copyrights renewed. First used spinach to gain powers in 1931	E. C. Segar (d. 1938)	R164887
Dick Tracy	Dick Tracy comic strip (1931)	United States	2027		Chester Gould (d. 1985)
Bluto	Thimble Theatre (1932)	United States	2028	Brutus, an alternate version of Bluto himself born out of copyright confusion and sometimes portrayed as his brother, enters the public domain in 2056	E. C. Segar (d. 1938)
Nancy Ritz	Fritzi Ritz comic strip (January 2, 1933)	United States	2029		Ernie Bushmiller (d. 1982)
Flash Gordon	Flash Gordon comic strip (1934)	United States	2030		Alex Raymond (d. 1956)
Li'l Abner	Li'l Abner comic strip (1934)	United States	2030		Al Capp (d. 1979)
Snuffy Smith	Barney Google comic strip (November 17, 1934)	United States	2030		Billy DeBeck (d. 1942) Fred Lasswell (d. 2001)
Mandrake the Magician	Mandrake the Magician comic strip (1934)	United States	2030		Lee Falk (d. 1999)
The Phantom	The Phantom comic strip (1936)	United States	2032		Lee Falk (d. 1999)
Prince Valiant	Prince Valiant comic (1937)	United States	2033		Hal Foster (d. 1982)
Huey, Dewey, and Louie	Donald Duck comic strip (October 17, 1937)	United States	2033	First appeared in animation in Donald's Nephews (1938)	Ted Osborne (d. 1968) Al Taliaferro (d. 1969)	R354206 for comic R361885 for animated short
The Addams Family	The New Yorker cartoon (6 August, 1938)	United States	2034	The family members wouldn't get names until later on.	Charles Addams (d. 1988)	R366101 for the August 6, 1938 edition of The New Yorker
Superman	Action Comics #1 (1938)	United States	2034	The Paramount cartoons did not have their copyrights renewed. The first incarnation of a "Superman" character created by Siegel and Shuster, Bill Dunn as seen in the written story "The Reign of the Superman", is already public domain, but has very little if anything in common with the Superman known today.	Jerry Siegel (d. 1996) Joe Shuster (d. 1992)	R362187
Batman	Detective Comics #27 (1939)	United States	2035		Bob Kane (d. 1998) Bill Finger (d. 1974)	R383871
The Phantom Blot	Mickey Mouse comic strip (May 22, 1939)	United States	2035		Floyd Gottfredson (d. 1986) Merrill De Maris (d. 1948)
Robin	Detective Comics #38 (1940)	United States	2036	For the Dick Grayson version; later versions had separate copyrights	Bob Kane (d. 1998) Bill Finger (d. 1974) Jerry Robinson (d. 2011)	R415982
The Joker	Batman #1 (1940)	United States	2036		Bob Kane (d. 1998) Bill Finger (d. 1974) Jerry Robinson (d. 2011)
The Spirit	"The Origin of The Spirit" (June 2, 1940)	United States	2036		Will Eisner (d. 2005)
The Flash	Flash Comics #1 (1940)	United States	2036	Jay Garrick version is from 1940 Later versions like Barry Allen and Wally West debuted in 1956 and 1959, respectively; West first became The Flash in 1986 before he was Kid Flash	Gardner Fox (d. 1986) Harry Lampert (d. 2004)	R412577 for the 1940 comic
Green Lantern	All-American Comics #16 (1940)	United States	2036	Alan Scott is the version from 1940 Later versions like Hal Jordan and John Stewart debuted in 1959 and 1971, respectively	Martin Nodell (d. 2006) Bill Finger (d. 1974)	R421919 for the 1940 comic
Captain America	Captain America Comics #1 (1941)	United States	2036	While the comic was cover dated for 1941, it was copyrighted in December, 1940	Joe Simon (d. 2011) Jack Kirby (d. 1994)	R429502
Archie Andrews	Pep Comics #22 (1941)	United States	2037	Archie was inspired by Andy Hardy, who first appeared in the play Skidding (1928), a work that is now in public domain.	John L. Goldwater (d. 1999) Bob Montana (d. 1975) Vic Bloom (d. 1983)
Wonder Woman	All Star Comics #8 (1941)	United States	2037		William Moulton Marston (d. 1947) H. G. Peter (d. 1958)	R457919
Aquaman	More Fun Comics #73 (1941)	United States	2037		Mort Weisinger (d. 1978) Paul Norris (d. 2007)	R461009
Green Arrow	More Fun Comics #73 (1941)	United States	2037		Mort Weisinger (d. 1978) George Papp (d. 1989)	R461009
Pogo	Animal Comics #1 (1941)	United States	2037	The character would get a new design in 1948 when he got a comic strip.	Walt Kelly (d. 1973)
Desperate Dan	The Dandy (1937)	United Kingdom	2033 (USA) / 2040 (UK)		Dudley D. Watkins (d. 1969)
Lord Snooty	The Beano (1938)	United Kingdom	2034 (US) / 2040 (UK)	Original incarnation, does not include Lord Snooty the Third	Dudley D. Watkins (d. 1969)
Scrooge McDuck	Christmas on Bear Mountain (1947)	United States	2043	A predecessor character to Scrooge, the thrifty duck from The Spirit of '43 is already public domain as the short was commissioned by the US Government.	Carl Barks (d. 2000)	R592670
The Shmoo	Lil' Abner comic strip (August 31, 1948)	United States	2044		Al Capp (d. 1979)
Iron Man (Canadian comics)	Better Comics #1 (1941)	Canada	2045 (Canada) / 2037 (US)	The first Canadian superhero.	Vernon Miller (d. 1974)
Nelvana of the Northern Lights	Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (1941)	Canada	2045 (Canada) / 2037 (US)	The first Canadian national superhero.	Adrian Dingle (d. 1974)
Beetle Bailey	Beetle Bailey (1950)	United States	2046		Mort Walker (d. 2018)
Charlie Brown and Snoopy	Peanuts (1950)	United States	2046		Charles M. Schulz (d. 2000)
Dennis the Menace (US)	Dennis the Menace (1951)	United States	2047		Hank Ketcham (d. 2001)
Dennis the Menace (UK)	The Beano (1951)	United Kingdom	2047 (US) / 2073 at maximum (UK)	Gnasher was co-created by David Law and Ian Gray (d. 2007) so will become public domain in the UK in 2078.	George Moonie (d. 2002) David Law (d. 1971) Ian Chisholm (d. 1981)
Tintin and Snowy	Le Petit Vingtième, strip (1929) Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, book (1930)	Belgium	2054 (Belgium/France) / 2025 (US)	The first American release of the series was by Golden Press in 1959.	Hergé (d. 1983)
Supergirl	Action Comics #252 (1959)	United States	2055	An earlier incarnation, known as Super-Girl, who was simply a bumbling joke character who was killed off in the end, debuted a year prior, alongside many other earlier incarnations of a gender-swapped Superman	Otto Binder (d. 1974) Al Plastino (2013)
Fantastic Four	The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961)	United States	2057		Stan Lee (d. 2018) Jack Kirby (d. 1994)
Astro Boy	Shonen (April 1951)	Japan	2047 (US)/2060 (Japan)		Osamu Tezuka (d. 1989)
Kimba the White Lion	Manga Shōnen (November 1950)	Japan	2046 (US) 2060 (Japan)	Known as Jungle Emperor Leo in Japan, Kimba name would not be used until American localisations circa 1966	Osamu Tezuka (d. 1989)
Spirou	Le Journal de Spirou #1 (April 21, 1938)	Belgium	2034 (US)/2062 (Belgium)		Robert Velter (d. 1991)
The Smurfs	Spirou #1072 (October 1958)	Belgium	2054 (US)/2063 (Belgium)		Peyo (d. 1992)

Radio/Sound Origin

Sound recordings have different copyright lengths from other works. See Ask a Librarian

Character	First appearance	Source country	Expiration	Notes	Original author/copyright owner	Renewal (if applicable)
The Shadow	Detective Story Hour (July 31, 1930)	United States	2031	First appeared on radio as a storyteller with a creepy voice and laugh, later became a full-fledged character in pulp fiction.	Walter B. Gibson (d. 1985)
Gerald McBoing-Boing	Gerald McBoing-Boing, children's record (1950)	United States	2061		"Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991)
Frosty the Snowman	"Frosty the Snowman" (1950)	United Staties	2061	Often mistaken for being public domain	Walter E. "Jack" Rollins (d. 1973) Steve Nelson (d. 1981)
Alvin and the Chipmunks	"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (1958)	United States	2067		Ross Bagdasarian (d. 1972)

Other Origins

Character	First appearance	Source country	Expiration	Notes	Original author/copyright owner	Renewal (if applicable)	Medium
Bibendum	Nunc est bibendum!!.. (1894)	France	2022 (France)	Be cautious of trademarks, as this is an active advertising character.	O'Galop (d. 1946)		Poster
Mr. Potato Head	Mr. Potato Head toy (1952)	United States	1981	Be cautious of trademarks, as this is an active product character. Originally depicted with a human body and was made with a real organic potato. Don Rickles' portrayal from Toy Story will likely remain under copyright long after most reading's death.	George Lerner (d. 1995)		Toy
Baby Shark	Baby Shark (20th century)	Unknown		Often mistakenly believed to have originated with Pinkfong in the 2010s	Unknown		Folk song
MissingNo.	Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (1996) Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version (1998, L-shape)	Japan America (L-shape)	2023	Simply a jumbled mess of glitched sprites that cannot be discerned, so legally AI-generated - has notably been used in the Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears without issue. Wider game is under copyright with famously strict protection. However, while the sprite itself is public domain and the name is too generic to copyright, the ways in which MissingNo. effects the game (such as its duplication ability and movelist) are ambigious. Ghost and fossil forms remain under copyright, being human-drawn artwork the glitch happens to utilise.	Pokémon game code (legally AI)		Video game
Boyfriend and Girlfriend	Friday Night Funkin' (Upcoming, first beta released in 2020)	Canada		Not public domain - instead (formerly) licensed under a commercial free-use license. Early versions of the game were released under the Apache license - following a string of low-quality unlicensed for-profit merchandise and games, the license was changed to only apply to game code and not characters, however, it seems to not actually be possible to revoke an Apache license. FNF incorporates crossover characters, who are not under free-use, heavily and any characters introduced in 2023 or later will not be open-source.	ninjamuffin99 (still living)		Video game
Barbie	1959	United States	2055		Ruth Handler (d. 2002)		Toy
Martians	Mars Attacks (1962)	United States	2058		Len Brown (still living)		Trading cards
Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline	Donkey Kong (1981)	Japan	Unknown (Japan) 2077 (US)	Provided as an example of when video games with recognisable characters will start becoming public domain. Miyamoto was not initially credited for Donkey Kong, therefore it could possibly be attributed as a creation of Nintendo and enter public domain in Japan 70 years from publication, in 2052. Contrary to popular belief, Mario possesed the name Mario as far back as 1981, however Pauline would only gain her name a year later in a coloring book, being known as "Lady" prior.	Shigeru Miyamoto (still living)		Video game