Э.А. Акопова (Россия, Санкт-Петербург) РГПУ им. А.И. Герцена бакалавр 2 года обучения AMERICAN CULTURE IN CARTOONS Cartoons are quite popular with kids all around the world. While growing up, many people enjoyed watching the make-belief characters. It’s a well-known fact, that America is a leader in the production of cartoons in the world. Most of these cartoons are familiar to us, also they are legendary and they have been watched by more than one generation of children. This article presents the most popular American cartoons. The world leader in producing animation, a studio known far beyond the borders of the USA isThe Walt Disney Studio. The Walt Disney's signature cartoon is Mickey Mouse – first released in 1928 and it’s still a major hit. Mickey Mouse is the only cartoon star to be featured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Mickey is easily recognized by his red shorts with white (sometimes yellow or golden) buttons on it, white gloves and large yellow shoes as well as his round mouse ears. He often gets himself into trouble that varies in seriousness as a result of his mischief and the fact that he can be forgetful, but extremely imaginative. Even so, he can often think quickly enough to get himself out of a predicament before things get too out of hand, mostly because of his incredible imagination). Among other Walt Disney productions are such well-known TV cartoon series as Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, who is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. It shows us adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. Duck Tales – a series about adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie; Gummy Bears – a cartoon about fictional group of anthropomorphic bears; Chip’n’Dale 1 adventures tell us about a pair of chipmunks and their friends, who solve crimes and mysteries; Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon about an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. Another studio that is responsible for some of the most popular cartoons ever – Hanna-Barbera is a collaboration of two talented artists that became a part of Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Corporation. Tom and Jerry is the famous cat and mouse chase. This series is one of the most watched on TV and has definitely influenced numerous other cartoons. Other TV shows produced by this studio include The Flintstones – a family cartoon that depicts a married man’s life during the Stone Age period, and Scooby Doo – who hasn't seen the adventures of Scooby Doo and his best friend Shaggy! The group of young detectives solving mysteries and fate favoring the scared cute, Scooby Doo. One more studio is Warner Bros. Looney Tunes is one of the biggest cartoon series by Warner Bros. The Road Runner Show is another chase: this time it is Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner – supposedly an ostrich. A series of very funny and awkward situations these two find themselves in makes the cartoon really funny and loved even by ourdays children, even though it was produced quite a long time ago. Bugs Bunny is an American cultural icon: an anthropomorphic gray hare or rabbit, is also a character of his own series of Looney Tunes cartoons Nickelodeon is a TV channel for kids that produces the mostly watched cartoon these days – Sponge Bob SquarePants. It is about the adventures of a little character, Sponge Bob, and his friends in the underwater city. It is also ranked as one of the greatest cartoon shows in 2013 and is really admired by children. The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park are other extremely popular TV cartoon series. However it is hard to call them children's cartoons. There is a 2 lot of irony, references to political and social events there, also characters based on real people appear there from time to time. The Simpsons was actually the first cartoon series on TV with adult content. The main character, Homer Simpson, constantly gets caught up in uncomfortable circumstances. Modern life is exhibited and even the explicit aspects are showcased. Family Guy – the little Dr. Evil – baby Stewie Griffin plans to take over the world after his diaper has been changed. South Park – Eric Cartman, the main character, is a loudmouth and rebellious child. South Park is targeted at a mature audience. The series probably tells an unspoken side of the society; what people usually think but don’t say. So as we see, American cartoons are very popular. The Americans shoot a lot, doing different things, even to enumerate all the animation studios is quite a challenge. Literature: 1. Wikipedia [Электронный ресурс]. URL: www.wikipedia.com (дата обращения: 09.06.2014). 2. Disney [Электронный ресурс]. URL: www.disney.com (дата обращения: 09.06.2014) 3. Kids WB [Электронный ресурс]. URL: www.kidswb.com (дата обращения: 09.06.2014) 4. Marvel comics [Электронный ресурс]. URL: www.marvel.com (дата обращения: 09.06.2014). 5. Nick [Электронный ресурс]. URL: www.nick.com (дата обращения: 09.06.2014). 3