Mr. Magoo

Quincy Magoo, referred to as Mr. Magoo, is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced for many years by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem. However, through uncanny streaks of luck, the situation always seems to work itself out for him, leaving him no worse than before. Bystanders consequently tend to think that he is a lunatic, rather than just being near-sighted. In later cartoons, he is also an actor, and generally a competent one, except for his visual impairment. The character became UPA's most popular original property and fronted a successful theatrical cartoon series of his own, which remained in production through 1959 before being revived for television. Four UPA Mister Magoo shorts were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film with two shorts winning the award: When Magoo Flew (1954) and Magoo's Puddle Jumper (1956). In 2002, TV Guide ranked Mr. Magoo number 29 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.