7 Kid Characters Who Were Amazing, And 7 That Were Objectively Terrible

Harry Potter is worse than Scrappy Doo and Peppa Pig combined, don't @ me.

1. Matilda from Matilda.

TriStar Pictures / Giphy

If you don't love Matilda you've either a) never seen Matilda or b) have a heart of stone. Even though she's incredibly precocious, she's not irritating. She just really loves books – to the extent the fact that her love of books is somehow way more important to the plot than the fact she has X-Men style telekinesis powers.

2. Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter.

Warner Bros. / Giphy

Neville Longbottom is the best Harry Potter character, and here's why: he's scared of literally everything, but he still stands up for people and chooses to fight. It's much braver to be absolutely terrified of things and do them anyway. He believes Harry when he says Voldemort is back, and is generally a Damn Good Guy.

3. Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls.

Cartoon Network / Giphy

If you look up 'badass' in a dictionary, it's just a full-page picture of Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls. Even though she doesn't have any unique superpowers, it doesn't stop her kicking butt and taking names. She was a trailblazing '90s female superhero who definitely deserves a Wonder Woman-style live action movie.

4. Tracy Beaker from The Story Of Tracy Beaker.

BBC / Giphy

Tracy Beaker changed the world – quite literally. The Jacqueline Wilson character opened up a window into the lives of looked-after children. She also had the best hair on British TV in the '00s and introduced every British kid at the time to the not-quite-swearing insult "bog off", what a fine gift indeed.

5. Ron Weasley from Harry Potter.

Warner Bros. / Giphy

It is literally impossible not to love Ron. He's the most relatable of the main HP squad. He's not terrifyingly smart like Hermione or a famous, brooding, hero archetype like Harry. He's just a normal, gurning, slightly useless, tousled average Joe who can't even eat on a train without making a mess. He is, in short, all of us.

6. Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family.

Paramount Pictures / Giphy

Poison-swilling, ice-cold Wednesday Addams is the ultimate badass. Sure, she's a homicidal maniac who dresses entirely in black – but when you think about it – so is Batman and he gets loads of praise. Wednesday speaks to the inner goth in all of us, and she does it with style while occasionally tying people to stakes.

7. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.

Warner Bros. / Giphy

Hermione takes absolutely no shit from the people around her, all her knowledge and skills were gained through sheer hard work, graft and dedication. She keeps everyone focused and united on fighting the forces of evil. Oh, and – most importantly – she punched Draco Malfoy right in the face that one time. Bam!

8. Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.

20th Century Fox / Giphy

Kevin from Home Alone is honestly terrifying, as this remixed version of the Home Alone trailer as a horror movie confirms. 1995 was the year that torture and attempted murder was rebranded as a feelgood Christmas movie. Yes, the men Kevin tortured were burglars, but does that make it OK? No, it does not.

9. Lex and Tim Murphy from Jurassic Park.

Universal Pictures / Giphy

These guys get a joint credit because it's impossible to choose between them. Firstly, Tim brings a T-Rex down on the Jurassic Park tour group by shining a torch that's so bright you can see it from space. Then, Lex locks one of the raptors in a freezer which is officially animal cruelty and she should be reported to the Isla Nublar version of the RSPCA. Also, Lex's constant screaming was a real drag.

10. Scrappy Doo from Scooby Doo.

Boomerang / Giphy

Scrappy Doo was a belligerent little jerk who got everyone else into trouble by behaving like a drunk guy in a bar all the time. His catchphrases were the most annoying thing ever to come out of a TV writers' room. "Puppy power", "lemme at 'em" and "Scrappy-dappy-doo" can still cause a chill to run down the spine of anyone who ever encountered the least popular cartoon dog in history.

11. Ash Ketchum from Pokémon.

The Pokemon Company International / Giphy

Ash Ketchum was a willing participant in what was essentially a massive dog-fighting ring. What's more, he wasn't even good at it, meaning Pikachu got his ass handed to him repeatedly. He's definitely another candidate for RSPCA action.

12. Dawn Summers from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

20th Century Fox / Giphy

Buffy's little sister was basically the human version of Scrappy Doo. She was brought into the series because it was thought the gang needed a plucky kid character, but all she did was whine, annoy everyone, and get into really dangerous situations that the rest of the gang had to get her out of.

13. Peppa Pig from Peppa Pig.

Nick Jr. / Giphy

Sorry everyone, but Peppa Pig is a next-level jerk. She constantly fat-shames (and age-shames) poor Daddy Pig, she whinges every time she loses a game, she regularly tells people she doesn't want to be their friend anymore and makes George Pig cry...basically, this porcine yob deserves an ASBO.

14. Harry Potter from Harry Potter.

Warner Bros. / Giphy

And finally, we have a character that is even worse than Peppa Pig. Yes, Harry Potter himself. OK, sure, he had a hard start in life but so did Neville, and Nev didn't stomp around like he had a permanent case of PMT. Also, Harry was stubborn, cocky and rarely listened, which got loads of people killed (including Sirius – maybe you should have PRACTICED OCCLUMENCY HARRY). He sucks.

Don't agree with any of these rankings? Feel free to shout at us in the comments!