Image via Complex Original
Saturday Night Live is one of the longest running shows in television history—we're talking 38 seasons. That's 38 years, that's since 1975. Lets put that in perspective: 38 years ago you'd spend one dollar for a movie ticket to see Jaws. Gas was like 50 cents or something. Your parents had long hair and thought about motorcycles and tattoos. Rashida Jones was conceived.
Through the highs and the lows of SNL's almost four-decade run, one thing is certain: it's not going anywhere. The late night variety show has created some wonderful sketches and churned out some incredible talent. Everyone has a favorite cast—you remember discovering them, they were your introduction to SNL.
But there are some characters that transcend the generation they preformed for. Somehow, everyone, regardless of age, knows these characters, their catchphrases, and their image. Our hypothesis is when SNL creates a great character, somehow scientists etch it into our DNA. Seriously, say "What is love?" to someone, and they'll respond by bobbing their head violently and finish with, "Baby don't hurt me." Simply say, "Da Bears," aloud in a sports bar and people will reflexively raise their icy mugs and in union chant, "Daaaa Bears."
To honor these timeless classics who've made us laugh throughout the years, we present The 30 Most Iconic Saturday Night Live Characters, in GIFS.
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Chris Farley as Matt Foley
Memorable Quote: "Well, you'll have plenty of time to live in a van down by a river when you're... living in a van down by the river!"
Farley was a true artist of physical comedy, and that wasn't more evident than in his masterpiece Matt Foley, the down-on-his-luck motivational speaker who lives down by the river. Farley as Foley went above and beyond what he rehearsed, often causing the audience, and his scene mates, to lose their shit in its hilarity.
Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and David Spade as the Gap Girls
Memorable Quote: "Yeah, Missy! You're so dumb.. when they were passing out brains, you thought they said 'Trains'...and then, you got on it...on a train, then went for a ride!"
Before becoming superstars in their own right, Farley, Sandler, and Spade embodied the annoying girls from high school you'd love to avoid, but are there, working retail, every time you have to buy a sweater. They're dumb, they're dramatic and they're kind of white trash. In fact, they represented the mall culture of the suburbs so perfectly that it's hard to believe they're three dudes in drag.
Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell as The Roxbury Guys
Memorable Quote: "You wanna dance? You wanna dance?"
The Roxbury Guys: They were bros who were too dense to get that they're the worst, they always seemed more in love with each other and hair gel than they are with women, and they didn't comprehend that shiny tight shirts on men belong at Chippendales.
Why do you remember this sketch with these two doofuses so well? You see them every weekend at the club. They're the ones dry humping the girls on the dance floor.
Julia Sweeney as Pat
Memorable Quote: "A lot of people say, 'What's that?' It's Pat! A lot of people ask, 'Who's he? Or she?'"
It's Pat! We're not 100% sure if we find this character funny or we just want to solve the mystery. Is Pat a boy? Is Pat a girl? Pat's scene partners could never figure it out. "Are you a brotha or a sista?" they'd ask. "I'm an only child," it would respond. Damn it, Pat! The mystery of Pat's gender even earned Julia Sweeney her own movie with the character. But the question is still unanswered.
Tim Meadows as The Ladies Man
Memorable Quote: "Hey, what's happening, and welcome to 'The Ladies Man.' The love line with all the right responses to your romantic queries. I'm Leon Phelps, and how y'all doin' tonight?"
The Ladies Man's lisp, his fro, his mood lighting are irresistible. Sure, he may have VD, but this man is smooth. Grab a glass of Courvoisie as we toast to Leon Phelps.
His call-in format sketch earned Tim Meadow's his own movie, The Ladies Man, documenting the sex expert's life and his secret wish to find one special lady.
Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell as The Ambiguously Gay Duo
Memorable Quote: "Good job, friend-of-friends. What's everybody looking at?"
With their encouraging butt pats and phallic shaped car, Ace and Gary, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, are two of the most recognizable characters from TV Funhouse. A spoof on how homoerotic some superheros and their sidekicks are, Ace and Gary seem a little too close to be just friends, that even their enemies are thrown off by it. Screw watching them save the world, their will-they-won't-they tension is intense!
Eddie Murphy as Mr. Robinson
Memorable Quote: "Hello, boys and girls! We all alone today. You know why? My wife walked out on me! Isn't that nice? I'm so glad the bitch is gone!"
Picture Mr. Rogers in the ghetto and you have this gritty, and hilarious, sketch featuring the best: Eddie Murphy. He taught slang, he sang about wanting to be your neighbor (because he wanted to move to your neighborhood and out of his crappy slums) and was still really, really encouraging. Murphy's spoof on Mr. Rogers, regardless of his dodgy neighborhood, never lost that Mr. Rogers' "everything is safe as long as we're in our sweater" feeling.
Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer
Memorable Quote: "I love Disney World. It reminds me of my childhood. I mean before my two-year stint at Children's."
We were introduced to Debbie Downer in one of the best skits ever made. She managed to bum everyone out of their Mickey steak and eggs at the happiest place on Earth, Disney World.
What makes Debbie so iconic? It's not her theme song, it's not cracking up the rest of the cast, and it's not her worrying about mad cow disease. It's the "Wah-waaah" sound effect every time she says something depressing. If only that sound could play in real life every time our own Debbie Downers bring up the crashing job market or feline AIDS at our dinner parties.
Chris Farley, Mike Myers, etc as Bill Swerski's Superfans
Memorable Quote: "Da Bears!"
Mike Myers and Chris Farley played true Chicago sports fans, and every host wanted in on the action. When Myers left SNL, John Goodman took over for his character after "massive weight gain." When host Joe Mantegna, as Bill Swerski, wasn't around, he just had "anudder heart attack." It became an instant favorite amongst sports fans, to the point where ESPN and Reebok have even adopted the sketch for their own programs and commercials.
Will Forte as MacGruber
Memorable Quote: "Alright, everyone keep it together! Okay, if we're gonna get out of here, and we are gonna get out of here, we need to focus up!"
Just like McGyver, MacGruber takes household materials and turns them into life-saving items. Unlike McGyver, he's an alcoholic and the bomb always goes off. It's a simple set up: the introduction of the scene, MacGruber finding a bomb, MacGruber drinking, MacGruber blowing up. That's it. And each time is hilarious. He even got his own movie to prove himself.
Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell as the Culps
Memorable Quote: "O ye come down in Bethlehem, how simply see that... He's coming out, so you better get this party started!"
What made the Culps so fun to watch is their hilariously on-point spin on the "weird, artsy music teacher" trope. The awkward duo would serenade the students with Top 40, while discussing issues like drugs, bullying, and LGBT. Never mind that they looked like Quakers and covered "Limp Bisquick."
Bill Hader as Stefon
Memorable Quote: "New York's hottest club is Gush. Club owner Gay Dunaway has built a fantasy world that answers the question, 'Noooow?' This place has everything: geeks, sherpas, a Jamaican nurse wearing a shower cap, room after room of broken mirrors, and look over there in the corner. Is that Mick Jagger? No. It's a fat kid on a slip 'n slide. His knees look like biscuits and he's ready to party."
Stefon is the worst, or, depending on your preferences, the best, tour guide of New York City. He suggests outlandish and pretty horrifying clubs to hit up that sound like nightmares of crystal meth addicts. While Seth Meyers repeatedly tries to get family-friendly destinations, Stefon continues to ramble off absurd club scenes. Even Hader himself can't help but to giggle at his character from time to time.
Darrell Hammon as Sean Connery
Memorable Quote: "I'll take the Penis Mightier for $500"
We don't know why we love to watch Trebeck suffer, he's a nice guy. But watching Connery one-up him on celebrity Jeopardy, where everybody's an idiot, is so satisfying. It was crazy to watch Connery spin even the most innocent of clues into a "your mom" joke, and Hammon's spot-on impression always sent everyone over the edge.
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
Memorable Quote: "I can see Russia from my house."
Will people ever get tired of talking about Fey's Palin impression? Probably not. It changed the election, maybe the world, and let us see just how terrifying it'd be if Palin was, indeed, one heartbeat away from the presidency. Fey's portrayal of Palin was so memorable that we still get confused between what Fey said and what Palin really said.
Bill Murray and Gilda Radner as Lisa Loopner and Todd DiLaMuca
Memorable Quote: "Noogie patrol!"
Bill Murray and Gilda Radner played two of the biggest nerds, who eventually fell for one another. He was "pizza face" and she was the girl with "mosquito bites" instead of boobs—obviously this was true love.
This SNL sketch basically made "nerds" a commonly used term. When approached with the idea originally, John Belushi was quoted as saying, "What's a nerd? I'm not going to play a nerd." The ever-cool Murray, of course, made it his own and earned himself a spot among the Not Ready for Primetime Players, joining the show two seasons after its premiere.
Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph as Betty Caruso and Jodi Dietz
Memorable Quote: "No trespassing. Closed for business. You know that red circle with the line? That Ghostbusters thing? It's my choice."
Together, with thick Bronx accents, Poehler and Rudolph discuss the highs and lows of marriage, their lack of a sex life, and the cute camera boys. Rapid fire.
Bronx Beat showed a different type of female character, finally: one that hits on the young guys, one that will probably talk about you and your guy friends, who they saw playing basketball, at Panera bread. As evidenced by this generation's cast and writers, the "boys club" of SNL was long gone.
Chevy Chase as the Land Shark
Memorable Quote: "...Candygram."
Unlike the great white, which tends to inhabit the waters of harbors and recreational beach areas, the Land Shark may strike at any place, any time. It is capable of disguising its voice, and generally preys on young, single women. Yeah, the premise of these skits was Chase dressed up as a shark, knocking on their door, and eating them. It. Was. Brilliant.
Dana Carvey as The Church Lady
Memorable Quote: "Could it be... Satan!?"
Uptight and pious, the Church Lady hosted her own talk show, "Church Chat," basically a faux-religious TMZ. Carvey would invite celebrities to sit with his character and then use the Lord's good book to belittle their public scandals. It's a wonder why the sketch never got it's own spin-off, considering all the gossip shows on TV today.
Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth
Memorable Quote: "Shwing!"
"Wayne's World" broadcasted live on local access TV, from Wayne's basement in Aurora, IL, to bring us the greatest lists of babes and rock 'n' roll. When their sketch was adapted into a movie, it proved the two mulleted metal heads to be the most quotable characters in SNL history. Party on, excellent!
Molly Shannon as Mary Katherine Gallagher
Memorable Quote: "Sometimes when I get nervous, I stick my hands under my arms, and then I smell my fingers."
An uncontrollable geek who only dreams of stardom, Molly's Mary Katherine Gallagher is cringe-worthy. She smells her armpits, delivers monologues from bad made-for-TV movies and falls and breaks everything in sight.
The reason why this character is so remembered, and loved, is because Molly Shannon was one of the first ladies to do full-on physical comedy. She could tear down a set by throwing herself at it, without blinking an eye.
Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle
Memorable Quote: "I'm standing here, staring at rock legend Bruce Dickinson! And if Bruce Dickinson wants more cowbell, we should probably give him more cowbell! And, Bobby, you are right, I am being selfish. But the last time I checked, we don't have a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell. And I'd be doing myself a disservice and every member of this band if I didn't perform the hell out of this!"
We know, Gene Frenkle isn't like the rest of the characters on the list. Only one time does Will Ferrell appear smashing on a cowbell, with a bad wig and a beard, as his too small shirt slowly starts to roll up his stomach. But that's all it took, baby!
The "Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult" sketch is one of the most famous acts in the show's history—hell, its even plastered across SNL merchandise. We dare you to try to find someone who doesn't know the meaning behind "More cowbell!"
Tracy Morgan as Brian Fellows
Memorable Quote: "Good evening and welcome to Brian Fellows' Safari Planet. I'm Brian Fellows! Hey! Dig this!"
Instead of using our own words to describe Brian Fellows, we're just going to quote the disclaimer: "Brian Fellows is not an accredited zoologist, nor does he hold an advanced degree in any of the environmental sciences. He is simply an enthusiastic young man with a sixth grade education and an abiding love for all of God's creatures." He also had a lisp. It was at this moment that we realized there's something not right in Tracy Morgan's head, and we love it.
Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as Margaret Jo McCullen and Terry Rialto
Memorable Quote: "Mmm... Balls... Tell us about your Balls, Pete."
What makes the Delicious Dish sketches so hilarious is the amazingly calm and innocent delivery of lines from Gasteyer and Shannon. And also picturing someone, who doesn't see what's actually going on, listening to their NPR show. This sketch is so loved that we pictures families, no doubt, gathering around the television on a cold snowy evening and watching the Schweddy Balls sketch as a Christmas tradition.
Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman as The Coneheads
Memorable Quote: "We had a speech prepared: 'People of Earth, we are the timekeepers of the planet Remulak. Your weapons are useless against us.' He lost the rest of it—the part with the instructions, times, dates, places, the orders for the U.N."
The Coneheads were just a loving family with one teen daughter trying to get along in the world. Earth, not their original world. Despite their strange head shape, which is politely rarely brought up, The Coneheads explained their odd behavior away by saying they're from France. No one dared to question a thing.
A testament to the characters' legacy, their movie, Coneheads, was released in 1993, 16 years after the family's debut. After that, Marvel published a comic detailing what happens after the flick.
Cheri Oteri and Will Ferrell as the Spartan Cheerleaders
Memorable Quote: "All aboard! Butt, butt, butt, butt, butt, butt, butt, butt ugly! You're butt ugly! We are the mighty Spartans riding up your astroturf. People say you're so ugly, Godzilla gave you birth!"
SNL fans, for some reason, always connect to the losers, and The Spartans were the epitome of high school losers. The two outcasts—one a freakishly tall man-boy, the other a spunky girl trying to come to terms with her small bust size—didn't make the real cheer squad. So, they made their own uniforms and cheer at the events without the other cheerleaders, like the chess tournament.
Amy Poehler as Kaitlin
Memorable Quote: "This one time, I choked on a pickle at Wendy's and my whole life flashed before my eyes and I said, 'Not yet, sweet Jesus, not yet; I've never been to Disney World!' and then I threw up all over the restaurant and the manager gave me a certificate for one free hamburger a year for the rest of my life!"
Amy Poehler seemed to have found her speciality in the character of Kaitlin: hyperactive, impressionable, and ambitious. Where most kid characters are annoying or too precocious, Kaitlin is just Amy Poehler having fun on stage, and fans have fun with her.
The comedienne has had other characters, of course, that are just as endearing. But, when we saw Katilin torment her bumpkin-like step dad Rick (Horatio Sanz) for the first time, we knew in that instance Poehler was going to go down in SNL history.
Mike Myers as Linda Richman
Memorable Quote: "I'm a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic."
Thanks to Linda Richman, Mike Meyers became respected as one of the best character actors in comedy. He introduced folks in the Midwest to a hilarious stereotype: the Jewish New Yorker who loves Streisand. The character was based on Myer's real mother-in-law, also named Linda Richman, which we're sure she loved.
Kristen Wiig as Junice Merill
Memorable Quote: "I like can I touch?"
Wiig has one of those faces: gorgeous in real life, but easily morphed into what we call an "ugly-funny" character. Her talent is well documented on SNL, and even her last season made it look like The Kristen Wiig Variety Hour. That said, we inducted her ugliest character into our own Character Hall of Fame.
Wiig's mutant sister from the Finger Lakes made us tune in each week hoping to see her try to seduce another man. We shudder at the thought of her high forehead and still have nightmares of her baby hands touching us, making this character unforgettable.
Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as The Blues Brothers
Memorable Quote: "I'm a soul man, I'm a soul man!"
There is still nothing more enjoyable than watching two full grown men bounce around on stage and pretend to be badass blues singers. Aykroyd and Belushi are, hands down, without a doubt, the most memorable duo that emerged out of SNL. They didn't just stick their characters to the 30 Rock stage either, they released an album and made the 1980's movie, The Blues Brothers.
Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna
Memorable Quote: "It's always something."
Always disgusting, but always charming, Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna would gross out Weekend Update's Jane Curtin just to cheer her up with one of her traditional Rosanne Rosannadanna family songs. And by traditional, we mean she sang on late night about Bo Derek braiding her nose hairs.
Radner, one of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players, helped define SNL, and we'd like to throw out a few honorable mentions of her characters: Emily "Nevermind" Litella, Baba Wawa and Candy Slice.
