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The Ghost / Western Animation

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Perpetually unseen characters in western animation TV shows.

  • Marcy from Amphibia has this status throughout the first season. She's one of Anne and Sasha's best friends and got sent to Amphibia alongside them, as seen in the the intro. It's also revealed in the season finale that she was the one who found the music box in the first place. She's only mentioned by name sparingly, with neither of the others knowing where she could possibly be.
  • Randy Beaman on Animaniacs, who is always being talked about by his friend (originally listed in the credits as Colin, later Randy Beaman's Friend) as the "Friend of a Friend" in some bizarre urban legend (one example being the infamous Pop Rocks/Soda one). May also be an example of Second-Hand Storytelling.
  • Trudy Beekman, Mallory Archer's Sitcom Arch-Nemesis on Archer. "MEH MEH MEH, I'm Trudy Beekman. I'm on the co-op board and I'm going on a blimp! MEHHH!"
    • When she is eventually shown onscreen having lunch with Mallory in "Honeymooners" it is only from the back.
    • A Running Gag on the show is characters mentioning an old gypsy woman who seems to be capable of predicting the future and has characters reacting to whatever situation they've found themselves in by shouting "Just like that old Gypsy woman said!"
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender:
    • Fire Lord Sozin, the Fire Lord who started the war was initially this, but he made later made an appearance in a Season 3 backstory episode.
    • Aang's old friend Kuzon was another example until he appeared in the comic book "Dragon Days".
  • Beavis And Butthead's moms, they are implied to live with them and they sometimes talk about them or call out to them but they are never seen. In a book, "This Book Sucks", they shown pictures of them in a Family Tree page. Beavis's mom looks like a female version of Butthead and visa-versa.
  • Beware the Batman features The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot as this. We see characters talk about him, and he is mentioned in newspapers and news casts, but is never seen. The closest we see of him is a detailed police sketch of him as a Freeze-Frame Bonus. However, considering the show foreshadowed characters like Tobias Whale and Harvey Dent like this, he would've likely appeared in Season 2.
  • Bob's Burgers has Ginger, Linda's best friend. Linda refers to her often and is frequently seen talking to her on the phone, but she has yet to make a [confirmed] physical appearance in the show. There is also the principal, Principal Spoors who has not made a physical appearance though he is mentioned frequently, especially as the series progresses. He's usually a power to keep Mr Frond in check.
  • The character of Erica on Bojack Horseman is a friend of Mr. Peanutbutter's with many extreme and bizarre medical conditions. Anytime there's a party or crowd scene, Mr. Peanutbutter will notice Erica in the crowd (always standing just out of frame)and call out to her while remarking on her latest terrible affliction.
    • There's also Randy, the much-beleaguered teleprompt writer of MSNBSea constantly berated (on air) by the anchor Tom Jumbo-Grumbo for his terrible writing.
  • Gazpacho's mother in Chowder. In one episode, it is revealed that Gazpacho is his own mother. But that wasn't real. OR WAS IT?
  • The oft-randomly-mentioned Muffy Jenkins of Codename: Kids Next Door. In "Operation: MESSAGE" we actually do see Muffy at the end of the episode, receiving a message Numbuh 2 spent the whole episode trying to deliver to her at lunch. The note mentions the Splinter Cell, the main focus of Season 6... which Muffy had nothing to do with.
  • Von Goosewing's assistant, Heinrich, in Count Duckula. It is entirely possible that Heinrich has, in fact, quit and that Von Goosewing has just failed to notice his absence. There's also the castle werewolf Towser, whom Duckula himself believes doesn't exist (mostly due to Igor hiding the werewolf's existence from him).
  • Dan Vs.: For the most part, Chris seems to be Dan's Only Friend, but he'll occasionally ask why Dan didn't rope "Ted" into his latest scheme instead of him. Every time, Dan says that he and Ted are fighting. Apparently there were plans for a "Dan Vs. Ted" episode that never got made. Dan also alludes to family members when discussing his Hilariously Abusive Childhood.
  • Darkwing Duck had Dr. Slug, who is reputed as being Darkwing's archenemy as well as the #1 most wanted criminal in St. Canard. Despite this, we never actually see him (with one exception, see below) or know anything about him; the only times he is mentioned is when other villains bring him up, usually to admire his (always unspecified) villainous deeds, sadly wish they could be more like him, or (in Negaduck's case) grouse about being bumped down to #2 criminal.
    • Eventually this was lampshaded by having Dr. Slug actually show up at the start of an episode in a dramatic confrontation with Darkwing, only to have Darkwing pause the action two seconds in, and then inform the viewer that they weren't going to show that story and proceed to tell an entirely unrelated one.
  • The General on Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines was always heard in inaudible gibberish (his name in a comic book story was in fact General Gibberish) but was never seen on the show.
  • DC Animated Universe:
  • Doug:
    • Principal Buttsavitch. Doug never met the principal in the original series (nor did the audience ever see him), and spent most of the series finale trying to find out what he looked like. (The Disney version had ex-Mayor White serve as principal, and he appeared on camera frequently.)
    • Skunky Beaumont. Often spoken about, never seen, he eventually had one line in one episode. Doug walks by the guidance office and says hi to him, and he replies "Hey Doug". In the Disney series, he made his first on-screen appearance in an early episode and remained a recurring character throughout.
  • In Duck Dodgers, Bugs Bunny is mentioned in a couple of episodes (including one where it's revealed that he got top billing in a movie about Dodgers' life), but he never appeared in the flesh at any point in this show.
  • The parents, Eddy's brother, and Rolf's Nana on Ed, Edd n Eddy. In fact, everyone outside of the core characters. Eddy's brother finally showed up in The Movie.
  • Mateo, the bus driver, from Ellens Acres. Ellen waves goodbye to him at the start of every episode, but we never actually see him.
  • Madame Foster doesn't appear for all of the last few minutes of the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends pilot movie House of Bloo's and is only mentioned by the others, initially leading Bloo to believe she was dead.
  • On Franklin, Great Aunt Harriet is this. She's very important as she's known for giving great presents and serves as the inspiration for the name of the title character's little sister. Additionally, in the Franklin and Friends special "Polar Explorer", she provides a navigation bar that leads Franklin and his parents on an adventure to the North and South Poles. Despite all of this, she is never seen, even in pictures.
  • Leela from Futurama periodically mentions relationship troubles she has with one of her unseen boyfriends (later ex-boyfriend) Sean. He eventually makes a full appearance in Season 7, though.
  • The Garfield Show:
    • "Cat Nap" has Garfield hear a news report on TV about a thief named Silent Jack and mistaking Jon for Silent Jack due to a series of unfortunate circumstances (e.g. Jon having dental work preventing Garfield from recognizing him, Jon losing the keys to his house on the way home). It isn't until the real Silent Jack has successfully robbed the Arbuckle household that Garfield realizes his mistake. Not once is the real Silent Jack ever seen.
    • In "King Nermal", it is mentioned that Nermal has an owner who looks after him when he isn't visiting Garfield. Said owner remains unseen and unidentified. While Nermal was established to belong to Jon's parents in the original comic strip, it's unlikely that either of them are the owner Jon was referring to.
  • Dipper and Mabel's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Pines, in Gravity Falls. They're home in Piedmont, California, and — according to Word of God — blissfully unaware of the bizarre summer their kids are having. We see their arms in the first episode.
  • Lampshaded with boarder Mr. Smith on Hey Arnold!. An entire episode was dedicated to Arnold and Gerald trying to track him down to deliver a package (apparently they had never seen him either). Of course, they were unsuccessful in their attempts.
  • Fight Force are a running gag in Invincible (2021), but are never seen on camera.
  • Justice League Action has many characters who are name-dropped without physically appearing, such as Guy Gardner being mentioned by Batman in "Time Out" as being a victim of one of Booster Gold's pranks, Wonder Woman bringing up Steve Trevor during her date with Superman in "Repulse" and "She Wore Red Velvet" having Booster Gold mistaken for Animal Man and express interest in dating Giganta.
  • Kaeloo has several of these, the most prominent being Stumpy's mom, Stumpy's girlfriend Ursula and Jean Guillaume the psychotherapist.
  • In League of Super Evil we have Voltar's Arch-Nemesis Steve, a mild mannered yet seemingly crabby/annoyed neighbor. Whose catchphrase is "I DON'T CARE" when Voltar brags about his plans to humiliate him. We do see him in one episode, but we only see him with a bucket that fell his head as he walked around dazed.
  • While the Lilo & Stitch franchise established that Jumba made 625 other genetic experiments before Stitch, which the franchise's titular duo capture and rehabilitate in Lilo & Stitch: The Series, only around one hundred were seen between the show, its pilot movie, and its finale. A handful more do show up in the Stitch! anime, but not that much, while Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai doesn't even bother to show any of Stitch's predecessors and instead has Jumba making new ones based on creatures in Chinese Mythology.
    • Jumba also mentions having an ex-wife in The Series, but she never appears. However, we do know what she looks and sounds like thanks to Spooky (Experiment 300) impersonating her in both The Series and the Stitch! anime.
  • The Loud House has Dr. Lopez, the McBride family's therapist. Throughout the series, the McBrides frequently mention her and her advice, but she's never seen in person (although Clyde does dress up as her in "Brawl in the Family").
    • Also, Ronnie Anne, Lincoln's former bully in her first appearance in the episode "Heavy Meddle" is never seen. She wouldn't properly appear until the episode, "Save the Date", where she's revealed to be Bobby's younger sister.
  • Molly of Denali: Throughout "A Little Batty," Leonard, the kid who Randall tutors, is mentioned but never seen.
  • Brad and Tuck's father in My Life as a Teenage Robot. He’s mentioned at least three or four times in the show, and implied to be a very intimidating, unpleasant, no-nonsense type of parent, at least from the brothers' point of view, but he never appears even once.
    • Their grandma is also mentioned without ever actually appearing.
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
    • Starswirl the Bearded is a powerful unicorn wizard who lived at least one thousand years ago.note  He's been referenced in no fewer than five episodes, but never actually seen, even in a flashback. All we know of what he may have looked like comes from Twilight's costume for Nightmare Night and an artistic travelling exhibition poster. He does appear on-screen during flashbacks in one arc of the comic series, however. He finally makes an appearance in the Season 7 finale.
    • AJ's, Apple Bloom's, and Big Mac's Parents are this in the Season 5 episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark". After spending the past five seasons with their whereabouts left completely ambiguous and facing numerous questions of whether or not they actually existed, turns out, they did. Where they are now, is still up in the air. The Season 7 episode "The Perfect Pear" explores their backstory and drops an ambiguous, but still subtle hint as to where they are. They really did exist, but are basically dead, or at least not in the world anymore.
  • The Owl House:
    • Scooter Crane, the head of the Bard Coven at the start of the show, is only ever shown via the stylized banners depicting the coven heads that hang in various public venues. By the time the Coven Heads are properly introduced in "Hunting Palismen", he's already retired from the role and been replaced with Raine.
    • Mildred Featherwhyle is mentioned several times by both Luz and Amity, but the only times the audience gets to see what she looks like is a author photo on the back of their copies of The Good Witch Azura and Tiny Nose pretending to be her as part of Tibbles' scam.
  • The kids' parents in the various Peanuts TV specials are never seen, and their voices are a muffled and unintelligible "wha whao" sound.
  • The Easter Bunny is never seen in Peter and the Magic Egg. All we see is his shadow.
  • Pig City: Mr. and Mrs. DeBoar, Martha and Reggie's parents. They never make an onscreen appearance, and only ever communicate with the voice box located in the house.
  • Several examples in Reboot:
    • The Users only appear as the Player Characters in games — though the User's (slow) keystrokes are heard during the system restore.note 
    • Mouse was a Ghost for a few episodes after first being mentioned.
    • Al of Al's Diner appears on-screen all of once, in "The Great Brain Robbery" — completely tied up in rope except for his feet. All the viewer can deduce from this is that he's a "one" binome. The rest of the time Al is The Voice — a voice that only ever says "WHAT?!"
  • Spinelli's older brothers, Joey and Vito, from Recess. T.J.'s older sister, Becky, started out as one of these, but then made her physical appearance in Recess: School's Out.
  • Rugrats: For the first two seasons, Charlotte Pickles' assistant Johnathan was just a garbled voice on the other end of her cell phone. We finally see him in person in the Season 3 episode "Mommy's Little Assets".
  • Subverted to a large degree on the The Simpsons, where, during the course of its very long run, almost every mentioned character is eventually seen in some form, including parents of minor characters, bosses of companies, low-level employees, even ridiculous characters originally intended simply as one-off verbal jokes. The only exceptions tend to be characters who exist as stereotypes of the standard unseen television character, such as Gil's wife, who berates him over the phone in a cliched sort of way.
    • Perhaps the most notable example is Ken Krabappel, Edna's ex-husband, who never actually appears (and likely never will due to Marcia Wallace's death), but is mentioned in several episodes and was originally supposed to appear in "The War of the Simpsons."
  • In Spider-Man (1981), Harry Osborn is mentioned in the episode "The Vulture Has Landed", but is never physically seen.
  • Spider-Man: The Animated Series mentions the Hulk in some episodes, but couldn't have him make a physical appearance because his rights were tied up by his own cartoon airing on UPN.
  • Steven Universe has the mysterious diamond present at the top of the Diamond Authority symbol (both the old one◊ and the current one) and she has a mural in the moon base◊ alongside her fellow diamonds. She has no confirmed name, although the fanbase has settled on calling her "White Diamond" due to the naming pattern the other three follow, and outside of her mural, we know nothing of her appearance. All we know about her is that she's one of the three current leaders of Homeworld, she was present before the shattering of Pink Diamond, and she's most likely still alive today — However, based on the number of planets she's depicted with on her mural compared to the other members of the authority, still yet to be unveiled proper even over a season after the name drop of Pink Diamond, and what little we've seen of Homeworld including a MASSIVE structure seemingly built in her image, it's very possible she might fall under an oft-connected trope. She finally makes her physical debut in "Legs From Here to Homeworld".
    • Many different types of Gems are mentioned throughout the series, but have yet to be shown, these include Morganites, Pyrites, Micas, Citrines, Beryl’s, Serpentines, etc.
  • Superfriends: The Challenge of the Superfriends episode "Super Friends: Rest in Peace" has Lex Luthor credit an unseen fourteenth member of the Legion of Doom named Dr. Natas as the creator of the Noxium crystal the villains use in their plan to kill the Super Friends. Dr. Natas is never physically seen with the only other detail revealed about him being that he is apparently no longer part of the Legion of Doom.
  • Tangled: The Series: A mastermind known as "The Baron" is referred to all throughout Season 1, and Eugene and Lance have many run-ins with his men. He makes his debut in "Beyond the Corona Walls". And he's Lance Henriksen!
  • Total Drama has its producers. Many characters, including Chris McLean, bring them up on numerous occasions, but they are never seen to the audience.
  • The Trap Door has Berk's boss 'Im Upstairs. Spoken about often, shouts from upstairs, but he's never seen in person. We only get a brief glimpse of him in "The Little Thing" as a flesh-colored sack covered in tentacles.
  • Megatron is treated this way in Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015). While he was the primary antagonist in Transformers: Prime, he never appears onscreen and we receive no update on his current status. In spite of this, he is mentioned in relation to his past and a number Arc Villains are motivated by finding him either for revenge or return him to leadership of the Decepticons.
  • The Weekenders has Chloe Montez, a character who is the alleged victim of a lot of unfortunate events. As a result we never see her, but this is played entirely for laughs with one of the most comical explanations for her absence being that she dressed up as a contact lens for Halloween and fell on the floor so nobody could find her.
  • Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa had a character named Colonel Cudster, who had his own figure in the toyline, but within the series was only mentioned in the episode "Wedding Bull Blues", where it was established that he was Cowlamity Kate's father.

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