The Proud Family was a Disney original series that followed Penny Proud and her family — her parents Trudy and Oscar, her twin siblings Bebe and Cece and her grandmother Suga Mama — as they navigated life in all its hilarious glory. The series ran from 2001 to 2005 and was a huge success at the time of its release, eventually becoming one of the most popular shows ever to be released by Disney. What’s more, The Proud Family was heralded as one of the best Black animated TV shows in history (via The Root). The cast was nominated for a number of awards and wound up winning the BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Animated Series, among others. However, perhaps the highest praise given to the show: this past Halloween, musical legend Beyoncé and her family dressed up as the Proud family (via Instagram).
Since the release of the revival series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, currently heading into season 2, fans new and old are tuning into the original series to see the beginnings of some of their favorite characters and how far they’ve come. The Proud Family is jam-packed with realistic, lovable, and funny characters. Between the very cartoony Gross Sisters and the ridiculous antics of Oscar, there is no shortage of characters who are sure to tickle your funny bone and leave you laughing out loud. These are the funniestcharacters in The Proud Family, ranked.
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6 The Gross Sisters
Disney
While the Gross Sisters act as the antagonists in The Proud Family, this does not make their presence any less humorous. Between their monochromatic appearance and their identical outfits, the Gross Sisters are led by the middle sister Nubia, who is the only one among them who can talk. While the sisters often bully other students, their persistence leads to a number of plans that they concoct, which often end up going wrong. Their catchphrase alone of “Hands up. Cash out.” is a laugh in and of itself, only adding to their unique brand of comedy throughout the show.
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5 Bobby Proud
Bobby Proud (played by Cedric the Entertainer) is Oscar’s older brother, who pops up throughout The Proud Family. Oscar butts heads with him mainly because Bobby is favored by their parents. That being said, Bobby is not as intelligent as Oscar and is a complete failure, but manages to have the love of his parents. Bobby typically sings everything he says, except when no one around likes his singing. He carries a microphone with him all the time, and has a car that can transform into a mailbox so that he can avoid parking tickets. While Bobby’s presence on the show is somewhat fleeting, as he is simply a recurring character, fans enjoy his ridiculousness and the sibling rivalry that arise between Oscar and Bobby.
4 Papi Boulevardez
Papi Boulevardez (Alvaro Guttierez) is LaCienega’s abuelo and is the father of her father Felix. Papi also serves as a love interest to Penny’s grandma Suga Mama, something to which he is indifferent. Despite the fact that Suga Mama often spends time with Papi, his comments in Spanish make the audience aware that he doesn’t enjoy spending time with her and would prefer to pursue other women. He always bursts into laughter when making a rude comment in Spanish about Suga Mama, knowing that she can’t understand him. Part of what makes him such a hilarious character is the fact that he only speaks Spanish and that most of the characters on-screen can’t seem to understand him, giving him the confidence to say whatever he wants, no matter how rude.
3 Dijonay Jones
Dijonay Jones (Karen Malina White) is a regular character on The Proud Family and one of Penny’s oldest and closest friends. Known for her sassy and often over-enthused attitude, Dijonay is a loyal friend, but often succumbs to her impulses, causing her to ditch her friends for a “better cause” on multiple occasions. One of Dijonay’s greatest weaknesses is gossip, which has gotten her and her friends into trouble, leading Penny to ultimately losing trust in her. Dijonay’s loud-mouthed personality is the source of many laughs as she is unafraid to voice her opinions, bringing a wonderful atmosphere to the series. Between being captain of the cheer squad and babysitting her nine siblings, Dijonay still manages to find time to be the life of the party throughout the series.
2 Oscar Proud
One of the main sources of laughs throughout The Proud Family is Oscar (Tommy Davidson), Penny’s father. Oscar is considered a failure by many as his factory, Proud Snacks, makes anyone who eats them sick. His over-protectiveness of Penny annoys and embarrasses her beyond all reason, with the only saving grace being her mother Trudy’s leniency. Oscar does his best to be a good father and succeed with his business, but despite his efforts, he still always manages to make a fool of himself in one way or another. Oscar’s personality leads him to get into trouble all the time, which is the source of much of the show’s conflict.
1 Suga Mama
Undoubtedly the funniest and arguably the best character on the show is Penny’s grandmother and Oscar’s mother, Suga Mama (Jo Marie Payton). Suga Mama is known for her blunt comments and her sassiness. She often insults her son, making jokes at his expense and even goes as far as to beat him up, but she still loves him. Despite her age, which is unknown, Suga Mama can still hold her own. Between her ability to fall asleep in the loudest conditions and her constant badgering of Oscar, Suga Mama is one of the greatest characters on The Proud Family.
