Phineas and Ferb is a well-known and beloved Disney cartoon from the late 2000s and early 2010s. With four seasons of content, this series has gone through 129 episodes, with 222 different stories inside of them. If you’ve never watched the series, it follows the two young siblings, Phineas and Ferb, trying to entertain themselves and their friends during the summer break. Of course, what they do isn’t typical summer fun. The pair invent wild and wacky ways to keep everyone entertained all within the confines of their backyard. Their older sister, Candace, seems intent on getting them in trouble for it, but somehow it’s always cleaned up before their mom can come home and see it.
The series was immensely popular, earning it crossovers with other Disney properties such as Marvel and Star Wars. It also had two movies made with its characters, and two related shows in the same universe. Recently, however, Disney announced a revival of the show, ordering two new seasons. Though it’s unclear where the show will pick up for these two seasons, if there’s one thing for sure, it never hurts to learn about or remind yourself of the characters and cast, so you know what to look forward to.
10 Phineas (Vincent Martella)
Phineas Flynn, voiced by Vincent Martella, is the outgoing, extroverted brother. He seems to always have the ideas for their summer fun as well, as his classic line is “Ferb, I know what we’re going to do today!” Phineas is easily recognizable in this cartoon style, as he has a distinctive triangle-shaped head and an orange-and-white striped shirt. Both brothers are still young throughout the series, not even old enough to be considered pre-teens, and yet they are smarter than most people in the tri-state area.
However, Phineas doesn’t hold this above anyone, as he is always friendly and willing to help. This even extends to his sister, Candace, despite her constant attempts to get them in trouble for the type of dangerous fun they keep getting themselves into. With continuously creative and wacky ideas, it seems there is no limit to what his brain can come up with.
9 Ferb (Thomas Brodie-Sangster)
Ferb Fletcher, voiced by Thomas Brodie-Sangster, is the opposite of Phineas when it comes to personality. Ferb is often silent, using symbols like a thumbs up or a head shake to communicate. At least once an episode, however, he will speak a single line, usually something profound about their experience, or something that completes the wild day they just had. He’s easy to recognize from his green hair, purple clothing, and F-shaped head.
Despite being a half-brother to both Phineas and Candace, who are full siblings, there’s no difference in the family dynamics or relationships. Ferb is just as smart as Phineas too, especially for their young age, though he usually does the building rather than the inventing. Despite his lack of communication, it’s clear at one point in the series that Ferb develops a crush on Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, one that eventually ends in their relationship together.
8 Perry the Platypus (Dee Bradley Baker)
Dee Bradley Baker voices Perry the Platypus, though you might not notice. He’s not a talking platypus after all, despite being more than a normal animal. Perry is part-time pet of Phineas and Ferb, part-time secret agent. While at home he acts like a normal platypus, and the family is none the wiser to his alter ego. However, there are secret entrances hidden all over the house to take Perry down to his secret spy lair, where he will be debriefed on a mission to stop his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, from completing his evil plan.
In this version you’ll find the only visual difference is usually him walking on two feet instead of all four, along with wearing a brown fedora. Surprisingly, however, is how well-versed he is in technology and combat, as he seems to always know the perfect way to get into Doofenshmirtz’s lair, as well as fighting against him and putting an end to his daily scheme.
7 Dr. Doofensmirtz (Dan Povenmire)
Dan Povenmire is not just one of the creators of the show, but he also voices the evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz. With his triangle-shaped head and signature lab coat, he’s hard to miss. That, along with the penthouse apartment he lives in that has “Doofensmirtz Evil Incorporated” written on the side of it. Doofensmirtz always has a trap laid for Perry, expecting his arrival with every odd invention he makes. However, none of them ever seem to work, as Perry eventually manages to break out and stop his plans.
His evil nature is due to various childhood trauma issues, and as such his brother Roger, the mayor of the city, sometimes ends up as his target. When Perry inevitably foils his plans, his inventions are often what helps Phineas and Ferb’s inventions disappear from their yard before their mom can see them.
6 Candace (Ashley Tisdale)
Ashley Tisdale voices Candace Flynn, sister to Phineas and half-sister to Ferb. She’s older than the boys, shown as somewhere in her teens from her demeanor. You’ll recognize her from her long orange hair, pink shirt, and white skirt. As the eldest, Candace is often left in charge while their parents are out of the house for the day, and it’s a responsibility she takes seriously.
She thinks a lot of these inventions Phineas and Ferb make are dangerous and tries to bust them, aka get them in trouble for their work, but it never pans out. Sometimes, though, she gets pulled into their inventions instead, whether finally letting go and enjoying herself or because it was specifically built for her. Occasionally, we’ll also see her best friend, Stacy, who seems to help calm her down and enjoy herself. She also has a crush on Jeremy, a boy from her school who also lives in the neighborhood, and gets pulled into some of the boy’s activities as well, forcing Candace to pretend that she also enjoys what they are doing.
5 Isabella (Alyson Stoner)
“Whatcha doin’?” is Isabella’s signature line, and it comes straight from Alyson Stoner. She’s one of the neighborhood kids who is Phineas and Ferb’s age, as well as one of their friends. She often comes over while the boys are in the middle of building, during which they explain what they’re doing. If she’s not in her signature pink, she’s never seen without some kind of bow in her hair. This is especially true for her Fireside Girls uniform, which is seen sometimes when the plot calls for it.
The biggest reason Isabella is over all the time is because she has a big crush on Phineas — one it seems everyone notices but him. Still, she’s determined to keep trying no matter what he says, and in the episode “Act Your Age” we see he finally realizes it, and they share a kiss, signaling the beginning of their relationship.
4 Baljeet (Maulik Pancholy)
Maulik Pancholy voices Baljeet, another friend of Phineas and Ferb who is around their age. Baljeet fills a lot of the typically nerdy stereotypes as he seems to be upset that he’s not at school, is often talking about math or science, and even constantly wears overalls. Still, he’s a good friend, and between him and the brothers, they help each other out a lot when they get into tough situations.
Sometimes this means the brothers help him with an ambitious project, as seen in “Unfair Science Fair,” and other times it means he is quick to do the math they ask him to do for their projects. He often lands the comedic relief role as well, especially as one of the few kids who doesn’t seem fond of summer break.
3 Buford (Bobby Gaylor)
Bobby Gaylor plays Buford, the neighborhood bully. He looks the part too, feeling like a stereotypical bully with his short hair and skull shirt. Originally, he was hanging around because he found Phineas and Baljeet easy bullying targets. However, when Phineas decided to invite him to join them, believing Buford was simply lonely, he kept his rough exterior but became a member of the friend group.
Though this is a part of it, the main reason he bullies is a different story. He used to be weak, but after a bully threatened to steal and eat his pet fish, Buford grew mad enough to take that bully down, putting himself on the top of the totem pole. He follows a strict code he made for himself as well, proving he’s not a total jerk and showing how he can turn around with the help of a couple of friends by his side.
2 Linda (Caroline Rhea)
Linda Flynn-Fletcher is voiced by Caroline Rhea. As the mother of Candace and Phineas, and stepmother to Ferb, you might think she would have a lot on her plate. However, she’s usually not home during the episodes, with various excuses keeping her out. This could be anything from a simple shopping trip to entire events with her friends.
Since she’s gone so often she leaves Candace in charge and subsequently finds herself interrupted during all of these trips as Candace tries to get her home to see what Phineas and Ferb are doing. She never does quite catch them, however, and simply waves whatever story Candace had come up with a way to ask everyone if they want snacks. Though we do know some of her backstory, like how she used to be a popular singer, it’s unclear who the biological father of Candace and Phineas is.
1 Major Monogram (Jeff “Swampy” Marsh)
The other creator of the show, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, lends his voice to Major Monogram. He runs the Organization Without a Cool Acronym (OWCA), which is a spy organization entirely made up of animals. In fact, it seems the only humans there are himself and his intern, Carl. As Perry’s boss, he almost always is the one to give Perry his debriefing on what Doofenshmirtz is doing and where he is doing it, then giving him his orders to put a stop to it.
He’s always wearing the same uniform and usually has white hair and a white mustache, despite some episodes making jokes about both of them being fake. It’s clear Monogram has some unresolved childhood trauma too, as he often mentions his father forcing him into a school only referenced as The Academy, but instead of letting it turn him evil, he rose through the ranks at the OWCA to command the animal agents and fight back against evildoers in the area.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
