Childhood comic superheroes stay with you lifelong

Modern teens have grown up with some superheroes who have been around for generations. Superman first appeared in 1938 and the Human Torch and Batman followed a year later.
Flash, Daredevil and Captain Marvel made their debuts in 1940 and in 1962, Thor, Hulk and Spiderman were introduced, with Ironman making his first appeared in 1963.
While these characters have remained popular for decades, there are a handful of superheroes that were designed for children, with softer skills and more cuddly personas.

• Mighty Mouse started as Super Mouse in 1942. In 1955, with his new name, he became more popular and maintained his popularity through 1967. He was in his own comic book for over two decades and returned to TV in the 1980s. He had had super strength (for a mouse) and could fly. His catch-phrase was “Here I am to save the day!” (Mighty Mouse)
• Underdog ran from 1964 to 1967. Like Superman, Underdog would duck into a phone booth before becoming super-strong and able to fly. One of his character traits involved speaking in rhyme, with his most famous statement being, “There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!” (Underdog). A film was released for a more modern audience in 2007.
• Atom Ant was introduced in 1965 by the same company that developed The Flintstones. “His powers mostly consisted of the ability to fly, superspeed, incredible strength, and invulnerability. His catchphrase was ‘Up and at ’em, Atom Ant!’ He was often contacted by the police, who sent him out on an assignment” (Atom Ant). His character was brought back briefly in 2015.
• Super Chicken first flew onto the scene in 1967. He earned his superpowers when he downed a special potion that would give him super-strength (Super Chicken). Both Super Chicken and Atom Ant mocked regular superheroes, especially Batman.

Animals aren’t often considered superheroes, but children growing up in the 1960s learned a lot about the powers that they had in imagination.