Gloria

This is a list of characters from the DreamWorks Animation franchise of Madagascar films and TV shows.

Tom McGrath explained in an interview that the intention of Madagascar was not to take a political stance on whether "zoos are bad and the wild is better, or that the wild is bad", but to show "the most extreme 'fish out of water' story that (they) could do". McGrath stated "the basic irony to the story is that, you think animals do belong in the wild, but if they're so accustomed to civility, they wouldn't know where food even came from", and the animals were meant to "love the zoo and to love where they are because they've got" 5,000 square feet (460 m2) "right off Fifth Avenue".

McGrath also described, during the research of Madagascar, they "found these crazy, weird animals that were already cartoons in their own right."

Alex (born Alakay; voiced by Ben Stiller in films and TV specials, Wally Wingert in first video game, spin-offs, Ride Attractions, Quinn Dempsey Stiller as a cub, Declan Swift as a cub, Crispin Freeman in second and third video games, All Hail King Julien, DreamWorksTV Animations, Ride Attractions, Commercials, and Tucker Chandler as cub in A Little Wild) is a male, happy-go-lucky African lion who is best friends with Marty, a Plains zebra. He is the star attraction at zoo but learns to adapt to the wild. A dancer by nature, Alex often impresses others with his aerobatic feats. He does tend to be a little self-absorbed, often not seeing the problems of others above his own.

As a cub, Alex was born on an African wildlife reserve, and was named Alakay. He was the only son of the alpha lion, Zuba, and was constantly given lessons on hunting, though he displayed no interest in the activity. During one of these lessons, Alex was captured by poachers, but the crate he was contained in fell into a river and eventually floated to New York City.

Marty (voiced by Chris Rock in films and TV specials, Phil LaMarr in video games, Thomas Stanley as a foal, and Amir O'Neil as a foal in A Little Wild) is a male Plains zebra who used to live at the Central Park Zoo, and is a best friend of Alex. He once had an iPod before Alex accidentally broke it. Marty likes seaweed on a stick.

Marty is a hopeless optimist; he usually sees the brighter side of many things, taking every situation in stride. He strives to be unique, which proves difficult when he meets his own kind in Africa, who look and act almost exactly the same. Marty is best friends with Alex and the two are rarely at odds. His carefree lifestyle tends to get on the nerves of his friends, but mostly serves to impress them; he is the one who helps hold the group together when things seem to get down.

Melman Mankiewicz III (voiced by David Schwimmer in films and TV specials, Stephen Stanton in video games, Zachary Gordon as a calf, and Luke Lowe as a calf in A Little Wild) is a male reticulated giraffe. He is a hypochondriac, having doses of medicine for meals and doctor's appointments frequently. He dreams of being a doctor and has a secret crush on Gloria.

Gloria (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith in films and TV specials, Bettina Bush in video games, Willow Smith as a calf, and Shaylin Becton as a calf in A Little Wild) is a female hippopotamus who resided in the Central Park Zoo as an attraction, all the while being good friends with Alex, Marty, Melman, and becoming the Melman's girlfriend as of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

The penguins are a group of NYC adélie penguin (and maybe hybridized with royal penguins since adélie penguins lack white faces and orange beaks) spies. Skipper is a major character in the films, but Kowalski, Rico, and Private are supporting characters and don't talk much until The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper. All four penguins have major roles in the first sequel and supporting roles in the second sequel, then later get their own TV Series and film.

Skipper (voiced by Tom McGrath) is the leader of the penguins and is the main character in the TV show. His head is flatter than those of the other three penguins. Like the rest of the penguins, no idea what is expected of the penguin species, other than to "smile and wave."

Kowalski (voiced by Chris Miller in films and other media, and Jeff Bennett in The Penguins of Madagascar) is second-in-command and the tallest of the penguins, forming plans for the group and usually taking notes for Skipper. When Skipper is absent, he takes charge and his rank is First lieutenant. He tends to overanalyze situations. Often formulating plans for the group, Kowalski is a loyal supporter of his leader, Skipper.

Rico (voiced by Jeffrey Katzenberg in Madagascar, Fred Tatasciore in the second video game, John DiMaggio in The Penguins of Madagascar series, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, and Conrad Vernon in Penguins of Madagascar film) is third-in-command of the penguins. He's a mute penguin, usually communicating by making unintelligible vocals. He is similar in physical features to the other penguins in the movies, but he has a tuft of feathers shaped