Not the first, but should he be the last?

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is designated for the best of the best in Hollywood. Directors, actors, producers and many more grace the streets of Los Angeles have held a place on that seemingly coveted sidewalk.

According to the walk of fame website, in 1978, with the addition of Mickey Mouse, fictional characters began flooding the path with their own stars. Information regarding the characters star can be found at https://walkoffame.com/mickey-mouse/

While Mickey is Disney’s greatest creation, I am in firm belief that fictional characters should be left off of the Walk of Fame.

The characters that we all know and love are what we think about, but the magic comes from the creators and the performers who portray them on our screens, or illustrate them in our books.

Behind every Batman mask, there has to be a Bruce Wayne. Adam West, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and more recently, Robert Pattinson. How could I forget the iconic voice of Batman in a variety of cartoon shows and games, the late Kevin Conroy.

Let the records show that according to the article, “10 Surprises in the Hollywood Walk of Fame Rule Book” which was written by Paul Grein of “Billboard” and published on May 1, 2023, it mentions it only costs $250 every two years to submit your nominee to the committee in order for them to have a star. This tells me that I could toss out my own money to have anyone I choose be a nominee.

In an article titled, “Batman to become first superhero on Hollywood Walk of Fame: See other fictional characters with stars” which was written by Ryan Coleman of Entertainment Weekly and published on Sept. 17, 2024 went over every non actor/director/producer star on the Walk of Fame. They went as far as to even include “honorable mentions,” like the Chevy Suburban.

Really? A car? This is what baffles me. A car can be given a star. In the article, Coleman quotes Hollywood Chamber of Commerce CEO Rana Ghadban, “For six decades the Chevrolet Suburban has been Hollywood’s longest working actor…it has appeared in classic feature films and on must-see television shows.”

So, because a vehicle has been used for decades, it deserves a star? Why not give it to background actors who have appeared in multiple films while you’re at it? How about the Wilhelm scream made famous by the “Star Wars” franchise. Does that deserve a star?

I’m not taking anything away from these beloved characters or any vehicles that you may cherish. I’m simply saying that there are people behind these creations that deserve recognition before anything else. 

These people bring these characters to life. They give us our memories. Our nostalgic love. Without the voices and the illustrations, there is nothing. 

Give these creators and performers their flowers. Don’t overlook them because the real-life aspect isn’t as entertaining.