It’s been 30 years since we first saw Harley Quinn. Since then her popularity has risen to a height that’s on par-if not larger than-her ex-boysfriend, the Joker’s, own fame. From Animated shows, to big budget movies, to getting her own comic, to cosplay and fan art; everyone loves Harley Quinn. This year marks her 30th anniversary and DC is celebrating all things Harley “outside the Javis Center in New York City, for New York Comic Con attendees and Harley Quinn fans to get free Harley Quinn comics, swag, and breakfast, as well as cupcakes to celebrate,” according to comicsbeat.com. So here at Fanboys we thought we’d fill you in on all the things all Fanboys should know about the iconic Harley Quinn.
Fun facts about Harley Quinn
She was a cartoon first. Harley Quinn first appeared on September 11th, 1992 on Batman: The Animated Series Episode #22 titled “Joker’s Favor“. Intended to appear in just one episode, she soon became a recurring character in the series.
She was the Joker’s psychiatrist. It’s how they met. Not exactly the most ideal meet-cute, but Harley met Joker during a stay in Arkham Asylum. She was his psychiatrist and, over time, found herself falling for the clown.
She has super powers. You need a pretty big personality to overshadow any superpower you have. I mean, does anyone ever get close to Clark Kent because of his sense of humor? Well no. But Harley is a legit superhero, but it seems that she’s more defined by her own brand of crazy. She got them from a serum that Poison Ivy gave her while nursing her back to health inside a toxic waste dump. Harley Quinn’s powers include super strength, agility, and an immunity to toxins and acid. Which brings us to our next point…
Joker’s just not her type. After realizing how toxic the Joker really is, Harley broke it off with “Mr. J.” Since then she’s had a popular on again-off again relationship with Poison Ivy. Remember that immunity we talked about earlier? Well that definitely comes into play when flirting with a person whose kiss could literally kill. Her dating relationships include: Red Tool, Catwoman, Lobo, Nightwing and even the Caped Crusader himself. It’s hard to really keep track due to out-of-continuity storyline, the existence of the multi-verse, and the like. Nevertheless, her and Poison Ivy continue to be a popular pair.
Harley is partly based on a soap opera star. “Harley Quinn creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm recalled a scene in the soap opera Days of Our Lives where actress Arleen Sorkin dressed as a court jester. From there, the two created a character meant to look and sound exactly like Sorkin, as they decided that her personality was a perfect match for the Harley Quinn that they wanted to create.”-screenrant.com
She’s half jewish. “She was written as a Jewish character, too (hence her Brooklyn accent), often uttering Yiddishkeit words like “plotz.” As Sorkin put it, “At least we know the Joker isn’t an anti-Semite!” According to JeworNotJew.com, she’s half-Jewish and half-Catholic.”-thetalko.com
In 30 years, Harley Quinn has evolved into more than just a one-note character. Since her debut she’s grown and changed and often grapples with her choices. She’s everyone’s favorite anti-hero and it’s exciting to see her his this 30 year milestone!