Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable. According to the 1995 feature film Casper, his family name is McFadden, making his “full” name Casper McFadden.

Given that Casper is depicted as a ghostly little boy, it is a source of controversy by fans of the series in regards to the question of whether or not he is, in fact, a dead child. Early Casper cartoons seemed to suggest this, as they portrayed him “living” beside a gravestone. Specifically, the short There’s Good Boos To-Night featured Ferdie, a fox befriended by Casper coming back from the dead as a ghost. Casper’s death (as well as the reason why he became friendly) has become disputed since then.