Mother's Day (UK) Special: Top 25 All Time Favourite On Screen Mothers

Happy Mothers Day everyone (well for those in the UK at least)! So apart from our own mothers, we have come to know and love the mothers that have been on screen and today we are going to look at my personal favourites. All these mums are totally dedicated to looking after their respective families, do a lot to protect them and have a few things that make them likeable such as a cool attitude towards things, some clever one liners and so much more. All these mothers have been in films, TV shows and video games that I have played/watched and I have come to really like them. All personal preferences as always and these are all mothers that have been acted by someone and are mostly fictional but some may be based on a real person. So let's take a look:

25 - Rosalina (Super Mario)

First appearing in Super Mario Galaxy and becoming a series regular ever since, Rosalina is one mum that will do anything to protect her young Lumas from the forces of evil while also watching over the cosmos. This becomes apparent through her backstory where it turns out she lost her own mum and doesn't want the Lumas to suffer the same fate even as everyone plummets into the massive black hole in Super Mario Galaxy. But nevertheless, she remains to be an adept fighter and will go to great lengths to protect her adoptive family which makes her a great mum.

24 - Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

So before she became power hungry over wanting the Iron Throne, Daenerys was a great mum for her dragons as well as a great leader for the people that followed her. She of course was to have her own child, but lost it and therefore decided to adpot three dragon eggs which upon becoming adults, would give her a tactical advantage against her enemies. Although at least two of the three dragons remain at her side for most of the seires (the other dragon becomes part of the army on the other side of the wall by force), she soon starts to lose control over them. And when she gets killed, one dragon decides to take her body away and destroy the Iron Throne possibly out of hatrid for her turn to being a power hungry killer that poses a threat to the world. Nevertheless, she brought up the dragons to become the beings that they are and managed to do well on that part. Just a shame that she went down the path that she did.

23 - Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo)

Some mothers can be more overprotective than others and this speaks true for Mrs. Jumbo. As an elephant expecting a child, she is of course overjoyed when her child arrives. But because of his big ears, he gets made fun of and humiliated by almost everyone to the point where his mum actually becomes dangerous just to save her own son. That is some determination, but at the same time it shows that she really does care for her son even if her ways are a bit dangerous or life threatening.

22 - Tess Coleman (Freaky Friday)

Not every relationship with your children works out and the same can be said for Tess and her daughter Anna. With both having a pretty difficult relationship to work out, they soon wake up one day to discover that they have taken over each others bodies. In a kind of invasion of privacy, this actually made their relaionship stronger as both came to realise how much they love one another and be more accepting of each others' dreams, goals, values and principles among other things. Its one of the few chick flick films that I enjoyed watching as it shows how bad relaionships can turn good when both sides learn a thing or two about each other. But obviously in this case, its through the means of each others bodies. So yeah Tess is a great mum and played by the wonderful Jamie Lee Curtis.

21 - Kala (Tarzan)

Its not easy being the odd one out when it comes to joining a family, a tribe or in this case a troop. A troop of gorillas of which one decides to adopt a human child. Although definitely up for debate, most of us would assume that Kala did this out of guilt for the loss of her own son or simply because he has no one else. No matter what it is, she remains to be the only gorilla that accepts Tarzan and would go to great lengths to protect him as any mother would do. Though in the end, she knew that she can't keep him forever and he decides that no matter what he does or where he goes, Kala will always be his mum which kind of cemets their relationship. Of course the troop do accept him eventually, but its good when there is someone looking out for you when you are the odd one out in the crowd. Its good.

20 - Ripley (Alien)

So this one was a tricky one to do. You got two species going against one another but in the battle, we realise that both are just trying to protect their young. In the case of Ripley, she seemingly adopts a child she finds in the midst of the battle and protects her at all costs. Whereas the Xenomorph queen is just trying to protect her young, but is doing it in a way that dooms the humans. So yeah of course Ripley wants to destory them, but at the same time the Xenomorphs are just trying to survive. Regardless and as much as I love the aliens in action, Ripley is the better mum in this case. She kills the other side because their way of survival is by killing humans to save their species. So yeah arguably the best mum of the two in this case.

19 - Skyler White (Breaking Bad)

Its not easy being a mum when you have a husband who is secretly becoming a drug kingpin, a teenage boy with cerebral palsy (and believe it or not, the actual actor has that himself) and a baby daughter. Yeah its a bit much to take in, but Skyler seems to just go with the flow. When she hears about the drugs, rather than have nothing to do with it, she decides to join Walter while both keep it a secret from their children and extended family. She cares a lot for her children and even tried to give her son a decent first car (though he decided he wanted something different in the end). And despite the secret her husband had being found out, she decided that as he was nearing death he can see their daughther. A mum that just accepts that it is what it is, may be one that is too passive than others. But often most mums would not consider the reality of the situation and that's good.

18 - Debbie Wolowitz (The Big Bang Theory)

One of the best things about The Big Bang Theory is the parents of the main characters. You got Sheldon's mum who is a no nonsence and loyal to god person. You got Leonard's mum who is estranged to her son and thinks very little of him until the final season. You got Raj's mum who is often very critical of his actions and can sometimes take it out on both him and the father. And then finally there is Howard's mum who for the entire series is unseen and you only hear the voice. Every time, it is very funny and comes across as if she is being very protective of him and treats him still like a child. But I think we can all agree that when the actress passed away, so did part of the show that made it so funny to begin with and they even do an episode that addresses her passing which is done in a very respectable but still funny way. Some mums are best left unseen, but the voice and what she said were the things that made her such a great mum to begin with. Oh and the picture above is her actress Carol Ann Susi who passed away from cancer. Still a great lady with a lot of personality.

17 - Lois Griffin (Family Guy)

Lois Griffin once had it all. She came from a rich family and would have gone on to become a rich lady herself. But she made the bold move to give that all up to raise a family with one Peter Griffin. Giving up something so great to do this is such a bold move and people who realise that its the right thing to do, pretty much gain my respect instantly. She's a gret mum that puts up with so much like a husband who is bizzare and mad, a son who has issues, a daughter who gets abused and is often the butt of everyone's jokes, a baby son who at first wants to destroy everything but slowly turns into a campy character who did good and a talking drunk dog. Yeah its a lot, but she manages to keep the family together and is one of those hard working mums. So yeah.

16 - Delia Ketchum (Pokemon)

Lots of people these days hate the anime we got with Pokemon because of the main character not aging at all among other issues. But many of us forget that Ash's mum was the one that got him ready for the big wide world of Pokemon and although he probably should have stayed at home because well he is 10 YEARS OLD AND NOT AGING AT ALL EVEN AFTER HAVING TWO BIRTHDAYS!!!!, she did well in raising him. Now of course she didn't leave her son entirely as she does pop up now and again (even playing a big part in the third film), but a mum who is ready to let go is one mum who is confident, loving, caring and did well.

15 - Queen Elinor (Brave)

I do hate it when you have a character like Elinor who wants her children to uphold the family's values and principles which often leads into many confrontations. But many of us forget that mum's do these things to protect their young and throughout Brave, she and Merida slowly start to see eye to eye and bond to the point where in her bear form, Elinor would go out of her way to protect her children. A mum with determination, but perhaps should take a step back and let her young choose the path they want to take just as long as they are happy.

14 - Morticia (The Addams Family)

While there isn't as much positivity with the new film than there was for most of their other appearances, The Addams Family are still a great family with a mother who is just so good to watch. Morticia just wants what is best for her family and will go to great lengths to do that, even though she has a thing for the dramatic. She loves her children, her husband and her many relatives and will happily play victim alongside them. Very devoted and one mum that is just so good.

13 - Lois (Malcom in the Middle)

Looking after four troubled boys is no easy task for someone like Lois. I mean you got one that keeps causing trouble and had to be sent to a military camp to learn a thing or two. Then you got another one who lacks any common sense and causes gleeful trouble at the cost of being the butt of his family's jokes. Then there's the third son who has issues fitting in but nevertheless is very smart. Then there's the fourth son who is actually willing to endure the abuse of his brothers despite his intelligence and a gift for music. Finally there is the fifth son that we see much later on in the series who picks up all the habits of his brothers and is the only one that has been able to defeat Lois. And then there is her husband Hal who much like the other mothers on this list, is lovable, but not very helpful. All this plus a neighbourhood that hates her and her family. Well this is one lady that puts up with so much and manages to keep everyone in check especially when they all misbehave. This is one mum that doesn't take any prisoners and no doubt runs the family with an iron fist. Better watch out for this one.

12 - Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

Although not neccessarily a bad thing, anime is widely known for their long story arcs that can last up to twenty or more episodes. Most of the Dragon Ball shows are no exception to this and while the likes of Goku and Gohan go out to defeat villains like Frezia, left at home is Chi-Chi who is Goku's wife and Gohan's mother. Kind of nice that there is always someone to go back to after what feels like a hard days work and she's always wanting the best for them and probably enjoys being the stay at home mother. Of course she isn't the only female character that our heroes have an affection to, but she is the one that is actually a mother and does well to be paitent with her people which is something that many people need in some of their people. A good role model me thinks.

11 - Meg Altman (Panic Room)

Being divorced and left with the custody of her one and only daughter who has diabetes isn't easy for one Meg Altman. A challenge that becomes more difficult when you get burglars entering the place. So they go into a panic room and Meg does all she can to protect her daughter like any mother would do. Interestingly, this role was originally given to Nicole Kidman before Jodie Foster took over and I think the film makers did well there to cast her. Strong, determined to protect her daughter and stays with her for a majority of the film. This is one mother that knows how to be one and that's good enough for me.

10 - Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

Moving on to more video game mothers and here we have Mortal Kombat's Sonya Blade. Now some of you might be thinking why in a universe where everyone keeps dying through the namesake would have a child. Well it actually comes from the story that Netherealm went with when they rebooted the series. The story that saw Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade have a daughter together. An unlikely duo to be doing that sort of thing and yet they did it even though the pair became seperated for a time. But onto the actual mother side of it, she was for a while very distant from her daughter Cassie which led to Johnny divorcing her as a result. But as Cassie came to understand about what her parents do, Sonya helped train her alongside Johnny presumably as a way to make amends for not being there for her all this time. So yeah maybe not the best of role models, but at least she managed to have Cassie became much like her so in a way she was her mother if only for a few years of her life and would make the ultimate sacrifice later on in the reboot timeline of the games.

9 - The Sole Survivor (Fallout)

At the start of Fallout 4, players can choose between a man and a woman to be the sole survivor. While not many things change regardless of the choice, I decided as its a mother's day top 25, the sole survivor should be female. For the whole game, she would do whatever she could to get one step closer to finding her son. As the game is driven by the decisons the player makes, its really down to them as to whether they want the sole survivor to reunite with her son or betray him for the sake of saving the world. Whatever you choose, its a mother who just wants her family back and would go to great lengths to do so taking in as much radiation as necessary and with as much inventory as she can carry (personally I spend most of my playthrough with her having power armor, the most useful of items and weapons but outside of the armor wearing little to nothing due to some mods that I used).

8 - Joyce Byers (Stranger Things)

Of course I wouldn't complete a list like this without having one of the mothers from Stranger Things and the one I went with was the obvious one, Joyce. For the whole of season one, she would stop at nothing to try and get her son back from the upside down and she did just that. Then for the rest of the show, she would continue to protect her children and maintain a close relationship whether it be friendship or something more with Jim Hopper. Though in the end (well as far as season three at least), she and the family along with the newly adopted Eleven would move away from Hawkins to start fresh elsewhere. She is very determined, does what she must do to protect her young and even without a husband, she manages to do just fine on her own even if her anger and weird shinanigans get the better of her.

7 - Sarah Conner (Terminator)

For much of the Terminator films, we hear names like John Conner and his mum Sarah Conner. We learn that she is the mother of what would become her son as well as the leader in a resistance to the machines at a point in time where they would basically take over the world. His father happens to be Kyle Reese who followed the titular Terminator in an attempt to protect Sarah. The pair would eventually do the hanky panky which leads to John's conception. But its really the second film where Sarah tries all she can to be a mother to her son despite being deemed mentally insane (though to be honest when people claim things like machines will take over can be considered as such). She eventually reclaims John back and throughout the film, tries to keep him safe and even allows him to bond with the new Terminator who was sent to keep them safe. So yeah not too bad for a mother who is trying to do what she can to protect her young. But obviously she isn't a role model for mothers due to how she goes about it. Still badass though.


6 - Clementine (TellTale's The Walking Dead)

The Walking Dead is home to a number of mothers and I feel that in a setting like that, its never easy. They can't live the life that their parents had prior to the apocalypse and as far as schooling them is concerned, its almost certainly non existant because of what has happened. With the only thing those young ones learning about is how to survive. But its even more bad for Clementine who is stuck looking after AJ when his mother Rebecca passes away. Its because of this that for the rest of the video game series, Clem does all she can to look after him going as far to give him a name and have him learn to survive. And although AJ has made some mistakes, he greatly sees her as a mother and even attempted to save her on at least one or two occasions. Not wanting to be one herself is one thing, but at least she did it to honour the memory of AJ's real parents so that's good enough for me.

5 - Miss Jennifer Honey (Matilda)

Its never nice when the parents of a child like Matilda abuse her to the point of not getting her and not allowing her to get an education (which I think can be illegal in most places). But when she goes to school, her teacher Miss Honey becomes a more motherly figure to her than her parents ever did. She saw how smart she was, how she can cause a bit of mischief without laying a finger and even invited her to tea one time while also letting her into a secret. In the end, Miss Honey got Matilda as a daughter and the pair become inseperable. Believing in what you children can do is one way to being a great parent and recognising how smart they are and their personalites is also pretty good too. She's one good mum I'd say.

4 - Marge (The Simpsons)

Much like with the two Lois characters, Marge is also another mum who puts up with so much. A troublesome but special little child, an intelligent but sometimes too smart for her own good daughter, a pacifer sucking baby, a dog and a cat who are there at times and a husband whose brain is the size of a peanut (though some theorists say otherwise). That's a lot to handle and for a good chuck of the still ongoing series, Marge does it well. Always makes sure her children are ready to go to school, shows concern when things go bad for her family and although often has the wrong answers, she does tend to be the voice of reason some of the time. A hard working mum indeed, but maybe should start stepping in more when the husband strangles the son.

3 - Toriel (UnderTale)

Toriel may not be a mum at heart, but very early on in UnderTale she wants the child to stay with her. But the child doesn't want that and so Toriel goes to great lengths to tell the child to stay, even going into a battle when doing it. One of the toughest things for any mum is to let go of her children when they are all grown up and ready for the big wide world and I get this with Toriel. She is worried about what the child will encounter and whether the child will be ready for all of that. But in the end, the child is free from her regardless of whether she dies at the child's hands or you are able to convince her otherwise. She's a great mum. Just a shame the child's time with her was short lived.

2 - Elastigirl (The Incredibles)

Next from the hard working mums is Helen Parr otherwise known as Elastigirl. During a time where Mr. Incredible wants to relive the glory days, he neglects his family which causes Elastigirl to look after the family and puts a strain on their relationship. The strain becomes bigger thoughout the first film, but its ultimately reignited when she goes to save her husband despite two of her three children tagging along. Then I guess for the rest of the time, its 50/50 once again. But teaching her kids about the cruel island they were on and that they need to use their powers for their own safety not to mention trying to keep the family together, just goes to show how much a family means to her and that she will do anything to protect them.

Honourable Mentions:

• Andy's Mom (Toy Story)
• Bambi's Mom (Bambi)
• Leia Organa (Star Wars)
• Wilma (The Flintstones)

1 - Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)

Molly is in my opinion the best mum of the list. She has seven children of different ages to contend with and a husband who works at the Ministry of Magic who is facinated with Muggle artifacts. Some of the stuff she has done to be such a great mum includes going to great lengths to have Percy come home despite his conflict of where his allegiances lie, taking on and defeating Belletrix when she tries to kill her one and only daughter and even though they are not related, she also looks after both Harry and Hermione likely due to the former's mistreatment from the Dursleys and the latter's parents both being Muggles. Loving, caring, putting up with so much and never one to back down easily from a fight, Molly is a great mum and even a great grandmother too.

So happy mothers day to all mothers alive and all mothers who are no longer with us. Feel free to leave your favourites down in the comments below and have a good day.