This is a list of characters that have appeared in the Madagascar films and the television series The Penguins of Madagascar.

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."

Alakay "Alex" is a lion and the main protagonist of the films. He is voiced by Ben Stiller in the film series and by Wally Wingert in the games. Alex is headstrong, the de facto leader of his friends and is best friends with Marty (Zebra). He is used to the life of comfort in the zoo, but learns to adapt to the wild. He's smart, quick thinking and fast on his feet. He is a dancer by nature, often impressing others with his aerobatic feats. He does tend to be a little self-absorbed, often not seeing the problems of others above his own.

Alex is a common English name, usually a diminutive of the male given name Alexander, whose female equivalent is Alexandra. The East European male name Alexey (Aleksei, Alexis) is also sometimes shortened to Alex.

Mad or MAD may refer to:

Alex Parks (born Alexandra Rebecca Parks, 26 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for winning Fame Academy in 2003, for her singles, and for the albums, Introduction and Honesty. One of the contestants of the popular BBC Television show "Fame Academy" was Alex Parks, who was supposed to go to clown school, however her father had entered her into the Fame Academy show instead. Alex went on to win Fame Academy. The grand prize consisted of a record deal, a fancy car and an apartment in Notting Hill, London. Soon after winning Fame Academy, Alex released her first album entitled "Introduction", which went double platinum in the United Kingdom and gold in several other European countries. In 2005 she released her second album entitled "Honesty". Alex had several disagreements with her record label, Polydor, UK and she decided to put a stop to her music career.

Parks was born in 1984, the youngest of four children. She was born and grew up in the village of Mount Hawke, Cornwall. She went to college at The Hub in St Austell and studied theatre studies, dance, acrobatics and clowning. In 2003 when she was 19, her father entered her into BBC television talent competition Fame Academy which she eventually won.

Justin Drew Bieber ( /ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər, born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid. Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP My World, followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100.