It’s very, very rare for a character to become a fan favorite overnight, let alone if they are not canon to a series that has been around for 83 years. It’s even rarer for that character to be part of that canon and become a beloved fan favorite. Today we are saying Happy Birthday to Harley Quinn who turns 30 this year.

She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for the iconic Batman: The Animated Series that also turns 30. She was the comic relief henchwoman and main squeeze to The Joker and her first appearance was in the episode “Joker’s Favor.” It was said by Dini himself that seeing his college friend Arleen Sorkin playing a jester on Days of Our Lives, that part was the basis for Harley Quinn and Sorkin voiced her in the animated series and other Batman-related projects from 1992 till 2011 in the MMO DC Universe Online which would be the last time before her death in 2012.

Harley wasn’t part of the main DC Universe comic canon until 1999 with Batman: Harley Quinn #1 and she never looked back. Over the years she went from supervillain to antihero, not only that but becoming an icon in pop culture in many ways and also in other communities such as the LGBTQ with her relationship with Poison Ivy, and every one support that relationship, well not everyone (Warner Bros).

Happy Birthday to Harley Quinn in her special way.