13 More Behind-the-Scenes Beginnings of Iconic SNL Characters

After being on the air for nearly half of a century, you know that there are even more iconic characters from SNL than just the ones we at Cracked already covered? Whether it is an ongoing character or just one distinct performance within a single sketch, comedy fans debate and laugh about several great characters from Saturday Night Live. But how did the writers come up with them? What’s the story behind the creation of such oddball roles for this late night sketch show?

What's up with Keenan Thompson’s Diondre Cole? What happened at Target that inspired Kristen Wiig’s Target Lady? Tom Hanks’ performance as David S. Pumpkins? “Any questions?” YES, PLENTY!  Don't fret - we got you.

Some of these characters were lifted from real life experiences, imagined after a few different drafts of a sketch, or just manifested out of pure desperation. Here are some of the origin stories behind your favorite SNL characters.