# Can anyone name a cartoon where the characters change clothes like normal people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583 "2018-02-10T14:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jonpluc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@jonpluc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonpluc)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/1 "2018-02-10T14:16:14Z")
Characters in cartoons almost always seem to wear the same items of clothing every day unless the plot of the cartoon involves clothes (a wedding or Homer becomes a fireman) Can anyone name a cartoon series in print or on TV where cartoon characters just wear different clothes because thats just what people do on different days and not just because of a plot point? And why is this? Could you not figure out who Lucy was if she was wearing a green dress instead of a blue one? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/2 "2018-02-10T14:33:25Z")
I see what you mean … I was going to suggest Zap comics but the characters just put the same clothes back on after sex … I think that’s sex they’re having, damn that’s a lot of maple syrup … ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/3 "2018-02-10T14:39:45Z")
The \*Archie \*universe. Probably not at first run, but the series was kind of a defacto fashion mag for tweens when my sister collected them. Yes. My sister. Shut up. I did not read _Archie_. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/4 "2018-02-10T15:17:30Z")
Obviously, in superhero comics and cartoons, the hero always wears the same uniform or costume. But in private life, Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne and Steve Rogers and Clark Kent wear all kinds of clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/5 "2018-02-10T16:13:30Z")
In Doonesbury, the people are people and change yearly. In fact, I’d say almost every comic strip in which time passes, like Jump Street or For Better or For Worse or Rex Morgan M.D., has their change clothing just like real people. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/6 "2018-02-10T16:52:26Z")
The OP asked about cartoons not comic strips. I think the difference is that the animation process calls for 100s if not 100s of drawings. To the extent you can reuse images – putting the same figure over a different background – you save a lot of work. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/7 "2018-02-10T17:37:24Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/8 "2018-02-10T17:44:34Z")
[We had a thread on this topic about a year ago.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=815533) Repeating (and correcting a typo in) my contribution from the last thread: > [@](#): > > Most of the characters in Jem wore quite a few different outfits, which isn’t surprising since it was created to sell a line of fashion dolls - there were a few repeated ones (one particular high collared teal and gold spotted track-suit looking thing Jem wore two or three times stands out, due to being ugly as sin, even by 80s standards), but most of the characters had a pretty good wardrobe. Even Techrat, who only had a couple widely space appearances wore different outfits. > > There are a few exceptions - but they’re all minor, non-doll characters. (Zipper, the Starlight Girls other than Ashley and Ba Nee, Craig Philips, possibly a few others.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/9 "2018-02-10T18:34:14Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > The OP asked about cartoons not comic strips. I think the difference is that the animation process calls for 100s if not 100s of drawings. To the extent you can reuse images – putting the same figure over a different background – you save a lot of work. The OP said specifically “in print or on TV.” BTW, I wrote Jump Street when I meant Jump Start. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/10 "2018-02-10T19:19:49Z")
> [@jonpluc](#): > > Could you not figure out who Lucy was if she was wearing a green dress instead of a blue one? this here would be the reason. No, you cannot tell Lucy from Charlie, if they had the same clothes (and same hair). There isn’t that much detail in a cartoon character, and so distinguishing characteristics are often times things that change more regularly on real people. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/11 "2018-02-10T19:24:59Z")
Most anime they do. I especially like Card Captor Sakura which is a fashion show combined with a magical girl show. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/12 "2018-02-10T19:57:40Z")
Doesn’t Kim Possible have a few different outfits? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/13 "2018-02-10T20:06:52Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > The OP asked about cartoons not comic strips. I think the difference is that the animation process calls for 100s if not 100s of drawings. To the extent you can reuse images – putting the same figure over a different background – you save a lot of work. Also, animated characters have very simplified facial features. They have to add other distinguishing characteristics to make it easier to tell the characters apart. In addition to wildly exaggerated facial features and weird hair shape, clothes usually end up being one of those features. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/14 "2018-02-10T21:33:50Z")
The guys on Archer wear different things, albeit variations on a theme. Archer has suits and tactical turtle necks, Lana has short skirts, etc. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/15 "2018-02-10T21:40:12Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > The guys on Archer wear different things, albeit variations on a theme. Archer has suits and tactical turtle necks, Lana has short skirts, etc. Sterling Archer: "I’m not saying I invented the turtleneck. But I was the first person to realize its potential as a tactical garment. The tactical turtleneck!.. The… tactleneck!" ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/16 "2018-02-10T22:53:42Z")
Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor both started with the main characters wearing the same clothes all the time. However, more and more they have other “looks.” Disney sells both as dolls. (Sofia’s sister Amber is almost more of a fashionista than Sofia.) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/17 "2018-02-11T00:11:54Z")
Bojack Horseman is a candidate. Because its structured around Bojack’s daily tribulations, they take care to show him in activity appropriate clothing, so he gets dressed up for a formal event, gymwear, casual etc. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/18 "2018-02-14T19:11:03Z")
> [@jonpluc](#): > > And why is this? There are dozens if not hundreds of people drawing a single episode of a cartoon, they have model sheets they’re supposed to reference, so they all draw the characters the same. That’s why changes of clothing/other appearance changes seldom happen unless it’s a major plot issue for the ep. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/19 "2018-02-15T19:11:15Z")
The characters in the \*Luann \*comic strip (especially the girls) wear a lot of different outfits. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583/20 "2018-02-15T20:43:31Z")
The girls on _As Told by Ginger_ tended to wear different clothes from one episode to the next. The boys, on the other hand, pretty much wore the same things over and over. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-name-a-cartoon-where-the-characters-change-clothes-like-normal-people/808583.md?page=2)