# Four Fingered Cartoon Characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2001, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462 "2001-09-18T21:04:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/1 "2001-09-18T21:04:21Z")
Like hey, What is the deal with this? I’d like to know. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/2 "2001-09-18T21:10:40Z")
It’s a matter both of esthetics and economics. Esthetically, a fat fingered cartoon character looks odd with 5 fingers, but okay with 4. Economically, it saves times to only have to draw 4 fingers instead of 5. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/3 "2001-09-18T21:12:55Z")
Three fingers plus thumb, actually. Supposedly started by Disney on Mickey Mouse in “Tugboat Mickey”. Easier to draw, so it saves time, and looks OK as long as you don’t think about it too much, so many cartoon animals have continued using this shortcut. ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/4 "2001-09-18T21:47:33Z")
The practice has led to more than one amusing comment on _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/5 "2001-09-18T23:24:57Z")
And rules are made to be broken. Bugs Bunny always had four fingers on each hand, except for one brief clip that required five. It’s in _The Rabbit of Seville_ when Bugs is drumming his fingers on Elmer’s head in sync with the piano. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/6 "2001-09-18T23:27:03Z")
When I was at Sheridan College studying animation, they told us that animation is traditionally drawn with three-fingered hands because the middle two fingers most often move as one. Drawing them as one reduces the amount of work to be done, and doesn’t usually look sufficiently unnatural to be disturbing. Though in an artform with the likes of John Kricfalusi (Ren and Stimpy and The Ripping Friends), I don’t see how _that_ would be a problem, exactly… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/7 "2001-09-19T00:13:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*yabob says: \*Supposedly started by Disney on Mickey Mouse in “Tugboat Mickey”. I think you mean **Steamboat Willie** 12 years earlier. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/8 "2001-09-19T00:42:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*yabob says: \*Supposedly started by Disney on Mickey Mouse in “Tugboat Mickey”. > > I think you mean **Steamboat Willie** 12 years earlier. \*\* Oops. OK. Right mouse, wrong cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-fingered-cartoon-characters/82462/9 "2001-09-19T02:34:42Z")
I think Cafe Society is the best place for this thread, so I’ll move it. Besides, I don’t want Euty to miss it. bibliophage moderator GQ