# How many "fingers" does a mouse's "hand" have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 24, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318 "2005-05-24T19:53:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ktest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@ktest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ktest)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/1 "2005-05-24T19:53:55Z")
Re: [Why do cartoon characters only have three fingers?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m3fingercartoon.html) [QUOTE] SDSTAFF Euty replies: I’ve always been preaching the idea, mostly to a tone deaf choir, that the simplest answers are usually the most correct. QUOTE] The simplest answer I see is that animals don’t have as many “fingers” as people. Their 5 digit is often vestigal, and not on the paw at all, but up the leg, out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/2 "2005-05-24T22:07:23Z")
I doubt that was the main reason for cartoonists and animators to draw the 4-fingered hands. Considering that for the most part, the characters under discussion walk on 2 legs, talk, wear clothes, live in houses, are all roughly at the same scale (mice, ducks, dogs, pigs, rabbits, people, etc. are all sized to interact fairly easily with each other) and so on, anatomical correctness of the hands was probably not considered too much in such decisions. ---
**Author:** ![ktest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@ktest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ktest)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/3 "2005-05-24T22:20:26Z")
You are forgetting that for decades story book artists had been making bunnies and mice walking around and wearing clothes, with accurate paws. ---
**Author:** ![naranjita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/dc4da7/32.png) [@naranjita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naranjita)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/4 "2005-05-24T23:30:07Z")
or maybe they thought no one would take notice! so… why do they wear gloves? btw, DON’T google “four fingers” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/5 "2005-05-25T02:14:42Z")
So is that also the number of digits a Simpson actually has on each paw? ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/6 "2005-05-25T11:23:33Z")
[And my son…](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v689/coop67/BaileysHands.jpg)🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-fingers-does-a-mouses-hand-have/305318/7 "2005-05-25T20:21:07Z")
Drawing hands well and fast is difficult–even for professional animators. Certainly we can do it, it’s just more of a pain in the tookis than other bits. So my bet would be that simplified hands (i.e. three fingers) was desireable and the fact that real animals have three toes just helped to rationalise this.