Anthropomorphism is a big word that describes a lot of the cartoon characters that we have grown to know and love. Characters such as Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Hanna-Barbera’s Yogi Bear, Jay Ward Productions’ Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Walter Lantz Studio’s Woody Woodpecker are all anthropomorphic. They are animal characters that are drawn and animated to talk like human beings. Characters such as Lightning McQueen in the Pixar Studios film Cars (2006), Mrs. Potts the teapot in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991), Bob the Tomato in Veggie Tales, and the Map on the television series Dora the Explorer are also anthropomorphic. But what does that big word mean? What is anthropomorphism?
Anthropomorphism is a word with six syllables. It is pronounced an-thro-po-MOR-fi-zum. It is defined as a literary device that describes the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities such as animals and objects. The word is derived from the Greek ánthrōpos, which means "human" and morphē, which means "form". So, anthropomorphism is when an author or writer of literature gives human form (i.e. image, characteristics, etc.) to animals or objects. This means that when Walt Disney and other artists and animators at his animation studio in the early 1900s began drawing Mickey Mouse as a talking mouse, they made him to be anthropomorphic. They did the same thing with Minnie Mouse, Mickey’s girlfriend, Donald Duck, a duck who could talk, and many other characters. Just like animation is a process in which drawings, paintings and pictures are made to appear as if they are living and moving, animators can create characters from animals and objects that are not human and that are not alive and make them look as if they are living human beings.
You may have heard the word personification used in your English classes as a word that describes giving non-human things human characteristics. However, the word personification is similar to anthropomorphism, but it applies to abstract concepts such as emotions and natural forces, like seasons and the weather. Both words have ancient roots as storytelling and artistic devices, and most cultures have traditional fables with anthropomorphized animals as characters.
Walt Disney was one of the first cartoon animators to design anthropomorphic characters with unique personalities. At his animation studio, he created a Character Model Department where he worked with animators to create and design characters that would seem real and relatable to moviegoers. “Until a character becomes a personality,” said Disney, “it cannot be believed. Without personality, the character may do funny or interesting things, but unless people are able to identify themselves with the character, its actions will seem unreal. And without personality, a story cannot ring true to the audience.”
According to Disney, cartoon characters, whether they are drawn to be human beings or anthropomorphic figures, should be developed with unique personalities. A character’s personality and expression can be conveyed through their clothing, facial features, body language, gestures, and even how they move. Character designers carefully consider every detail, from the shape of a character’s eyes to the tilt of their eyebrows to communicate emotions and traits effectively.
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg that first aired on Nickelodeon as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, 1999, and officially premiered on July 17, 1999. It chronicles the adventures of the title character and his aquatic friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom.
SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a yellow anthropomorphic sea sponge who usually wears brown short pants, a white collared shirt, and a red tie. Although he is drawn to look like an inanimate kitchen sponge, he is a sea sponge. A sea sponge is a primitive multicellular aquatic animal. They can be found attached to surfaces in the sea. They have a plant-like appearance even though they are actually animals. They are filter feeders meaning they extract food particles from water. He lives in a pineapple house and is employed as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. Even though he is an adult, he diligently attends Mrs. Puff's Boating School but has never passed; throughout the series, he tries his hardest on the exams but remains an unintentionally reckless boat driver. He is relentlessly optimistic and enthusiastic toward his job and his friends. SpongeBob's hobbies include catching jellyfish, blowing bubbles, playing with his best friend Patrick, and unintentionally irritating his neighbor Squidward.
As of 2019, SpongeBob SquarePants is the fifth-longest-running American animated series. Its popularity made it a multimedia franchise, the highest rated Nickelodeon series, and the most profitable intellectual property for Paramount Consumer Products. By 2019, it had generated over $13 billion in merchandising revenue. The series has run for a total of fourteen seasons and has inspired three feature films: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Sponge Out of Water (2015), and Sponge on the Run (2020). Two spin-off series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show, premiered in 2021. As of February 2022, four additional films are planned: three character spinoff films for Paramount+ and Netflix, and a theatrical SpongeBob film.
The series has won a variety of awards including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, four Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Children's Awards, and a record-breaking twenty-one Kids' Choice Awards. A Broadway musical based on the series opened in 2017 to critical acclaim. The series is also noted as a cultural touchstone of Millennials and Generation Z.
Creating Characters Made of 2D and 3D Shapes
Your assignment for this lesson is to create your own anthropomorphic characters from common 3D shapes. Refer back to the lesson titled 2D and 3D Shapes Assignments. Look at and review the 3D Shapes Scavenger Hunt you completed to remind yourself of the three-dimensional objects you found and noticed in the place where you live.
Second, there are nine anthropomorphic characters made from common 2D and 3D shapes on the Lessons in Animation page – five characters from common 2D shapes and four characters from common 3D shapes. Refer to these as examples for the characters you will make You will create your own characters similar to these.
Third, click on the link to the page titled 3D Shapes Image Package. There, you will find groups of 3D shapes in four different background colors, along with images of facial features, arms and legs. Copy and paste the png images of your choice in an MS Word or MS Publisher document to create your own characters.
You may create more than one character. I also suggest that you give your characters names. Below are two examples – one is of a pumpkin person and the other is of a Coca Cola can person.
Finally, be sure to save your files and keep your characters in a safe place because you may use them in a future animation assignment or project.