Animated Cartoon Characters with Gloves

[Ray Pointer]

It seems that cartoon characters sported gloves from the very beginning. The earliest to I've been dealing with are MUTT AND JEFF, who made their screen debut in 1916. Later characters were Bozo the Clown and Bullwinkle. Let's see who can list the others in-between.:bosko:

[Cartman]

Mickey/Minnie Mouse
Bugs Bunny
Goofy
Flip the Frog
Fauntleroy Fox
Koko the Klown

[Yosemite682]

The original reason for this goes back to B&W days. In an Disney Treasures interview with Frank Thomas (before he died) and Ollie Johnston, former Disney animators, they said that Walt liked Mickey to have lots of handmovements, but when his hands were near his body they blended in and were not visible. So, the white gloves were added. I suppose that the other B&W characters had the same problem. Then, when color was added, gloves were a tradition continued by the later characters (i.e.Bullwinkle)

[MF TOON]

Actually, I'd assume Bullwinkle sported white gloves because it would be rather difficult and awkward looking to animated hooves. It was just easier than having to reinvent the anatomy of a moose, i.e. brown fingers?

Likewise, Bugs being a rabbit would have lighter hands and feet. I assume the gloves were a way of seperating or distinguishing these features without having a straight white lawn drawn accross his wrists to seperate colors. Without them, he'd look rather plain and monotone. It's a means to adding simple detail and character components.

I would guess that most characters in color shorts were given them for similair aesthetic reasons as well.

[Yosemite682]

[QUOTE=MF TOON]Actually, I'd assume Bullwinkle sported white gloves because it would be rather difficult and awkward looking to animated hooves. It was just easier than having to reinvent the anatomy of a moose, i.e. brown fingers?

QUOTE]

True, I just assumed that color shorts were following the tradition of animated cartoons, gloves on characters. Though, I do remember that the reason that Mickey wore gloves was so that his hand motions would be visible.

[MF TOON]

Yes, pre-color shorts definitely utilized them for that very purpose. Otherwise the character's movements would be rather difficult to follow and their features almost indistinguishable. It was a way of adding contrast to define key lineaments since really, the most common features being animated were in the face, arms and legs for long shots...

[Cdawg]

I think that I remember Cubby the Bear wearing gloves.

[Yosemite682]

Both of these wore gloves:

Marvin Martian

Yosemite Sam (ocasionally)

[Thad]

Bosko
Buddy
Porky Pig
Woody Woodpecker
Andy Panda
Herman the Mouse

-Thad

[Nelson]

Here's some more characters that wore gloves...
Mighty Mouse
Sourpuss
Tom And Jerry (Van Bueren)
Krazy Kat -1930s
Scrappy
Oswald The Lucky Rabbit -1930s
Cubby Bear
Bimbo
Wolfie (Famous Studios)
Wolfie (MGM)
Kiko The Kangaroo
Screwy Squirrel
George And Junior
Beans
Conrad Cat
Sniffles
Egghead
The Wacky Worm
Horace Horsecollar
Clarabelle Cow
Peg Leg Pete
Wally Walrus
Oil Can Harry
Pooch The Pup
Foxy
Piggy
Goopy Gear

[Daff Doc]

Toby the Pup
Merlin the Magic Mouse
The Noveltoon Jack in the Box

[RetroMan]

You know, I always had the notion that the gloves had something to do with the vaudeville origins of animated shorts, but the visibility thing sounds a lot more logical.

[The Silver Fox]

I think that I remember Cubby the Bear wearing gloves.

if you are talking about Cubbi, (i e the pink gummi bear) he only wore gloves
when a costume change happen, as when he became the crimson avenger, he work western style cowboy gloves (ie gantlet style), and a simular style when he was a knight of Gumadoon. most of the time he only wore a sleevless tunic and a hat simlar to what the Army wears now.

[Cartman]

if you are talking about Cubbi, (i e the pink gummi bear) he only wore gloves
when a costume change happen, as when he became the crimson avenger, he work western style cowboy gloves (ie gantlet style), and a simular style when he was a knight of Gumadoon. most of the time he only wore a sleevless tunic and a hat simlar to what the Army wears now.

Cubby the Bear was a charcter created by the Van Buren Studios in the early 30's. He was basically a Mickey Mouse look-alike as were most characters of the time.

Here's a title card for the Cubby Bear cartoon OPENING NIGHT from Jerry Beck's Cartoon Research site.

http://www.cartoonresearch.com/vb1.jpg

[radrat]

Did ya ever notice that most cartoon caracters only have three fingers and a thumb on each hand? Genetics? Is there a reason for this?

[Cartman]

Did ya ever notice that most cartoon caracters only have three fingers and a thumb on each hand? Genetics? Is there a reason for this?

I think it was just easier to draw them that way. I know that Popeye, Olive, Bluto, etc. had five digits on each hand.

[J. B. Warner]

I believe the "three-fingers-and-thumb" trend was started with Disney, who decided that characters with four fingers had hands that looked too big. At least, that's the rumor I heard - I have no idea if it's true.

[LooneyTuneLover]

I never notice so many cartoon caracters wore gloves.


The only caracters I can think of that wore gloves are

Bugs Bunny
Goofy

sorry to go OT but was goofy a dog in the beginning?

[Jeff]

As someone else mentioned, I always thought the white glove tradition goes back to the minstrel and vaudeville shows...

[Banned Bunny]

The fox in "What Makes Daffy Duck" wears gloves that he reveals when he "throws up his hands" showing his real paws inside. Throughout the rest of the cartoon the gloves are seamless.

[Ray Pointer]

I believe the "three-fingers-and-thumb" trend was started with Disney, who decided that characters with four fingers had hands that looked too big. At least, that's the rumor I heard - I have no idea if it's true.

Not really. It was a convention that already existed going back to FELIX and KRAZY KAT. It's easier to draw as a design, and saves time. All these came before Disney, just as there is a history before him.

[mmtper]

As someone else mentioned, I always thought the white glove tradition goes back to the minstrel and vaudeville shows...

That's what I thought, too, though the white hands on a dark character were no doubt easier to "read" and therefore practical. Speaking of minstrel shows, I've read where all those early animated little black characters with big white eyes (Krazy Kat, Cubby, Felix, Bosco, Bimbo, Oswald, etc) can trace their design origins to the caricatures of African-American (or African) children like Pat Sullivan's Sammie Johnsin or even Little Black Sambo.

[Ray Pointer]

Yes, the minstral connection enters the picture also. In fact the basic facial designs of Krazy Kat, Felix, Julius, Oswald, and Mickey Mouse are all based upon Minstral makeup. But the fact that they are animals seems to make them more torlerable. The same design applied to cannibals or other attempts at depicting black people in early animation weree unfortunate throwbacks to minstral concepts of black people. This, and the fact that the animators then were not as skilled at caricature is another reason for these distasteful portrayals.

After continued complaints by groups such as the NAACP, black humans eventually disappeared from all animation until the success of FAT ALBERTin the 1970s. This was the first time that black cartoon characters were done successfully, because they were well drawn caricatures that were not grotesque reminders of minstrals and mammy singers.

[Daff Doc]

Whoa let us be careful here as censors lurk everywhere. Although they have nothing to censor because all classic cartoons have disappeared from tv anyway.
But if we ever hold out hope for some censored 11 and controversal mgm cartoons from WHV, controversal Betty Boop from Paramount Home Video, or some Swing Symphonies and maybe some Oswald shorts from Universal, let's keep it quiet. None of this :foggy: and more of this :coyote: :jerry: :tomcat: :thinkpink.

[Ray Pointer]

Whoa, what? What is there to be careful about? There seems to be confusion between censorship, withdrawl, and banning due to political correctness and stereotypes. Although these actions are synonymous, they are separate actions.

To censor means to eliminate or cover dialogue or actions thought offensive or inappropriate by certain social standards. This amounts to the removal or obscuring of that image or dialogue, but does not affect the rest of the film, book, magazine, letter, etc.

A withdrawl is an action where the circulation of a book, magazine, or film is
recalled and "withheld" from general exposure.

Banning is a more aggressive, prohibitive action that forbids the public from
doing something such as reading certain books, seeing certain films, and even
drinking. Prohibition was such an example where the consumption of alcholic
beverages was "banned" from public consumption. Banning is also a form of
expulsion, such as being banned from a club or social group. Deportation from a country is another form of banning. So for our area of interest, we must be
accurate in the use of terms here. The proper term is withdraw when discussing the unavailability of certain films and cartoons because of politically incorrect content.

Getting back to the main topic, this is an issue that many others have
brought up in the past, as the evidence is quite clear. So there is a serious need to discuss these issues in order to gain a true and accurate understanding of the origins of these character designs. To not offer these observations is to deny the truth.

Since the examples sited were mostly silent cartoon characters, what is the fear of "censorship" since the context has been clearly explained? If the fear is that members of AOL-Time Warner may read discussions of this nature, it should be in the hopes of broadened enlightenment, not fear of the truth. It is the full knowledge of the truth that we all benefit from. As scripture states, "The truth shall set ye free."

[The Spectre]

Not really. It was a convention that already existed going back to FELIX and KRAZY KAT. It's easier to draw as a design, and saves time. All these came before Disney, just as there is a history before him.

Yeah, J.B., you probably heard the rumor from one of those people who thinks Walt Disney invented animation, and that Windsor McCay and Ub Iwerks, among other people, never existed. ;)

[Nelson]

During the late twenties and early thirties when sound came in, characters such as Bimbo, Betty Boop, Popeye and Krazy Kat, sported five fingers instead of the usual four fingered characters that was very traditional during those days.

[Ray Pointer]

During the late twenties and early thirties when sound came in, characters such as Bimbo, Betty Boop, Popeye and Krazy Kat, sported five fingers instead of the usual four fingered characters that was very traditional during those days.

Only Bimbo and Krazy Kat wore gloves among the characters listed above. However, Bugs Bunny, who wore gloves changed to four fingers and a thumb in some close-up scenes, particularly the famous scene where his hand comes out of the rabbit hole and takes the form of a four-legged animal, with the middle finger acting as the neck and head. In this, the hand "sniffs" at the carrot, then grabs it. But the thread is about characters with gloves, not so much about how many fingers on the hand. :bugs2:

[Daff Doc]

Yes, the minstral connection enters the picture also. In fact the basic facial designs of Krazy Kat, Felix, Julius, Oswald, and Mickey Mouse are all based upon Minstral makeup.

I'm just glad we got the second volume of Mickey Mouse in BLACK and White before the above quote was created.






MAMMY!

[Ray Pointer]

I'm just glad we got the second volume of Mickey Mouse in BLACK and White before the above quote was created.
MAMMY!

For the significance of THE JAZZ SINGER, as embarassing and controversial as the black face reference is, it stll gets shown. So why not these cartoons.
Over the weekend, Fox Movie Channel had a Shirley Temple marathon. They showed a sequence in THE LITTLEST REBEL where shoe polish was put on her face by a slave girl in order to hide out from a band of Union Soldier who invaded the house. This was an act of innocence, and according is amusing, rather than a deliberate insult at black people, as the minstral make-up is.:bosko:

[David Gates]

Can anybody think of another short besides "Rhapsody Rabbit" where Bugs has five fingers instead of four? Also, isn't there a short where Foghorn Leghorn loses all the feathers from his bicep down to his fingers, then replaces them with a long white glove?

[bjimba]

The scene in Rabbit of Seville where Bugs is massaging Figaro Fertilizer into Elmer's scalp. Just the one spot where he taps the fingers of one hand with the other in time to the piano notes.

Strangely enough, I noticed when checking that scene that just before that, when Bugs points to the Figaro Fertilizer with a hand gesture, he has five fingers.

Of course, to keep things on topic, I should mention that he's wearing gloves at the time.

[Daff Doc]

Over the weekend, Fox Movie Channel had a Shirley Temple marathon. They showed a sequence in THE LITTLEST REBEL where shoe polish was put on her face by a slave girl in order to hide out from a band of Union Soldier who invaded the house. This was an act of innocence, and according is amusing, rather than a deliberate insult at black people, as the minstral make-up is.:bosko:

Neato. Was it shown in b/w? I wonder if they even bother to colorize scenes like that when they colorize the films, considering the colorized version is for children and the attitude alot of times is "Protect the children, for God's sake protect the children!". Strangly on a few colorized WB cartoons on tv they leave in the controversal scenes yet when the b/w prints are shown on tv they're censored by being cut.

[Daff Doc]

The scene in Rabbit of Seville where Bugs is massaging Figaro Fertilizer into Elmer's scalp. Just the one spot where he taps the fingers of one hand with the other in time to the piano notes.

Strangely enough, I noticed when checking that scene that just before that, when Bugs points to the Figaro Fertilizer with a hand gesture, he has five fingers.

Of course, to keep things on topic, I should mention that he's wearing gloves at the time.

Well it would be hard for someone to play piano with four fingers.

[Ray Pointer]

There are four fingers on a hand. Four fingers and a thumb. But Mickey and Minnie Mouse played piano with three fingers and a thumb. It is not entirely impossible. You can have three or four notes in a chord instead of five. Actually piano can be played easily with four digits since an octive is eight keys on the piano, so the scale can be played with four digits instead of five. Starting with the thumb on Middle C, moving up the scale, the thumb tucks under after the mid octave F to hit G, and the three fingers continue hitting the remaining three keys A, B, C, the third finger landing on upper C. As in a human hand the thumb tucks under to continue advancing up the scale. But the eye sees the impression of the hands and fingers moving rapidly, and does not connect with where or how the fingers relate to the keys. The hands do not always hit the exact keys that are heard on the sound track unless the piano keys are dominant in the scene. Many times there are not enough keys drawn on a cartoon piano as well. A real one has 88. So remember it's and "impression" and an illusion. "Soh mush for deh "moos-sick" lesson!

[mmtper]

[QUOTE=Ray Pointer]For the significance of THE JAZZ SINGER, as embarassing and controversial as the black face reference is, it stll gets shown. So why not these cartoons.

There's a famous poster of The Jazz Singer, it's easily looked up on the internet using Google or Yahoo etc. It's a striking graphic image: totally black background, with only Jolson's white eyes, whitened mouth, white collar & gloves visible. You can practically hear him pleading "Mammy!" We wouldn't find it in good taste today, but it is dramatic and hard to forget. It must've been popular too: I finally got to watch the second volume of Disney's DVD of Mickey's Black & White years. In The Haunted House from 1929, as Mickey stumbles through the haunted house, the lights go out and the screen goes black, except for Mickey's white eyes, mouth and gloves. It's a reference to the poster, and just so you don't miss it, Mickey starts bleating "MAMMY..... MAMMMY"

As for Jolson, they used to say that only in America could a poor Jewish kid born in Russia become rich and famous by blackening his face and singing about his little Mammy down in Alabammy. That couldn't happen in America today, and I'm sure that's a good thing...but we should seek to understand the past and extract the art that was good. And Jolson was something!