Cartooncore is an aesthetic centered completely around Western animation (specifically in America or Canada), as opposed to Animecore, which has more of a focus on Japanese animation. This aesthetic is mostly centered around current cartoons on popular streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu.
Visual[]
Given the long, rich history of animation, there is a lot for Cartooncore enthusiasts to draw inspiration from:
- 1920s-1930s Rubberhose style (Disney, Fleischer, Warner Bros)
- 1940s Bob Clampett/Tex Avery style (Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry)
- 1950s-1970s UPA/Hanna-Barbera style (Top Cat, The Flintstones, Mr. Magoo)
- 1980s-1990s "action figure era" style (He-Man, She-Ra, TMNT, X-Men)
- 1990s-2000s "rebel era" style (Ren & Stimpy, Beavis and Butthead, Ed, Edd n Eddy)
- 1990s-2000s "UPA revival" style (Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory)
- 2000s-2010s "anime-esque" style (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Generator Rex)
- 2010s-2020s "CalArts" style (Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe)
- Adult sitcom (The Simpsons, South Park, Clone High, Daria)
- Adult animated film (Fritz the Cat, Cool World, Heavy Metal)
- Late 90s-present-Flash/Newgrounds/YouTube animations (Eddsworld, Nyan Neko Sugar Girls, Sugoi Quest for Kokoro, Battle for Dream Island, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss, etc.)
Cartooncore can either focus on a specific cartoon, animation, or movie or it can simply draw from the aesthetics of the style and create something completely new and unique to introduce into the world. Due to the fact that there is a lot more variety to western animation compared to the relative uniformity of anime, there is room for multiple sub genres of Cartooncore to pop up. Cartooncore also is closely related to Nostalgiacore because many people grew up watching cartoons over the past several decades.
Fashion[]
With cartoons comes a lot of merchandise. Merchandising for cartoons were especially popular during the 80s, such as toys for He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Transformers. Cartooncore people may wear shirts with logos and characters on them, and may have pins referencing a favorite show. Other items might include:
- Cartoon merchandise
- Bold colors
- V-necks
- Clothes straying away from societal norms
- Pixel art
Activities[]
- Watching cartoons
- Doodling
- Buying merchandise
Media[]
Television[]
Cartooncore shows involve, you guessed it, cartoons, particularly the modern ones. Some popular shows in the Cartooncore aesthetic include:
Misc. Pilots[]
Full Series[]
- Adventure Time
- All Grown Up!
- Alvin and the Chipmunks
- American Dad!
- American Dragon: Jake Long
- Amphibia
- Animaniacs (2020 Reboot)
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- Bee and Puppycat
- Beetlejuice
- Ben 10 Omniverse
- Big City Greens
- Bob's Burgers
- Care Bears
- Clarence
- Codename: Kids Next Door
- Craig of the Creek
- Danny Phantom
- Daria
- Dead End Paranormal Park
- Drawn Together
- Ducktales (2017 Reboot)
- Ed Edd n Eddy
- Family Guy
- Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
- Hey Arnold
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
- Hazbin Hotel
- Helluva Boss
- Gravity Falls
- Infinity Train
- Inside Job
- Invader Zim
- Jellystone
- Johnny Test (2021 Reboot)
- Kim Possible
- Looney Tunes
- Mickey Mouse (2013 Reboot)
- My Life as a Teenage Robot
- Oddballs
- OK K.O.: Let's Be Heroes!
- Over the Garden Wall
- Peanuts
- Phineas and Ferb
- Regular Show
- Rick and Morty
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Rugrats
- Scooby-Doo
- Smiling Friends
- South Park
- Sparkle Friends
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Star vs. the Forces of Evil
- Steven Universe
- Superjail!
- Teen Titans
- The Amazing World of Gumball
- The Buzz on Maggie
- The Cuphead Show
- The DC Animated Universe
- The Fairly Odd Parents
- The Ghost and Molly McGee
- The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
- The Loud House
- The Midnight Gospel
- The Mr. Men Show
- The Owl House
- The Proud Family
- The Simpsons
- Tom and Jerry
- Total Drama
- Totally Spies
- Uncle Grandpa
- Wabbit
- We Bare Bears
- Winx Club
Film[]
- Madagascar trilogy (2005-2014)
- All Disney movies
- Kung-Fu Panda (2008-present)
- Frozen duology (2013-2019)
- Despicable Me (2010-present)
- Hotel Transylvania (2012-2022)
- Toy Story (1995-present)
- Cars trilogy (2006-2017)
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
- Space Jam duology (1996-2021)
Music[]
Cartooncore fans may listen to songs on YouTube that originate from cartoon-based video games, or just cartoon music in general.
- Cartoon soundtracks
- OSTER Project
- The Scary Jokes - April Fools
- Jack Stauber - Pop Food
- Treehouse - Alex G
- Animal Crossing Morning Soundtrack
- Talkshow Boy - I Cut Myself
- 100 gecs - stupid horse
- Oliver Buckland
- METAROOM - Temptation Stairway
- Graham Kartna - Browser History
- That Andy Guy - B.O.M.B.
- UBUR
- Plus Tech Squeeze Box - CARTOOOM!
- Witch Doctor - Cartoons
Video Games[]
Some games emulate a cartoony aesthetic into their designs. Some examples of cartoony games include:
- Cel Damage
- Epic Mickey
- Cuphead
- Bendy and the Ink Machine
- Team Fortress 2
- Sam & Max franchise
- Pizza Tower
- Doll Eye
- Friday Night Funkin'
Webfiction[]
- Welcome Home
Cartooncore Variants[]
Disneycore, Vintage Disneycore, and Princess Disneycore[]
Disneycore is an aesthetic based around all things Disney. Vintage Disneycore is based around old classic Disney films and shows, whether as Princess Disneycore is constructed around Disney Princesses (classic or modern). Fashion includes Disney merch, jeans, and Mickey/Minnie Mouse ears and/or backpacks. Disneycore fans enjoy music such as Disney movie scores, musical songs, and remixes of Disney music.
UPA Revival[]
UPA Revival is an aesthetic that revolves heavily around the style of cartoons produced by United Productions of America during the 50s-60s. These cartoons had a unique style incorporating Modernism and thick outlines, but the style became unpopular in the 1980s. The UPA revival started when the style began to be used again in 1990s-2000s cartoons such as Clone High. It was greatly helped by a multitude of separate trends that happened to be calling back to the same graphical style, such as the Mission School and Shoe Diva graphics of the 90s, the Groovival aimed at children that revived 60s and 70s visuals, and, by the time the early 2000s rolled around, by Superflat Pop.
Some examples include:
- 2 Stupid Dogs (1993-1995)
- Dexter's Laboratory (1996-2003)
- Johnny Bravo (1997-2004)
- The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005)
- Mission Hill (1999-2002)
- The Fairly OddParents (2001-2017)
- Samurai Jack (2001-2004, 2017)
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2001-2002, 2003-2008)
- Clone High (2002-2003, 2023-2024)
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004-2009)
- Total Drama (2007-Present)
Rubberhose[]
Main article: Rubberhose
Rubberhose is an animation style that originated from the 1920s. In this style, characters were drawn with simplified limbs and joints, without many anatomical details, allowing them to move in an exaggerated and elastic manner. It became revived in 2017 with the release of the video games Cuphead and Bendy and the Ink Machine that were a homage to old cartoons.
YouTube Channels[]
Gallery[]