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Kidcore is an aesthetic that centers around bright colors, nostalgia for icons from the 90s, and kid themes. While its origins can be traced back to the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, it appears the aesthetic is a nostalgia-based creation of the 2010s. J-fashion styles, namely Decora, influenced this aesthetic, although Kidcore is less over the top and focuses more on childhood nostalgia and bright colors (Decora is often bright but can be any color scheme). Kidcore differs from Babycore as it is more focused on bright colors, cartoons, nostalgia, toys and accessories, as opposed to soft pastels, stuffies, soft kawaii fashion, and baby items. Both are associated with reclaiming a sense of childhood wonderment. Fairy Kei fashion is sometimes mistakenly called Pastel Kidcore, since it also features retro, nostalgic inspired motifs, but they are in fact different things and Kidcore centers around being bright and not pastel.
Visuals[]
Common motifs in Kidcore visuals are bright colors frequently used on children's toys, most frequently highly saturated versions of the traditional primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), playgrounds, stuffed animals such as Beanie Babies and TY, robot pets like Furbies, Lisa Frank artwork, rainbows, and other kid themes. Other common themes involved in Kidcore include:
- Books
- Colorful bookshelves
- Watercolors and detailed linework
- Rabbits, squirrels and mice
- Alphabet blocks
- Games cupboard
- Balloons
- Fidget toys
- Frogs
- Tamagotchi
- Ball pits
- Beds in weird shapes, like cars
Fashion[]
Kidcore fashion is typically colorful and highly saturated, and predominantly utilizes the traditional primary colors, but it does sometimes include neutrals and secondary colors. Fashion pieces include:
- Collared shirts
- Light-up shoes, old sneakers
- Denim overalls (preferably short)
- Tee-shirts of kids shows/simple patterns/animals
- Striped socks, stockings, or knee/ankle-high socks
- Denim shorts/jeans adorned with stickers/glitter
- Puffy sleeves
- Overalls or suspenders
- High-tops
- Baseball tees
- Jeans
- Pajamas
- Earrings
- Friendship necklaces
- Bandages
- Kandi
- A stuffed animal/plushie
- Temporary tattoos
- Slap-on bracelets
- Loom bands
- Stickers
- Crocs
- Hair clips (ex. butterfly clips, animal hair clips)
Brands[]
- 77 Kids by American Eagle (defunct)
- Claire's
- Fisher-Price
- Gymboree
- Playskool
- P.S. from Aeropostale (defunct)
- Ruum American Kid's Wear (defunct)
- The Children's Place
- Lakeshore Learning Materials
- Nintendo
- Smyths Toys Superstores
- Chuck E. Cheese
- Any children's toy brand
- Showbiz Pizza Place (defunct)
- Toys R Us
Media[]
Kidcore is centered around various types of media.
Literature[]
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
- Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
- Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- Miss Bindergarten by Joseph Slate
- Pete the Cat by James Dean
- The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
- A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! series by Mo Willems
- Elephant and Piggy series by Mo Willems
- Captain Underpants series by Dav Pillkey
- Biscuit series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Pat Shores
Authors & Publishers[]
- Dr. Seuss
- Mo Willems
- P. D. Eastman
- Priddy Books
- Adarna House
- Todd Parr
- Richard Scarry
- Roger Hargreaves
- Little Golden Books
- Eric Carle
- Lucy Cousins
- Dav Pillkey
Manga & Anime[]
- Pretty Cure
- Pokémon
- Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama
- Midnight Horror School
- Pecola
- Jewelpet
- Onegai My Melody
- Sugarbunnies
- Anpanman
- Hamtaro
- Doraemon
- Yo-kai Watch
- Pui Pui Molcar
- Tom and Jerry (anime shorts)
- Mewkledreamy
- Digimon
- Dinosaur King
- Kamiwaza Wanda
- Sgt. Frog (anime)
- Happy Happy Clover
- Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō
- Non Non Biyori
- Chi's Sweet Home
- Usahana: Yumemiru Ballerina
- Powerpuff Girls Z
- Stitch!
- Bakugan series
- Gakuen Babysitters
- Ojamajo Doremi
- Bonobono
- Bananya
- Kupu~!! Mamegoma!
- Ichigo Mashimaro
- Crayon Shin-Chan
- Little Witch Academia
- PriPara
Film[]
- Every Disney and Pixar movie
- Some Studio Ghibli movies such as My Neighbor Totoro (1988) and Ponyo (2008)
- The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
- The Lion King (1994)
- Toy Story (1995)
- Stuart Little (1999)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Lilo and Stitch (2002)
- Madagascar trilogy (2005-2014)
- Cinnamoroll: The Movie (2007)
- Rio duology (2011-2014)
- Frozen (2013)
- The LEGO Movie duology (2014-2019)
- Trolls trilogy (2016-2023)
- The Secret Life Of Pets duology (2016-2019)
- My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
- UglyDolls (2019)
- Encanto (2021)
- My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021)
Television[]
- 44 Cats
- 64 Zoo Lane
- Abby Hatcher
- Adventure Time
- Alphablocks
- Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps
- Animaniacs
- Arthur
- Baby Looney Tunes
- Bananya
- Barney and Friends
- Bear In The Big Blue House
- Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom
- Blaze and the Monster Machines
- Bluey
- Blue's Clues
- Bob the Builder
- Boohbah
- Bubble Guppies
- The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
- Care Bears
- Charlie and Lola
- Clarence
- Clifford's Puppy Days
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Caillou
- Cleo and Cuquin
- Color Crew
- Colourblocks
- Corn and Peg
- Cueio the Bunny
- Curious George
- Cyberchase
- Cocomelon
- Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
- Dinosaur Train
- Doc McStuffins
- Doodlebops
- Dragon Tales
- Dora the Explorer
- Doki Adventures
- Everything's Rosie
- Fancy Nancy
- Fimbles
- Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
- FriendZSpace
- Frog and Toad
- Fun House (US)
- Fun House (UK)
- Go Diego Go!
- Go Jetters
- Gravity Falls
- Gabby's Dollhouse
- Gumby
- Handy Manny
- Hi-5
- Hey Duggee
- Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
- Hello Kitty and Friends
- Hello Kitty's Paradise
- Hello Kitty's Stump Village
- The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends
- Inspector Gadget
- Jellystone
- Jelly Jamm
- Kaeloo
- Kidsongs
- Kiff
- Kikoriki
- The Loud House
- Lalaloopsy
- Lilybuds
- Littlest Pet Shop
- Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own
- Lloyd of the Flies
- Louie
- Masha and the Bear
- Maisy
- Max & Ruby
- Mio Mao
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
- Monica and Friends
- Muppet Babies
- My Little Pony
- The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Newbie and the Disasternauts
- Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
- Nina and the Neurons
- Numberblocks
- Numberjacks (Ironically used)
- Octonauts
- Oswald
- Peppa Pig
- Peg + Cat
- Pingu
- Pinkfong Wonderstar
- Play School
- Plim Plim
- Pocoyo
- Pororo the Little Penguin
- Pound Puppies
- Puppy Dog Pals
- Paw Patrol
- Raggs
- Rainbow Rangers
- Reading Rainbow
- Rubbadubbers
- Rugrats
- Scooby-Doo!
- School of Roars
- Sesame Street
- Shape Island
- Sid the Science Kid
- Sonic Boom
- Small Potatoes
- The Smurfs
- Super Why!
- Shaun the Sheep
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Star vs. the Forces of Evil
- Steven Universe
- Summer Camp Island
- Team Umizoomi
- Teletubbies
- The Amazing World of Gumball
- The Aquabats Super Show
- The Backyardigans
- The Banana Splits
- The Ghost and Molly McGee
- The Lion Guard
- The Loud House
- The Magic School Bus
- The Mr. Men Show
- The Muppet Show
- The Powerpuff Girls
- The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
- Thomas and Friends
- The Wiggles
- The World Of Strawberry Shortcake
- Tickety Toc
- Tiny Toons
- ToddWorld
- Trolls: The Beat Goes On!
- Trolls: TrollsTopia
- True and the Rainbow Kingdom
- Twirlywoos
- Unikitty!
- Waybuloo
- Wild Kratts
- Wonder Pets!
- WordWorld
- Wow! Wow! Wubbzy
- Yo Gabba Gabba!
- Yoohoo and Friends
- Zoboomafoo
Video Games[]
- Any licensed video game based on children's cartoons
- Any Sanrio video game
- Super Mario World (1990)
- Yoshi series (1991-present)
- Kirby series (1992-present)
- Donkey Kong Country series (1994-2014)
- Mother 2 (1994)/EarthBound (1995)
- PaRappa the Rapper (1996)
- Pokémon series (1996-present)
- Animal Crossing series (2001-present)
- Mario Kart Double Dash (2003)
- Webkinz (2005)
- Poptropica (2007)
- Moshi Monsters (2008)
- Rhythm Heaven (2008)
- BabyBus (2009-present)
- Sonic Colors (2010)
- Just Dance Kids (2010)
- Animal Jam (2010)
- Playkids (2013)
- Sago Mini (2013-present)
- Lingokids (2015-present)
- The TutoTOONS games (2014-present)
- Super Mario Bros series (1983-present)
- Toontown Online (2003-2013)
Music[]
- "I'd Rather Sleep" - Kero Kero Bonito
- "PoPiPo" - Lamaze-P
- "It's a Kids World" - Masafumi Takada
- "Two Time" - Jack Stauber
- "sakasakenjin egas" - apogee and perigee
- "Bleach Blonde Baby" - Poppy
- "I'm Poppy" - Poppy
- "Turn The Lights Off" - Tally Hall
- "Flamingo" - Kero Kero Bonito
- "Dead Sea Monkeys" - Lemon Demon
- "dumb dumb" - Mazie
- "Everybody Likes You" - Lemon Demon
- "Blow My Brains Out" - Tikkle Me
- "Icicles" - The Scary Jokes
- "Out the Ox" - Jack Stauber
- "The Afternoon" - Lemon Demon
- "Baby My Phone"- Yameii Online
- "Icosa"- Oliver Buckland
- "Hey Kids" - Molina
- "Living Island" - Pogo
- "Eight Wonder" - Lemon Demon
- "Hate Your Guts" - Freddie Dredd
- "ENA REMIX" - Cótiles
- "Okay, Everyone" - Dan Salvato
- "Lullaby" - Snail's House
- "The Creativity Song" - Don't Hug Me I'm Scared
- "Kids" - Current Joys
- "Kids" - MGMT
- "Act my Age" by Blueberry Sunshine
- "Hamster Dance" - Hampton the Hampster
- "Sing a Simple Song" - Hampton and the Hampsters
- "Glory Steady Go!" - Kinoshita
- "BrooklynBloodPop!" - Syko
- "My Ordinary Life" - The Living Tombstone
- "Tondemo Wonders" - Sasakure.UK
- "once upon a dream" - YASUHIRO
- "Theme of Niccori Survey Team" - JesusP
- "Sekai wo Terasu Tetrad" - OSTER Project
- "End of the Universe" - Little Runmo
- All Kidz Bop song covers
- All children's songs
- All Schnuffel Bunny songs
- Most Gummibär songs
- Any Mario OST
- Any Melanie Martinez song from 2014-2015
- "Young Dumb Stupid" - NMIXX
- "POP!" - Nayeon from TWICE
- "Hey Two!" - Antony Kos
- "No Return (Into the Unknown)" - LE SSERAFIM
- "Hype Boy" - NewJeans
- "No Celestial" - LE SSERAFIM
- "Nimbasa CORE" - Plasterbrain
- "Bonus World (Fast)" - The Adventures of Cookies and Cream OST
Playlists[]
Official Aesthetics Wiki Spotify playlist[]
The Aesthetics Wiki staff creates official Spotify playlists for aesthetics, which compile the songs most frequently featured on existing playlists dedicated to those aesthetics. Pages with an official wiki playlist will not include playlists from the public.
Architecture[]
The architectural variants of kidcore - known as "Wonka Post-Modern", or "Memphis Jr." due to it being inspired by the 1980s Memphis aesthetic - predate the rest of the genre, and can be said to have inspired the 2010s popularity via nostalgia. Examples typically come from theme parks and stores which market goods to children such as Toys 'R' Us and Gymboree.
Activities[]
- Wearing cute pajamas
- Eating snacks you loved as a child
- Watching cartoons and movies from your childhood
- Decorating notebooks with stickers
- Collecting stickers in general
- Stickerbombing
- Playing in the park
- Making sand castles
- Playing in the rain
- Singing (mainly Eurodance songs)
- Swimming in pools
- Having a bubble bath filled with toys
- Running
- Playing with toys and plushies
- Playing MMO games and video games aimed at children
- Doing arts and crafts
Subgenres[]
Spooky Kidcore[]
Spooky Kidcore is a subgenre of kidcore that mixes the cute things and bright colors of kidcore with Halloween themes, such as witches, skeletons, and jack-o'-lanterns. It often overlaps with Halloween.
Loudcore[]
Loudcore is a subgenre of kidcore which revolves around loud, noisy objects and toys that are associated with childhood. Key motifs include bells, fireworks, birthday party-esque or "school treasure box" related items, and instruments such as kazoos.
Stickercore[]
Stickercore is an aesthetic that focuses mainly on children's stickers. Some of the most common types are My Little Pony, Care Bears, Sanrio, Sandylion, and Lisa Frank’s artwork. Anime girls are also seen, but uncommon. The stickers are mostly placed on one's face, but can also go on other parts of the body and objects.
Arcade Kid[]
Arcade Kid is a subgenre of kidcore that combines youthful and cute kidcore outfits with video games-related clothes and accessories, like Kirby and Animal Crossing merch. Arcade Kid aesthetic is more colorful and brighter than Arcadecore, which is making it more related to Kidcore.
Lil' Girl[]
See the main page for more information about the more feminine form of kidcore.
Unicorncore[]
While Unicorncore still features bright rainbow colors like all of Kidcore, it tends to be in bright pastels similar to Fairy Kei and Yume Kawaii. This aesthetic is associated with girly girls as well as gay men and the lgbtq community.
Resources[]
External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic.
Entertainment[]
Vendors[]
Pinterest Boards[]
- –kidcore by °❀𝔸𝕝𝕝𝕪𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖❀°
- Children's Books and Illustrations by Dona Novak
- Max's Kidcore theme
Gallery[]
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