17 Cartoon Characters That Have Changed So Drastically, I’m Honestly Gobsmacked
The cartoons we know and love are gone. If you don’t have kids, it’s easy to never notice how much the characters we grew up with changed for today’s audience. Well, after I came across this Reddit thread of the “worst character redesigns,” it sobered me up. I’m here to share them with you because if I have to see them, you do, too!
1. All of the Backyardigans got a makeover from their early-2000s series when their music videos were published on YouTube in 2024. Nobody has as stark of a difference as Tyrone does, considering that, for a moose, he now has an incredibly flat face.
2. Bob the Builder was in stop motion until 2010, when he turned to CGI. In the 2015 revival, he turned CGI and very…human? Where did our puppet Bob go?????
3. The Mystery Gang in Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, premiering in 2015, doesn’t look like the Mystery Gang at all. I don’t even recognize the guy on the far left. It can’t be Shaggy because I know he would never wear skinny jeans.
4. Where do I begin with these 2023 Playdate with Winnie the Pooh characters? Eeyore has perfectly coiffed hair, Pooh is wearing a hoodie, and Tigger’s tail doesn’t look like it’s ever been bounced on.
5. Miss Frizzle in 2017’s The Magic School Bus Rides Again looks completely different from the 1994 original. Where are the amazing dresses that are entirely on theme with what the kids are learning?
6. Additionally, the Magic School Bus in the series now looks like an EV. I’m not saying EVs are a bad thing, but the Magic School Bus should look like it came from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and it’s run on knowledge and imagination. No part of it should be sleek.
7. Moving on, let’s talk about Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales. Since 1993, he’s looked predictably tomato-y. In this 2015 Noah’s Ark movie, he has blue eyes and thick eyebrows.
8. In 2024, Dora got a redesign that doesn’t look a lot like the Dora in 2000 that we’re used to. These days, Dora’s socks have no frill.
9. MY Thomas the Tank Engine from Thomas and Friends was kinda shiny, a little scary, and realistic. I just don’t know who this new guy from 2021’s All Engines Go is.
10. Unfortunately, the apple and cinnamon of Apple Jacks have now been totally changed since the ’00s. I was always a little scared of the intensity of the apple, but now I miss his passion.
11. I remember the Strawberry Shortcake with the big hat from when I watched her in the ’90s. This was her look in the 2000s. Since 2021, she has a beanie.
12. Here’s the Garfield from 1988–94 compared to Garfield from 2009–16. He doesn’t look like he’s got any passion for lasagna.
13. Kids these days don’t have the felt look of the characters from Blue’s Clues (1996–2006). Instead, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper are *gulp* shaded in Blue’s Clues & You (2019–). (Also, a side note: look how big Paprika has gotten.)
14. All of the Teen Titans have gone through a massive overhaul from the premiere of Teen Titans in 2003 to Teen Titans Go in 2013, but they did Robin dirty.
15. I just…oof, look for yourself. Look at the Kid Cuisine penguin in the ’90s and now.
16. From Ben 10 in 2005 to Ben 10: Omniverse, his whole physique and animation style changed. No longer was he the Ben we once knew.
17. Finally, I could write a whole post on the live-actioning of cartoon characters, but this one, I think, is the most jarring. The difference between the 1989 Flounder and the 2023 Flounder is wild.
