Cartoon characters not putting on any pants may bother adults, but not children. Most kids are unaware that these characters are missing some items of clothing. For them, these are adorable, fuzzy characters who are closest to the natural state that animals are found in. How would you feel if your pet dog or cat ran around the house in a pair of pants? Not too cute, wouldn't you agree? Unless you wrap them in jackets designed for pets to keep them warm in the winter.
Our most-loved cartoons are rarely shown completely naked except Tom and Jerry. Most characters like Winnie the Pooh, Donald Duck, Chip and Dale, and Yogi Bear wear no pants. They wear t-shirts, scarves, sometimes even socks and gloves. There are ties, hats, bow-ties, but no pants. Donald Duck has his trademark sailor’s hat. Bugs Bunny, the rabbit, wears only gloves. And, good old Winnie the Pooh is comfortable prancing around in his red shirt!
However, we view things differently. Being pantless is acceptable in the animal world, but not so much in the human world. Have you noticed that these characters put on clothes for special occasions? Tom might appear in a long coat if he tries to impress the cat of his dreams.
While I maintain that it is acceptable and perfectly appropriate for our favourite characters to go around without pants, some artists have tried to visualise these guys with clothes. No doubt, their clothed versions creep us out! If you don’t believe that, you can search the internet for images of their clothed avatars. It was once also rumoured that Finland banned Donald Duck because he had no trousers on. It was, however, only a ‘rumour’.
These missing items of clothing, however, make the characters quite memorable. Anyone wearing gloves and red shorts with suspenders will be instantly recognised as Mickey Mouse. He has no hat to keep his huge ears visible. If Donald Duck were to wear pants, you might not be able to see his cute little tail. Ditto with shoes because they would hide his webbed feet!
It is appropriate that some cartoon characters don’t wear pants. While they talk and behave like humans, they are essentially animals who are not used to wearing clothes. They never realise they are naked. Unless, of course, you take away the fur. At that point, they might try to hide and go red in the face because they feel naked! So, we should just let them be and enjoy their lifting and memorable presence in our childhood.
