Discover Top Posts Tagged with #tiny toons

Toon Headcanons

General:

-DIP is real…and it is very strongly feared by Toons. Any usage of DIP in Toon Town is completely banned. However, Toontown does have its own black market, where weapons filled or laced with DIP are traded. It should be noted that DIP doesn't smell like anything to Toons. Humans can smell it a mile away.

-Toonproof items also exist. Made by a company called Zippol (hence the term Zippol to describe items of the Toonproof nature), they're not deadly like DIP is to a Toon but what they can do is completely inhibit a Toon’s Toonforce. Not only that, the restraints also sap a Toon’s energy so they can’t fight back even while restrained. The only way to remove these items is with a special key. Here are some of the items:

–Zippol Collar: Perhaps the most dangerous item on this list and as such, the least commonly used. Zippol collars work the INSTANT they’re put on the Toon. Anytime a Toon tries using Toonforce while wearing this collar (or show any form of high emotion), the collar gives them a rather nasty shock that can actually hurt them. Mainly used for incredibly dangerous Toons that are deemed a threat to society as well as themselves.

–Zippol Cuffs: The second most dangerous item on the list, Zippol cuffs don’t give the Toon wearing them a shock, but what they do instead is latch into the wrists of the Toon wearing them and prevent Toonforce from building up.

–Zippol Rope: The most common item on this list. For the most part, it’s uncuttable and unfrayable…the only thing that can truly damage Zippol ropes is a Zippol-created knife.

-DIP isn’t the only thing that can destroy or hurt Toons…there’s been several developing ways one can hurt or even destroy a Toon. One is via ripping up the paper they first came to life on, as that holds a part of their core essence and can greatly weaken them once damaged in any way. Hence, Toons hide or keep their "concept papers" a closely guarded secret.

-Another way is by suddenly erasing and replacing the core parts of their design, especially after that design part has been there for a long time. Do this too much and the sheer level of pain will cause the Toon to cease being entirely.

-Toons CAN feel pain but not from Toon material. No Toon material can ever truly hurt a Toon. A toon feels pain when their harmed by a fellow Toon using all of their Toonforce with intent to harm. It's how Cliff was able to hurt Tom so badly.

-Toons can also feel pain when they stop thinking something is funny. When they let themselves be affected by certain objects/causes of harm. It's the only way human objects can cause pain to a Toon.

-Recently, Toons have grown a DEEP dislike for works made by AI. Matter of fact, they just dislike AI itself. They think it's lazy, uncreative, and way too threatening to their jobs. Any AI works featuring them they’ll very much mock.

-Toontown itself doesn't have restaurants, being that they don't eat Toon food or human food. They DO have bars/places for drinking, but they're far and few in between.

-Toons aren’t created out of thin air. They must be drawn with intent and purpose by licensed professionals. Creating a Toon without a license is strictly forbidden.

-Toons are generally created two weeks to a month before production starts on their debut cartoon. They’re given a basic rundown of what they need to do, who they are, and what their assigned role is before being thrust into practice. If they manage to make it big, great! If not…well, good luck.

-Truthfully, the relationship of classic predator and prey toon dynamics off-screen can vary. Some (like Tom and Jerry or Tweety and Sylvester) are rather close. Others (like the Ant and the Aardvark) tolerate each other. And others (such as Itchy and Scratchy) genuinely cannot stand each other.

-Toons alter their personalities and antics on a whim depending on who they’re talking to. If it’s someone kind and curious, they’ll tone down the slapstick and genuinely try their best to be nice (as much as they can). If it’s someone greedy and wants to exploit them, the Toon will deliberately make it so their antics hit harder.

-Toons created primarily for comics (like the Archie cast from the Archie comics) are also drawn in real life to see if they can be used as potential new characters on the screen. However, many of these new characters don’t work out, forcing them to have to look for different jobs.

-In their Golden Age years, Toons weren't really aware of racial stereotypes or how they affected people...they thought it was just another harmless and funny gag. They protested the Censored Eleven being...well, censored incredibly heavily. To them, the cartoons were harmless and people were overreacting. You better believe this was used against them by anti-toon groups HEAVILY. It was only when they saw just how DEEPLY minorities were affected did they realize how wrong these gags were.

-In the beginning of Wartime, Toons didn't really understand why they were mocking Adolf Hitler so much (which is why during early wartime cartoons, Hitler's not in them a lot). Sure he was the leader of the opposing side, but he was sort of like an unseen/unknowing figure to them. Upon learning of his actions (especially towards the Jews) in late 1942, they were genuinely disgusted and horrified. They increased their mocking of Hitler and his allies in response on purpose due to this.

-Gertie the Dinosaur is seen as "the grandmother of Toonhood." She has since long faded out of existence (being that she was completely forgotten) but Toons continue to honor her even today. Mickey personally ensured that Gertie had her own stand at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

-Toon outfits can’t be taken off. Not unless their creator specifically designs it so they can. Thankfully for a lot of Toons, the creators DO put this design aspect into them.

Culture:

-Toon social customs greatly discourage “breaking character” while acting on set unless absolutely necessary. Even if that Toon is getting seriously hurt by something or other, they will continue to stay in character until the very end. The reason for that is they value their off-screen lives greatly and don't want to show the audience "a different side" that they might reject.

-Toons by nature are inherently independent and social at the same time. Mostly in terms of performance. All Toons want to perform on their terms but when necessary, they will have a partner to perform with.

-Toons are strongly encouraged to form different communities with Toons mixed from different studios. Not only does this encourage different friendships, it also fosters connections that can get someone a job when they’re out of one.

-Even if some of them don't always get along or "get each other's style", all Toons across different studio lots try to maintain peaceful relations with each other. It's easier to deal with from both the Toons and the humans. They used to be a LOT more vocal and obvious with different studio Toons they couldn't get along with but changed this after a certain incident back in the 1970s. It was between two up and coming new studios, Emerald Studios and Trove Studios. Both studios practically destroyed each other with the war between their Toons.

-Despite their chaotic and carefree nature, Toons do have a small bit of genuine loyalty to their respective studios, seeing as they helped to give them careers. They do, however, have a big dislike for their corporate side of things. It’s especially noticeable in Bugs’ dislike for the corporate side of Warner Bros and Disney, as he feels they constantly make bad decisions that negatively affect the Toons that work for them.

-There are three types of characters. 1D, 2D, and 3D. Let’s get into them:

–1D: Short for 1 Dimensional. These are characters that only have one noticeable trait…and that’s it. They’re often ridiculed, even by other Toons, being seen as a “failed” experiment or “lazy design.”

–2D: Short for 2 Dimensional. These are characters that have more noticeable traits, but still tend to be somewhat specialized. They can perform outside their specialty but with some difficulties. They’re common in mid-tier productions, with many Inked and Formed Toons falling here.

–3D: Short for 3 Dimensional. Sometimes called Full D, these are characters with multi-talented skills, complex personalities, and adaptability across contexts. These Toons can switch tones, skills, and antics depending on context.

-There are three types of Toon Classes. Class 3, Class 2, Class 1. Let’s get into them:

Class 3: Tyro:

Inexperienced and novice Toons. Can only pull basic things from their hammerspace and what is known as “safe slapstick–” aka where their antics affect the environment from a distance rather than themselves or anyone around them. Socially, they’re much less respected and often targeted by pranks.

Class 2: Adept:

Fully competent Toons with significant gag and multi-talent skills. They are recognized for consistent performance, creativity, and narrative awareness. Can pull many more objects out of their hammerspace (they have a limit on pulling out actual human items, which Class 1 Toons don’t have) and perform “risk slapstick”--where their antics affect not only the environment but also themselves. They’re the ones usually enforcing the rules on Class 3…though they try their best not to do it cruelly.

Class 1: Prime:

The elite Toons, highly multi-talented and creative with an endless amount of gags and tricks up their sleeves. Can pull practically any object out of their hammerspace, even human items, and perform “menace slapstick”--where their antics affect everybody around them, including other people. Often seen as mentors, performers, or leaders in competitions and audience interactions.

Continuing off the character types and classes, It’s extremely rare for a 3D toon to be Class 3 — most 3D Toons are Class 1 or 2. And it is extremely rare for a 3D to be a Class 3 Toon much as it is rare for a 1D to be a Class 1 toon.

-Going off of the classes, the Toons weren't the ones who created the class system...the humans did. Eventually, it got so ingrained into Toon culture to the point most Toons don't question it. Some Toons (mostly Class 3 and some Class 2) want to fight the system. While many are extreme in their beliefs, they genuinely raise good points about the system.

-There are three types of slapstick levels. Let’s get into them:

-Safe Slapstick: The most basic form of slapstick.

-Risk Slapstick: A much higher level than Safe Slapstick.

-Menace Slapstick: The form of Slapstick every toon wishes to have.

-ACME is a very real company in Toontown and VERY big and VERY rich. Because of its notoriety and wealth, many humans have mistakenly believed ACME controls all of Toontown itself (which isn’t true). If you don’t live in one of ACME’s suburbs, then any Toon that’s down on their luck can find some form of work at ACME or their subdivisions/subcompanies.

-Names have power in the Toonverse. When someone recognizes a Toon’s name and who they are, it provides a boost to the Toon’s general Toonforce. Toons are very particular about their name/identity and dislike when someone misrecognizes them/gets it wrong.

-In Toon culture, having faint sketch lines is seen as a high honor. It shows that the creators/animators worked hard and weren't afraid to be a little daring. Many Inked Toons bond over this and like to show off and compare sketch lines.

-Toon Town has several events and holidays. Some are (loosely) based on human holidays while others are completely made up. Here are some of the most important ones:

--Shenaniween (once every year): Basically the Toons’ version of Halloween. Less going around getting candy and more tricking. Like humans, Toons ALSO dress up in costumes…though they’re mainly and purposefully messed up over the course of the day.

--Week of Fools (a special week taking place every year): Basically the holiday of April Fools…for an entire WEEK. Unlike humans, Toons take this holiday as not just any week, THE WEEK, to show off all their best pranks and gags. No competition necessary…only pure fun and chaos. Truthfully, the only real competition is whoever can drive fellow Toons or humans insane faster. When the week takes place changes with every year. One year, it can be in April, another in February…or even in the cold months of December and/or January.

--Dares’ Day (once every month): Toons LOVE to challenge each other to dares. Every month, they hold a competition on the 6th day of that month to see who will partake in the most OUTRAGEOUS of dares. The winner is whoever can make it through each round (and there are a LOT of rounds) without stopping. Because there are so many Toons, each Toon group sends a representative to compete in the Dare Rounds.

-Calling a small toon (think Jerry, Tweety, or a Smurf) "little one" is generally seen as one of the biggest insults you can give. They are not just their size, they are so much more than that. Some variations of the “little one” insult include:

-Calling a Toon predator who chases a certain prey "obsessed" is what “little one” is to small Toons: a deep insult to them. Many Toon predators don't actually CHASE their prey off screen and have their own lives. It reduces their beings to nothing more than orbiting their on-screen prey and that’s something they absolutely HATE.

-In fact, there are several ways one can insult a Toon. Here are some of them:

–Paperweight: Means a Toon who allows themselves to be treated like a living prop. It's basically the Toon word/insult equivalent for "pushover." Sometimes, it's also used to describe Toons who have an attachment to the paper they were first drawn and brought to life upon.

–Cut-Out Copy: All Toons are different and have their own sense of style. Saying they’re just a “cut-out” of another fellow Toon is a surefire way to get them really angry.

–Filler Fuel: Insinuating a Toon exists to just be in the background is a HORRENDOUS insult to a Toon and their independence. All Toons have their own ways of being in the spotlight and implying that they just exist to “fill in the background” is a DANGEROUS saying.

-For the most part, Toons don’t really go on social media, as they’re not really interested in the petty squabbling of humans over trivial issues. Nor do they like having “echo chambers.” They like when people argue back genuinely, not agree with everything they say. The few times they do go on the internet, they cause absolute chaos.

-Toons themselves are very anti-political. It's both a combination of historical resentment, principle, and genuinely just not caring. Toons have STRONGLY encouraged their fans/viewers not to draw them in political cartoons, memes, debates.

-In the eyes of Toons, no character, no matter how evil they’re portrayed on screen, is truly loathsome. Many Toon “villains” in fact are just people doing their jobs (of course, there are always exceptions to this). Toons that end up on the Loathsome Character wiki especially LOVE trolling the humans that make them.

-Studio Toons generally see Indie Toons as "cousins" of sorts. Especially since many of them are bursting with creativity and have their own unique style. They are...aware many of them are formed in response to studio mismanagement/general distrust of studios, but they don't hold it against them or their creators (they are more than aware of studio mismanagement themselves). Some of the more sociable StudioToons like to visit the Indie Toons and give them encouragement.

-EVERY toon fears being "flanderized" (though they don't call it that). Toons that HAVE gone through that make personal strides to ensure it doesn't happen to other toons.

-Each and every Toon extensively studies not just their own filmography but that of their co-stars and other Toons. You never know when it might come in handy one day!

-Toons have learned not to judge Toons that come from controversial animators/creators. They are masters at "separating art from the artist." One of the prime examples of "judge the toon, not the hand that drew them" is Ren and Stimpy. Both Ren and Stimpy are very much aware of their creator John K's misconduct and awful deeds, and it heavily embarrasses them (Ren especially). The Toons, especially fellow Nickelodeon Toons, assure them that they are not their creator.

-While many Toons respect the Simpsons, they also know the Simpsons' repeated criticisms from audiences are part of the consequence for letting a show go on too long. Many Toons have thus resolved to end their shows and series on their own terms (if they aren't cancelled hopefully) without making it go on too long.

-While a Toon’s relations with humans can vary, all of them have agreed on one thing: no romance with a human. It’s a major taboo in Toon culture.

-Pranking and pulling at someone’s nerves is the main language for Toons. Each prank has a different meaning to a Toon, both socially and emotionally. A single pie in the face? They’re testing the waters. Multiple pies in the face? Then they like you already.

-That being said, a rule in Toon pranking is that you never prank someone with their fears. For example, pranking Tweety Bird with spiders/bugs, pranking Tom Cat with snakes (real or fake), or pranking Elmer Fudd with blood (fake or real) is a BIG no-no. If a Toon finds out you did this…good luck getting them to speak or just generally interact with you.

-Toons love competing with each other for fun. They’ll often have competitions with each other, ranging from little ones such as who can throw the most pranks in a day to big ones such as who can drive the humans insane faster.

-Toons express when they’re in love differently than humans. They don’t get shy or try to avoid it. Or even directly go up to their interest and say they like them. They express their interest by seeing how quickly they can adapt to them and their antics. Physical comedy is affection to them and they love seeing if they can go farther with it.

-Toons have a different way of experiencing emotions than humans. It’s a major reason why most toons don't like the feeling of having emotions in the first place. That being said, there HAVE been moments of quiet intimacy...but it is extremely quiet, personal, and private.

-Toons are designed by nature to be multi-talented. Singing? Dancing? You name it, they can do it. While they all specialize in certain aspects, almost no toon is a one-trick pony. Toons that aren't multi-talented are seen as objects of ridicule...and not the fun kind.

-Each Toon deeply fears the day the audience forgets them. When they stop laughing at their jokes. When they move on. Toons that are truly forgotten? They disappear from existence. This is one of the few things that can actually end a Toon. However, there is hope that if the audience remembers them…they can be brought back slowly.

-The most socially humiliating thing for a Toon to do? Sucking up to the humans. Not just that…trying to be a human itself. It’s considered embarrassing and socially ruining on all counts.

-Continuing off of that headcanon, there does exist a black market for de-toonification…but no one can ever find it (or prove it exists). Turning a human into a toon may be reversible…but de-toonification is not.

-Most Toons (especially Inked toons) don’t have kids. They’re rather judgemental on those that do.

-There are different Toon Towns all over the world...but none of them are connected with each other. It's too difficult and there are too many cultural differences for them all to really get along with each other.

-That being said, Toons DO genuinely like to travel and see different parts of the world. The studios also think it’s a good idea for them to get acquainted with the country they’re based on so they can portray living there “more accurately.” The main problem is that there is a TON of red tape surrounding Toon travel because other countries get nervous at having more Toons than they can handle all in one place.

-Paint is all over Toontown, being that it’s used to color Toons. It’s very common and basically the Toon’s equivalent of water in showers, water in pipes and wells, with paint dust being the equivalent of steam in spas/saunas. Paint is also kept in Toon’s houses should they ever run out of it.

-For Digital Toons (who obviously don’t use paint), their source of cleanliness comes from cleaning out their hard drive that projects their physical body. When it’s dirty, their form will start to glitch and sometimes repeat their actions/words.

History:

-When they were first starting out, Toons had SEVERE limitations (though they were slowly easing up by the 1960s-early 1970s) There was a lot of prejudice and fear surrounding them…especially since they were explicitly created to be able to do things humans couldn’t. Even when they turned out to be major successes, fear and paranoia clouded the humans’ judgement. Several moments were created to ban or erase them entirely and many almost succeeded.

-The first Toon Town was originally created as a "segregated neighborhood" for Toons to live in and be dumped in. Later down the line, Toons not only reclaimed the concept but expanded it to include multiple Toon Towns for Toons to leave in peace.

-Toons were VERY close to being drafted into World War 2. The government believed they could be useful and there was an official act on the way to be signed by President Roosevelt himself. What stopped him from doing so? Remembering seeing Snow White for the very first time. Toons to this day, are DEEPLY appreciative of Snow White and what she's done for the animation world as a whole...especially in what she prevented.

-However, even without being drafted, Toons weren't treated well. While restrictions were slowly easing up, they were still segregated hard. This was partly because of the government cabinet, who were incredibly angry that the Toons weren't used in World War II. It was only when the Toons staged a historic march on 17th August of 1978 (ironically 70 years after the date Fantasmagorie, considered to be the first animated film was released) that their rights were finally recognized and ratified.

-Despite the progress made, many subtle prejudices against Toons still exist to this day, especially when it comes to government and politics (hence most Toons’ disdain for it).

Biology:

-Toon food doesn't actually taste like anything to a Toon. At most, it tastes like solid air going down their throats. Toon food is not consumable by humans though. It will immediately make a human sick. However, toons CAN taste human food and drink but don't do so often, as they "don't want to sink to a human's level."

-If a human roofie is consumed by a Toon, it will immediately make the Toon throw up. Not in the sick way, but in the "this tastes horrible" kind of way.

-(TRIGGER WARNING!) However, you can still spike a Toon's drink (it's one of the main ways Toon Traffickers get their hands on Toons they're eying). There are several pills created in labs by the scientists of Toon Traffickers designed to knock out a Toon (and not in a funny way. In the actually unconscious way) completely. No fuss, no muss. Just a deep sleep for several hours. These pills mainly target vulnerable Class 3 Toons, as Class 2s and Class 1s are much harder to take down.

There are five types of Toons: Artificial, Inked, Formed, Doodled, and Birthed. Let’s get into them.

–Inked: Classic cel-based Toons, highly resilient and elastic.

–Formed: Sculpted or 3D Toons, slightly more rigid than Inked.

--Digital: Digitally created Toons, often used in experimental media.

–Doodled: Sketches that are (professionally) given life, created from looser, exaggerated art styles.

–Birthed: Rare, fully “born” Toons that are the result of Toon procreation.

-This is definitely stolen from the episode ‘Fields of Honey’ in Tiny Toons but I’m running with it. The laughter and relevance from the audience is what keeps a Toon young. The more they are forgotten, the more they age.

-But then that leads us to the question? How do some Toons in Toontown stay young even though they’ve been forgotten? There’s an answer to that. They use half of their Toonforce to stop the aging itself. However, this takes a HUGE toll on them, as their Toonforce drains faster and leads them to barely being able to survive slapstick/Toon antics itself…not without getting seriously hurt.

-If the laughter sustaining them is stable, then Toons generally don’t age. Not unless they genuinely want to. And even then, they’ll have to really force it. Which is why most Toons don’t do so. Tweety is an example of a Toon who tried to ‘force’ an age change due to hating the way he was perceived as a baby…it didn’t work out for him, as the attempt nearly scrambled his Toon body out of work completely and he hasn’t tried since.

-The more a Toon fades, the more they forget. When they're on the very verge of fading, they forget their name and identity entirely.

-Toons measure their ages from the day they were officially debuted to the public to the present. They don’t count their years as prototypes because it wasn’t truly ‘them’ yet. Therefore, when Tweety says he’s actually older than Sylvester in arguments…he means it.

-Toons aren’t affected by weather and don’t have an internal body heating or cooling system. The only time the weather affects them is when they choose to let it.

-However, weather can affect them if they have preconceived notions about it. It's the reason why Road Runner doesn't like rain and Penelope loves it...both have seen reactions to it and made their own conclusions.

-Toons can’t get sick from normal human viruses and diseases. They can get sick from a lack of ink stabilizing them. There’s quite a few types of Toon sicknesses in general. Let’s get into them:

–Ink Fever:

–Symptoms:

Ink Fever happens when Ink levels in a Toon aren’t stable, often fluctuating at dangerous levels. Sometimes, it’s too high and sometimes it’s too low. The Toon’s body then goes into overdrive to fix this, either by getting rid of the extra Ink or taking Ink from their “reserve” levels deep in their bodies.

–Causes:

This illness is caused when a Toon’s ink stabilizer gets corrupted often by stress, emotional overload, or prolonged exposure to low-quality ink. It's like a system crash for their body.

–Cures:

The best cure is basically a Toon getting re-inked via artist or technician. They can do it THEMSELVES too but they have to be much more careful because a Toon using ink on themselves often tends to react badly and the process takes MUCH longer. Thus, it's just easier have an artist do it for them because they can do it quicker and ink doesn't react badly or de-stabilize in their hands.

-Toons don’t need to eat or sleep. They can stay fully awake for 24/7 (as most creators didn’t want to have to deal with them wanting lunch breaks or being tired/cranky if they were working after hours). That being said, Toons still eat and sleep anyway because they can still feel the sensations of fullness and slumber and it tickles them pink. Toons also don’t truly “dream.”

-Medications exist for Toons with certain disorders/conditions. However, these medications are created differently. These medications are not just made of Ink..they are made of special Toon created compounds and chemicals that wouldn’t work anywhere else…these compounds are specifically designed for medication and medication only. Hello Nurse (from Animaniacs) is a main provider of these pills.

-Toons process alcohol differently. Human alcohol can’t get any Toon drunk. At most, they’ll feel a very slight buzz but that’s about it and that’s only if they drink a LOT of it. Toon alcohol on the other hand, can and will get a Toon drunk if they drink enough. If a human were to drink Toon alcohol? They’d get immediate alcohol poisoning.

-Toons that are based on animals are directly created without most of their instincts. The reason for this is that it would have been a disaster for the studios had Tom and Sylvester actually wanted to eat Jerry and Tweety. Animal toons that do have animal instincts mostly pick up on it from watching their real life counterparts. Sylvester and Tyke (from Tom and Jerry) are examples of this.

-Toons don’t really have organs. Not like humans do. Any physical organs that are shown in their cartoons are just for show.

-(NSFW/Sexual): Toons can absolutely generate the parts needed for sexual actions/reproduction. Most of them just choose not to. However, the right “parts” can absolutely be FORCED out of them when they don’t want it.

Abilities:

-The Toonforce is very real. Toons are created with it running through their bodies. How strong the Toonforce is for them depends on what they’re feeling.

-The Toonforce itself only allows a Toon to manipulate the environment and reality around and concerning fellow Toons. It CANNOT protect them if someone (either a human or a Toon) were to actually want a physical fight.

-All Toons are created not to be able to hurt humans. So when genuinely malicious Toons pop up...it's not that they don't want to hurt humans, it's that they CAN'T. However, there are loopholes. Toons themselves can't harm humans...but their objects and props CAN (though they themselves can't wield props/gags with intent to physically harm humans).

-Toons are STRICTLY created not to be able to create Toons themselves. Anytime it LOOKS like they were able to were actually animated copies created by actual animators.

-No Toon created can actually see their future. Any Toon that says they CAN is a liar. Even Toons specifically created for the purpose of seeing futures can’t actually see the future of themselves or their fellow Toons.

-Toons have the uncanny ability to make their props/gag items heavier or lighter for human hands. An anvil dropping out of the sky? Can look super heavy at first but be as light as a feather when necessary. It’s not just physical weight that this applies to…it’s emotional weight as well.

-Toons are inherently born with the ability to read and write (even if they were created to be stupid). The reason for this is because none of the humans wanted to spend the time having to teach them basic skills like a baby. Any Toons that are created without being able to read or write tend to be viewed as rarities and keep their struggles hidden. Road 'Roadie' Runner of Looney Tunes was an example of a Toon that couldn't read or write when he was created. He's since been diagnosed privately with dyslexia but for a while, he had to keep his struggles hidden. Wile E was the one helping and covering for him before he got diagnosed.