Why Cartoon Characters Wear The Same Clothes Everyday

In a classic episode of “The Simpsons,” routine ne’er do well and lovestruck youngster Bart Simpson can’t figure out why he’s not boyfriend material. “Is it my overbite, the fact that I’ve been wearing the same clothes day in and day out for the past five years?” Of course, now it’s been a bit more than five years given that “The Simpsons” is the longest-running primetime scripted series ever. In fact, the matter of a routine wardrobe stretches across all long-running animated characters, literally stitching their outfits into their iconic look. Just like Lisa Simpson’s dress that’s shaped like a badminton shuttlecock or Peter Griffin’s white shirt and green trousers combo, all of these iconic characters wear the same thing over and over again. But why is that the case? The answer is far more sensible than you think and is a trick that stretches back to some of the founding and equally favored characters of early animation.

Just like in the early days of animation when the likes of Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse always wore white gloves to provide a simple template for their artists, a single outfit being used at length was another cheat code. Characters are always stuck in the same threads because it makes animating sequences so much easier, whereas wardrobe changes would take a lot longer for projects to get finished. Over time though, one-and-done outfits proved to be valuable for different reasons, like when those popular characters became something worth marketing beyond screens and onto shelves instead.

It seems that if animated characters live in worlds of espionage and adventure, it makes sense that they wear more than one outfit. In the hit Disney series “Kim Possible,” for example, a globetrotting spy would probably need more than her signature black crop top and green khaki pants while on a mission, often dressing up for the occasion just like James Bond would. The same could be said for “Totally Spies” from 2013, in which the trio of titular heroes always sports a variety of outfits while maintaining their respective colors of choice: green for Sam, red for Clover, and yellow for Alex.

Cut to the present day, and some of the most popular anime in recent years have ensured that their heroes look the part. One example is “My Hero Academia,” which has seen lead character Izuku Midoriya wearing plenty of outfits since the anime debuted in 2016. Other shows like “Bleach” have also dared to stretch the skills of animators, giving characters more than one outfit to change into as well. Admittedly, though, it’s often the case that the show reverts to their heroes ending up in a signature outfit, which makes things a lot easier. There’s also the added perk of saving time with a go-to get-up for cartoon characters, which works wonders for mass merchandising.

When a cartoon character becomes popular enough to be merchandized, it helps if they are not famous for having several different outfits when only one would do. All of “The Simpsons” characters have standout clothing selections that they, more often than not, only occasionally change to their Sunday best or to special events. This makes toys, clothes, and any other bit of gear that can have Homer Simpson stamped on it an easy sell. He’s not the only one to be getting the T-shirt treatment. Comic book characters and their stand-out super suits have made the worlds they’ve been a part of easier to build, with the likes of Hulk rarely changing out of his iconic purple pants, Wolverine always being in yellow and black, and Superman’s iconic red and blue costume always being easy to spot, even if James Gunn made some alterations to his live-action iteration.

As much of a corner-cutting creative process as this is, though, you can’t deny that all of the aforementioned appearances of these characters have allowed them to reach icon-level status. Bart can be upset about always wearing his orange and blue number, but compared to the rest of us, he’s got it easy. For 37 years his outfit has never gone out of style and it’s highly like it never will, either.