Cartoon Network: Game Idea
This is a project that I was doing in my free time, celebrating the process of ideation, while ridding it of the exhausting recurring parasite that every artist deals with - guilt. whether it be:
- Needing to produce constantly for an insatiable audience.
- Not making enough.
- Having too high of standards for yourself.
- Making art you think others might hate or think is 'cringe'.
What ever the reason, guilt is prevalent in art. so for this project, I have tried to stripped all of that away - no deadlines, no high expectations, no elaborate plans, no super clean and rendered art - Just being creative with a love letter to my favorite channel!
And with a project that marries my love of analyzing movement language (both in terms of characterization and also how artists use different styles of timing etc. throughout different shows) with my style mimicry flexes - I’m finding myself really enjoying the process of ideation and problem solving to scratch that creative itch!
Unfortunately this is in no way affiliated with Cartoon Network, nor will it be anything past a series of ideas - all characters are copyright property of CN.
Below are some move sets I designed:
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Finn and Jake
Gumball Watterson
Dee Dee
Numbuh Five
Flea
Villain Concept Art (above)
For my CN game idea, I needed a good villain character!
For my CN game idea, I needed a good villain character!
Someone that could really put a spanner in the works for EVERYONE - cartoony, grounded, jovial, serious, powerful, intelligent - I needed someone who could take over the world of cartoons! I needed someone that wouldn't alienate folks from other fanbases! I needed someone who could go up against the Powerpuff Girls, the Justice League, Ben10 - heck, even Popeye!
I needed... A flea.
The Moxy Show was Cartoon Network's first original cartoon, dating back to '93 - about a down on his luck dog just trying to get his big break into show business on Cartoon Network. his cohost was Flea - a snarky little parasite that just kind of followed Moxy around, occasionally ruining things for him. Unfortunately that's all we really know about these characters as their show is considered lost media, with only a few bumpers, and one full episode surfacing online.
So I decided to make the side kick to this obscure piece of lost media my villain - but first, he needed a glow up!! (quite literally, too!)
The Forgotten
ScrappyScrappy-Doo was brought on to 'Scooby-Doo' to boost ratings, and showed great success during the 80's but when the early 2000's live action movie painted him as the annoying bad guy, Scrappy's career took a downfall. He was outcasted and retconned from the show, and from the network, only appearing as very brief and minor gag mentions. Scrappy became a bitter & resentful character, as seen in various CN bumpers - which eventually led to his obscurity in the void.
In this story, Scrap' has lost a lot of his signature go-getter, high energy attitude and is instead more held back and mysterious, acting as a sort of mentor to the player - a veteran type that has seen some stuff and has been around the block. This may also be a way to compensate for his small size and how self conscious he is about his voice, as he finds himself not taken very seriously by others (with the exception of his Forgotten peers)
The impulsive and 'always looking for a fight' nature of Scrappy is still ever present, only evolved slightly. He is a no-nonsense fight first, talk later type that will go for the shortest path he can find to the answer of a problem - but will only ever use the famous "Puppy Power!!" as a last resort.
Despite how he pushes his friends and can have a very salty attitude, after all is said and done, finding a community of forgotten toons has brought Scrappy purpose after so long, he adores his new found family, and will do anything for them - no matter how much he claims he is independent - that idolising quality he had for his uncle, never went away and has since channeled elsewhere.
In this story, Scrap' has lost a lot of his signature go-getter, high energy attitude and is instead more held back and mysterious, acting as a sort of mentor to the player - a veteran type that has seen some stuff and has been around the block. This may also be a way to compensate for his small size and how self conscious he is about his voice, as he finds himself not taken very seriously by others (with the exception of his Forgotten peers)
The impulsive and 'always looking for a fight' nature of Scrappy is still ever present, only evolved slightly. He is a no-nonsense fight first, talk later type that will go for the shortest path he can find to the answer of a problem - but will only ever use the famous "Puppy Power!!" as a last resort.
Despite how he pushes his friends and can have a very salty attitude, after all is said and done, finding a community of forgotten toons has brought Scrappy purpose after so long, he adores his new found family, and will do anything for them - no matter how much he claims he is independent - that idolising quality he had for his uncle, never went away and has since channeled elsewhere.
Моху
Debuting in what is now mostly lost media, 'The Moxy Show, this dog, is the wild card.
Driven insane by the grief of his best friend leaving, left Moxy with a hole in his heart that he fills with codependency issues towards the rest of his Forgotten friends.
Moxy is an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous goofball, who's thought process makes sense only to himself. He can be awkward and sensitive a lot of the times, thus, the others treat him very gently, knowing he's just trying his best... but in the heat of battle, is where his bizarre problem solving really shines.
Moxy is also a whiz with satellite technology, and has built a lot of the bootleg tech within the forgotten's HQ, but given his strange mentality, Moxy is often given menial tasks away from the important work/tech. not being utilised and under appreciated is a recurring theme in his life.
Debuting in what is now mostly lost media, 'The Moxy Show, this dog, is the wild card.
Driven insane by the grief of his best friend leaving, left Moxy with a hole in his heart that he fills with codependency issues towards the rest of his Forgotten friends.
Moxy is an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous goofball, who's thought process makes sense only to himself. He can be awkward and sensitive a lot of the times, thus, the others treat him very gently, knowing he's just trying his best... but in the heat of battle, is where his bizarre problem solving really shines.
Moxy is also a whiz with satellite technology, and has built a lot of the bootleg tech within the forgotten's HQ, but given his strange mentality, Moxy is often given menial tasks away from the important work/tech. not being utilised and under appreciated is a recurring theme in his life.
DollyDolly Gopher from 'Out of Jimmy's Head, a highly criticised show in the midst of a highly criticised era of Cartoon Network's lifetime - it was hated for being one of the live action shows on a television network meant exclusively for cartoons.
Dolly is a sitcom character, with corny dialogue about friendship and an equally corny laugh track that follows her around. She will always fight for what she believes in, and stand up for people who have been wronged. She prides herself on her manners and morals but, as she also gives herself lots of rules, Dolly is hard pressed to find happiness and live her own life - a lot of these rules are excused as her keeping up her femininity and level headedness - but when pushed, her zany cartoony side can get the better of her. The others on her team find this side of her more genuine and it's obvious that she’s having more fun that way
Dolly is a sitcom character, with corny dialogue about friendship and an equally corny laugh track that follows her around. She will always fight for what she believes in, and stand up for people who have been wronged. She prides herself on her manners and morals but, as she also gives herself lots of rules, Dolly is hard pressed to find happiness and live her own life - a lot of these rules are excused as her keeping up her femininity and level headedness - but when pushed, her zany cartoony side can get the better of her. The others on her team find this side of her more genuine and it's obvious that she’s having more fun that way
Buddy
Buddy was seen as bland and forgettable, especially in comparison to his 'Looney Tunes' co-stars, so his short term career ended promptly with his replacement. He still doesn't have much going for him, in the way of personality - he's just a friendly, little, guitar strumming, optimistic guy who wants everyone to be happy - he's considered the heart of the team, often dreaming of a better tomorrow, he gives hope to the others.
Buddy is untouched wholesomeness incarnate, who's personality shines more with a dynamic between another, rather than having charisma enough to stand alone. For instance, how his pacifist nature leads him to politely butt heads with Scrap'; how he will make music for Moxy to dance to; how him and Dolly will often team up, on the less violent missions; or how he can always calm Ms. Two-Shoes down from her anxieties.
Buddy was seen as bland and forgettable, especially in comparison to his 'Looney Tunes' co-stars, so his short term career ended promptly with his replacement. He still doesn't have much going for him, in the way of personality - he's just a friendly, little, guitar strumming, optimistic guy who wants everyone to be happy - he's considered the heart of the team, often dreaming of a better tomorrow, he gives hope to the others.
Buddy is untouched wholesomeness incarnate, who's personality shines more with a dynamic between another, rather than having charisma enough to stand alone. For instance, how his pacifist nature leads him to politely butt heads with Scrap'; how he will make music for Moxy to dance to; how him and Dolly will often team up, on the less violent missions; or how he can always calm Ms. Two-Shoes down from her anxieties.
Mammy
Ms. Two Shoes from 'Tom & Jerry' was deemed a racist caricature and was either replaced by a slim white lady or just straight up cut from her original pictures, left behind while her own cat went on to become a life-long star.
Ms. Two Shoes is everybody's intense aunty - an absolute tank of a lady, who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it, she can carry the team both literally and figuratively in the heat of the moment, but despite this, she is often at war with herself. With fear and toxic shame ruling her life, Two-Shoes see's herself as a monster - in her mind, her entire being is actively wronging the African American community as an outdated white-perspective depiction of coloured people - and thus, despite her tough exterior, she is riddled with anxiety and is always second guessing if what she's doing can be taken poorly.
Two shoes actively tries to seperate herself from anybody, and throughout the story, the others of her team will get Two-Shoes to open up more and become comfortable, eventually finding her own character as a strong black cat-loving lady who can claim she is her own unique person, rather than a stereotype used to make white people more comfortable owning slaves
Ms. Two Shoes from 'Tom & Jerry' was deemed a racist caricature and was either replaced by a slim white lady or just straight up cut from her original pictures, left behind while her own cat went on to become a life-long star.
Ms. Two Shoes is everybody's intense aunty - an absolute tank of a lady, who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it, she can carry the team both literally and figuratively in the heat of the moment, but despite this, she is often at war with herself. With fear and toxic shame ruling her life, Two-Shoes see's herself as a monster - in her mind, her entire being is actively wronging the African American community as an outdated white-perspective depiction of coloured people - and thus, despite her tough exterior, she is riddled with anxiety and is always second guessing if what she's doing can be taken poorly.
Two shoes actively tries to seperate herself from anybody, and throughout the story, the others of her team will get Two-Shoes to open up more and become comfortable, eventually finding her own character as a strong black cat-loving lady who can claim she is her own unique person, rather than a stereotype used to make white people more comfortable owning slaves
Space Ghost Summon