Top 20 Most Unnecessary TV Character Redesigns
#20: Knuckles the Echidna
“Sonic Boom” (2014-17)
Sometimes not everything good comes in bulk. Many of the designs from the “Sonic Boom” show were considered a bit of a departure from prior “Sonic” shows and media. And Knuckles is no exception. While it’s not as if the “Sonic Boom” version of Knuckles is unrecognizable, the differences were noticeable enough to the fans. Many didn’t like how much more bulkier Knuckles had gotten, especially around his head area. The design also gave him lanky legs that, when paired with his massive frame, gave off a weirdly disproportionate vibe. It was like they gave him a boatload of ‘roids and told him to skip leg day!
#19: Angelica & Suzy
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“Rugrats Pre-School Daze” (2005)
There’s a reason this show is practically unheard of. “Pre-School Daze” was a short-lived sequel series to “Rugrats” which followed Angelica and Suzy. While the original “Rugrats” had an unconventional art style itself, it was still unique enough that it worked for the popular show. But this new art style however was just noticeable enough of a detour to make most fans tune out. Angelica and Suzy’s designs were cleaned up a bit, but the more-polished look just didn’t really mesh well, and made it feel too far removed from that distinct “Rugrats” feel. Not to mention that their new sets of eyes in particular could come across as unsettling at times. It’s no surprise that this show only lasted four episodes!
#18: Jack Spicer
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“Xiaolin Chronicles” (2013-15)
Jack Spicer went from a stylish villain in “Xiaolin Showdown” to lacking most of that signature flair in “Xiaolin Chronicles”. When it comes to Spicer’s redesign, it’s a pretty noticeable change. He grew taller and his face became much more pointy and angular than before. His signature red eyes were also swapped out for black ones. While it isn’t terrible, it definitely feels like they were messing with a design that was totally fine in the first place. And as Jack’s design changed, his status as a prominent villain changed too. Once he started appearing in “Chronicles” he more or less became a side character.
#17: The Entire Cast
Top 10 Awesome Cartoon Character Redesigns
“Sailor Moon” (1994)
This American version of the beloved “Sailor Moon” anime series never actually saw the light of day, but that’s probably for the best! When this take on the franchise began in the early ‘90s, an unaired pilot was created which featured a radically different animation style. The designs which were made essentially got rid of all the uniqueness that the original “Sailor Moon” had. You don’t even need to be a fan to know that this is a pale imitation. Just look at these characters and compare them to the classic and the differences are night and day. The new animation style wasn’t the only thing they westernized, they also completely changed the names too. Sometimes it’s better to just leave some properties untouched!
#16: The Trains
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“Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go” (2021-)
Not everything has looked great in a CGI style. But “Thomas and Friends” was an exception. Its original model style wasn’t just something that made the show work, it made the show iconic. So when everything went 2D in the new “All Engines Go” series, things just fell flat. Literally! The flatter 2-dimensional look made these newer baby-faced versions of the sentient trains feel lifeless. The original show felt lively and full of charm. But this new show and their oversimplified designs just felt devoid of all of that magic. This reboot ultimately went off the rails!
#15: Jake Long
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“American Dragon: Jake Long” (2005-07)
Disney had a real hit on their hands with “American Dragon: Jake Long”. After all, the premise of a teenager being able to morph into a gigantic freaking dragon is impossible to be bored by. And for the first season, this show captivated viewers with its compelling story and amazing art style. Then in season 2 the direction just abruptly changed. As the show entered into a much more slimmed-down art style, it really took some of the oomph out of the show. And this was especially obvious with Jake. His dragon form became smaller, thinner, and just less exciting overall. Jake looked like a real American Dragon for about the whole first season. Then afterwards he looked like an American Dragon from Wish.
#14: The Entire Cast
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“Be Cool, Scooby Doo!” (2015-18)
“Scooby Doo” has always been a franchise with recognizable characters, so did “Be Cool, Scooby Doo!” really need to try and reinvent the wheel? The designs for Mystery Inc. stand out right away for being kind of distracting. Sure, the gang pretty much rock the same iconic clothes as always, but the way they’re drawn is certainly something else. The fairly realistic human designs were swapped for a cartoon aesthetic reminiscent of shows like “Family Guy”. And at times, it almost feels like you’re watching a parody of “Scooby Doo” rather than the real deal. This might not be a dealbreaker for everyone, especially to hard-core fans, but it may take some getting used to!
#13: The High Evolutionary
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“Spider-Man Unlimited” (1999-2001)
“Unlimited” had many really interesting designs. But when it came to the High Evolutionary, his look didn’t quite land. The villain's inclusion made sense, given his role as a geneticist who experiments with animals and the fact that Counter Earth was filled with animal humanoids. Unfortunately, he looks essentially nothing like how his version from the comic books does. Instead of his slim and dynamic armor he usually sports, he has a tacky suit that looks like he watched too much “Game of Thrones”. This wouldn’t be the last “Spider-Man” series to have a weird villain redesign either. Remember when “The Spectacular Spider-Man” turned Kraven into a lion humanoid (xref)? Ultimately in regards to the High Evolutionary’s makeover, we’re not too high on it.
#12: The Entire Cast
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“Aquaman: King of Atlantis” (2021)
This three-part miniseries that followed Aquaman as the newly-appointed King of Atlantis sounded admittedly pretty fun. However, the art is one huge barrier to entry. If the phrase “it’s an acquired taste” were a show, it’d be “Aquaman: King of Atlantis”. These designs had a very hyper-exaggerated style that fans didn’t necessarily think complemented the show. While the whole crew of characters look quirky, Aquaman himself is arguably the biggest offense. It’d be mean to say he looks feral but… he kind of does. His scraggly beard, green seaweed hair and crazed eyes definitely don’t help his case. Maybe it’s best for DC to stay away from this look.
#11: Ash Ketchum
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“Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon” (2016-17)
To say fans didn’t like the redesign of Ash Ketchum in “Sun and Moon” would be putting it lightly. It’s been one of the biggest criticisms hurled against the series, and we can see why. The decision to change Ash’s design by giving him more childlike and baby-face features set him drastically apart from how he looked in other Pokemon media. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a very good change, and certainly not a popular one either. For the fans, this was a jarring departure from the normal style. It also wasn’t something they wanted to have to adjust to. This was a design that probably would’ve been best kept locked inside of a pokeball.
#10: Looney Tunes
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“Loonatics Unleashed” (2005-07)
Not every Saturday morning cartoon needs an edgy, gritty reboot, Warner Brothers! The Looney Tunes as superheroes sounds… ehhh okay on paper, but it’s hardly a new concept. In the old cartoons, Bugs had become Super Rabbit and Daffy Duck had his Duck Dodgers alter ego with Porky as the Eager Young Space Cadet. This was just a sad attempt at being an equivalent to Power Rangers. Considering the number of gadgets introduced every episode, it feels like pandering to kids just to earn a toy line. Kudos to them for the more creative and light-hearted second season, but the show still sucks... though not half as much as those character designs.
#9: Bob the Builder
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“Bob the Builder” (1998-2004; 2015-18)
Children’s cartoons of this caliber don’t typically go through significant changes, because when you mess with something like “Bob the Builder”, you’re making a big mistake. Bob's design had the charm and personality that would make any kid immediately recognize his face. The new Bob is so bland-looking, you could mistake him for a background character if it weren’t for the “B” on his helmet. He doesn’t even look as kid-friendly as the first Bob. And as you'd expect, fans and critics did not take this lightly and condemned the show for its drastic changes. “Can we fix it?” Mmmmmmmmm, maybe not.
#8: The Entire Cast
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“Captain N: The Game Master” (1989-91)
Ever watch a cartoon and find yourself saying, “That’s not what they look like”? Trust us, we were repeating those words throughout “Captain N”. Where to begin? Well, Mother Brain is not a goofy alien with mascara and lipstick. King Hippo is not blue. Simon Belmont is not a blonde, brawny douchebag. And last we checked, the Blue Bomber was, y'know, blue. Things got worse when the show experienced licensing issues and suffered a deep budget cut in Season 3, causing the characters to look even more basic and dull. Oh, the complications of video game-based cartoons...
#7: Tom 4.0
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“Toonami” (1997-2008, 2012-)
Hey, it may not be a show like the others on here, but “Toonami” is a special case… because it’s awesome. What’s not awesome, though, was the awkward phase Tom went through before the block went dark. Not only did the block go through a change by broadcasting more kid-friendly shows, but Tom changed from a badass robot to looking more like a rejected DreamWorks character. Was this the sole cause for Toonami’s low ratings? Maybe, maybe not, but the lame changes were the last we would see of Toonami until its reboot in 2012. It’s so nice to have the old Tom back, and he looks cooler than ever.
#6: The Entire Cast
Another Top 10 Breaking Character Moments on Saturday Night Live
“Teen Titans Go!” (2013-)
There isn't enough time to talk about everything wrong with this show, from the random dancing, the bland writing, and loud noises. But the obvious crime here is in the characters’ basic appearances and lack of detail. Don’t even get us started on the lack of any character development or compelling stories. When the original “Teen Titans” was on, you could expect relatable stories, intense action, drama AND comedy. Each Titan had problems, and you wanted to see them overcome them. There was something real, something personal. These Titans are absent of all of that in exchange for memes, trends, and utter stupidity.
#5: The Entire Cast
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“Ben 10: Omniverse” (2012-14)
The “Ben 10” series that came before this one managed to keep a good balance between simplicity and detailed characters. “Omniverse” dumbs down more of the animation and makes them look like they came out of a “Scooby-Doo” special. Like, what the hell is going on with Gwen? Why does Ben have mini muscles? And is that really Kevin Levin or one of the members of Gorillaz? The first “Ben 10” was fine the way it is, and the constant redesigns only give us the groans, and little else.
#4: The Maximals
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“Beast Machines: Transformers” (1999-2000)
What sort of Cybertron hell have we stepped into?! We know what the Maximals look like and those…those are not the Maximals!! Rattrap is not a wagon! It wasn’t enough to make this entire show look like a robot nightmare – all of the Maximals look like a new “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game. Why not just go with the classic designs? They’re so awesome on their own, and these just have this creepy, uncanny look to them. Any other Transformers series has better designs than this… and that’s including the Michael Bay film franchise.
#3: Porky Pig
“New Looney Tunes” (2015-20)
As we learned from “Loonatics Unleashed”, the Looney Tunes never – or rarely – need a redesign. We’ll give the show credit in not completely changing Bugs’ appearance, but when we got sight of Porky, things took a turn for the worst. Just because he’s a pig doesn’t mean you have to make him morbidly obese. And since when did he start wearing a necktie?? The old Porky was bubbly and charming in his blue coat and red bow tie – if anything, it made him one of the cutest Looney Tunes. Why this dumbed-down, simplistic change was so important, we may never know.
#2: The Joker
Top 20 Times Mark Hamill's Joker TERRIFIED Us
“The New Batman Adventures” (1997-99)
Look, we’re not saying this is the worst Joker of all the “Batman” shows, although Bats himself doesn't come out much better. What makes fans feel so much contempt against these designs is because of the ones that came before them. In “Batman: The Animated Series”, the Joker was much more detailed with his blood-red smile and vibrant colors. The Joker in “The New Adventures” just felt cheap, with his outfit primarily being a solid purple and a small touch of green. And where’s the creepy smile? This Joker just debuted in the wrong place at the wrong time.
#1: He-Man
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“The New Adventures of He-Man” (1990)
Where’s the power of Grayskull in this guy? He-Man is recognizable for the barbarian armor, luscious blonde hair, and his kickass Power Sword. Oh, and we can’t forget those sweet, massive muscles! So, what do we get with “The New Adventures of He-Man”? He’s trimmed down, wears pants, has a ponytail, and turned into a lame living action figure. Either that or G.I. Joe forgot which cartoon to be in. Ugh, even the Power Sword looks stupid! Well, hopefully his adversaries are still just as menacing – wait, why does Skeletor have eyeballs? How does that work?
Is there a not-so-great redesign that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
