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This Artist Reimagines Famous Cartoons With Black Characters To Raise Awareness (30 New Pics)
Interview With ArtistIt's no secret that many artists out there love to remake/reimagine famous characters, movies, and TV shows. We have seen reimagined Disney characters, Marvel, Harry Potter, and many others. Many artists modernize them, illustrate them in all sorts of situations. What if this character was there? What if this movie was set at a different time?
Well, the artist Tyron Handy decided to join in. He took the characters we all know and love and changed their skin color. In a previous article on Bored Panda, Tyron mentioned that he never felt represented in cartoons, so with this project, his goal is to raise awareness of how misrepresented black people are in cartoons and TV shows: that the shows that do feature black people are filled with stereotypes and racial discrimination, and they're usually just the 'best friend' to the main character.
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The artist was faced with all sorts of reactions, with some saying that what he's doing is wrong, that he's just 'keeping racism alive.' However, many are agreeing that this project shows that there is a lack of representation of black people in media. They are happy someone is addressing these issues and support Tyron wholeheartedly, saying that kids would benefit from seeing themselves represented in media in a better way. A lot of people are even asking Tyron to do his own animated series.
Why do pink and green look like cartoon versions of the Sychuler Sisters?
She bears a resemblance to Fantastic Female (a knockoff) from Brainchild's superheroes episode.
The artist told Bored Panda: "What inspired me was I had rarely seen any black cartoon characters on TV. Most of them were the main character's token black best friend or overexaggerated stereotypes. So for fun, I just started reimagining some of my favorite cartoon characters as the black versions of themselves and most of my redesigns took off. It was cool to see a lot of positive reactions toward my artwork."
I like it, but not the way they changed the title to the Blacksons.
"My goal is to create my own original black characters and cartoon series and hopefully inspire more black artists to create their own. My comic series Apple Dapple Tactics was created out of boredom. I never really planned to do much with it, but after the first skit went viral on Twitter, I delivered. Currently I'm working on making longer skits that feel more like mini episodes and posting them on my IGTV and YouTube page. I hope to get the series one day on a streaming platform like HBOMax, Hulu, or Netflix. It's always been my dream to see my characters come to life on the screen."
I don't even know what the origanal looked like, but I think this looks good. I like how the artist is ading more diversity to shows that lack it.
Tyron told us what the goal of his comics is: "There wasn't a specific goal I set for making my cartoon reimaginings. But I guess if there was it was just simply to see the reaction of people seeing these redesigns for the first time and hopefully inspiring others to make some of their own and or make more original black cartoon characters. My main goal is to post more of my original cartoon characters starting now with my comic series Apple Dapple Tactics."
"I've been drawing for as long as I could remember. My daily routine as a kid consisted mainly of me watching cartoons all day and drawing my favorite cartoon characters. I'm self-taught if I see something once I can draw it perfectly from memory at any time."
"Growing up I rarely seen any black cartoon characters on TV. And the ones I did see were mostly always the token black best friend of the main character or a small role side character. I started my illustrations as fun what-if scenarios to see some of my favorite cartoon characters looking more like me."
The artist told us what the reaction to his recreations was: "The reactions from people were mixed lol. But way more positive reactions than there were any negative. The reactions from my followers are what motivates me the most to continue creating more."
I know it's his shirt hanging out the front of his hoodie, but for a second I thought it was a diaper, lol! For real though, this looks cool.
We asked Tyron if he thinks TV shows and movies are going in the right direction and are representing people of color in a better way than before: "It's not perfect but I can see there is more of an effort than there was when I was younger. I'm hoping they continue to do better and maybe one day I will be one of the main ones helping with that."
Y'know, I never understood why Robin's costume had to look like that.
We asked Tyron if he's thinking of making his series: "Yes! I'm trying to focus on my original cartoons more. Right now I'm working on creating longer skits for my comic series Apple Dapple Tactics and making them feel more like mini-episodes. I'm hoping to one day get the series picked up on HBOmax, Hulu, or Netflix. And I have plenty more original cartoon ideas I will reveal soon."
"The support from my followers is what keeps me going the most. I used to be very hesitant with showing my artwork to people before I started posting anything on social media. But I always receive mostly positive responses and that just makes me more excited to share more with my followers."
Here's some advice from the artist if you want to start creating your art: "I would say always challenge yourself with your art. Don't be afraid to learn from others. And focus on finding your style and perfecting it and always have fun creating."
Technically, everyone in the Flintstones should of had dark skin, because we all lived in africa at te time, before some of left to other arts of the world, and got light skin bc of the Neadertals that lived in the Neander Vally
Tyron tells us more about himself: "I was a shy and awkward kid growing up. Lived in a lot of rough communities. Art was my escape it kept me focused and out of a lot of trouble. If it wasn't for art I would most likely be a completely different person."
What do you think of this series? What misrepresentation of people of color have you seen in media? Tell us in the comments down below and upvote your favorite picture. Don't forget to go show Tyron some love and support on his social media pages!
I agree with Ayden... noooooooooooooooooo no no no.....there is absolutely no reason for Eliza a young child to be shown in a sports bra....SHE IS A CHILD!!! GIVE HER A WHOLE SHIRT!
Funny enough, B&B *did* have an imagine spot (and in the books) of them being Black watching the same video and realizing it doesn't matter what your skin color is, the video still sucked.
I really like the art, the style, and the personality of the author's drawings, although I don't really see the point of that
I don’t understand why making black characters white is worse than making white characters black?
Load More Replies...You can go ahead and make Fat Albert and friends white, I won't mind.
Load More Replies...As a black person myself, I LOVED this! We really need more diversity in animated TV shows/movies. Thank you to the artist!
This reminds me of just how few Black cartoon characters there are - indeed, how few non-white cartoon characters there are. We need more!
Load More Replies...So what kind of diversity is raised here? That the only way to represent black people is taking white characters and make them black? And by the way, we have Pride Month, why not dress them in the Rainbow Flag?
This is stupid. Racism isn't over because of this and changing the names to "black" names is stereotypical
To me, these look like an animated 'blaxploitation', where they kind of lean into some stereotypes just to become a fully black experience in a tongue-in-cheek way, rather than just some people who happen to be black.
Load More Replies...It’s should be specified : BLACK DOES NOT EQUAL DIVERSITY. There can be an all black team of superheroes, but that is equal to an all white team. Yoh can’t have a bunch of black people in a drawing and then be praised for your diversity.
But if it was the other way around y'all would call it whitewashing lmao
would say making original black cartoons is what needs to happen. Changing the white characters to black doesn't fix anything. There needs to be more black cartoon characters created. That is my hope.
YAWN this is the new normal for everything . White BAD black GOOOOOD every show is being rebooted as black , every new show is black . Blacks are 12% of the population and 120% of the tv show characters FOR GOD SAKES ENOUGH VIRTUE SIGNALING!
Just take the characters and brown them. Why change the styles. That's stereotyping. Why black characters must be templated upon non-black characters? Is an original black character so uninspired or unacceptable? Is acceptability only when black can be juxtaposed with non-black. My point being, stop this race discussions that subvert the real issues and just adopts the "paint the white characters black and be done with it," approach. How about more inclusiveness. More original black characters. More backlash against racially charged crimes and violence. More mindset change in those people who openly say all people matter and secretly call black people useless and use the n-word deplorably(some use of n-word are not malevolent but could be in celebration of a song, or due to being taken up by the trends and media influences they may think the word is cool). BUt some use is malevolent to put down the people as worthy less honor.
White guy here. I don't see a problem. Though, would be better to create your "own" ....new programs for me to watch. When you "replace" White characters, it seems a bit petty? Plus, sorta boring, maybe? Though, might be interesting to see The Blacksons reinterpret themes I already know? I dunno. Would rather see a brand new, "Black" comedy, that's universally bad-ass and that I like. There was this one..."horror comedy" about 4 Black dudes out in the woods or something and it looked great. Personally, I don't mind..whatever race...as long as race and ethnicity isn't *the main* effin selling point, it can be an inspiration for everyone to not see race first and foremost. Apparently, that's a very "White" thing to say or want? I dunno. I was raised to look past race as much as possible and these whole last 10 years have been sorta f****d up and bad for me, lol. But anyways, knock yourself out. Just some free advice.
so in other words, expecting people to create black characters is somehow "too hard" so just race swap already successful characters. screams zero effort but ok.
I like hiscworked very talented but I didn't agree with some of the depictions
Thank you for this, especially just after the 100 year anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre
Batman wasn't turned into a news reporter in a yellow trenchcoat with a pet bat in this article. He's still wearing his batsuit, he's still fighting crime with Robin, & he's still, well, Batman! The only difference is that he's Black. If you think changing a character's skin tone makes them a completely different character, you need to reevaluate.
Load More Replies...I LOVED THESE!!! What a fantastic artist to truly re- imagine a character like this and not just change skin tones. Very talented and very needed!
So cool, some of them remind me of growing up in the 70's. Just shows how many non black cartoon characters there are. Things need to change.
I don't really like these. I love the idea I just don't like that style of drawings and stuff even in the original cartoons lol
Reading some of these comments and WOW! If you have any problem with this at all, it is because you are so used to seeing characters that look like you that anything outside of that 'norm' is uncomfortable. Most of these shows didn't have ONE SINGLE CHARACTER OF COLOR. Imagine that as a kid. Little me in the 80s would have been so happy just to see one Black character that wasn't a cartoon version of an athlete or a Cosby Kid. This work is fantastic and the skill that went into it is amazing. The skin tones, the hairstyles, the outfits - it is insane to see my culture represented like this.
Whoever made this, i do believe that he or she is talented but why not create an original one instead of changing the skin tones of the original characters. You know, be original.
Load More Replies...This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Load More Replies...I would say making original black cartoons is what needs to happen. Changing the white characters to black doesn't fix anything. There needs to be more black cartoon characters.
Load More Replies...I really like the art, the style, and the personality of the author's drawings, although I don't really see the point of that
I don’t understand why making black characters white is worse than making white characters black?
Load More Replies...You can go ahead and make Fat Albert and friends white, I won't mind.
Load More Replies...As a black person myself, I LOVED this! We really need more diversity in animated TV shows/movies. Thank you to the artist!
This reminds me of just how few Black cartoon characters there are - indeed, how few non-white cartoon characters there are. We need more!
Load More Replies...So what kind of diversity is raised here? That the only way to represent black people is taking white characters and make them black? And by the way, we have Pride Month, why not dress them in the Rainbow Flag?
This is stupid. Racism isn't over because of this and changing the names to "black" names is stereotypical
To me, these look like an animated 'blaxploitation', where they kind of lean into some stereotypes just to become a fully black experience in a tongue-in-cheek way, rather than just some people who happen to be black.
Load More Replies...It’s should be specified : BLACK DOES NOT EQUAL DIVERSITY. There can be an all black team of superheroes, but that is equal to an all white team. Yoh can’t have a bunch of black people in a drawing and then be praised for your diversity.
But if it was the other way around y'all would call it whitewashing lmao
would say making original black cartoons is what needs to happen. Changing the white characters to black doesn't fix anything. There needs to be more black cartoon characters created. That is my hope.
YAWN this is the new normal for everything . White BAD black GOOOOOD every show is being rebooted as black , every new show is black . Blacks are 12% of the population and 120% of the tv show characters FOR GOD SAKES ENOUGH VIRTUE SIGNALING!
Just take the characters and brown them. Why change the styles. That's stereotyping. Why black characters must be templated upon non-black characters? Is an original black character so uninspired or unacceptable? Is acceptability only when black can be juxtaposed with non-black. My point being, stop this race discussions that subvert the real issues and just adopts the "paint the white characters black and be done with it," approach. How about more inclusiveness. More original black characters. More backlash against racially charged crimes and violence. More mindset change in those people who openly say all people matter and secretly call black people useless and use the n-word deplorably(some use of n-word are not malevolent but could be in celebration of a song, or due to being taken up by the trends and media influences they may think the word is cool). BUt some use is malevolent to put down the people as worthy less honor.
White guy here. I don't see a problem. Though, would be better to create your "own" ....new programs for me to watch. When you "replace" White characters, it seems a bit petty? Plus, sorta boring, maybe? Though, might be interesting to see The Blacksons reinterpret themes I already know? I dunno. Would rather see a brand new, "Black" comedy, that's universally bad-ass and that I like. There was this one..."horror comedy" about 4 Black dudes out in the woods or something and it looked great. Personally, I don't mind..whatever race...as long as race and ethnicity isn't *the main* effin selling point, it can be an inspiration for everyone to not see race first and foremost. Apparently, that's a very "White" thing to say or want? I dunno. I was raised to look past race as much as possible and these whole last 10 years have been sorta f****d up and bad for me, lol. But anyways, knock yourself out. Just some free advice.
so in other words, expecting people to create black characters is somehow "too hard" so just race swap already successful characters. screams zero effort but ok.
I like hiscworked very talented but I didn't agree with some of the depictions
Thank you for this, especially just after the 100 year anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre
Batman wasn't turned into a news reporter in a yellow trenchcoat with a pet bat in this article. He's still wearing his batsuit, he's still fighting crime with Robin, & he's still, well, Batman! The only difference is that he's Black. If you think changing a character's skin tone makes them a completely different character, you need to reevaluate.
Load More Replies...I LOVED THESE!!! What a fantastic artist to truly re- imagine a character like this and not just change skin tones. Very talented and very needed!
So cool, some of them remind me of growing up in the 70's. Just shows how many non black cartoon characters there are. Things need to change.
I don't really like these. I love the idea I just don't like that style of drawings and stuff even in the original cartoons lol
Reading some of these comments and WOW! If you have any problem with this at all, it is because you are so used to seeing characters that look like you that anything outside of that 'norm' is uncomfortable. Most of these shows didn't have ONE SINGLE CHARACTER OF COLOR. Imagine that as a kid. Little me in the 80s would have been so happy just to see one Black character that wasn't a cartoon version of an athlete or a Cosby Kid. This work is fantastic and the skill that went into it is amazing. The skin tones, the hairstyles, the outfits - it is insane to see my culture represented like this.
Whoever made this, i do believe that he or she is talented but why not create an original one instead of changing the skin tones of the original characters. You know, be original.
Load More Replies...This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Load More Replies...I would say making original black cartoons is what needs to happen. Changing the white characters to black doesn't fix anything. There needs to be more black cartoon characters.
Load More Replies...