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Ever wondered what cartoon characters in real life would look like? Yes, they’re fictional sketches, which means we’ll never know their human looks in our world. But what if cartoon characters were real? 

The subject of cartoon characters IRL is fascinating, so Bored Panda’s pro member Hidreley delved into experimenting with AI-generated cartoon characters. That’s what digital art is about—blurring the lines between fantasy and reality on screen!

Surprisingly, some cartoon characters as humans look even better than the originals. See if your favorite cartoon characters are on this list, and scroll further to witness 23 pictures of real-life cartoon characters!

Note: The original article was written by Hidrėlėy and later edited and updated by the Bored Panda team. 

More info: Instagram

Hidreley did all the work on AI-generated cartoon characters by himself: “I’ve done some similar posts by other authors here on Bored Panda. I wanted to try something out myself, and so I dove into the world of AI. This time, I challenged myself to try to do one on the theme of cartoon characters. For this project, I used Photoshop and three mobile applications, FaceApp, Gradient, and Remini.

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    The Simpsons were the most challenging when making realistic cartoon characters. “In terms of how they all turned out, I’m more and more pleased with the results with each post I make. I really liked how Moe Szyzlak, Ned Flanders, and Milhouse Van Houten turned out because initially, I thought that the Simpsons drawing style would be very hard to emulate on ‘real life’ terms. Still, they are actually very easy to recognize,” Hidreley explains. 

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    #4

    Moana

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Moana character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “I am Moana of Moto’nui. You will board my boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te’fiti.”

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    #5

    Ariel

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Ariel character from the cartoon

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    Grace Austin
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As someone with a 12 year old sister (and who has seen her whole class) she looks more like she’s 14-15

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    Sarah
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The most gorgeous!! Her fair skin and red hair are goals!

    Curious Ravenclaw
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She looks great for this character, just proves how incredibly young Ariel was…

    Scourge McCloud
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Very cute. I can easily believe it, because I had classmates that looked like her.

    GoddessOdd
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She's beautiful, but something about this looks a little off to me. Shape of face maybe?

    Anton Smirnov
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This looks fake, but given how many celebrity photos are so 'touched up' that they look fake too, this is probably realistic.

    Anton Smirnov
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This looks fake. But so many actual celebrity photos are so 'touched up' that they look fake too.

    Brenard
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is what a beautiful girl is. (why does that sound like a song title?)

    Elora Danan
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nah, not even close. Still more like Ariel than Disney's live action one, though.

    sans
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    we now already now what ariel looks like as a human being. (the new live-action little mermaid movie is coming out soon)

    Living Example
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think it's rare to see an unattractive redhead woman. And the freckles that often come with it just add to their beauty.

    Emryn
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She could be the face of Emily Laughlin from The inheritance games

    DramaNerd
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gotta say I like Halle Berry as her more. But they’re both super pretty.

    Brandy Dor
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But we know what she would look like in real life.... Alissa Milano....that who Ariel was based on

    Last Brane-Sell
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That thing under her right eye is really bothering me on a personal level

    harleyloves mistajgray
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No this is wrong it doesn't look anything like Ariel! Remember the red-headed blue-eyed pale-skinned mermaid is obviously black

    harleyloves mistajgray
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

    Em the idiot
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow okayy she is... Wow.... Im just gonna go dive into the ocean for.. No particular reason....

    Alfred Chapman
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

    Micah Chips
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a cousin named Ariel, yes she's named after the disney princess, and she looks like this o_o

    Gypsy Lee
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why do all the Disney women look like gigantic eyed infants? I dare you Disney, make a heroine look like an adult; show our daughters that aging & maturity is both fierce & desirable..& stop feeding boys the idea that women should resemble prepubescent little girls until they die.

    goth mouse (they them)
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How do you have a picture of my friend's mum its literally her...minus the freckles

    Josh
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Way too young looking and looks like any cookie cutter Disney princess with red hair. Come on.

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    “This post inadvertently brought back some good memories from my childhood. Like every kid in my generation, I loved watching cartoons. I really loved the Simpsons and Hanna Barbera classics, and I can safely say that they’ve made a huge impact on my life,” adds Hidreley. 

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    “I’ve been exploring the world of artificial intelligence recently, and I can tell you, it’s a world without limits! With the rise of AI-assisted art generation, there are virtually (no pun intended) no boundaries for digital art; you just have to be creative and know how to guide the blind hand of the machine,” explains Hidreley. 

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    #9

    Ned Flanders

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Ned Flanders character from the cartoon

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    At some point, we’ve all wondered if cartoon characters were real. Were they inspired by celebrities or real-life events? Hidreley explains that he’s also intrigued by this concept: 

    “I don't want to tease anything too early, but currently, I’m working hard on a project where I’m trying to show what some prematurely deceased celebrities would have looked like if they were still alive. I hope it will turn out great, and I’ll be able to share this with you soon!”

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    #10

    Milhouse

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Milhouse character from the cartoon

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    Kristina Meyer
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He looks like a guy I went to elementary School with (except the haircolor). His Name was Sten.

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    #11

    Rapunzel

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Rapunzel character from the cartoon

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    #16

    Lady Tremaine

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Lady Tremaine character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wrong hair. Her butt hair has always been very important to me

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    #18

    Kristoff

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Kristoff character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He kinda looks like some kind of 2000’s Disney Channel character from a show that takes place in a summer camp

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    #20

    Isabela Madrigal

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Isabela Madrigal character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    WELCOME TO THE FAMILY MADRIGAL! THE HOME OF THE FAMILY MADEIGAL! WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ARE fAnTaStIcAl AnD mAgIcAl!

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