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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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    “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. 

    “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!”

    #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

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

    And he’d be that ‘edgy’ character who plays the guitar. And the main character would bump into him and the it’d be a love at first sight thing.

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

    ??!! Men in Europe have been sporting earrings (and other body piercings) since the tribal times!!!

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

    He looks like the least popular member of an early 2000's boyband

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

    I kinda feel like his head would be a little rounder in the cheeks

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

    I think he's definitely much older than that, he looks like he's in his teens still, whereas in Frozen he's obviously in his late 20s to early/middle '30s.

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

    Nope. I've seen a much better likeness, and he was a real person.

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

    Close, but the character looks more like ‘Steve Irwin’ ‘crocodile hunter’

    Hypogryff4
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    he's the love interest that the big city girl comes back to during christmas that she falls in love with again after highschool and they have all sorts of almost-kisses being stopped by a loud noise and then he finds out that she was just using him... know what i'm sayin?

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

    His eyes should be darker and he looks like a kid in this. Other than that, you're not off

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

    He looks like a family member of Neil Patrick Harris. Maybe a younger brother?

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

    Geoffrey Barantheon?! (Idk game of thrones so idk if that's the right name but the jerk king that no one likes)

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

    Disney channel better snatch this kid up. His looks are made for movies!

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

    More like .. ~Trans OH pronounced TRAHHNS? *new plot line ensues*

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

    I don't think the photo looks anything like the cartoon character, the character is older more bulky robust physically including in the face and eye shape and hair color and texture are all off.

    •The Comic Hero•
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I mean I like it but still I think you can just dye Jonathan Groff's hair blonde and he can already play his own character

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

    Stop complaining about my mad fast posting capabilities. Do you assume all humans are slow?

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

    Dunno why but he reminds me of theodd1s out but blonde

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

    Why does he have an earring and why has he lost all of his likability?

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

    I think he'd be a bit less "pretty" and more "rough" in real life.

    Rachel L
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

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

    Too young and not round enough in the cheeks. I want to love him like I love the character but I'm just not feeling it.

    Ak artist
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Way dose he look like trump if he aged back a few years

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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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