John K.

Wrong Colors Theory

Added 2023-04-22 17:21:36 +0000 UTC

I've always been a proponent of off-model versions of cartoon characters and also 'wrong colors'.

I get bored drawing the exact same model design over and over again and always painting the same colors.

I learned to love wrong colors when I was a kid and I had Hanna Barbera merchandise - toys and books. Many of them painted the characters different colors than what they were in the cartoons. I'd love to know how Barney ended up with green hair.

I'm not sure why there were sometimes wrong colors but I'm glad there were.

I think 'wrong colors' adds variety to the characters and variety is fun. People wear different colored clothes from day to day and dye their hair sometimes, so why not have different versions of our favorite characters?

It's the kind of thing producers and Executives tend to dislike. That's why when studios license their characters for merchandise today, they make very detailed licensing guides that show you exactly how they want the characters' drawings to look and what exact Pantone colors they have to be. They even give you the official logo of how the characters' names need to appear on packaging. No interpretation please. Things were looser when I was a kid and there seemed to be more creativity allowed in character toys and products.

Golden Book illustrator Mel Crawford must have liked variety too because he often experimented with cartoon characters' colors. This beautiful painting is from a Golden Book called 'Pebbles Flintstone'. It's my favorite kids' book and is chock full of amazing paintings.