Why don't cartoon characters age?

I think either animators are lazy, or it's easier to write/make comedy for characters who stay in the same state. Or it's for licencing reasons, characters remain recognizable ect.

Outside of spin-offs are there any examples of cartoons who have aged and stayed that way, meaning not just one episode?

'cause they're not real people.

Generally just because of how difficult it would be to animate a world where characters age? That would be insanity.

see teeny boppers thread.

figments of the imagination never age.

  On 9/12/2010 at 10:29 PM, nene multiple assgasms said:

'cause they're not real people.

lol

Doesn't Naruto age? A friend of mine who is huge into anime told me about that show and I thought the concept of the characters aging was a cool idea. The Simpsons should have done it. Imagine multiple generations of Simpsons family members...

Rugrats aged.

that's twisted.

True story. I guess if rugrats count, then the boys from South Park also aged by exactly 1 year.

i agree with nene, they are just drawings

it would be weird to have cartoon characters die of age, but not from falling off cliffs / getting struck by lightning etc.

if cartoon character aged and eventually died, people would probably stop watching (the simpsons without homer).

cool concept though.

the venture brothers kind of age. i mean i guess they mostly stay the same age because they're all clones or whatever, but im pretty sure they've aged by a year and they've DEFINITELY had some characterization changes and look changes and whatnot. hank and dean started off as basically the same character and were annoyingly cliche, and as of the end of the last season, dean is a speed-suit wearing burgeoning super scientist who listens to prog rock and has a dirtstache, and hank is a rebellious loser with poor taste in friends. and the clones are gone now so yeah. actually, all the characters on that show age, come to think of it. sort of.

Because it would be sad to see Spongebob unhook his hospital equipment, wander through Bikini Bottom in his hospital gown at night, all confused and shivering, going around in circles on a particulair spot murmuring "my pineapple used to be here my pineapple used to be here...", and then crying next to the grave of Patrick, while his incontinence is acting up.

lol I love Spongebob so much. It doesn't really get the respect it deserves: as high art.

I think the boys from South Park has aged. Didn't they start out by being in 3rd grade and are now in... 4th grade... or am I wrong?

why are cartoon animiated ?? thats the bigger question here.

The actual biological reason for this, is that in the week between episodes that you experience cartoons only experience one night. Because of this, cartoon characters take several seasons to experience a full year, and even then their aging processes are far more gradual than ours. Between seasons they are frozen in suspended animation and don't age at all.

  On 9/12/2010 at 11:51 PM, Squee said:

I think the boys from South Park has aged. Didn't they start out by being in 3rd grade and are now in... 4th grade... or am I wrong?

  On 9/12/2010 at 10:40 PM, thehauntingsoul said:

True story. I guess if rugrats count, then the boys from South Park also aged by exactly 1 year.

  On 9/13/2010 at 12:00 AM, Zephyr_Nova said:

The actual biological reason for this, is that in the week between episodes that you experience cartoons only experience one night. Because of this, cartoon characters take several seasons to experience a full year, and even then their aging processes are far more gradual than ours. Between seasons they are frozen in suspended animation and don't age at all.

  On 9/12/2010 at 10:29 PM, nene multiple assgasms said:

'cause they're not real people.

I imagine you saying that in this totally bored slow star wars review guy voice

If sonic the hedgehog aged I wonder if he would be faster or slower

Going by this pic he looks more sleek and cooler if he did

I'm amazed there's not a huge Hentai style wang in that Sonic picture

They could make a program that would automatically age cartoon characters. Then that would solve everyones aging problems.

See the comic strip 'For Better or For Worse' for an example of why this is a bad idea.

  On 9/13/2010 at 12:11 AM, thehauntingsoul said:

  On 9/12/2010 at 11:51 PM, Squee said:

I think the boys from South Park has aged. Didn't they start out by being in 3rd grade and are now in... 4th grade... or am I wrong?

 

  On 9/12/2010 at 10:40 PM, thehauntingsoul said:

True story. I guess if rugrats count, then the boys from South Park also aged by exactly 1 year.

Ah...!