StudioMDHR reached a broad audience when it releasedCupheadback in 2017, but the community has further grown with the Netflix adaptation released this year. OneCupheadfan has decided to commemorate some of their favorite Nickelodeon cartoon characters by imagining them in the same art style asCupheadto an impressive degree.Twitter user CartoonFan18 recently posted four pieces of fan art that put theCuphead styleon classic NickToon showsThe Mighty B,My Life as a Teenage Robot,SpongeBob SquarePants, andThe Fairly Oddparents. WhenCupheadwas released, it impressed fans with the “rubber hose” art style used in the game as the 1930s-era aesthetic hadn’t yet been used in many games. To fit this classic look, the typically very colorful cartoon shows have been interpreted with dark and dim colors mixed with sludgy green.RELATED:Artist Shows What Cuphead Would Look Like if the Game Was Based on Different CartoonsCartoonFan18’s fan art shows each featured NickToon in theCupheadstyle effectively, withMy Life as a Teenage Robotstar Jenny,The Fairly Oddparentsprotagonist Timmy Turner, andThe Mighty Bhero Bessie walking around their respective neighborhoods.SpongeBob SquarePants' frame is the only interior as it focuses on his kitchen space at the Krusty Krab, but it still effectively shows rubber hose elements through a smiling oven and take-out window. The background of theMy Life as a Teenage Robotfan art shows the trees smiling along with Jenny just like the sunshine inThe Mighty B’s panel, while Timmy’s Fairy Godparents are imagined as happy Disney-style mice in the final piece.
Rubber hose animation has been used for old cartoons likeFelix the Catand several Disney classics popularized in its early years including the original Mickey Mouse. Shows that are more modern and incorporate some level of rubber hose animation includeAdventure Time,Ren and Stimpy, andCourage the Cowardly Dog, while two of the NickToonscrossed over withCupheadhad rubber hose inspirations.My Life as a Teenage Robotcreator Rob Renzetti noted rubber hose as an art style that influenced him, whileSpongeBob SquarePantsepisode “Truth or Square” introduced a 1930s version of the titular Nickelodeon character.
Since CartoonFan18 posted theirCuphead-inspired NickToons art, over 12,000 people have seen it and have celebrated their interpretation of the early 2000s cartoons. SomeCupheadfans took the opportunity to remind others that rubber hose animation was a staple before the game was ever brought to Netflix, and others rejoiced in their favorite NickToon being showcased in a different way. Another artist also juxtaposed CartoonFan18’sMighty Bfan art with aNetflixCupheadscreenshot for comparison and the similarities drastically outweigh the differences.
Cupheadis available now for Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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