Visual languages, Codes and Constraints

In this essay I will be looking at how “Rubber hose” animation also known as Inkblot cartoon style was made by the constraints of its time and how rubber hose animation visual coding had its renaissance in the 90’s with the availability of cheaper animation processes
First we must know the visual language of Rubber hose animation:
The beginnings of rubber hose animation started around 1920s as animation in the American market was fairly new, animation teams where fairly small and artists needed cost effective ways to create animation.[1] Rubber hose animation is characterized by simplified character designs with the current constraints of a monochrome colour pallet, usually characters would be anthropomorphic animals where muzzles would be white and we were given the outline of the eyes and the mass majority of the rest of the body would be white bar clothing like gloves, skirts and pants, and shoes so that we can easily identify what body part is what. Rubber hose animation greatly employs ideas of squash and stretch animation [2] where bodies are boneless, extenuating their movements and thus creating the idea they are made out of rubber. With these constraints objects being warped and stretched became a basis for visual humour. [3]
  

An early Felix the cat as Mr.Tom in Feline follies [4] [top] Oswald the lucky rabbit in Trolley troubles [bottom] [5]

This kind of Visual language continued on into the 40’s most famously used by the Warner Bros with the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes as rubber hose animation slid out of style became more of a stylistic choice to communicate character personality and continued on as a basis for visual gags often extenuating the slapstick style of warner brother’s animation.[6] Although the animations where now produced in colour there was still elements of older character design choices like gloves. [7]

I haven’t got a hat [8] [top] A wild hare [9] [bottom]

While Major Cartoon studios continued to repackage cartoons for television throughout the 70’s and 80’s Warner brothers started to take cues from their previous animations with the creation of Tiny Toon adventures and Animaniacs.
 

The cast of Tiny toon adventures [10] [top] the main characters of Animaniacs [11] [bottom]

While Tiny Toon Adventures drew more upon the colour animations of the late-30’s and 40’s there is a direct influence of older 20’s rubber hose animation within the main characters of Animaniacs down to character design elements of having a black and white body base but having a white muzzle, gloves and white feet. [12]

More modern day examples of this animation culture would be Adventure time:
 

Jake the dog on the right. [13]

 Although the majority of the main character design has the basic elements of rubber hose anatomy [14] the character of Jake the dog exemplifies this due to his Power to Transform his body at will taking many aspects of the visual comedy that where introduced in rubber hose animation often taken to extremes. [15]

Referances:
[1]Wikipedia

[2] Tv tropes: The twelve principles of animation

[3] Tv tropes: Inkblot cartoon style

[4] Messmer, O

[5] Disney, W

[6] Tv tropes: Inkblot cartoon style

[7] Tv tropes: White gloves.

[8] Freleng, I

[9] Avery, F

[10] Wander Bros. Television

[11] Fox Broadcasting Company

[12] Tv tropes: Inkblot cartoon style

[13] Cartoon network Studios

[14] Tv tropes: Rubber hose limbs

[15] Tv tropes: The twelve principles of animation

Bibliography:

A wild Hare. 1940. [Animated Short] Avery, F. dir. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures

 Adventure time. 2010. Cartoon network Studios. [no date]

 Animaniacs. 1993. Wander Bros. Television. [no date]

Feline Follies. 1919.[Animated short]. Messmer, O. Dir.  USA:  Sullivan,p.

 I haven’t got a hat. 1935.[Animated Short] Freleng, I. Dir. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures

tiny toon adventures. 1990. Fox Broadcasting Company. [no date]

Trolley Troubles. 1927. [Animated short] Disney, W. Dir. USA: Universal Pictures

TV tropes. 2015. White gloves.[Online]. [Accessed 21 march] Available from: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhiteGloves

TV tropes. 2015.Inkblot cartoon style.[Online]. [Accessed 21 march] Available from: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InkblotCartoonStyle

TV tropes. 2015. Rubber hose limbs.[Online]. [Accessed 21 march] Available from: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RubberHoseLimbs
TV tropes. 2015. The twelve principles of animation.[Online]. [Accessed 21 march] Available from: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheTwelvePrinciplesOfAnimation

Wikipedia. [no date]. Rubber hose animation.[Online]. [Accessed 21 march 2015]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_hose_animation