History Main / AnatomyAnomaly

In animation, it's fairly common for characters to be depicted differently from what you'd expect from real life (usually [[FourFingeredHands missing the little finger]]), especially from the anatomical point, mostly due to excessive simplification of the human/animal figure represented. Sometimes, though, one or more characters in particular on a show will be depicted in a way distinctive from the rest of the cast. Normally, they either:

* To emphasize his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting amorphous nature,]] PlasticMan has no toes. (Though presumably, Plas could extrude as many toes as he wished, if he wanted to).

Of course, this trope applies only when one or a few characters among the whole cast of the show are depicted wth less or more detail than the greatest part of the cast. After all, it's almost impossible to determine a norm if there is none to start with.

* In WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut, The Mole is the only kid to have ears.

* Krillin, of the ''DragonBall'' series, who doesn't feature a nose. (Lampshaded during the first TournamentArc, when Krillin is losing a fight to a barbarian who uses his stench as a weapon - until Goku points out Krillin's lack of a nose)
* ''ThePowerpuffGirls'', who have no fingers (nor noses), even lampshaded once.
* Omi of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown.'' No nose. (Also no hair, but then he is a monk.)
* ''{{Peanuts}}'': Charlie Brown. WordOfGod says he has a full head of hair, if very fine short and blond. [[CharlieBrownBaldness You'd never know it]], would you?

* Mandy from ''TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' is the only character [[TheNoseless without a nose]].

* In ''TheSimpsons''. You can't tell where Bart, Lisa and Maggie's forehead ends and hair begins, they all run together and are of the same color, and none of the other characters share this trait.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', little Ike Broflovski is the only one drawn having small beady eyes and a Pac-Man-like head which flaps up and down whenever he speaks. We later find out that rather than Ike being drawn special because he is much younger than anyone else, that Canadians (he is adopted) all look like that. It's unknown if this was planned from the start or something the creators added later.
** Likely the former, since Terrence and Philip had the same element from the start, and their accents marked them (poorly) as Canadian.
** Likewise, many of the children lack noses, whereas adults and, too some extent, older children have them.

* In ''SouthPark'', little Ike Broflovski is the only one drawn having small beady eyes and a Pac-Man-like head which flaps up and down whenever he speaks. We later find out that rather than Ike being drawn special because he is much younger than anyone else, that Canadians (he is adopted) all look like that. It's unknown if this was planned from the start or something the creators added later.

* In the SouthPark movie, The Mole is the only kid to have ears.

Super trope to TheNoseless, sub-trope of NonStandardCharacterDesign. StylisticSelfParody is [[LampshadeHanging hanging a lampshade]] on this trope.

* {{Dilbert}} and Dogbert have no mouths (but the rest of the cast does). In the cartoon series, it would only appear when they were speaking

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* Lampshaded in an early episode of ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}''. Team Rocket suffers some sort of gas attack, and Meowth panics, thinking that his nose has melted away, before he realizes, "Oh yeah, I forgot! [[MediumAwareness The cartoonists never gave me a nose.]]"

** Characters introduced in later episodes tend to be more detailed due to the advancements in animation, while the older characters keep their simpler designs.

* In ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' only the elves and certain other creatures have ears; all humans lack them.

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* Several characters on ''HomestarRunner'' don't have ''arms''.

** One half-elf reveals his hybrid status by showing he has a single (pointed) ear.

* Omi of ''XiaolinShowdown.'' No nose. (Also no hair, but then he is a monk.)

* In ''TheOrderOfTheStick'' only the elves and certain other creatures have ears; all humans lack them.

* SpongeBob is one of the very few characters that have fingers in ''SpongeBobSquarePants''. Lampshaded on a few occasions.

** Also, characters that have been in the show since the Tracy Ulman days (such as the Simpson family and Krusty the Clown) tend to have really huge eyeballs while everyone else's eyes are more or less normal sized.

* ''{{Peanuts}}'': Charlie Brown. WordOfGod says he has a full head of hair, if very fine short and blond. You'd never know it, would you?

* Lampshaded in an early episode of ''{{Pokemon}}''. Team Rocket suffers some sort of gas attack, and Meowth panics, thinking that his nose has melted away, before he realizes, "Oh yeah, I forgot! [[MediumAwareness The cartoonists never gave me a nose.]]"

* In ''TheSimpsons''. You can't tell where Bart, Lisa and Maggie's forehead ends and hair begins, they all run together and are of the same color, and none of the other characters share this trait. Also lampshaded in The Simpsons in the episode "Bart's Friend Falls in Love":
-->'''Lisa''': Hey, Bart, according to this magazine, in another million years, man will have another finger. [shows an artist's conception of a five-fingered hand]
-->'''Bart''': Five fingers? Ewwww! Freak show!

Super trope to TheNoseless. StylisticSelfParody is [[LampshadeHanging hanging a lampshade]] on this trope.

* ''{{Peanuts}}'': Charlie Brown. WordOfGod says he has a full head of hair. You'd never know it, would you?
* {{Dilbert}} has no mouth (but the rest of the cast does).

** Also, characters that have been in the show since the Tracy Ulmann days(such as the Simpson family and Krusty the clown) tend to have really huge eyeballs while everyone else's eyes are more or less normal sized.

* In ''SouthPark'', little Ike Broflovski is the only one drawn having small beady eyes and a Pac-Man-like head which flaps up and down whenever he speaks. We later find out that rather than Ike being drawn special because he is much younger than anyone else, that Canadians (he is adopted) all look like that. Unknown if this was planned from the start or something the creators added later.

* Spongebob is one of the very few characters that have fingers in ''SpongebobSquarePants''. Lampshaded on a few occasions.

** Also, the Van Houten family are (maybe) the only characters in ''TheSimpsons'' to have eyebrows.
*** Not true as Mr. Smithers amongst others is also portrayed with eyebrows.

Super trope to TheNoseless.

* Krillin, of the ''DragonBall'' series, who doesn't feature a nose. (Lampshaded in the original comic books when Krillin is losing a fight to a barbarian who uses his stench as a weapon - until Goku points out Krillin's lack of a nose)

*** When He shows up, God is drawn with five fingers.

* Lampshaded in an early episode of ''{{Pokemon}}''. Team Rocket suffers some sort of gas attack, and Meowth says "I can't feel my nose... oh wait, I never had a nose."