26 Cartoon Characters In Their First Episode Vs. Now

This is weirdly fascinating.

SpongeBob SquarePants

The first episode, "Help Wanted", aired in 1999.

1. SpongeBob

Nickelodeon

He's got yellower as time's gone on. His nose is straighter, his cheeks are plumper, his top lip is tucked, and his forehead is a little shorter. We're not saying he's had surgical intervention, but...

2. Patrick

Nickelodeon

Our buddy Patrick got a thigh gap. 🙁

3. Mr Krabs

Nickelodeon

He got a brand new set of pearly whites, and he's not afraid to use them!

Arthur

The first episode, "Arthur's Eyes", aired in 1996.

4. Arthur

Cinar, 9 Story Media Group

Arthur's turned a lovely orangey-tan colour over the years.

5. Francine

Cinar, 9 Story Media Group

She's a whole lot more vibrant these days.

6. D.W.

Cinar, 9 Story Media Group

Like the rest of the Arthur crew, D.W. is a looking a lot fresher these days.

The Simpsons

The first Simpsons episode, "Good Night", aired on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. That's 30 goddamn years ago!

7. Lisa Simpson

Fox

Lisa's chilled out with time – especially her hair, which had an electrocution vibe in the first episode. Her eyes have calmed down too, and they now point in the same direction.

8. Bart Simpson

Fox

I mean... I guess the first Bart could be the second Bart's uncle?

9. Homer Simpson

Fox

The first Homer is like the second Homer but made from wax and melted a bit.

10. Marge

Fox

Old Marge had a long-sleeve dress! And much smaller hair. Current Marge's hair has grown so tall it sometimes doesn't fit in the screen anymore.

South Park

The South Park kids first made an appearance in the short film Jesus vs Frosty in 1992.

11. Cartman

Comedy Central

Cartman was literally cut out of paper back in the day. Also, he was originally called Kenny. He sure has come a long way.

12. Stan

Comedy Central

Stan's eyes have got a hell of a lot whiter, and his red and pink hat has been traded in for a red and blue one.

13. Kyle

Comedy Central

The first guy wasn't explicitly called Kyle, but his clothes are pretty similar colours. Today he's decked out in his familiar hunting hat and orange jacket.

14. Kenny

Comedy Central

So Kenny appeared in Jesus vs Frosty, but he had no name. Instead, the Cartman character was called Kenny. The evil snowman killed "Kenny", who was Cartman, but which still led the boys to cry, "Oh my god! Frosty killed Kenny!" And the rest was history, just a bit different.

Dora the Explorer

The first episode, "The Legend of the Big Red Chicken", aired in 2000.

15. Dora

Nickelodeon

Help! They actually turned Dora into a "preteen" with her show Dora and Friends.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The first epsiode, "Turtle Tracks", aired way back in 1987.

16. The Turtles: Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael

Murakami-Wolf-Swenson / Nickelodeon

Oh man! What happened to them??

My Little Pony

The cartoon first aired in 1984, and the first episode was "Rescue at Midnight Castle". In 2017, the show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is a big hit with the kids.

17. Moondancer

Hasbro

Wow, she's changed.

18. Twilight

Hasbro

She looks a lot more hyper nowadays.

19. Applejack

Hasbro

Applejack was always kind of a tomboy, and now she's still meant to be a tomboy because she wears a cowboy hat – but look at those lashes.

Charlie Brown and Snoopy

The first episode of the original animated series, "Baseball", aired in 1983. In 2015 the CGI animated movie Peanuts came out.

20. Charlie Brown

Lee Mendelson/Bill Melendez Productions, Blue Sky

CGI Charlie just doesn't look right.

21. Snoopy

Lee Mendelson/Bill Melendez Productions, Blue Sky

☹️

Family Guy

The very first episode, an unaired pilot, was made in 1998.

22. Lois

Fox

She's changed so much! Her hair went ginger, and her shirt went peppermint.

23. Peter

Fox

He was a lot more hand-drawn on his first outing. And he's pinker now, more like a ham.

24. Meg

Fox

Exact same outfit in two different colours.

25. Chris

Fox

There was something extra special about original Chris. RIP.

26. Stewie

Fox

He looked extra evil in his lil' green dungarees.