Octonauts
Octonauts is a children's TV show aimed at young children between the ages of 4 and 8. For this reason the characters in this show must be child friendly, and show nothing threatening about them. This has been achieved using certain colours, minimalist facial features and a very simplistic body shape. This turtle (Sandy the Leatherback Sea Turtle) is a shade of deep blue, with light blue spots.
She has a mainly circular body shape, meaning that she is friendly creature. She has minimalist facial features, such as eyes and mouth. This means the audience doesn't have to think to hard, like if Sandy had a very detailed face, it may be confusing for the audience.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a manga cartoon aimed mainly at children aged between 7 and 12. This opens up more opportunities as to what the animators can work with. This particular character in the grid (Squirtle) also as a mainly round body shape, in terms of its head and torso meaning it is a friendly creature.
Squirtle's body contains bright colours such as lights blues, and browns, making it more approachable. His facial features are a bit more detailed, stereotypical of most manga characters which appeals to the target audience.
T.M.N.T.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is another children's TV series, however there are many themes of violence. This means that the animators have to be very careful in terms of how they portray the characters. The four turtle protagonists of this TV show (Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael) all have basically the same body features aside from the colour of their masks and their weapons. They have fairly rectangular body shapes which shows that they have some sort of dominance and strength about them, however their minimalist facial features show that they are also friendly individuals.
The colours of these turtles is a light green; rather than dark colours, the light colours used make them seem more friendly. Tied in with their masculine body shapes, there is a good mix of assertiveness and friendliness.
Adventure Time
'Adventure Time' is a TV series with a fairly wide target audience; it is known to be enjoyed by children from the age of around 8 to young adults. The 'Turtle Princess' from 'Adventure Time' has a strange body shape. She is fairly oval in shape, but also has slim limbs. This shows that she is friendly, but is also fragile. She has minimalist facial features, mean the audience doesnt have to think too much about it.
