Why So Many Cartoon Characters Wear White Gloves

Back in the day, when it came to drawing a cartoon character, one thing that they couldn't be without in terms of attire was a fancy white pair of gloves. Whether it was a cat, mouse, or whatever Goofy is (he's officially classified as "Canis Goofus"), a whistling, strolling, sketched-up animated hero wouldn't be caught dead without a pair of pristine white gloves on — but why? In a world where an overly agitated duck wore a sailor hat and shirt but nothing to cover his lower half, why were gloves so essential to characters that debuted at the forefront of animation?

The truth is that the unmistakable mitts were added to the likes of Mickey Mouse as a byproduct of inspiration and necessity. Not only were they in line with a shameful form of entertainment from that time, but also a corner-cutting method in creating characters that would eventually go on to reach iconic status in the years that followed. The next time you look at Mickey pulling up his gloves before going on an adventure, know that they were there because artists found them easy to draw and were partly inspired by blackface. Yikes.

According to Nicholas Sammond's "Birth of an Industry," (via Vox), the author explained that animated characters were linked to vaudeville performances and blackface minstrel shows of that era. Once you know this, it becomes an eye-opening discovery that you can't unsee.

Sammond explains that they "weren't just like minstrels, they were minstrels." Characters worse loose, baggy clothes, had painted faces, and most importantly wore white gloves. For Walt Disney's creation, Mickey Mouse, he didn't initially wear them, as they are absent from his public debut in the revolutionary "Steamboat Willie." It would be a year until in the short animation, "The Osprey House" Mickey would slip on what would become compulsory with other characters. Even after vaudeville shows were phased out, the gloves worn by cartoon characters weren't.

It wasn't just coming from the Disney camp either. Besides Mickey and Goofy keeping their prints of whatever jovial antics they got involved in, Bugs Bunny also wore gloves and has done so ever since. While it might have been a sign of the times, it also was a simple technique for animators. Sure, every character might've had a different face but whether they were big or small, a hero or a villain, one glove really did fit all for a lengthy period of time.

Animation has become far more detailed in regard to character creation now, but it was a pretty common practice for decades to see characters with three fingers and one thumb on each hand — gloved for simplification. Lopping off a digit to make cartoon characters made the job easier and has been a tactic that was applied for years after. "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," and plenty of other long-running shows followed suit with their main group of heroes only having four digits per hand, and some of the most beautiful animated movies that didn't come from Disney apply the same rule.

Over the years plenty of cartoons have had meta moments that beg the question not only why they have three fingers (God in "The Simpsons" notably had four fingers), but why some still wear gloves to this day. Even in "The Looney Tunes Show," an episode named "Rebel Without A Glove" sees Bugs Bunny adapt to life without the titular item and it does make for a strange sight. At least now for the majority of animation, the gloves are off and some animated characters do get the gift of an extra digit of added detail.