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Ever wondered what cartoon characters in real life would look like? Yes, they’re fictional sketches, which means we’ll never know their human looks in our world. But what if cartoon characters were real? 

The subject of cartoon characters IRL is fascinating, so Bored Panda’s pro member Hidreley delved into experimenting with AI-generated cartoon characters. That’s what digital art is about—blurring the lines between fantasy and reality on screen!

Surprisingly, some cartoon characters as humans look even better than the originals. See if your favorite cartoon characters are on this list, and scroll further to witness 23 pictures of real-life cartoon characters!

Note: The original article was written by Hidrėlėy and later edited and updated by the Bored Panda team. 

More info: Instagram

Hidreley did all the work on AI-generated cartoon characters by himself: “I’ve done some similar posts by other authors here on Bored Panda. I wanted to try something out myself, and so I dove into the world of AI. This time, I challenged myself to try to do one on the theme of cartoon characters. For this project, I used Photoshop and three mobile applications, FaceApp, Gradient, and Remini.

#3

Carl Fredricksen

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Carl Fredricksen character from the cartoon

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GoddessOdd
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one looks too cheerful to be Carl. Carl didn't get those frown lines overnight, I think he might look closer if he were scowling. I see AI favors blue eyes...at least everyone but Jasmine so far has blue eyes. I think Moe and Carl would both have dark eyes.

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Marlowe Fitzpatrik
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe this is Carl after he found a new sweetheart? He might give smiling another try, right?

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Jenna Sinne
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone else notice the glasses are thinner on the left (his right)? Almost like it combined two pairs and it's driving me crazy... or am I just not seeing it right?

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Paul Davis
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like the character's much younger brother or cousin, not that much like the character at all. I've seen people in real life who looked more like that character than this image.

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zububonsai
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our last German Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck did a good job impersonating him...

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Candace Craig
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Track Calls log and Spy Call Recording. Monitoring SMS text messages remotely. Cell phone GPS location tracking. Spy on Whatsapp Messages. Free Update and 100% Undetectable. Internet Browsing History and Read phone Access Address Book, totally worth your money, please no time wasters,They won't under any circumstances work for free, you can reach them by their email: Leonardomitnickhacking@gmail. com and get your job done instantly

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I'm positivly a wolf
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a substitute teacher who looks more like Mr. Fredericktown than this guy

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Don Lee
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just doesn't have that air of broken-down, resigned grumpiness that animated Carl projects.

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Blaise Meloche
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The AI looks too nice a guy. The cartoon character looks old and a little grumpy!

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Raghav Shrestha
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is an actual lookalike in real life who looks more like him.

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Kimberlee Jackson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could have sworn this was modeled after Hal Holbrook!! Looks just like him!

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Sanjana Roy
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

awwww he looks like the nicest kindest old sweet grandpa ever❤❤❤

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-*Bubbly-Bear*-
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1 year ago

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Rebecca Konieczki
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's an old man who lives in my town who looks just like cartoon Carl. Literally square head and big squished nose.

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Todd Hollfelder
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had to have been the early part of the film... well, maybe, the whole thing.

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Karen K
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I first saw the animated character, I thought he was about 85% Spencer Tracy from "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and 15% James Whimore for the irascibility.

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KyletheWolf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is already someone who looks exactly like Carl. You don't really need a AI but cool!

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Gine
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

realtalk. My grandfather looks exactly like Carl. much more, than this man.

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zoponex
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The nose be rounder, glasses off, chin too long, eyes too big.

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Laurel Kaeferlein
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why does this one have a shadow behind him? It makes me think this one is a real person.

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Meg Vera
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's this old couple that live next door, and my husband and I refer to the old man as Carl. Neither of us know his actual name, he's just Carl.

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Aliquid
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

square of the glasses more and make him grumpy... otherwise this doesn't work.

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The Simpsons were the most challenging when making realistic cartoon characters. “In terms of how they all turned out, I’m more and more pleased with the results with each post I make. I really liked how Moe Szyzlak, Ned Flanders, and Milhouse Van Houten turned out because initially, I thought that the Simpsons drawing style would be very hard to emulate on ‘real life’ terms. Still, they are actually very easy to recognize,” Hidreley explains. 

#4

Moana

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Moana character from the cartoon

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Orange Is Aging
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“I am Moana of Moto’nui. You will board my boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te’fiti.”

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“This post inadvertently brought back some good memories from my childhood. Like every kid in my generation, I loved watching cartoons. I really loved the Simpsons and Hanna Barbera classics, and I can safely say that they’ve made a huge impact on my life,” adds Hidreley. 

“I’ve been exploring the world of artificial intelligence recently, and I can tell you, it’s a world without limits! With the rise of AI-assisted art generation, there are virtually (no pun intended) no boundaries for digital art; you just have to be creative and know how to guide the blind hand of the machine,” explains Hidreley. 

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#9

Ned Flanders

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Ned Flanders character from the cartoon

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At some point, we’ve all wondered if cartoon characters were real. Were they inspired by celebrities or real-life events? Hidreley explains that he’s also intrigued by this concept: 

“I don't want to tease anything too early, but currently, I’m working hard on a project where I’m trying to show what some prematurely deceased celebrities would have looked like if they were still alive. I hope it will turn out great, and I’ll be able to share this with you soon!”

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#10

Milhouse

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Milhouse character from the cartoon

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Kristina Meyer
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He looks like a guy I went to elementary School with (except the haircolor). His Name was Sten.

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#11

Rapunzel

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Rapunzel character from the cartoon

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#16

Lady Tremaine

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Lady Tremaine character from the cartoon

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Orange Is Aging
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wrong hair. Her butt hair has always been very important to me

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#18

Kristoff

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Kristoff character from the cartoon

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Orange Is Aging
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He kinda looks like some kind of 2000’s Disney Channel character from a show that takes place in a summer camp

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#20

Isabela Madrigal

ai recreation of appearance in real life of Isabela Madrigal character from the cartoon

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Orange Is Aging
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY MADRIGAL! THE HOME OF THE FAMILY MADEIGAL! WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ARE fAnTaStIcAl AnD mAgIcAl!

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