So, I was taking a quiz on vintage cartoon characters, and while I was watching the Yogi Bear cartoon on YouTube (for research purposes!!!), I started wondering why he was wearing a tie. He lives in the forest, and there is literally no reason for him to need a tie. Actually, why do all the old cartoon characters wear ties?
In fact, the reason most old cartoon characters wore something around their necks was so that the animators didn't have to reanimate the entire character every time they spoke.
Instead, when a character is wearing something around their neck, they can simply redraw the talking head and use the same cell for the character's body. This is a technique called “limited animation“
This allowed to reduce costs and speed up production. Honestly, this makes a lot of sense (and I feel a little stupid for only now noticing it as an adult)! But now that I know this, I can't unsee cartoon ties, and it's pretty hard to find an old cartoon character that doesn't have something hiding their neck.
Almost all of the Jetsons (including Rosie) have something hanging around their neck.
Quick Draw McGraw has a bandana.
Huckleberry Hound wears a bow tie.
Almost the entire cast The Flintstones they have something on their neck (except for Barney Rubble).
A handy large Scooby-Doo collar separates his body from his head.
And what's interesting is that Tom and Jerry's necks are almost never shown. Their heads simply lie on their bodies if they are not wearing clothes.
See, in this scene his body doesn't move, only his head!
Okay, well, good luck trying to unsee that every time you watch an old cartoon. I just keep looking at the necks, trying to figure out how they disguise it. In any case, the more you know!
