ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Rubber hose animation

Rubber hose animation is a way of creating cartoon characters that look like they are made of rubber hoses. Imagine a garden hose, but instead of water running through it, there are little people running inside.

To make these cartoon characters, artists first draw the character's body in a simplified, exaggerated way. Then, they add big, curved lines (like a bouncy, flexible hose) to represent the arms and legs.

When they animate the character moving, they move those lines in a fluid, wavy way, almost like a dancer twirling ribbons. This creates the illusion that the character's limbs are bending and flowing like rubber hoses.

This animation style became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, when cartoons were just starting to be made. People like Walt Disney, Max Fleischer, and Ub Iwerks were some of the first to experiment with this technique.

Today, we still see rubber hose animation in many cartoon shows and movies. It's a fun and playful way to bring characters to life, and it makes them seem extra silly and wacky!