Fan art seems to be everywhere. Whether you go looking for it or not you're bound to encounter some along the way. And while not all of it is great, some of it can even rival the real thing. However, it's not only the quality of the drawing that draws our attention. Fan art happens to be an excellent way for fans and artists to create alternate versions of our favorite fictional characters. There are tons of fan-designed superhero costumes that we can only wish were real. Genderbenders are becoming increasingly popular and can look pretty impressive. However, today we're focusing on fan art that turned kid characters from cartoons into adults.
Growing up, we all followed the adventures of a certain group of friends, heroes or a family. Cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls could keep us entertained for hours, and still can. The amazing animated features from Disney, Illumination and DreamWorks are still on our watch list whenever a new one comes out. Most of the time, cartoon characters are kids, or at least preteens. Rarely do we ever get to see them grow up. Which is why we have prepared 17 amazing pieces of fan art featuring all grown-up cartoon characters.
17 BART AND LISA SIMPSON
The longest running TV show with 29 seasons and more than 600 episodes, The Simpsons, still has no end in sight. Starting its run back when Michael Keaton was Gotham’s Caped Crusader, FOX’s animated sitcom is centered around a working-class family living in the fictional town of Springfield. One of the curious aspects of the show is that despite the fact that it’s been 29 years since its first episode, the characters haven’t aged.
While they have celebrated birthdays, there are no indications that the characters have actually gotten older. The concept of time in The Simpsons has been thoroughly discussed with a number of possible explanations. And while others theorize, artists create. DeviantArt member who goes by the name SemiAverageArtist created this cool adult version of Bart and Lisa.
16 ASH KETCHUM
Despite the fact that almost all cartoon characters never age, Ash Ketchum’s age is by far the most exhaustively discussed. One of the most popular anime ever, Pokemon, has been airing for over a decade. At the beginning of the series it was stated that Ash is ten years old, however, after all these years Ash doesn’t seem to have aged at all.
There are many theories as to why Ash doesn’t age, including the necessary cop-outs like "it’s all a dream" and "Ash is dead." However, most likely the creators just want to keep Ash a ten-year-old kid for the sake of the audience and we’ll never get an adult Ash. Luckily though, we do have talented artists such as Jorn Siberian who created an awesome adult version of the boy who doesn’t age.
15 THE POWERPUFF GIRLS
Craig McCracken’s critically acclaimed animated series The Powerpuff Girls started its run back in 1998 and ended in 2005 after six seasons. The series follows three kindergarten aged girls -- Blossom (pink), Bubbles (blue) and Buttercup (green) -- as they use their powers to defend their town from villains and monsters. For those of us who grew up in the early 2000s, The Powerpuff Girls were an introduction into the world of superheroes.
Given that the show’s intended audience were young children, the protagonists too were of a very young age. However, as the fans of the show grew up they often re-imagined the characters as adults. Jackson Tjota, a digital artist from Indonesia, gave Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup a jaw-dropping comic book superhero makeover. If you want to see more grown up Powerpuff Girls make sure to check out Tjota’s gallery.
14 STAN, KYLE, ERIC AND KENNY
South Park is far from being a kid’s cartoon, yet the main characters are indeed children. The four boys around which this animated series revolves -- Stan, Kyle, Eric and Kenny -- are fourth-graders who in true cartoon fashion haven’t aged even though the show’s been around for over a decade. And if you thought it would be cool to see a more realistic and grown up version of the South Park boys, here’s an excellent example.
From the amazing artist Andra Hilde comes an incredibly cool take on the boys from South Park. Andra did an awesome job aging these characters and making them feel like real people. However, given the stuff that goes around on that show, it’s probably for the best that on the screen they don’t look quite human.
13 MORTY SMITH
Rick and Morty certainly needs no introduction. But in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past four years, here’s what you need to know: this adult animated series follows the misadventures of a mad scientist Rick and his easily influenced grandson Morty. The kindhearted and principled fourteen-year-old Morty is the perfect counterpart to Rick’s Machiavellian ego.
But who’s to say Morty will remain the same and not pick up some of Rick’s traits once he’s all grown up. Artist Jorn Siberian created a very cool and accurate version of an adult Morty. He may be a grown up but Morty is still a bit clumsy. However, he did borrow a few things from his grandpa Rick - a lab coat, a portal gun and a Collaxion crystal.
12 MOANA
The critically acclaimed 2016 Disney animated feature film Moana was highly praised for its stunning animation, breathtaking music and outstanding vocal performances. The movie tells the story of Moana, the 16-year-old daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean to reunite a mystical relic with a goddess. Aided by the legendary demigod Maui, Moana manages to save her people by returning the heart of Te Fiti.
Algerian artist Ramzy Kamen created this amazing version of a grown up Moana sunbathing in the ocean with her pet rooster Heihei and pet pig Pua. Since sequels are never off the table with Disney, it’s not entirely impossible that one day we really get to see a grown up Moana in a movie.
11 ARNOLD
Back in the day, Nickelodeon actually had good shows. Looking at the state of the channel now, it seems almost unbelievable that this same network used to have shows such as Hey Arnold! and Rugrats. Speaking of Hey Arnold!, this amazing series originally aired from 1996 to 2004 and followed the adventures of the nine-year-old Arnold who lives with his grandparents in an inner-city boarding house.
As kids, and as teenagers, we loved tuning in to watch Arnold and his friends tackle all kinds of problems. As time went by, we grew up but Arnold did not. However, a very talented artist from Russia, Jorn Siberian, created an amazing version of an all grown up Arnold. According to the artist, he was going for calm and confident and we think he nailed it.
10 DEXTER AND MANDARK (DEXTER’S LABORATORY)
Dexter’s Laboratory is one of those cartoons you can enjoy regardless of your age. One of the best aspects of this exceptional piece of animated entertainment is the rivalry between Dexter and Mandark. Dexter’s mortal nemesis, Mandark, is always looking for ways to destroy and his lab to prove that he is the superior genius.
And while such childish rivalry is to be expected from two young boys, you’d hope they would come to their sense when they grow up. However, we always knew this was unlikely to happen and it seems we were right. Romanian artist Andra Hilde created an excellent version of the two mortal rivals in their high school years. Guess what? Not much has changed in their relationship.
9 MARGO, EDITH, AGNES (DESPICABLE ME)
With four movies already out and two more announced, the Despicable Me franchise is growing fast. The movies center on the supervillain-turned dad and secret agent Gru, his yellow-colored minions called Minions, his three adoptive daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes, and his wife Lucy. Margo is the protective oldest sister, Edith is the tomboyish middle sister and Agnes is the youngest most adorable sister.
Over the course of three movies, the sisters have remained kids. However, it would be cool to one day see them all grown up, perhaps heading to college. Especially now that we have a clear idea how the girls might look as young adults. This amazing fanart was created by tasia, an illustrator from South Africa. All three girls look absolutely beautiful.
8 JIMMY NEUTRON
Whether you remember the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius animated movie or the spin-off cartoon The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, we can agree that both were pretty good cartoons. The Jimmy Neutron cartoons revolve around an extremely intelligent boy using scientific knowledge and inventions to solve problems, most of which he caused himself.
Although Jimmy did age over the animated series three-year-run he never reached adulthood. Artist Jorn Siberian gave us an excellent idea as to how Jimmy Neutron might look like all grown up. He’s still sporting his atom T-shirt and a rather similar haircut, but he has some ink on his chest and has grown a goatee. We think this new look suits Jimmy incredibly well. Wouldn't you agree?
7 OTTO, REGGIE, TWISTER, SQUID (ROCKET POWER)
Rocket Power was an awesome cartoon that thought us the value of friendship. The episodes usually revolved around the group of friends - Otto, Reggie, Twister and Squid -- engaging in some kind of a competition in extreme sports. However, in the end they would always learn a valuable lesson that there are more important things in life than winning -- such as friendship.
This amazing artist from Ukraine, Viktoria Ridzel, re-imagined the heroes of her favorite cartoon as grown ups in a more realistic setting. We have to say this version of the Rocket Power gang looks beautiful. We’d love to see our favorite daredevils embark on crazy adventures in their teen years. Given their mischievous behavior as children, imagine what they would do as teenagers.
6 KIM POSSIBLE
Disney’s Kim Possible action comedy-adventure cartoon was like an animated for-kids take on classic girl power shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias. The show followed the so-called Team Possible consisting of Kim Possible (teenage crimefighter), Ron Stoppable (clumsy sidekick), Rufus (pet naked mole rat) and Wade (computer genius). Majority of their missions are about stopping the evil plans of the supervillain duo Dr. Drakken and Shego.
The talented artist Rosso Winch created an incredible adult version of the high school cheerleader moonlighting as a crimefighter. Kim is all grown up now and judging by this fanart she may well be an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. But in all seriousness, a more serious and edgy version of the Kim Possible cartoon might not be such a horrible idea, if done right.
5 DEXTER AND DEE DEE
Cartoon Network’s most popular original series, Dexter’s Laboratory, received widespread critical acclaim, winning four Primetime Emmy Awards. As you probably fondly remember, this awesome animated series revolved around a boy-genius and inventor Dexter who conducted experiments in his secret basement lab, while attempting to keep his hyperactive sister Dee Dee out.
The crazy antics of these two siblings have provided us with a lot of laughs over the years and Dexter’s iconic line "No, Dee Dee, no!" has been permanently etched into our memory. In case you ever wanted to know what these two would look like all grown up, the talented artist Emilyena did an amazing take on Dexter and Dee Dee as adults. Dee Dee looks as crazy as ever and Dexter turned quite dashing with his beard and smug look.
4 THE EDS (ED, EDD N EDDY)
Just like so many other '90s animated television series, Ed, Edd n Eddy gained widespread critical acclaim and at the same time sparked some controversy. For a while there was a very elaborate theory going around that the characters of the Ed, Edd n Eddy cartoon were actually dead and living in some kind of a purgatory. Among other things, this would explain why the boys didn’t age.
However, this theory was debunked by the show’s creator, but nonetheless it’s a fun read. But going back to the Eds and the whole age issue. Much like so many other cartoon characters, the Eds never grew up. Fortunately, you can find a bunch of fanart depicting the boys as young adults. This cool version of all grown up Eds belongs to the amazing artist bloochikin.
3 ANOTHER ASH KETCHUM
Pokemon was the gateway anime for generations. Ever since 1997, audiences around the world have been following the adventures of Ash, Brock, Misty and their Pokemon companions as they embark on a journey towards the completion of their dreams. Not many anime franchises have succeeded at developing such a huge fanbase as Pokemon. And even though there have been other protagonists over the years, Ash remains the absolute fan-favorite.
In 1997, Ash was introduced as a ten-year-old boy and ten years later he’s still a ten-year-old boy. While we prefer Ash to stay a ten-year-old, we can’t help but wonder what he would look like all grown up. This bearded take on an adult Ash was masterfully created by the talented DeviantArt member ovolon.
2 DASH (THE INCREDIBLES)
After more than decade, the beloved animated movie The Incredibles is finally getting a sequel. The film will of course focus on the Parr family as they struggle to maintain normal lives while Elastigirl is fighting crime and Mr. Incredible is babysitting Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. The movie is highly anticipated by the fans and it’s expected to hit the theaters next year.
This amazing version of an adult Dash comes from concept artist Mark Yong. We have to admit, this older version of Dash kind of reminds us of Quicksilver because of the hairstyle. Perhaps a third installment in The Incredibles franchise can focus on the grown up versions of Violet and Dash. That would be one hell of a movie.
1 DIPPER AND MAPLE (GRAVITY FALLS)
Disney’s animated series Gravity Falls is like a children-friendly take on The X-Files and Twin Peaks. The series was created by Alex Hirch and follows the adventures of the Pines twins, Dipper and Mabel, who are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle Stan in a mysterious town brimming with paranormal forces and supernatural creatures.
While the series follows the 13-year-old Dipper and Mabel as they investigate all kinds of local mysteries. Over the years, many fans have made their own versions of the characters as adults. The hilarious image you see above was created by Gabriel Picolo, a freelance illustrator from Brazil. Apart from being an amazing take on the characters, Gabriel’s fanart even includes a night vision camera for capturing monsters in the dark.