Klasky Csupo, pronounced “Class-key Chew-po,” is a company best known for being behind such 90’s animated hits as Rugrats, Aah! Real Monsters, and even The Simpsons. CoolToons, a website put together by Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo themselves, has published a series of drawing and animation lessons based on popular K/C shows.

“In studying the dynamics of the Rugrats’ bodies, one will notice a few basic traits: the necks are straight, long and skinny; the babies have faces that are much wider than long (while the adults have faces that are much longer than wide); the widest part of the head is the cheeks at the mouth; the eyes are circles or ovals with dots for pupils and when glasses are used, the rims are extremely thick; and each characters hair has a signature style that can easily be recognized, even in silhouette.”

Some of the tips are essential for anyone studying character design or animation. A good character is instantly recognizable. It even goes on to point out how the simplest, smallest details can throw off an entire character, and explains the terms “on-model” and “off-model.”