Reader Question – Bernardo Hein Motter, Soledade, RS
Because it’s easier to animate four fingers than five. The hands are smaller and the movement clearer and more practical, especially for those who need to draw the same character several times. Nowadays, the practice has declined and many animators use five fingers frequently, especially for human characters. But, at the beginning of the last century, this industry did not have a lot of money and any measure that reduced the time spent drawing was welcome. Among those born with four fingers are Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the first character created by Walt Disney in 1927, Mickey Mouse (1928), The Flintstones (1960), The Simpsons (1989), Family Guy (1999) and Jake and Finn, from Adventure Time (2010). Dragon Ball (1986), the humans in Courage, the Cowardly Dog (1995), Shrek (2000) and The Incredibles (2004) are examples of animations with five-finger characters.
Sources: The Big Cartoon Database
Consultancy: Bruno Okada, Cartoon Network designer; Eduardo Nakamura, art and creative director at Mono 3D animation studio; Kiko Mistrorigo, partner at TV Pinguim and creator of Peixonauta; Tiago Saad, designer at Animar Estúdio
See too:
+ How is a clay cartoon made?
+ What is the story of the Simpsons?