Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal



A variant of Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal where the only "clothing" they wear is some kind of cosmetic accessory—a hat, gloves, a bow, tie (or bowtie), a necklace, a collar, etc., or socks and/or shoes—beyond this, the character is still, well, technically naked. This is different from a straight-up Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal, whose article of clothing is typically a full shirt or pants.

Sometimes, underwear or a diaper and nothing else can count as this trope, although it tends to border on Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal.

Similarly, they may choose the equivalent of a fig-leaf or loincloth (which borders on a shirtless Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal), the bare minimum necessary to preserve their modesty to the audience if they are Petting Zoo People (which is a popular visual motif for depicting characters as 'exotic' or 'native' in origin.)

Like the Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal, the creature's natural pelt (fur/feathers or what have they) is considered an acceptable analogue for clothing, thus the subject of them being technically "naked" is seldom mentioned, unless a sudden gag (like a Non-Fatal Explosion) leaves them stripped of their coverings.

Ring Around the Collar and White Gloves examples can overlap, if it is the only article of clothing the character wears.

See also Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal and Tertiary Sexual Characteristics. Subtrope of Appropriate Animal Attire.

Advertising

 * Tony the Tiger from Frosted Flakes cereal sports only a neckerchief. His son, Tony Jr., had a neckerchief and ball cap.
 * Mr. Peanut wears only accessories: top hat, monocle, White Gloves, shoes, and spats.
 * Chester Cheetah from Cheetos only wears sunglasses and shoes.

Anime and Manga

 * In the anime Pokémon, sometimes a Pokémon is shown wearing these, serving either as Tertiary Sexual Characteristics or to differentiate it from others who look exactly like them.
 * In Pokémon Special, Chuchu wears a pink flower to differentiate her from Pika, while Bubu wears a striped bow to differentiate her from Poka.
 * Kero from Cardcaptor Sakura frequently wears a ribbon or some sort of collar that matches Sakura's outfit during the card capture sequences.
 * Kamichama Karin - Karin's pet cat, Shii-chan, has a red ribbon around her neck at the start of the series. After she comes Back from the Dead as Karin's Mentor Mascot, she gets an olive with two leaves instead, to match Karin's hair decs.
 * Some of the hamsters from Hamtaro.
 * Sakamoto from Nichijou wears a red scarf that turns him into a Talking Animal. Hilarity Ensues when the Professor decides to give it to a crow for a while.
 * The goats from Arashi no Yoru ni, who mostly wear scarves and bandannas.
 * Many Digimon are like this, for example, Gabumon wears a coat like a Garurumon plet, Biyomon has a ring around her leg, Renamon has Detached Sleeves, Togemon has Red Boxing Gloves, Gaogamon has a scarf, etc.

Comic Books
"Michelangelo: Hey, guys, this place is fantastic! It's just like Seventeenth Century Japan -- except with animals instead of people! Gen: Who're you calling an "animal?" Michelangelo: How did they evolve? Why is a horse a horse but a rabbit a person? Usagi: "Evolve?" I don't understand. [...] Michelangelo: There are so many questions! Like, do you guys have tails? Gen: Hey, don't get personal! At least we wear clothes!"
 * Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog has Sally Acorn, which was eventually deconstructed for maximum Fan Service.
 * Fone from Bone usually wears boots or nothing at all.
 * The Crow from The Fox and The Crow only wears a bowler hat.
 * The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wear color-coded (or red) bandanna-masks, belts, knee-pads, elbow pads, and wrist and ankle bands. Leonardo and Donatello wear bandoleers for their swords and bo. They also wear trenchcoats and hats or other such disguises when venturing to the surface.
 * Lampshaded in the Usagi Yojimbo story "Shades of Green" (when the Turtles are overwhelmed by the sheer number and variety of Petting Zoo People):

Film

 * From Balto, Jenna wears a red bandana around her neck in place of a collar. This bandana actuality becomes a plot point in the first movie when she gives it to Balto to keep him warm in the frozen Alaskan wilderness. In the fight with Steel, Steel grabs the bandana and it falls with him off of the cliff. When Steel presents it to Jenna, she whiffs the scents on it, telling her that Steel's story is false.
 * Miss Bianca from The Rescuers is either an example of this trope or a Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal, depending on what she wears.
 * Played straight with Orville (from the original movie) and Wilbur (from the sequel) the albatrosses.
 * Also played straight with Rufus the cat, who only wore a scarf and glasses.
 * Mrs. Brisby from The Secret of NIMH wears a long enough shawl/cape thing that she would border on Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal.
 * Fish Out of Water from Chicken Little  has his upside-down fishbowl helmet.
 * Sir Hiss from Robin Hood wears a hat and a cape that's made to look a bit like a jacket; since he's a snake, this is pretty much the closest thing to clothing they could give him.
 * All the chickens in Chicken Run wore scarves, necklaces, or any other kind of neckgear. This is actually because their heads for their models are all detachable from their bodies, and that they are given such to prevent their heads from falling off.
 * The Gabble Sisters (Abigail and Amelia) and almost all the of the cats from The Aristocats wore some sort accessory (hats, bowties, etc.).
 * Also Uncle Waldo. When he gets chased out of the restaurant during his introductory scene, he actually immediately had to put his hat on otherwise he'll be naked.
 * Thomas O'Malley doesn't have any accessories, but he gets fitted with a collar and bowtie at the end of the movie.
 * The fish and the turtle in Cats Don't Dance
 * Puss in Boots from Shrek 2.
 * Dumbo starts out naked, but about halfway through the film, he actually starts to wear a hat and a collar, both of which he has actually worn ever since.
 * Rattlesnake Jake in Rango wears a sombrero, some bandoleers, and a gatling gun for a rattle (most of the animals are fully clothed, but as a snake, this is really the best he can do).
 * The armadillo is less anthropomorphized than the other characters, and wears a hat and a small band of cloth.
 * The hawk is even less anthropomorphized and wears sharpened metal on its beak and claws.
 * Dinah from Alice in Wonderland wears a pink bow around her neck.
 * The birds from Cinderella wear only hats, scarves, and shoes.
 * The penguins from The Pebble and the Penguin.
 * Djali the goat from The Hunchback of Notre Dame wears only an earring.
 * Dodger from Oliver and Company wears only a red bandana (which mysteriously vanishes when he wraps the string of hot dogs around his neck) and, in one scene, sunglasses.
 * Also, Tito the Chihuahua is inexplicably drawn with an earring in the show House of Mouse (in the movie, he never wore earrings).
 * The earring was (to this editor's memory) on the plush as well; maybe it was part of the original character design and was removed from the film due to fears that parents would complain?
 * King Julien the ring tailed lemur from Madagascar and The Penguins of Madagascar only wears a crown.
 * Some of the monsters from Monsters, Inc. wear only either hats, ties, and/or glasses.
 * Rare non-animal example: All of the trucks from Cars for some reason have large sails on their roofs that resemble trucker caps.
 * The cows from Home on the Range all wear cowbells, while Mrs. Calloway wears a hat. Also, Lucky Jack wears a bandanna and a peg leg.
 * Llama-Kuzco on the DVD cover for The Emperors New Groove.
 * Atta and P.T. Flea from A Bugs Life.
 * Jacquimo from Thumbelina wears only a hat, a scarf, and boots.
 * The alligators, ostriches, and elephants from Fantasia.
 * Cyril Proudbottom from The Wind in the Willows segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
 * While the main character in Badly Drawn Roy is not an animal, the rest of the trope applies as the only clothing he is ever seen wearing is diapers (when he's a baby) and a bow tie (at his best friend's wedding).
 * The evil owl from Rock-a-Doodle, who wears only an opera cape and a monocle, and his psychotic nephew Hunch, who wears only aviator goggles.
 * The Wookies and Ewoks from the Star Wars series films.

Literature

 * Not exactly animal, but in The Chronicles of Narnia, we have a Faun that is completely naked, except for a scarf.
 * The Cat in the Hat only wears a hat and a bowtie.
 * When the rats of The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents deconstruct Mr Bunnsy Has an Adventure, they briefly refer to Olly the Snake, who wears a collar and tie. "It would just slide off."
 * Some of the rats, most notably Darktan, are examples themselves, though. While actually wearing clothes proves impractical, Darktan finds having lots of belts with pouches on them to be very handy in the Trap Disposal Squad.
 * Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddleduck, who wears a bonnet and sometimes a shawl.
 * Peter Rabbit's sisters only wear shawls.
 * Some of the mice from the Angelina Ballerina series books and first cartoon series.
 * Moominpappa and Moominmamma wear only a top hat and an apron, respectively.

Live-Action TV

 * Both Baby Bop and BJ from Barney and Friends, as with Riff the Pachycephalosaurus-looking thing.

Newspaper Comics

 * Opus the penguin of Bloom County has a red bowtie.
 * Gaylord Buzzard from Broom Hilda wears thick, horn-rimmed glasses, spats and (sometimes) a fez for reading.
 * Shoe, from the self-titled comic strip, is a purple martin that wears sneakers and socks.
 * Mainly Snoopy from Peanuts:
 * Normally, just a collar.
 * As "World War I Flying Ace": an aviator's helmet and scarf, perhaps a riding crop.
 * As "Joe Cool": sweater with his name on it and sunglasses.
 * As 'The Masked Marvel': a domino mask. Other items optional, depending.
 * As an athlete: enough gear to function but little else; hat and glove for baseball, helmet for (American) football, missing teeth for hockey, et cetera.
 * Additionally, Spike and Woodstock would occasionally don accessories for special functions; a helmet and rifle for Spike's infantry enlistments in World War I, Woodstock's headphones as a cameraman in 'It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown'.
 * Krazy Kat's "collar", which is really more like a necktie or scarf. Regardless, the Kat feels "nude" without it.

Puppet Shows
"Kermit: Good grief, the comedian's a bear! Fozzie: No he's-a not, he's-a wearing a necktie!"
 * Kermit the Frog considers his collar clothing; one time when he was without it, he acted as if he were naked (hiding his neck-nudity from Miss Piggy, for one thing).
 * Also from The Muppet Show, Fozzie Bear.

Video Games
"Sonic, you... You're not... naked. Are you?"
 * The modern interpretation of Donkey Kong has the big ape wearing only a red tie with his initials on it. However, all the other Kongs are either Half-Dressed or fully clothed.
 * All but two of the male characters of the Sonic the Hedgehog series wear shoes and gloves and nothing else, including Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Shadow.
 * Lampshaded by Chip in Sonic Unleashed:


 * Yoshi from Super Mario World and later games wears only shoes and a saddle, like most other members of his species.
 * The little Yo'ster from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door wears a diaper (because he is a newborn) yet lacks a saddle.
 * Also Bowser, who only wears a spiked collar and wristbands, as well as some of the enemies in the games.
 * Red XIII from Final Fantasy VII wears various hairclips, decorative combs and other "headdresses".
 * In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, the Pokémon belonging to the Rescue Teams all wear bandannas, but usually nothing else. It doesn't show up in their in-game sprites, though.
 * Popka from the Klonoa series wears nothing but a red scarf that his friend Lolo gave to him when they were younger.
 * The sheep-men from the Nightmare levels in Catherine have a few features which identify them (Sheep with Sunglasses, Sheep with Regent Hair, Sheep with Police Hat, etc.) and can help you recognize them as humans in the real world.
 * The Battletoads all wear spiked black kneepads, as well as individual accessories: sunglasses for Rash, gauntlets and a belt for Zitz, and spiked armbands for Pimple. Notably, they all used to be human.
 * When Daxter is changed into a ottsel in Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy, he goes from fully clothed to only wearing gloves and a pilot hat with goggles. Later moves to Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal after he gains pants.

Web Animation

 * Some characters from Happy Tree Friends: Handy (helmet), Petunia (air freshener)...
 * Some of the "Cheat Commandos" from Homestar Runner.

Web Comics

 * Conroy and Doggy in The Cartoon Chronicles of Conroy Cat, and sometimes whatever other other toon is the guest for the day.
 * The pets in Housepets are considered naked without their collars.
 * Exterminatus Now (based on the Sonic the Hedgehog style) has characters that are fully clothed, while others only wear hats, belts, etc. Lampshaded here.

Western Animation

 * Yogi Bear wears only a collar and tie and a hat, and Boo Boo wears only a bowtie. The reason was so that the join wouldn't be so obvious in the limited animation, which is why so many cartoon characters wore ties or other neck adornments back then.
 * There are many Hanna-Barbera characters beside Yogi Bear and Boo Boo who wear only accessories, including:
 * Mr. Jinks and Pixie wear only bowties.
 * Doggy Daddy wears only a blue collar.
 * Muttley from Wacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines wears a red collar.
 * Snagglepuss wears only cuffs and a bowtie.
 * Quick Draw McGraw wears only a hat, spurs, a bandana and a gun holder.
 * Baba Looey wears only a sombrero.
 * Huckleberry Hound wears only a hat and bowtie.
 * Loopy De Loop wears only a wool hat and scarf.
 * Wally Gator wears only cuffs, a hat and a collar
 * Hokey Wolf wears only a collar and bowtie.
 * Spook and Fancy-Fancy of Top Cat's gang wear only scarves.
 * In the 1970s Hanna-Barbera adaptation of Tom and Jerry, Jerry was fitted with a bow-tie.
 * Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb wears only a hat.
 * Same with Slappy Squirrel from Animaniacs, although she usually is seen with her Hyperspace Arsenal... er, I mean purse.
 * In Wakkos Wish, she and Pinky and The Brain are wearing gloves and scarves.
 * A cat from the Goodfeathers short, "West Side Pigeons," named Crump Kitty wears a police hat and nothing else.
 * Pluto and Clara Cluck from the Classic Disney Shorts only wear a dog collar and a hat respectively.
 * In the really old cartoons and in Epic Mickey, Horace Horsecollar is wearing only a collar, a bowler hat and White Gloves.
 * In the Figaro cartoon Bath Day, Minnie ties a red bow around Figaro's neck. He thinks he looks like a sissy wearing a bow, so he tries (and fails) to take it off.
 * In the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode "Minnie's Bowtique," Figaro wears a pink bowtie.
 * Jacques von Hamsterveil from Lilo & Stitch: The Series
 * Bugs Bunny and Yoyo Dodo from Looney Tunes wore only White Gloves and shoes, respectively.
 * Cool Cat wears only a beret and necktie.
 * Screwy Squirrel from the MGM Tex Avery shorts wore only White Gloves.
 * Calamity Coyote, Gogo Dodo and Lil Beeper from Tiny Toon Adventures wear only shoes.
 * Fifi La Fume wears only a bow in her hair (usually), Sweetie wears only a bow on her head, Bookworm wears only glasses, and Furrball wears only a bandage on his tail.
 * Pablo the Penguin from The Backyardigans wears only a bowtie and a cap.
 * Rex the Runt: Bad Bob wears only an eyepatch, Wendy wears a bow.
 * Most of the furry characters from Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats, including:
 * Cleo only wears leg warmers.
 * Sonja only wears a bow around her neck and a bow on her head.
 * Baloo actually became one of these in the Tale Spin episode "Vowel Play." (He's usually a Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal in the series.) Fortunately, he was wearing only a hat when Rebecca Cunningham saw him naked.
 * Scooby Doo wears only his collar with his initials on his dog tag.
 * In The Amazing World of Gumball, the title character and his family don't wear shoes but are otherwise fully clothed. However, Darwin (essentially Gumball's brother) wears only shoes.
 * Another rare non-animal example: Salty from Thomas the Tank Engine for some reason appears to have a visor above his face. Also, Whiff wears glasses over his face.
 * Mama Mirabelle and her mom from Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies only wear hats.
 * Brian from Family Guy only wears a collar (except at Christmas, and that isn't by choice), but he does have a fancy collar in addition to his everyday wear.
 * Futurama's Nibbler wears a cape and a diaper.
 * Rare plant example: Junior Asparagus from Veggie Tales with his baseball cap.
 * All of the ponies in the original My Little Pony cartoons wore ribbons on their tails, and some had hats or eyewear. My Little Pony Tales featured far more anthropomorphic designs, including more common use of this trope.
 * Applejack in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic has a cowboy hat and red scrunchies at the ends of her mane and tail, while her brother Big Macintosh wears a horse collar and her little sister Apple Bloom wears a ribbon in her hair. "Call of the Cutie" shows a picture of Cheerilee as a teenager, which takes this to somewhat ridiculous levels for a show where most of the present-day characters normally don't wear anything (possibly a poke at My Little Pony Tales mentioned above). A handful of minor or background characters also wear some accessories and/or clothing related to their jobs or hobbies.
 * Woody Woodpecker wore only White Gloves.
 * Uncle Gabby from The Drinky Crow Show. His only clothing is a Nice Hat.