Cartinder
(n.) a Tinder account for a cartoon character
The creative process involves three steps: copy, transform, and combine. These three steps lead to the ability to remix multiple ideas into a single new one. Remixing is best when two ideas are so completely different that the new idea is comical or when two ideas are so different, but connected by one characteristic. The remixing process was explored in this project by combining a social networking app called Tinder and cartoons from the 1990s.
The current generation of young adults about ages 18 to 24 grew up watching a wide variety of cartoons. Of course this is not a unique thing because all generations following this one have also grown up watching cartoons, however, this generation was specifically impacted by their cartoons. Those young adults born in the 1990s continuously praise themselves for being a “90s kid” and on social media, alienate those who are not by bragging specifically about the quality of their cartoons in comparison to others’. Each of the popular cartoons impacted them, not only in childhood, but also in adulthood. These kids show off their 90s cartoon themed T-shirts, dress up as their favorite characters for Halloween, and occasionally binge watch every season of their favorite show. Now that these kids are all grown up they have put down the action figures and costumes turned to more adult things including finding someone to spend the rest of their life with, or maybe just spending the night with.
Among all of the social media craze of the 21st century is a lone flame recognized as Tinder that helps these lost souls find a match. Tinder is a user friendly application that is only accessible on smartphones and because of this, it is used most commonly with the young adult population. A Tinder representative verified this by saying, “The single largest age group on Tinder, making up more than half of [their] entire user base, is 18-24” (qtd. in Dredge). Tinder is a special kind of social media because it is a “dating” app. The quotes around “dating” emphasize that fact that not only is it used to find real relationships but also can be used to create friendships or even find a match for the infamous hookup. Yet the beauty of Tinder is that it works the same for all of the above stated intentions of the users. Tinder is not all that different than other social media sites in the sense that they are all used by people to meet other people and make a diverse set of relationships. Generally social media is not used for anything formal such as meeting for a job interview or presentations, it is strictly for social reasons and to make connections.
Social media, including dating apps, are designed in the same basic format with minimal colors and, more often than not, it’s only one main color. For example, Facebook’s main color is blue, Snapchat’s is yellow, and Tinder’s is red. When using Tinder, the tone comes from the users rather than the developers of the app which establishes a conversational and casual atmosphere.
Cartoons from the 1990s have specific visuals that can be seen in every show and every episode. Physically described, the cartoons are created using dull colors, black outlining, and a 2-D orientation. Cartoons of the 1990s use simple vocabulary because they were created for children, and arguably adult, entertainment. A family could sit down on the couch and watch an episode of their favorite cartoon that “could target children with its aesthetic and adults with its odd subject matter” (Brawer). There wasn’t much depth in the plots or concepts of these shows which made it easy for kids to watch.
The 90’s cartoons were known for their pointless plots, odd characters and underlying adult jokes (above) that were meticulously woven into every episode. The characters in this era generally wore the same one or two outfits, had the same hair style, and had exceptionally distinct characteristics and personalities. For instance, Babs Bunny from the hit cartoon Tiny Toons was infamously known as a rambunctious pink bunny who wore a purple skirt, yellow blouse, and purple bows in her ears in nearly every episode that she aired in. Characteristically, she was established as a hyperactive bunny who did impersonations of her fellow characters and even people from the real world. This is just one example of the many distinctions to 90’s cartoon characters that make them still known by many fifteen years later. Now that the 90’s kids are grown up they are able to remember who their favorite characters are based on what they wore and who they were, making the 90’s cartoon era an unforgettable one.
Mixing these two genres make sense because they were both intended for the same audience, yet they were created two decades apart. A genre remix is described as bringing two entirely different genres together to form one new component. In this remix, the two genres/ideas brought together were the generational icons of 1990’s cartoons and a modern social media dating app that allows the characters to “match”. What makes this a successful genre remix is that the two genres are from different time periods and created for different purposes yet still target the same audience, the generation born in the 1990’s. When the aforementioned 18 to 24 year old majority of the Tinder user base was younger, they watched those 1990’s cartoons and had a connection to them. Doing this has brought together important icons from the past and present of this generation of young adults. With all of these points in mind, this genre remix was a brilliant way to bring together something childish and playful into something serious and appropriate for adults.
Author's Note: For this piece, I wanted to make sure it had a more "fun" feel than the others. I chose pictures, texts, and text boxes with rounded edges because the roundness automatically makes it appear more cartoon-y. The starry page background was chosen because it has the aforementioned "muted colors" of 90s cartoons and the its style of drawing is one that could also be seen in some of those cartoons. The orange and blue colors were pulled out of the main background. Because this essays flows easily and is not really sectioned off by topics, I chose not to have headers for each part. I used pictures in relation to what I was talking about in each paragraph. I included the character profiles on a different page because it would not flow well if they were inserted at the bottom of the page and they couldn't be placed throughout the page because I wanted to include the match information.
This page was slightly more difficult for me than the others because it is difficult to make something "fun" without making it look childish or overwhelming. This piece helped me learn how to find a balance. Before getting into the composition of it, however, I had already learned a few things. One of those things was what a genre remix really is and how to identify one. Of course, I had seen genre remixes before, such as the parody commercials shown on Saturday Night Live, but I didn't know it was a genre remix. Now I can not only identify a remix, but also what makes it work.