Cartoon Characters With Big Teeth

Eliza from The Wild Thornberrys has the big front teeth and big round glasses that made her feel like an actual kid rather than a polished cartoon lead. She is a solid answer for the “big teeth and glasses” search, and proof the look can belong to the hero.

Wilford from Animaniacs is a shy wolf who turns into a hunk under the full moon. In his everyday nerd form he has huge glasses and big buck teeth, a clever spin on the usual geek design.

Ren from The Ren & Stimpy Show, created by John Kricfalusi, is a chihuahua whose crooked, gritted teeth come out every time he loses it. The teeth were a big part of the show’s deliberately ugly, in-your-face style.

Courage, created by John R. Dilworth, is the pink dog whose whole expression vocabulary is built on bared teeth and bulging eyes. His over-the-top terrified faces, teeth and all, are the reason that show stuck in everyone’s memory.

Pinky from Pinky and the Brain, a Tom Ruegger creation, grins with his big overbite while Brain scowls. Those two protruding teeth are the visual shorthand for his goofy, ready-for-chaos energy.

Here is the trick I wish someone had told me as a kid. Chip has a small black nose and one centered tooth, while Dale has a big red nose and two gapped buck teeth. Once you see it, you cannot unsee it, and you will never confuse them again.

Richard from The Amazing World of Gumball, created by Ben Bocquelet, is a pink rabbit with one giant tooth. Since he spends most of the show eating, that single tooth is rarely off camera. It fits his lazy, gluttonous, big-hearted character perfectly.

Olaf from Frozen has one single, massive buck tooth, and that lopsided detail is what makes him look so childlike and innocent. He is a go-to answer for the “cartoon character with one tooth” search.

Ed from Ed, Edd n Eddy, created by Danny Antonucci, has the big, crooked teeth and the heavy unibrow that fit his lovable, not-too-bright energy. He is one of the defining Cartoon Network big-teeth faces of the era.

Mort from Family Guy is built from a big nose, big front teeth, glasses, and a nasally voice. He hits a few searches at once, since he is a classic example of a character with big teeth and glasses as well as a big nose and teeth.

Montana Max from Tiny Toon Adventures is the spoiled rich antagonist, and his enormous mouth of teeth shows up every time he screams or throws a tantrum, which is often. The design makes him look like a shark squeezed into a blazer.

Billy from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, created by Maxwell Atoms, has a giant nose and giant teeth, which makes him a perfect answer to the “big nose and buck teeth” search. The teeth do a lot of the gross-out gags, like opening things he absolutely should not be biting.

Abby Mallard from Disney’s Chicken Little is nicknamed the “Ugly Duckling” for her big beak and buck teeth, but she is easily the most level-headed, kind character in the film. She is a common pick for searches about both female and “ugly” big-teeth characters, and she deserves better than the nickname.

As a saber-toothed tiger in Ice Age, Shira has big teeth by default, but hers are sleek and silver to match her fur. She is the proof that big teeth do not have to be a punchline.

Edna from The Incredibles, created by Brad Bird, is tiny but commands every room. Her big teeth flash whenever she talks, which is usually to insult someone’s fashion sense, and they are a big part of her eccentric design.

Laura Limpin from The Cramp Twins, a show created by Brian Wood, is memorable for all the wrong reasons. Her huge teeth are almost frightening, and as the self-styled “Big Badolescent” that is the point. She is the best example here of female big teeth used for menace rather than cuteness.

Sandy is the resident squirrel in SpongeBob, and as a rodent the big teeth come with the territory. Unlike SpongeBob, hers have no gap. She is a karate master and a scientist, which is a nice answer to anyone who thinks buck teeth read as helpless.

Stanley is the founder of Radiator Springs. He is a Model T Ford whose grille is drawn to look like buck teeth, and that gives him a humble, nostalgic charm that fits the town’s whole backstory.

Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh has a pair of tidy little buck teeth that fit his particular, fussy personality. I always felt for Rabbit. He just wants to garden in peace, and Tigger keeps bouncing on his carrots.

Sid from Ice Age is all wide eyes and big teeth, and combined with John Leguizamo’s lisping voice he is impossible to forget. The teeth sell the idea that he is a ground sloth, which is not exactly nature’s most graceful build.

Mater is the lovable tow truck from Cars, and his big rusty teeth are actually the plates of his front hood. It gives him an instant hillbilly charm. He is the best friend everybody wants, dents and all.

Goofy usually shows just two teeth up top, and honestly that is the whole character. If he had a perfect set, he would not be Goofy. He is also one answer to the “cartoon dog with big teeth” search, since he is technically a dog, even if nobody fully agrees on that point.

Timmy from The Fairly OddParents, created by Butch Hartman, is the pink hat and the overbite. The show pokes at his buck teeth constantly, which is part of why he reads as the relatable average kid rather than a hero.

SpongeBob’s two big front teeth and that signature gap are iconic. As I mentioned up top, Stephen Hillenburg based them on his own childhood buck teeth, which is a great little detail. The design would not work without them. They make SpongeBob read as an eager kid, which is exactly who he is.

And the number one set of teeth in cartoon history, for my money. Bugs Bunny is the king of the cartoon rabbit with big teeth trope. Created at Warner Bros, he has been chomping carrots since 1940. Those big front teeth, which often read as one giant tooth, are a huge part of why he looks so casual even while he is running circles around Elmer Fudd. Nobody else on this list is this recognizable from the smile alone.

Why Do Animators Give Characters Big Teeth?

This is the question that ties the whole list together. Big teeth are a shortcut, and they usually do one of these jobs:

• Innocence: The buck-toothed kid look, like Timmy Turner or Olaf, reads as young, sweet, and a little awkward.
• Silliness: Two isolated teeth or a goofy grin, like Goofy or SpongeBob, instantly signals harmless and fun.
• Aggression: A full mouth of sharp or jagged teeth, like Montana Max or Ren, reads as a threat before the character even acts.
• Memorability: A single exaggerated trait gives the design something to hang onto, which is exactly why these faces stick for decades.

Who Created These Big-Teeth Characters? (Reference Table)

The part I always wanted and never found in these lists. All the creators and debut years in one place.