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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: I don't like the word 'toon'
by Mathew McCurley 
Mar 30th 2012 at 8:00AM
Maybe it's the various permutations of the way people say toon. It's very easy to turn the double-ohs into an elongated, strained toooooooooooooon that stings your ligaments. I don't hate people who use the word, of course. There would be too much hate in the world. My Sha would consume Pandaria, Azeroth, and escape into the Titan's living room, sit down, and watch the game with Sargeras. You are not the problem; my weird aversion to the word is.
Obviously I don't hate the word that much -- it's just not my preferred term. So what is it with the word toon? Change my opinion, give me a comment spanking, or rally behind my unknowable and toon-phobic sentiments. Please, sound off on the word toon.
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 9)
Nick Mar 30th 2012 8:15AM
I don't even get where "toon" comes from, cartoon maybe? The only time I would maybe use it is asking how many someone has. I usually ask about "85s" or "alts" depending upon the circumstances.
Edymnion Mar 30th 2012 8:49AM
Calling your characters in WoW "toons" comes from the character model design and color pallet. You have to remember, when WoW launched MMO's tried to have much more realistic looking characters, they had more muted color pallets, they tried to be all around less stylized. Then came WoW with it's orcs with giant shoulders and bright green skin, cute little gnomes with pink hair, and bright colors everywhere you looked. Compared to the other games out there that tried to be very realistic, WoW looked very cartoony.
Jorges Mar 30th 2012 9:22AM
Actually, the word "toon" comes from a RPG with the same name (Toon), where your characters where called Toons. It was a parody to the other serious RPGs at that time (1980s).
nmvh5 Mar 30th 2012 9:35AM
I'm pretty sure the term "toon" originated in EverQuest. Myself, an Asheron's Call player, only heard of the term "toon" from people I met who played EQ. The term always seemed so carebear o.O to me
Drakkenfyre Mar 30th 2012 11:48AM
As I mentioned in another comment, when I went to STO and saw people calling their characters "toons", I was surprised.
This is a game with realistic characters (not counting some really weird characters done with the custom alien builder.)
Boobah Mar 30th 2012 11:33AM
@Jorges:
I rather doubt that the term originates from a somewhat obscure Steve Jackson Games RPG. It's not as if that's the gaming public's only interaction with cartoons, nor as if that isn't the obvious one-syllable shortening of the word, nor even as if the word hadn't been used elsewhere in pop culture predating the RPG (the novel *Who Censored Roger Rabbit?* was published three years before the RPG, and it's a fair bet more people were influenced by the very loose movie adaptation than the game.)
Monion Mar 30th 2012 12:48PM
I know the word 'toon' to refer to a character came before Everquest. Back in the days when I was playing The Realm we'd refer to our characters as toons. The Realm had a King's Quest graphical feel, so the term made sense at the time. Considering its the second graphical MMO/MUD ever, its possible it came about before that even. Meridian 59 is the first, and I never played it so no idea if that community used the term toon.
I wouldn't be surprised if MUDs had used the term toon, but I doubt it.
Though, as a veteran graphical MMOer, I find the thought that perhaps I helped start/perpetuate the trend of using the term toon to refer to characters in all MMOs rather amusing,
tw_holt Mar 30th 2012 8:17AM
I'm not even sure what "toon" means exactly? If its short for cartoon....how did that get tied to WoW? "My cartoon...my toon."
"Oh you're an artist? A Cartoonist? That's cool. What show do you animate for?"
I just don't see how it fits with WoW.
Telrik Mar 31st 2012 2:07AM
Who Framed Roger Rabbit... all of them were toons. (circa 1988)
MikeLive Mar 30th 2012 8:17AM
Isn't this just awkward political correctness? It's like white people who avoid the term "black". I'm a toon. I'm proud to call myself animated. Roger Rabbit is our Martin Luther King. We're here, we're queer(-ly drawn, for the Warner Brothers), get over it.
knightsamoyed Mar 30th 2012 8:17AM
Rodger Rabbit is a toon. I don't have toons. I have characters. (though my troll priest Raechka, who follows the squirrel Loa Bushtail the Reaper comes close..)
CW Mar 30th 2012 8:21AM
I do not have a problem with the word, but that because I have not found a word to replace it. If i had a better word Other then Alt ( because to me all my character and my main as long as they are the one i an currently on) then i may have a problem with the word Toon.
movs1981 Mar 30th 2012 8:36AM
I could understand the term being used if this was a Bugs Bunny game but not World of Warcraft, I usually say characters or my hunter, mage etc.
Check out what the online urban dictionary has listed for Toon
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=toon
notsofarfetched Mar 30th 2012 9:47AM
And here I was *trying* to work it into my vocab because so many folks seem to use it... I'll go back to char and back to 'toon' just driving me nuts, thanks.
Rich Mar 30th 2012 8:35AM
"Get this straight, meatball. I... don't... work... for toons."
-Eddie Valiant
Luotian Mar 30th 2012 8:39AM
Ugh, I really dislike toon. I use it because nobody knows what you're talking about otherwise, but I always prefer 'alt'.
chris Mar 31st 2012 12:31AM
I think "toon" is fairly appropriate given the art style of WoW.
and, of course, all my toons are fairly loony...
dmberreth Mar 30th 2012 8:40AM
Yes. "Toon" came from "Cartoon", and my first exposure to it was back in EverQuest, long before WoW was ever launched, as it was used then to describe the "toony" look of some of the new Shadows of Luclin models.
I hated then. I hate it now. I have never, and will never, use that word in reference to my characters. Just as I have never used 'kk' when acknowledging something in party/guild, and never really use chatspeak in general.
I'm a elitist linguist. Deal with it.
Caylynn Mar 30th 2012 8:54AM
I never use "chat speak" or "text speak" myself. Even when I'm texting, I write full sentences (it doesn't cost me any more, so why wouldn't I?)
Maybe it's because I'm "old" but I have a very hard time reading "text speak" or "chat speak." And some of it I really don't understand. I mean "kk" or "mk" is just as long to type as "ok" so what's wrong with typing "ok?" I mean, I really don't get it. But then, I'm "old" in terms of the WoW playerbase.
Aodhan Mar 30th 2012 9:26AM
An elitist linguist, surely?