About

Tumblr Nose, sometimes called Tumblr Red Nose Syndrome refers to a trend where drawn characters have bright red noses, particularly on Tumblr. The style has come under criticism for its common usage and unrealistic look.

Origin

In cartooning, noses are occasionally filled in with a different color than the rest of the face for contrast, especially when the nose is exaggerated in size.^[1] Classic examples of this can be seen in Disney characters such as the dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio from the movie of the same name. However, the Tumblr Nose is usually proportional and visibly attached to the rest of the face, as opposed to a separate facial element. The exact online origin of the Tumblr nose is unknown.

Spread

The earliest references on 4chan come from April of 2012, mainly in threads focused on art criticism.^[2] In November 2012, Tumblr user burnishable made a post noting the trend, which gained over 10,000 notes.^[3] The image accompanying the post was reposted in 2013 by Tumblr user pfeizer, where it gained over 20,000 notes.^[4] In 2015, Tumblr user son0fsparda posted a Filename Thread-style post featuring a screenshot from the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants edited to feature a Tumblr nose; this post gained over 2,000 notes.^[5]

The earliest criticisms about the trend began to appear in 2012, many of which claim the drawing style to be unoriginal and feature an inappropriate use of color; characters with the look are commonly said by critics to look like they have a cold.

Examples Images

Search Interest

References