Remember spending hours in front of the television watching your favourite cartoons as a child — then out of nowhere some cartoon cutie comes along and sweeps you off your feet? That very moment when you started to notice that one particular cartoon character and that he was kinda, well, hawt.
It’s no surprise that many of us had our first few crushes on cartoon characters from animated films — with all their relentless smirking, emotional backstories and mysterious charm.
We spoke to 11 girls in Singapore to uncover their giggle-worthy memories —courtesy of their first sexual attraction encounters.
*Some names were changed for confidentiality purposes
“He was so cool, pun-intended. I guess he was my first [crush]. My brain at that age was not that advanced yet but in hindsight, probably.
I remember the movie that centred around him, specifically when he got hella beat up. I felt his pain. I guess I understood the feeling as empathy. I even re-watched that movie multiple times.
His bankai is an ice dragon! Like how cool is that. Did I ever get over this crush? Man, I still think he’s lit.”
— Sonia, 21
“[I would describe them] as swole and handsome. They had very opposing personalities and were very distinct. Bolin was cheeky, innocent and physically shorter but more buff. Mako was the “cool” guy and physically more lean. Both were very attractive lah – the animators knew what they were doing.
I mean for one, the characters are drawn with very defined physicality, so you really take notice of the muscles. Other than that, the contrast in the personalities were very fun to watch. Bolin had the “very nice guy will treat you right as a boyfriend” vibe, while Mako had the “he’ll treat you like crap but somehow you’re still attracted to him” thing going for him.
I won’t say [that they were my] first crush, that was Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians. But they were definitely the first cartoon characters where their physical appearance made me feel turned on.
I will admit when I was younger I searched for fanfiction of them. And not the completely PG kind. Not fanfiction of the brothers together but individually. Together would be weird, to say the least. When I turn on Legend of Korra on Netflix and I see Mako and Bolin, I actually still simp for them. Although they don’t have much personality, they’re definitely still physically very attractive cartoon men.”
— A, 21
“I liked how he always appeared to be carefree. He seemed pretty charming and the whole green-get up and sneaking into Wendy’s room was pretty cute. He was also like super duper nice to Wendy.
I just found him fascinating and really cool. I liked the part [in the movie] where he says “All it takes is faith and trust, oh! and something I forgot: dust.” Like ahhh so cute! If someone said that to me I would squirm.
Maybe there’s a reason I’m always attracted to dudes who are more childish and playful. Peter Pan always seemed to be fixated on the idea of never growing up and being free. Bonus points for the fact that he could pull off a sword fight, fly and still look so good.
I’m definitely not over him, every once and awhile I contemplate getting his quote tattooed on myself.”
— Sarah, 21
“[He’s] quiet but one of the smartest [and] most talented characters. Mysterious and strong too, but with a tragic and traumatic back story.
He turned evil and then good again, and back then girls really liked that mysterious, evil, bad boy vibe so he was a really popular character both in the anime and among my friends.
I was from an all-girls school and didn’t know of any other boys in real life, so he was definitely my first crush alongside Tsukiyomi Ikuto from Shugo Chara. The anime characters I simped for were the reason I got into anime in the first place. I was really into K-pop at that time too, so it felt kind of similar to when I was stanning an idol. I guess I understood my own feelings, they were feelings of admiration mixed with the thought of “damn why isn’t this guy real because I would totally date him”. I was also into drawing at that time so I did a lot of drawings of him as well.
It was quite funny because my best friend(at the time) and I were both into Sasuke, so we had a big fight over who “deserved” him more. We ended up coming to the compromise that I would “take” Sasuke and she would have possession over Ikuto, another anime character that we both happened to like. We weren’t allowed to simp for each other’s characters.
I think that even though he was evil, it was kind of attractive. Usually you wouldn’t stan the evil guy, but when I came to know of Sasuke’s traumatic past and desire for power, I was kind of attracted to it although I wasn’t sure why.”
— Nicole, 23
“I didn’t realise how extensive it was at the time. X-Men: The Animated Series used to play on Kids Central in the morning if I remember correctly. Gambit spoke with an accent, was charming and confident. I also thought his red hair and sharp features were nice. He had a relationship with another character, Rogue and I remember sometimes wanting to be her.
He used to say “mon cherie” a lot in his casual speech. I didn’t know what the meaning was at that point of time but I would say it a lot for fun also.
I didn’t quite understand how I felt at that point of time. It was more of admiration at first. I remember wanting to buy figurines of him to display in my room, and I also would eventually always pick him to use in video games like Marvel VS Capcom.
I do think guys with short hair and builds similar to his character are attractive. Gambit is also a cheeky, witty character and I do find those traits attractive in people.
There were rumours there was a Gambit film in the works starring Channing Tatum, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe if it actually happens, I might have this character crush all over again.”
— Chris, 29
“Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire was a linguist and cartography expert. When I was younger, what appealed to me from the start was his floppy hair and big glasses, but what made his character even more intriguing was his wit and know-it-all personality.
I think his intellectual personality really charmed me because the portrayal of nerdy characters as the protagonist was not so common in cartoons then. He really made me grow to appreciate intelligent minds.
I may not have realised it then, but intelligence is a rather attractive quality in a person and this character’s personality no doubt proved that to me. His fashion sense and his build were also really attractive to me.
I really do value intelligence now in others and in myself; it made me want to be viewed as someone who’s as witty and smart.”
— Sandra, 18
“Timmy Turner was quirky and naughty. I really liked that he had fairies as his parents were always neglecting him, and how his wishes were so stupid that he had to un-wish them every single time.
Him lending Tootie his fairies and then trying to shut her up by kissing her… swoon. I think I just really enjoyed watching that character. I would really watch every episode every day at 10pm.
Timmy definitely taught me to be grateful but in terms of sexual interest, i wasn’t all too affected except, maybe it’s interesting how my boyfriend now behaves like a kid similar to Timmy — always complaining and making silly wishes.
I also really liked his teeth. I don’t know why. “
— Jamie, 21
“The fact that he looked so cute and how he went through this ongoing arc of trying to control his powers was really attractive. He even used his powers for the benefit of others rather than abusing them for his own needs.
And I guess his crisp white hair and puppy-dog eyes helped.
I watched Rise Of The Guardians at least 7 times! I was pretty sad because he was an animation and not a real person. My friends and I discussed how cute Jack Frost was and how Jack Frost and Elsa would make a cute couple, and of course, this led to me being jealous of Elsa.
I guess now I have a soft spot for people who have been through hard times, I don’t know if that’s weird. Now, other than the fact that he’s fictional I still think he’s hot as fu..”
— Pearl, 21
“I was probably around 8 years old. It was the age that I started watching Gossip Girl with my cousins too so I would say that was when I started becoming more aware of my attraction to others.
I remember watching the series because he was hot, not really for the storyline. I’d say what drew me in was the fact that as a human, Danny was this shy, kind of dorky guy afraid to talk to girls. As a ghost — he suddenly turned into this confident hero. I thought the silver hair was odd at first but it grew on me and added to his overall appeal. I would say he was one of my first few crushes when I was younger (plus Robin from Teen Titans of course).
I don’t remember any particular scene but I loved watching the sexual tension between Danny and Sam grow as the series went on. I don’t think I truly understood what I felt at the time, but I think growing up around older cousins who had significant others, reassured me that what I felt was normal. And though Danny Phantom was technically a cartoon, he was easy on the eyes and I could comfortably let my mind wander watching the series.
I don’t think I talked to anyone about it until a few years later, and not specifically about being attracted to cartoon characters. For me it was less taboo to talk about physical attraction to others when I turned 13, and I started to realise that my friends were all going through the same thing.
I would say I’m still into the same type of guys: slim, thick hair, kinda dorky but funny, and will have my back when it comes down to it. I think there’s something about Danny’s smirk after the theme song that just gets you. If a guy looked at me like that now… ”
— Anne, 21
“He was very mysterious and hot. I loved that he was a bad guy who became good. The scar on his face also made him look like a badass. He’s not my first crush, but definitely one of the few.
I felt like I was in love at the time (love at first sight…). However I knew he wasn’t real and wondered why boys didn’t look like that in real life, sad. I googled a ton of facts about him and rewatched his scenes over and over. I even tried to act braver like him and had always wanted to have a scar like his.
Well, now I guess I like guys that look badass but are actually really nice. And it’s a plus if they have a mysterious scar.
No, I’m definitely not over him, I still love him and I’m still looking for a Zuko in real life”
— Krystal, 20
“I would describe him as sexy — his looks, eyes and hair. I remember the scene where he said “They just can’t get my nose right”. I knew then that I felt sexually attracted to this character.
I remember thinking, “If only a guy like this existed” and hoped someone in the world looked like him. I kept rewatching the movie but I only spoke to my cousin about the crush.”
— Ally, 19
These examples are just some of the characters that got our hearts racing and minds a-wonderin’ when we were little. The rush of feeling sexually attracted to someone for the first time, be it a character, can be dizzying with all the unexplainable thoughts and confusing urges, not to mention the strange dreams that often follow.
The whole experience is one that leads us down a rabbit hole of trying to figure ourselves out without fully ever being able to understand our own emotions and desires. I guess you can say that our first sexual awakenings are part and parcel of growing up, even the ones involving animated creations.
And if we’re being completely honest with ourselves there’s a high chance that we’d all still fall head over heels for these hotties even after many years of having tried to figure our emotions out.
After all, they’re basically what shaped our ideal sample of a “perfect partner” today, no?
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