Cartoons aren’t just for kids. Just ask some Shirt King Phade or Demna.
Since the 1970s, we’ve seen designers across streetwear and luxury fashion cherry pick some of the characters that defined our childhoods and recontextualize them in interesting new ways. Give Snoopy a gold dookie chain. Toss Daffy Duck on an Italian wool sweater and turn him into a luxury status symbol. Put Homer Simpson on the Balenciaga runway. Don’t even get us started on all of the times Disney has been referenced over the years.
Most recently, we saw Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack drop an officially licensed collection of gangster SpongeBob merch. With that in mind, we wanted to explore some of the other notable moments throughout history where fashion got nostalgic. And no, we don’t mean all of the mass-produced licensed T-shirts and trinkets that you see everywhere you look nowadays. We’re talking about the good stuff. Here is A Look Back at Fashion’s Obsession With Cartoons.
One of the earliest, and most subversive, instances of cartoons being referenced by fashion came in the ‘70s. Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s Seditionaries released unofficial graphic T-shirts featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse engaging in sex and drug use. While the tees depict acts that veer far away from what we would ever expect to see from the Disney’s mascots, their ties to the British punk scene and the late legends Westwood and McLaren have made them a grail among collectors.
What started in a booth in the Colosseum Mall in Queens became a worldwide phenomenon, thanks to hip-hop. Some of the biggest acts in the ‘80s, like LL Cool J and Run DMC, introduced the Shirt Kings (Edwin “Phade” Sacasa, Rafael “Kasheme” Avery, and Clyde “Nike” Harewood) and their custom airbrushed pieces to the masses. The artwork brought pop culture icons like Snoopy and Bugs Bunny to the streets by dressing them up in gold dookie chains, putting 40s in their hands, or standing them next to a clean Cadillac. The Shirt Kings’ work went on to define that era of street fashion. It is so revered that brands from Supreme to Stussy have even worked on official projects with them throughout the 21st century.
In the ‘90s, there were few pop culture phenomena as ubiquitous as The Simpsons. No character was as beloved as the pesky son of the family, Bart. He wasn’t just promoting Butterfinger BBs in the ‘90s. Bart also became an oft-used character throughout the bootleg T-shirt community to highlight the ‘90s zeitgeist, from geopolitical wars to your favorite sports teams. Arguably the most popular versions featured Black Bart, who was used to celebrate various elements of Black culture from Michael Jordan’s run with the Chicago Bulls to Nelson Mandela.
Remember when the Taz and Bugs Bunny dressed up like Kriss Kross? You couldn’t escape these graphic tees in the ‘90s. Even bootlegs started popping up that featured Cross Colours outfits. To this day, you will still see these tees from the ‘90s sprinkled throughout racks at vintage stores.
With a lot of help from its unofficial ambassador Jay-Z, Iceberg’s expensive knit sweaters became a status symbol in urban fashion throughout the ‘90s. The artful pieces showcased iconic characters from Popeye to Mickey Mouse. Iceberg faded into relative obscurity by the end of the aughts, but thanks to the vintage community some of the designs are still coveted to this day.
There are plenty of examples of brands featuring the iconic characters from Disney and Warner Bros. on pieces, but how many times have you seen a Speed Racer collab? Ecko paid homage to the the classic ‘60s cartoon with a full collection. Scenes from the action-packed series found their way onto vibrant T-shirts, button-ups, and were even embroidered onto khakis.
In an effort to build upon its hype, FUBU launched its more premium Platinum sub-label in 2000. While the line wasn’t as celebrated as its predecessor, it became known for its series of items emblazoned with the friendly crew from Fat Albert. In December 2025, FUBU announced that it would be reintroducing its Platinum line. Now you won’t need to hit up your local vintage spot for some Mushmouth jeans.
Since debuting in 1999, Baby Milo has become a defining symbol of Bape. The whimsical graphic tees and hoodies have placed the mascot monkey next to SpongeBob, The Simpsons, Hello Kitty, Dragonball Z, and countless other animated figures.
Launched in 2002 as an offshoot of Southpole, Lot 29 was known for brandishing all of its pieces with cartoon characters, whether it be Daffy Duck airbrushed onto baggy jeans or Yosemite Sam on the back of a track jacket. A young Pusha T and Malice of the Clipse even modeled in campaigns for the brand at the time.
Founded in 2010, Jordan Bentley’s Hypland has been connecting the worlds of anime and streetwear better than anyone else. If you can think of it, he’s probably released a collection for it. From Digimon to Yu-Gi-Oh!, Hypland’s got something for any anime fan.
Jeremy Scott has never shied away from bold, vibrant designs. So, we should have known it was only a matter of time before he started plastering animation royalty all over his clothes. He did it in 2014 when SpongeBob’s face was slapped onto jackets and bags that hit the catwalk. He did it again one year later when he walked an entire collection down the runway featuring hip-hop remixes of the Looney Tunes featuring gold rope chains and flat tops hairdos, a very on-the-nose homage to The Shirt Kings work that introduced the concept decades prior.
Kith has made a habit of dropping capsules tied to a wide variety of popular cartoons, from Disney’s original gang to Toy Story to The Simpsons. The items range from straightforward logo flips to more thoughtful cut and sew items. When it comes to modern streetwear, no brand has released these types of products at such a high clip. The only thing you should be wondering is what character Kith hasn’t collaborated with yet.
When The Simpsons premiered in 1989, did you ever think that you’d see Marge walking the runway for Balenciaga? Neither did we. In 2021, that’s exactly what happened. Demna’s Balenciaga premiered a short film during Paris Fashion Week that featured Springfield’s finest modeling animated versions of its latest collection. The heartwarming short even featured Simpsons versions of fashion icons like Anna Wintour and Kim Kardashian. A capsule collection featuring the Simpsons family accompanied the show.
There is no brand that Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack won’t touch. Still, we were pretty surprised to see the latest collection from the imprint. Out of nowhere, Cactus Jack dropped off a line featuring the “Gangster SpongeBob” airbrush art that has become an oft-used meme on the internet since the 2000s. Upon its release, many immediately pointed out its resemblance to some of the aforementioned gear from past eras. It’s hard not to. But we have to admit, we never expected the trend cycle to make it back here.