Why the name 'Toons' ?

[Kneedshelp]

Here is possibly another 'dumb question' - but why/how did the 'toon' reference come from? Being 69 years old and playing DDO for just over a year now, I have never figured that out. When my children were very small, they watched 'Looneytoons' and that is what I still think of when I see references to 'toons'. Ha! Ha! (Comical). I always refer to my DDO 'players' as 'characters' or 'chars' for short. Anyhow, just wondering... Maybe DDO started out as a carTOON game? I really know nothing about it, except that it was once a card game...don't even know how to read the 'dice rolls'... But I SURE HAVE FUN playing it - albeit making many errors with chars, deleting some and starting others as they turn out not to be what I wanted, etc. I currently have a couple Arti's which are fantastic, and having a lot of fun with my new Druid -

[macubrae]

... only not specifically from LoonyToons, they look like cartoons. Some are not too fond of the term toon, but whether it's a character, char, avatar(even if not blue), or toon, other players will know towhat you are refering.

Enjoy your char's and always remember that Constitution is never a dump stat. The more HP you have, the longer you live.

[Pintail]

Actually DDO is loosely based on a role playing game that used pen and paper not cards. In the PnP (pen and paper) they were refered to as PCs (Player Characters). My guess is that a lot of people came to this game after playing mmorp games that used graphics which made the characters look like cartoons. Thus the "toon" reference.
This is simply my best guess and glad you're enjoying the game.

[My2Cents]

Here is possibly another 'dumb question' - but why/how did the 'toon' reference come from? Being 69 years old and playing DDO for just over a year now, I have never figured that out. When my children were very small, they watched 'Looneytoons' and that is what I still think of when I see references to 'toons'. Ha! Ha! (Comical). I always refer to my DDO 'players' as 'characters' or 'chars' for short. Anyhow, just wondering... Maybe DDO started out as a carTOON game? I really know nothing about it, except that it was once a card game...don't even know how to read the 'dice rolls'... But I SURE HAVE FUN playing it - albeit making many errors with chars, deleting some and starting others as they turn out not to be what I wanted, etc. I currently have a couple Arti's which are fantastic, and having a lot of fun with my new Druid -

There's been discussions here and in the past about this, but I don't recall anything more than a blurr of supposition about early animation and early games, and the fact that "toon" is a lot shorter for some people to type.

I'm very delighted to hear from someone whose chronological age makes me actually feel younger for a change. One of the things I like about DDO is it seems to have a little older population than many games. I spent a brief time visiting one of those korean pay-for-everything games and it felt like a place that Daddy and Mommy forked over their credit cards to provide a place to keep their kid occupied.

I'm a firm believer that an active imagination keeps us all young.

[Postumus]

Urban Dictionary has a nice definition of the word 'toon' but not really any etymology.

I wouldn't be surprised if the term is carryover from WoW or some such MMO. It definitely doesn't have a DnD feel to it.

[Postumus]

There's been discussions here and in the past about this, but I don't recall anything more than a blurr of supposition about early animation and early games, and the fact that "toon" is a lot shorter for some people to type.

It's not any shorter than 'char' or 'alt.'

[danotmano1998]

Means the same thing, just slang for Character, PC, Alt, or various other terms.

Cartoon -> toon

[Hambo]

As far as I know the term originated in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" from the mid '80s... Half animation and half live action, the animated characters were called "Toons", and lived in a segregated area called "Toontown".

It could've been "Cool World" that came first and our Alts would be referred to as "Doodles"

[dubyprime]

As far as I know the term originated in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" from the mid '80s... Half animation and half live action, the animated characters were called "Toons", and lived in a segregated area called "Toontown".

It could've been "Cool World" that came first and our Alts would be referred to as "Doodles"

My understanding was that its use in online gaming began with Toontown Online. There the term made sense. Eventually the term migrated to WoW as many Toontown players began playing WoW. Then from there to the whole MMO genre.

[gordgray]

I have used toon for a long time. I got it from a friend who was playing on the P.C. when you and any one was using the phone to log on to the internet.

He explained it did come from playing the games he and friends just say (ya I'm using a different toon tonight)that's were i got the term back in the late 70 to early 80 as for any thing else I'm not sure.

as for me I'm at 50 my self!

[goodspeed]

char, toon, mana, nuke. Noob, nub, nubby, nubbles, newbie, Newb. More recently is when some mexican guy tried to laugh through letters literally and sounded like the floppy eared dog from star wars jajaja,

hahah. Ah always makes me laugh actually imagining some idiot saying jaja when he's laughing at a dennys or something.

Anyway they're all words that at some point someone came up with at the spur of the moment to say something, or call someone something. Or In other cases older games from the nes or snes and such used the terms and it carried over.

For instance the word toon I remember being used, years and years back when eq1 had come out. Probably before that as well. I know it was used in some movies like cool world I believe. I think Rodger rabbit as well.

[dunklezhan]

Is it august again already?

I never used 'toons' before I played this game. I always used 'character'. But that was before I played a game where RP was more or less absent. I miss RP less if I refer to my character as a 'toon'. Shimplesh.

[Niv-mizzet]

Urban Dictionary has a nice definition of the word 'toon' but not really any etymology.

I wouldn't be surprised if the term is carryover from WoW or some such MMO. It definitely doesn't have a DnD feel to it.

Well I can tell you it pre-dates WoW and most other MMO's. I recall my guild in Everquest's Velious expansion using the term regularly.

I have no further insight to share about it though.

[goldgolem]

It comes from the word Pontoon. It references the floating skiff in which the developers sit and smoke weed before coming up with new quest pathing for NPCs

[easyaction]

char, toon, mana, nuke. Noob, nub, nubby, nubbles, newbie, Newb. More recently is when some mexican guy tried to laugh through letters literally and sounded like the floppy eared dog from star wars jajaja,

hahah. Ah always makes me laugh actually imagining some idiot saying jaja when he's laughing at a dennys or something.

Wow, I'm NOT Mexican but that was really insulting. not just to Mexicans but to anyone who had to read that ignorance. You realize in spanish the J is pronounced with as an H sound? so some "mexican" at denny's going JAJAJAJA would sound the same as anyone else laughing. He could also be spanish, you know spain right?, north africa? boy it sure it funny that some IDIOT doesn't phonetically (you know, how things sound) type things with English pronunciation!

[MindCake]

I always thought it came over from City of Heroes, where the characters are officially named "toons" due to being based on cartoon heroes theme.

[MRMechMan]

I sort of wince anytime I see a character refered to as a "toon".

But it isn't worth picking any fights over, anyone will know what you mean by it.

[kierg10]

Wow, I'm NOT Mexican but that was really insulting. not just to Mexicans but to anyone who had to read that ignorance. You realize in spanish the J is pronounced with as an H sound? so some "mexican" at denny's going JAJAJAJA would sound the same as anyone else laughing. He could also be spanish, you know spain right?, north africa? boy it sure it funny that some IDIOT doesn't phonetically (you know, how things sound) type things with English pronunciation!

what he said was offensive, but you shouldn't overreact so much.

it is a natural human reflex to read letters in your common language.

when I read j followed by a I think of it in german (even though I am a native english speaker from canada) so I read it like 'yayaya' instead.

so seriously, chill out.

note: I am typing this from my Ipod so the grammar will suck....

[Heladron]

I like to distinguish characters from toons. Dungeons and Dragons was always about characters for me at least. You used to play your character during the game. But I don't usually get all bent out of shape. That would be silly.

But this was an interesting topic. You can learn a bunch playing video games.

[Noctus]

Wow, I'm NOT Mexican but that was really insulting. not just to Mexicans but to anyone who had to read that ignorance. You realize in spanish the J is pronounced with as an H sound? so some "mexican" at denny's going JAJAJAJA would sound the same as anyone else laughing. He could also be spanish, you know spain right?, north africa? boy it sure it funny that some IDIOT doesn't phonetically (you know, how things sound) type things with English pronunciation!

And i find easily offended people offensive that want to use their subjective feelings as a cause to force other people to behave according to their personal sensibilities.

As if "I feel offended by that!" is a objective, legitimate reason for anything.