It is generally uncommon to see cartoon characters tattoos and superheros with tattoos. Because so few of these characters throughout animation history have permenant ink, this creates a very rich history of tattoos embedded in the history of animation and comics. Whether it was for a scare tactic or just the a way to express the character’s personality, many characters are seen regularly sporting their tattoos.
Popeye
One of the oldest cartoons, Popeye was created in 1929. The popular sailor from the King Features comic strip has an anchor tattooed on his forearm, which is visible in many of the cartoons and comic strips he appeared in. Popeye is the first known cartoon character with a tattoo, but many other characters followed suit.
Zartan
Zartan is a popular G.I. Joe supervillain was designed with huge black tattoos covering the majority of his face. The character was first introduced in July 1984 edition of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Since his first appearance, his tattoos have never changed despite his multiple appearances across multiple forms of media and toys. In the series, he has the ability to mimic anyone exactly, and when he does so, his tattoos do not appear.
Snake Jailbird
From the longest running sitcom on television, the Simpsons, Snake Jailbird is one of the many reoccurring characters on the show, which first aired in 1989. He is a notorious Springfield felon and was designed with a large, green snake on his forearm. The character appeared in many of the animated episodes and was featured in many of the comic books.
Mumm-Ra
Mumm-Ra is the main villain in the ThunderCats series that was introduced in 1985. Like many of the other popular tattooed characters, Mumm-ra has appeared in comics, an animated TV show, and as an action figure. The character was designed with a red circle and a black two-headed snake printed across his blue chest.
Iron Fist
Appearing in a variety of Marvel comic titles, as well as his own solo series, Iron Fist, also known as Daniel Rand, is most recognized by his large dragon tattoo on his chest. The martial arts superhero first made appearances in May 1974 in the Marvel Premiere series. Since his first appearance, he has been shown in many different comics including Marvel’s Civil War, Avengers, and Daredevil series.
