Principles of Character Animation Unit – The Button Girl Character Design

This design layout places all characters together, clearly highlighting their distinct differences.

First, the second character from the left is the protagonist—Button Girl. To her right are the villagers. Their designs reveal that the protagonist’s limbs are softer and curved, while the villagers’ limbs are straight and sharp like nails. This also reflects their personalities. Villagers suppress their emotions long-term, harboring negativity within, hence their sharpness. Though the protagonist also suppresses her feelings, she releases them at home by playing with dolls, making her softer. Additionally, her introverted nature manifests as a slight stoop and hands clasped over her chest, conveying unease.

Next are the dolls of the protagonist (far left) and the villager (far right). These dolls are designed to reflect the inner states of their owners, their appearances shifting according to the emotional conditions of the villager and the protagonist. The protagonist also suppresses her emotions outside the home, meaning her inner state contains some negative feelings. Thus, her doll appears strange and ugly when undecorated, mirroring the villager’s doll. However, because the protagonist decorates her doll with buttons at home, it becomes cuter than the villager’s doll. Conversely, the villager’s doll grows increasingly ugly and bizarre as the villager’s mind becomes dominated by negative emotions.

The design of the button girl’s doll

The design of the button girl

Design for Villagers