History Main / CheekyMouth

* A common occurrence in ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}''.

* Referred to as "Flounderface Disorder", and ''strongly'' discouraged, in this ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'' [[http://lackadaisy.foxprints.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=333 Expressions Tutorial]].

->''"Like the majestic flounder, some characters have features that drift to the side of their head. Side-mouth is how to avoid lip and chin motion when animating on the cheap. It's not a ''style'' or a good excuse to avoid learning to draw expressions in profile.''''

* Look closely and you'll notice ''WesternAnimation/ThePJs'' does this. ''And it's done in {{claymation}}.''

* In WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse, Pearl almost always has her mouth drawn like this. Other characters are more likely to have normal-looking mouths in profile view.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/{{Deliverance}} You got a purty mouth]]]]

** With the exception of Axel, all elephant villagers in ''Animal Crossing'' games have their mouths permanently on one side of their faces. Cyd is the only elephant villager whose mouth is on the right side, while all other elephants' mouths beside Axel's are on the left.

* Taken UpToEleven sometimes in ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'', where characters' mouths reach past the edge of the face when they shout ([[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/05/11 like, here for instance]]).

* Creator/RumikoTakahashi used it in the manga and anime versions of ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' and ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. Less so in ''Manga/MaisonIkkoku''.

* Really, one would be hard-pressed to name an anime that ''doesn't'' feature Cheeky Mouth. It's been a staple of anime as far back as ''Manga/AstroBoy'' in the early '60s. It's more noticeable in shows aimed at children, especially those with lower budgets, and less prevalent in series like the Creator/NipponAnimation ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater'' that feature more fluid, detailed animation in general.

* Jingle the reindeer in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' has his mouth texture permanently on one side of his face. When you talk to him, he will often ask you specifically to make sure to only look at his "good side."

** Sonic is usually depicted with a side-mouth, along with much of his supporting cast such as Knuckles who is almost never seen any ''other'' way. However, most characters in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 its sequel]] were modeled with their mouths dead-center in the front of their faces, which looked awkward enough that [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed subsequent games]] made it a deliberate art design choice that Sonic's mouth should always be at the side. This gets really noticeable with the ''WebAnimation/SonicNightOfTheWerehog'' animated short they did. Sonic walks past a mirror, mouth facing camera, but on the mirror, he looks as if he has no mouth at all.

** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' and ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' actually have Cheeky Mouth programed into the rendering engine so that Sonic's mouth is always closest to the camera. [[GoodBadBugs If you're able to get him at the right camera angle,]] you can get [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fua3bguHyQc this]].

* Extremely common in ''Anime/IlSolePenetraLeIllusioni''. It appears to be an actual artistic choice.

* All of the characters in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has them.

The problem occurs when you see characters in profile (that is, when they're facing to the side of the camera, so you see half of their face), since the face should be animated. Lower budget cartoon (especially anime) artists tend to actually show the (already small) mouth from a 3/4ths viewpoint, even if the face and lips are ''still in profile''. Since small noses often require drawing them to a point, this creates a weird flounder/Picasso effect or 'snout' as the character's mouth is no longer centered but completely on the side of the face.

* ''WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep'': Whenever the titular character and the other sheep open their [[NoMouth usually invisible mouths]], they're usually on the sides of their heads, though when they make an O shape with their mouths, they're in the center.

This is understandable for animation, as it's a budget saver and makes production go faster. This trope becomes artifactual in other media, specifically comics. Despite the fact this trick is really necessary only in a moving picture medium, a fair number of amateur artists do this, either due to inexperience, [[LazyArtist laziness]], or adherence to the visual trope. This effect can be averted by simply avoiding profile altogether and doing 3/4 points of view instead. When it comes to time savers, some artists will cite preference for this kind of drawing with other shortcuts such as the VideoGame/PacMan mouth.

** Sonic in ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' takes the Cheek Mouth to [[https://youtu.be/_u3Wd3Z1Zas?t=17 its most flexible manner, moving the mouth side-to-side physically]].

** Sonic in ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' takes the Cheek Mouth to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_6PGsebyZA its most flexible manner, moving the mouth side-to-side physically]].

* It's a rare occasion when the Manga/KamisamaNoIutoori and its sequel ''don't'' do this.

* Really, one would be hard-pressed to name an anime that ''doesn't'' feature Cheeky Mouth. It's been a staple of anime as far back as ''Manga/AstroBoy'' in the early '60s.

* It's used quite frequently in ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' as well.