Why are so many cartoon characters in yellow?

If you think of the color yellow, you can think directly of the sun, light, or feelings of joy and optimism. If you continue to think further, you will certainly think of at least one of the many cartoons with yellow characters: Pikachu, SpongeBob, Simpsons, etc. This is not always a coincidence. Here are some reasons why the color yellow has been chosen so often in different characters and movies:

1. Contrasts

Duke qenë një nga ngjyrat kryesore (së bashku me blunë dhe të kuqen), e verdha është shumë e dallueshme. Ngjyrat kryesore në ekran janë e kuqja, jeshilja dhe bluja. Në këtë skemë ngjyrash, bluja dhe e verdha janë në anët e kundërta të spektrit, duke e bërë njëra-tjetrën të dallohet më shumë dhe duke qenë se bluja është një ngjyrë shumë e përhapur në disa dimensione (mendo detin, qiellin etj), ka kuptim që krahasaj saj të përdoret e verdha për të dhënë efektin e kontrastit. Kjo i bën karakteret më të dukshëm.

2. Efekti psikologjik

Traditionally, yellow is associated with happiness and joy. This was proven by a survey, which found that the majority of participants (72%) mentioned yellow as positive, and only 0.5% of respondents thought it was negative. This feature of yellow makes it an excellent choice for cheerful and charismatic characters.

3. There is no way you can not see it

Yellow is the most visible color in low light and is the second most visible color during the day. It is also noticeable for people with some form of color blindness

4. It is special for children

The color yellow is often used in advertisements for children, as they also associate this color with positive emotions. In marketing, yellow is commonly used for the packaging of "entertainment" products.

In one study, children were given a choice between yellow and brown crayons after hearing a happy story and a sad one. Most of the “happy story” group chose yellow chalk, and most of the children from the second group preferred brown chalk, proving that the connection of colors to a person’s mood is important.

5. Attracts attention

As mentioned before, yellow is one of the most visible colors. This makes it often used for different types of signals, which should be seen from a distance and attract our attention. 

Moreover, this is one of the colors that nature uses to send signals of the type: "Stay away". Yellow can be seen in stinging insects (bees, wasps), venomous snakes and other dangerous animals. 

So on the whole this color makes us pay attention to it, which is why it is used so much in cartoons as well.

Source: Sciencing, Bright Side