A tiny robot who rides in a coat pocketSquare with two dots, antenna line, pocket curve. Gag: beeps at the worst possible moment.
A bicycle messenger who delivers to storybook housesCap half-circle, bag square, two wheel circles. Gag: the wolf never signs for his parcels.
An inventor whose inventions work a little too wellHair like a cloud, circle glasses, coat rectangle. Gag: the toaster lands toast in the yard next door.
A bicycle messenger who delivers to storybook housesCap half-circle, bag square, two wheel circles. Gag: the wolf never signs for his parcels.
A boy whose shadow does its own thingCircle head, stick body, a black copy of both, tilted. Gag: the shadow always waves first.
A chef who can cook one dish, perfectlyTall hat rectangle, circle face, apron square. Gag: every problem gets solved with pancakes.
A dragon rider whose dragon would rather walkStick rider, long oval dragon, two small wing triangles. Gag: they take the stairs up every tower.
A gardener whose plants grow into trouble overnightStraw hat oval, round face, boot rectangles. Gag: wakes up to a new beanstalk every Monday.
A ghost who keeps getting mistaken for laundryUpside-down U, two dot eyes, one clothespin. Gag: ends each strip pinned to the clothesline.
A girl who can talk to anything that has wheelsCircle head, two pigtail circles, triangle dress. Gag: shopping carts tell her all the gossip.
A hero whose cape is the kitchen curtain, rod and allBean body, curtain rectangle, a rod line across the shoulders. Gag: gets stuck in every doorway.
A kid detective with a magnifying glass bigger than her headBig circle lens, small circle head, rectangle coat. Gag: she spots the clue last, after everyone else.
A kid so tall her head is in the panel aboveLong rectangle body, neck line, small circle head. Gag: she answers questions from the panel above.
A knight who is nervous around his own horseBucket helmet, barrel body, stick legs. Gag: he goes everywhere on foot, leading the horse by the reins.
A new kid who arrived by submarine and misses the quietRound glass helmet, oval head, box backpack. Gag: he tells the time in tides.
A robot who wants to learn how to be boredSquare head, square body, coil arms. Gag: every try at doing nothing ends in a new invention.
A ship's captain who steers by asking the seagullsWide hat triangle, round face, striped rectangle shirt. Gag: the gulls never agree with each other.
A space captain whose ship is a garden shedSquare shed, triangle roof, circle helmet at the window. Gag: something on board always needs watering.
A time traveler who keeps landing on the same TuesdayRound goggles, oval head, long coat rectangle. Gag: knows that day's lunch menu by heart.
A wizard's apprentice who knows exactly one spellCone hat, triangle robe, stick wand. Gag: the one spell turns things slightly blue.
An inventor whose inventions work a little too wellHair like a cloud, circle glasses, coat rectangle. Gag: the toaster lands toast in the yard next door.
The only human student at a school for monstersPlain circle head and square bag among spiky shapes. Gag: tops the class in scaring, always by accident.
The smallest giant in the clan, still as tall as a houseSquare jaw, round body, huge boot rectangles. Gag: still gets told to stand up straight.
Best friends and sidekicks 20
A best friend who narrates everything out loudOval head, open half-circle mouth, one raised finger. Gag: the caption boxes are his actual speech.
A cousin visiting from the future who is unimpressedVisor stripe, oval head, jumpsuit rectangle. Gag: calls everything in the room 'vintage'.
A faraway friend who appears only as postcardsPostcard rectangle, stamp square, wavy lines of writing. Gag: the P.S. is longer than the message.
A friend who believes every rumor she hearsTwo wide circle eyes, small oval head, small body. Gag: every strip starts with 'I heard that...'
A friend who is a very polite monsterFuzzy oval, two small horn triangles, bow tie. Gag: apologizes to doors after opening them.
A friend who is always upside downCircle head at the bottom, body above, hair hanging down. Gag: nobody ever mentions it.
A know-it-all with a terrible memory for namesSquare glasses, tall oval forehead, book rectangle. Gag: knows every fact and calls the lead 'you there'.
A lab partner who labels everything, the lead includedLabel-maker rectangle, neat helmet of hair, coat. Gag: a new label on somebody's back in each strip.
A little brother who tags along and solves everythingHalf-height figure, round head, juice-box rectangle. Gag: gives the answer in panel one; nobody listens.
A loyal squire twice the size of the knightHuge rectangle body, small helmet dome, shield circle. Gag: carries the knight across every puddle.
A neighbor kid whose walkie-talkie is never offCircle head, brick rectangle with an antenna, cap. Gag: says 'over' after everything, even 'hi'.
A pal who answers every question with a quick sketchCircle head, sketchbook square held up, marker line. Gag: the speech balloons hold pictures, never words.
A quiet friend who is secretly a wonderful dancerLanky lines, round head, big sneaker ovals. Gag: dances only in panels with no witnesses.
A sidekick in training who takes notes on everythingClipboard rectangle, round glasses, pencil line. Gag: the notes are mostly drawings of lunch.
A sidekick who carries the snacks and the planSmall circle head, huge square backpack, short legs. Gag: has exactly the right snack for every disaster.
A sidekick who drives the getaway tricycleThree wheel circles, a small rider, a bell dot. Gag: stops at every crosswalk in the middle of the chase.
A sidekick whose every disguise is one fake mustacheRound head, bean body, one curly line under the nose. Gag: it fools everyone except dogs.
A tiny robot who rides in a coat pocketSquare with two dots, antenna line, pocket curve. Gag: beeps at the worst possible moment.
A twin who finishes the lead's sentences, wronglyThe lead's three shapes with different hair. Gag: '...and that is why we need a goat.'
An older sister who has seen it all beforeTall rectangle, ponytail swoosh, one line of folded arms. Gag: a single raised eyebrow ends each scheme.
Rivals and villains 20
A cat burglar who is an actual catCat oval, mask stripe, striped tail. Gag: takes things only to push them off a shelf.
A dragon who hoards library books and returns them lateBig oval body, small wing triangles, stack of rectangles. Gag: the late fees are the stuff of legend.
A giant robot ruler who trips on its own power cordBig square body, claw hands, a cord line to the wall. Gag: every march on the town ends where the cord does.
A mastermind whose secret lair is the family garageSwivel chair circle, cat oval on the lap, garage door lines. Gag: called in for dinner in mid-speech.
A phantom who haunts by moving furniture a littleSheet shape, two eye dots, one chair. Gag: everything is two inches to the left.
A rival inventor whose robots are too politeGoggle circles, coat rectangle, clipboard. Gag: the robots ask permission before each scheme.
A rival magician whose rabbit does the better tricksTop hat rectangle, wand line, rabbit oval. Gag: the rabbit takes the bow.
A rival quiz champion who answers before the questionBuzzer circle, square glasses, one pointing finger line. Gag: the answer is right, for some other question.
A rival team captain with a speech for every occasionMegaphone triangle, square shoulders, cap. Gag: the speech lasts longer than the game.
A rival who copies the lead's outfit one day lateThe lead's three shapes in another color. Gag: always turns up in yesterday's hat.
A rival who has to win at everything, even the weatherSquare jaw, headband stripe, trophy cup. Gag: claims first place in 'being rained on'.
A scientist who shrinks things that were fine as they wereShrink-ray triangle, cloud of hair, coat. Gag: a tiny sandwich in the last panel of each strip.
A sorceress whose curses are mild inconveniencesCone hat, hair swoop, wand line. Gag: 'May your shoelace come undone at noon.'
A treasure hunter who buried the gold and lost the mapHat triangle, beard cloud, shovel line. Gag: digs in the same wrong spot every strip.
A villain trying to rename the town after himselfRound body, sash stripe, small top hat. Gag: the sign painter keeps spelling it wrong.
A villain who practices big speeches on a houseplantCloak triangle, one pointing arm line, plant-pot oval. Gag: the plant has learned to droop on cue.
A villain who tilts every picture frame in townLong thin triangle body, mask stripe, one tilted square. Gag: carries a tiny level to get the tilt just wrong.
A villain who wants to make Monday two days longTall triangle cloak, pointed collar, clock circle. Gag: the calendar machine only ever adds Saturdays.
The grumpy king of the sandboxPaper crown zigzag, bucket, small round body. Gag: charges one leaf to come in.
The space emperor of one very small moonCrown zigzag, moon circle underfoot, cape. Gag: the whole empire fits in a wheelbarrow.
Animals and pets 20
A bat who gives everyone directions upside downUpside-down triangle, zigzag wings, two dot eyes. Gag: the whole cast turns the map over.
A cat who judges everyone from a high shelfLoaf oval, two triangles, half-closed eye lines. Gag: scores each event out of ten, never above four.
A crow who runs a swap shop out of an old bootBlack teardrop, wedge beak, one button. Gag: offers two paper clips for the hero's badge.
A dog who is sure he is the main characterSausage body, triangle ears, wag lines. Gag: strikes a brave pose in the corner of every panel.
A frog who forecasts the weather, badlyWide oval, two bump eyes, lily pad. Gag: predicts 'flies' every single day.
A goldfish who comments on everything outside the glassCircle bowl, teardrop fish, bubble dots. Gag: its thought bubbles run longer than anyone's speech.
A goose who checks everyone's ticket at the garden gateS-curve neck, oval body, triangle beak. Gag: nobody has ever had a ticket.
A hamster planning a great escape on its wheelBall body, two dot ears, wheel circle. Gag: the plan has four hundred steps and all of them are 'run'.
A horse who will not gallop before breakfastLong rectangle head, barrel body, four leg lines. Gag: checks a wristwatch it does not have.
A llama who answers every question with a long stareLong neck rectangle, oval head, cloud body. Gag: one silent panel, then it walks away.
A parrot who repeats secrets at the worst timeTeardrop body, curved beak, perch line. Gag: announces the surprise party to its guest of honor.
A pebble kept as a pet, with a rich inner lifeOne lumpy oval, two dots, a string leash line. Gag: its thought balloons read like long novels.
A pigeon who delivers messages to the wrong addressOval body, small circle head, envelope square. Gag: the villain keeps getting other people's birthday cards.
A puppy sidekick who chews the evidenceSmall bean, floppy ear ovals, torn paper. Gag: every clue has a bite out of it.
A raccoon who returns what she borrows, washedMask stripe, round body, ringed tail. Gag: everything comes back cleaner and slightly damp.
A sheep who cannot fall asleepCloud body, small dark oval face, stick legs. Gag: counts people jumping over a fence.
A sloth who is the team's getaway driverLong arm lines, round face with eye patches, steering wheel circle. Gag: 'Go, go, go' takes four panels.
A snail who writes very slow adventure storiesSpiral shell, tube body, two stalk eyes. Gag: chapter one ends when the comic does.
A turtle who somehow always gets there firstDome shell, small oval head, four stubs. Gag: nobody has ever seen it move.
An octopus who does everyone's job at onceDome head, two dot eyes, eight wavy lines. Gag: one arm is always busy with something else, such as knitting.
Things that talk 20
A backpack who knows where everything is and will not sayRounded square, zipper mouth, strap arms. Gag: yawns out last month's sandwich.
A cloud who follows one kid around out of friendshipOne bumpy cloud, two dots, a small figure below. Gag: it rains only when it is trying to help.
A dictionary who is hurt that nobody reads it for funThick rectangle, spine stripe, bookmark tongue. Gag: drops one long word into every scene.
A doormat who greets everyone and is never thankedFlat rectangle, fringe lines at both ends, WELCOME for a mouth. Gag: knows every shoe in town by name.
A folded map who is always a bit lostRectangle, crease lines, dotted trail. Gag: its 'you are here' dot keeps wandering.
A grandfather clock with a flair for dramaTall rectangle, circle face, pendulum line. Gag: announces each hour as breaking news.
A left sock looking for its partnerSock L-shape, two dots, a heel curve. Gag: checks under the border of every panel.
A mailbox who reads all the postcardsBox on a post, slot mouth, flag arm. Gag: 'Wish you were here? So do I.'
A mirror who is honest but kindOval frame, stand triangle, a small face in one corner. Gag: 'Bold choice. I respect it.'
A moon who wants to be invited to daytime thingsCrescent, one eye dot, a few star dots. Gag: turns up pale at every picnic.
A paintbrush with strong opinions about colorLong thin rectangle, bristle triangle, drip dot. Gag: 'More blue.' It is always more blue.
A playground swing who misses whoever just leftTwo lines, a seat rectangle, a branch. Gag: keeps moving a little, to look busy.
A refrigerator who gossips about the leftoversTall rectangle, handle line, two magnet dots for eyes. Gag: hums louder when it has news.
A streetlamp who stays up all night worryingTall line, lamp oval, cone of light. Gag: asks each passer-by to say when they get home.
A teapot who whistles whenever it has an ideaRound body, spout curve, lid dot. Gag: each plan in the comic starts with a whistle.
A toaster who gives advice with every sliceSquare body, two slots, lever line. Gag: the advice is always 'pop up and try again'.
A traffic cone who dreams of being a wizard's hatTriangle, square base, two dots. Gag: turns up on a different head in each strip.
A weather vane who points at whoever is fibbingArrow line, rooster teardrop, roof triangle. Gag: swings around to the villain in the middle of a speech.
An alarm clock who feels bad about its jobCircle, two bell bumps, short legs. Gag: whispers 'sorry' before it rings.
Two mittens on one string who bicker like siblingsTwo mitten ovals, thumb bumps, one long string. Gag: neither can ever storm off.
Background regulars 20
A baby in a stroller who notices everythingStroller half-circle, round head, pointing arm. Gag: sees the monster first and says 'ba'.
A dog walker with one more dog each timeOne figure, a fan of leash lines, many small ovals. Gag: count the dogs; the number goes up.
A gardener who clips one hedge into a new shape each timeHedge cloud, shears cross, hat. Gag: the hedge always matches the strip's plot.
A jogger who runs through every scene, always left to rightLeaning stick figure, headband, motion lines. Gag: passes by even in the scenes set on the moon.
A mail carrier with a polite parade of dogs behindBag square, cap, long stride lines. Gag: the dogs only want to say hello.
A pizza delivery rider who is always one street awayTwo scooter circles, box square, helmet. Gag: says 'thirty seconds' for the whole comic.
A street musician who knows one songGuitar figure-eight, hat on the ground, stool. Gag: the song suits every scene anyway.
A window cleaner who sees each plot twist from outsideLadder lines, bucket, head at a window square. Gag: gasps one panel before the lead does.
The bus driver who has seen stranger thingsCap half-circle, big wheel circle, window square. Gag: never looks up, whoever gets on.
The crossing guard who halts the whole street for ducksVest rectangle, sign circle on a stick, cap. Gag: there are always ducks.
The janitor who quietly fixes what the heroes breakMop line, bucket, cap. Gag: sweeps up in the corner of the last panel.
The lemonade-stand kid who knows everybody's businessTable rectangle, pitcher, sign square. Gag: trades news for two cookies.
The librarian who can hear a whisper across townBun circle on a head circle, glasses, book. Gag: a 'shh' balloon drifts in from off-panel.
The lost tourist holding a map of somewhere elseCamera square, sun hat oval, map rectangle. Gag: asks the villain for directions.
The mayor who cuts a ribbon at everythingSash stripe, scissors cross, top hat. Gag: opens a puddle, a bench, a Tuesday.
The neighbor who wavesHedge cloud, head circle above it, one arm line. Gag: waves in every strip, even from a passing boat.
The shopkeeper who has exactly one of everythingApron rectangle, counter line, round head. Gag: 'You are in luck. It is our last one.'
The snow cone seller who is out in every seasonCart rectangle, half-circle shade, bell. Gag: same smile in the snow.
The teacher whose mug is always emptyMug square, tired eye lines, cardigan rectangle. Gag: tips the mug up, hopefully, once a strip.
Two old friends on a bench who review the actionTwo round heads, one long bench rectangle, two canes. Gag: they give the chase scene three stars.
How it works
These comic character ideas are sorted by the part they play: leads, best friends and sidekicks, rivals and villains with harmless plans, animals and pets, things that talk, and background regulars. Each comes with three shapes and a running gag.
Read the full guide
Comic strip character ideas in three shapes
A strip panel is small, so each character here is built from three shapes you can repeat panel after panel: a bean, a triangle and a dot, say. Fill your sketch in solid black. If you can still tell who it is, it will read at any size.
Build a cast by role
A lead needs somebody to talk to, so pick a best friend next, then a rival whose plan is harmless. A background regular, such as the neighbor who waves, can turn up in the corner of every strip. The line after Gag is that character's running joke.
Give no two characters the same outline. Change the height, the hair or the hat.
Write each character's name and gag on a card and deal three to start a strip.
Questions and answers
What makes a good comic character?
A shape you can redraw quickly, and one joke that is theirs. A knight who is nervous around his own horse has both: a bucket helmet on a barrel body, and a horse he leads everywhere on foot.
What are some simple comic character ideas?
Choose Easy. It holds characters built from the plainest shapes: a ghost that is an upside-down U with two dots, a snail that is a spiral shell on a tube body, a traffic cone, a goldfish in a round bowl.
How many characters does a comic strip need?
Two can carry a strip: a lead and someone to talk to. The other roles on this list are there for when a story needs them: a rival, a pet, a talking object and a background regular.
Can I use these characters in my own comic?
Yes. Each one was made up for this list, and characters from published comics, shows, films and games were left out. None has a name, so the name, the colors and the rest are yours to invent.