Even today, braces are the most popular option to straighten misaligned teeth. In fact, these dental tools have been so common for so long that their presence is deeply entrenched in our pop culture. So much so that some of the best cartoon characters ever have worn them. Still, Bugs Bunny, who seems to need them the most, refuses to wear them! In this list, I’ve rounded up the best cartoon characters with braces to ever grace a smile. So, brace yourself for this braces-fest!
1. Missy from Big Mouth
Big Mouth is an awesome show that depicts one of the best cartoon characters with braces ever. Missy is definitely my favorite character in the show, even more than all the Hormone Monsters. She’s just so adorable and innocent and everything out of her metal mouth makes me laugh. Not a lot is known about her, besides the fact that she lives with her African-American father and Caucasian mother, who are both professors. Missy has large braces on her teeth, which probably comes to indicate her social awkwardness. However, despite it, she has an optimistic view of life and she smiles a lot.
2. Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls
Mabel lives in Gravity Falls with her brother Dipper and her great-uncle Stan. In this weird town, she finds herself part of a rag-tag group of kid adventurers all looking for answers. Now she needs to survive this summer, surrounded by supernatural creatures who made Gravity Falls their home. Creative and intuitive, Mabel is up to the challenge, as she navigates her way around these odd, new surroundings. Besides her round blushing cheeks, Mabel is iconic for her silver-colored braces.
3. Butt-Head from Beavis and Butt-Head
One of the two goofy teenaged dimwits from the MTV/Paramount+ show, Butt-Head is the implicit leader of the group. He seems older and slightly more intelligent and confident than his friend Beavis, although just as crazy as he is. Butt-head is actually characterized by his severe overbite, and thus wears braces. His top gums are often exposed and he speaks with a slight lisp, repeatedly interrupting his speech with his iconic giggle: “Uh huh huh huh”.
4. Toby from Trollhunters
One of the main heroes in the Tales of Arcadia franchise, Toby is Jim’s loyal friend, who offers Jim his boundless cheerfulness and inspires him when things get bumpy. Toby even sacrificed his life so Jim could stop Bellroc. Only after Jim created an alternate timeline, Toby was brought back to life. Later, Toby became the Trollhunter of this new timeline. Throughout the entire series, Toby wore his braces.
5. Sharon Spitz from Braceface
That’s something special – an entire animated TV series dedicated to braces! Probably the best-looking cartoon character with braces, Sharon is a middle school blonde student who wears unusual silver braces. When I say “unusual” I mean that her braces are electromagnetically charged, either generating an electromagnetic blast or an electromagnetic attraction to metal objects nearby. They can intercept a phone call or magnetically pull a locker door into Sharon’s face! Sharon’s braces can do things none of the other characters on this list can even imagine. As you can probably guess, her braces sometimes get in the way of her leading a normal teenage life. However, there wouldn’t be a show without them.
6. Oscar for Fish Hooks
One of the best Disney cartoon characters with braces, Oscar is Milo’s shy brother. Although he looks like a regular guy, Oscar is a Catfish/Siamese fighting fish hybrid. Oscar is a bit neurotic and has a huge crush on his friend Bea Goldfishber, who is a beautiful and popular female goldfish. His whole locker is a shrine to Bea. At one point in the show, Oscar goes to the dentist who removes Oscar’s braces.
7. Eliza Thornberry from The Wild Thornberrys
Eliza Thornberry is the main character of The Wild Thornberry. She is an adventurous young girl who can communicate with animals, thanks to a shamanistic gift she received from an African tribe. Eliza is also one of the few cartoon characters with braces – a fact that was occasionally referenced in the show. She is very adventurous and kind of a tomboy.
8. Beth from Total Drama
Beth is one of my favorite characters from all the contestants on the show. Although she didn’t do too well in Season 1, she becomes stronger and more independent in Season 2. She also teaches others to stand up to bullies like Heather and she proved that just because someone is seen as an underdog doesn’t mean that they aren’t a force to be reckoned with. She is really intelligent and has a lot of knowledge about the other contestants.
9. Luan Loud from The Loud House
With her snappy puns and one-liners, Luan is the Loud House comedy queen! This cartoon character with braces will make you laugh your pants off. Luan Loud is one of Lincoln’s 10 sisters, and she loves telling jokes and pulling pranks. She is famous for her buck teeth, which sport silver braces on her upper and lower teeth.
10. Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.
Mike Wazowski is a character from the popular Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. He is a small, green monster with one large eye in the center of his head. Mike is voiced by Billy Crystal in the movies and video games. He is best friends with Sulley, another monster who works at Monsters, Inc. with him. Mike is known for being quite intelligent and always speaking his mind. He also has a bit of a naughty side, which gets him into trouble sometimes. Despite all this, Mike is a lovable cartoon character with braces who always tries his best. We only saw Mike wearing braces on his teeth at Monster University, where he was a child. As a teenager, he had a retainer.
11. Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons
Usually, Lisa Simpson doesn’t wear braces. However, in the Episode “Last Exit to Springfield”, Lisa was outfitted with the most monstrous set of braces imagined. When she first looks at herself in the mirror with her full headgear, she screams like Jack Napier’s transformation into the Joker in the film “Batman”. Anyone who ever saw that episode will never forget this brilliant Simpsons moment.
12. Tootie from The Fairly OddParents
Tootie is a nine-year-old elementary school girl who is secretly in love with Timmy Turner, not to say insanely obsessed with him. However, Timmy doesn’t seem to like her back very much and tends to avoid her. It is only in the series’ live-action movies that we see Timmy finally realizes that he loves Tootie as well. She is Vicky’s little sister, which means she’s the one who gets tormented the most by her.
13. Sid from Toy Story
Another Disney character with braces, Sid is characterized as a troublemaker who takes pleasure in torturing and destroying toys for fun. He is shown to be cruel and unsympathetic, especially towards Woody and Buzz Lightyear. However, it is implied that Sid’s actions are a result of his dysfunctional home life; his parents are neglectful and often ignore him, leading him to act out in destructive ways. Despite his negative traits, Sid does have a few redeeming qualities. He is shown to be Andy’s best friend when they’re together, and he also shows remorse for his actions after realizing how much pain he has caused Woody and Buzz. In Toy Story 3, Sid has reformed completely and now works hard at his job collecting garbage. As a kid, Sid constantly wears metal braces.
14. Kari McKeen from The Incredibles
Although a minor character in the film, Kari has a huge task – to babysit baby Jack-Jack when his siblings decide to go out on a mission. Kari is sure she’s up to the task, but Jack-Jack’s many emerging superhuman powers prove to be beyond her abilities. Finally, she is replaced by Syndrome who introduces himself as a more experienced sitter.
15. Chuckie Finster from Rugrats: All Grown Up!
Chuckie Finster is probably one of the most famous cartoon characters with braces. He’s known for his large, protruding teeth and metal braces. Chuckie is a worrywart who worries about a hundred ways things can go wrong. He is the guy who will say: “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” However, he is really cute and a very good friend!
16. Darren Patterson From As Told By Ginger
That’s some monstrous headgear Darren got there. Darren’s popularity has suffered a lot because of this unwieldy orthodontia. However, when it was finally removed, Darren instantly became more popular with his classmates. As a result, he started dating Miranda but ultimately declared his love for the one and only Ginger. They became a couple, and if I understood the series finale correctly then they even had a baby together.
17. Darla Sherman from Finding Nemo
The main antagonist of the Disney film, Darla is not a bad person, but rather a lover of pet fish who frequently ends up killing them by accident. However, that doesn’t matter much to the fish in her uncle Philip’s office – They just think of her as a vicious fish killer.
18. Ruth P. McDougal from Hey Arnold
Arnold’s big crush, Ruth is a skinny 12-year-old student at P.S. 118 grade school. Although spent all season one trying to come up with ways to get closer to her, Ruth never seemed to notice that Arnold even existed. Ruth’s most distinguishing feature, and the reason she got into this list, is her smile – she has braces.
19. Jimmy from Ed, Edd n Eddy
Jimmy is the insecure type and is highly accident-prone. So much so that he is often seen sporting bandages and casts. He is considered the weakest boy in the cul-de-sac street and wishes to be strong and muscular. He also wants to be famous. Jimmy wears a brace ring around his face to straighten his teeth, which became distorted when one of Eddy’s scams resulted in him biting a bowling pin.
20. Shelly Marsh from South Park
Shelly is generally depicted as an antagonistic figure toward the main characters, especially her younger brother Stan. However, she has also been shown to be caring and protective of him on occasion. For example, in the episode “It Hits the Fan”, she defends Stan from their father Randy’s overzealous attempts to stop him from cursing. In terms of physical appearance, Shelly is notable for her large braces, which are often used as a source of comedy in the show. In addition, she is usually seen wearing a pink tank top and shorts.
21. Chester McBadbat from The Fairly OddParents
One of Timmy Turner’s two best friends, Chester is also extremely unpopular. He and his family are very poor and live in a trailer park, often seen eating out of garbage. Chester has braces, and in some episodes – a retainer. The braces sometimes seem to have mechanical devices inside them. It’s quite odd that Chester wears braces, particularly such high-tech ones when he is described to be so poor. Don’t you think?
22. Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason from Fanboy and Chum Chum
“Kyle the Conjurer”, as he is often called, is a former wizard academy student, who was expelled from there and is now forced to attend a regular public school. Of course, this was a massive blow to Kyle, who sees himself as someone who is destined to be the most powerful pre-teen wizard on the planet. Luckily for him, upon meeting Fanboy and Chum Chum, he finds people who will later become his friends. Kyle would not be on this list if it weren’t for his very large crooked teeth and braces.
23. Snotty Boy from Back at the Barnyard
Eugene “Snotty Boy” Beady is a selfish, spoiled, obnoxious brat. I mean, this guy likes torturing cows, which is the lowest people can get. And on top, he is also rude toward his parents. In short, if I’ll ever make a list of the biggest creeps Snotty Boy should be there side by side with Joffrey Baratheon.
24. Miriam from Turning Red
One of the most interesting Disney characters with braces, Miriam “Mir” Mendelsohn is the protagonist’s Mei best friend. As you can probably tell by her looks, she is a bit of a tomboy. She is also easygoing and a caring girl who always knows how to make Mei laugh when she needs it the most. When Mei found out that she can transform into a giant red panda, and her life turned upside down, Miriam was there for her, letting her know she is loved, no matter what she looks like.
25. Amanda Killman from Bunsen Is a Beast
Undoubtedly the most villainous mastermind on this list, Amanda is the main antagonist of the Nickelodeon show and Bunsen’s nemesis. She is the mean girl of her class and sort of an evil dictator who hated beasts and would do anything to have them banned from human society. She desperately wants a boyfriend and the fact that she doesn’t have one makes her even more unpleasant. Amanda has dental grape and a slight lisp.
26. Neil Goldman from Family Guy
Neil is a nerdy Jewish boy who has a major crush on Meg. Although she constantly rejects him, he keeps on trying, so I have to give him that. But that’s the only good thing I can say about him because otherwise, he is repulsive and creepy. Neil has a sizeable overbite, expressing his ovular buck teeth, wrapped together by his metallic retainer.
27. Stan Smith from American Dad
Well, usually Stan has perfect teeth, but in the All About Steve episode, after Stan realizes his son Steve is a nerd, he breaks out in a stress rash and grinds his teeth into misalignment. He then goes to the dentist and gets braces. Later, Stan uses Steve’s knowledge of Sci-Fi and fantasy to catch a cyber-terrorist, and things end well.
28. Teenage Fry Cook from SpongeBob
In the episode “Squid on Strike.” The Teenage Fry Cook replaces SpongeBob at the Krusty Krab when SpongeBob goes on strike with the famous ugly character aka. Squidward. Yeah, right, like anyone can replace SongeBob at that! The Teenage Fry Cook is later seen near Squidward’s house when Mr. Krabs complains to Squidward about his workers being teenagers. To his credit, The Teenage Fry Cook seems to admire SpongeBob and says: “Dude, you are like a fry cook legend! Will you sign my spatula?”. The Teenage Fry Cook has silver braces.
29. Braces Girl from Fillmore!
Well, the final character on this list doesn’t even have a real name. What I do know about her is that she is an X middle school student and a member of the school’s Safety Patrol and a crime scene photographer. Like many of the characters on this list, her braces cause her to speak with a slight lisp.
30. Kim Possible with Braces
Pre-teen Kim was a young teenage girl with braces. She was known for her athleticism and intelligence, as well as her bravery and resourcefulness in saving the world from evil villains. Despite her busy schedule, she also navigated the challenges of growing up, such as fitting in with her peers and dealing with school and family life. With her braces, she exemplified that anyone, no matter their appearance, can make a difference and be a hero.
That’s it for this time, hope you enjoyed this article, as much as I did writing it. And remember – braces make beautiful faces!
