For the past few weeks, we’ve watched with amusement (and eventually boredom) as the Hipster Ariel meme took over the internet. With the arrival of Hipster Rapunzel — who would probably hate the fact that she’s computer animated — and the whole line of Hipster Disney Princesses, the onslaught shows no sign of stopping. That’s why we’ve decided to assert our authenticity with this list of cartoons who have always been hipsters. Insert LCD Soundsystem-style “I was there” joke here.
Jane and Trent Lane, Daria
She’s an artist; her brother is a rock musician. They’re both heavily pierced. They both have delightfully deadpan voices. Their names are Trent and Jane. And remember when Trent took Daria to get pierced?
Shaggy, Scooby Doo
He’s skinny, ’70s retro, and talks in somewhat incomprehensible slang. Oh, and we’re pretty sure he knows where you can score some weed.
Josie and the Pussycats
If being in a rock band weren’t enough, they also like to wear cat costumes with ears. Haven’t we seen your headbands on Etsy?
Wordsworth, Heathcliff
How do you know when your cat is a hipster? When he’s wearing sunglasses, roller skates, and headphones at the same time, talking in rhyme, and gentrifying your local junkyard.
Belle and Sebastian
When one of the world’s biggest indie bands is named after you, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be a hipster by association. Also, look at that fucking scarf.
Pac-Man
Lest we forget, Pac-Man was not only a video-game star; he also had his own short-lived cartoon, from 1982-83. Anyone who spends so much time gobbling pills in the dark surely qualifies as a hipster — and the extent to which the fascination with Pac-Man has continued into the 21st century only proves his retro staying power.
Rainbow Brite
In the ’90s, she and her friends were club kids. But their predilection for knee socks and eccentric footwear means they qualify as hipsters, too.
Lisa Simpson
She’s a musician, a smartypants bookworm (who enjoyed Ghost World ), and a vegetarian. If she ever grew up, we bet she’d be working as a lefty blogger and heading up a vegan co-op in Portland.
Michelangelo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Allow us to quote from the TMNT theme song: “Michelangelo is a party dude.” This nunchaku-wielding pizza-lover is clearly the alt member of the turtle gang. When he’s off the job, you’ll catch him yelling “cowabunga!” as he dives into the crowd at a Japanther show in Bushwick.
Cowboy Bebop
This Japanese anime series features a group of characters whose mid-20th-century counterculture looks could have been plucked straight from Silver Lake central casting. And they smoke a lot of cigarettes.