Toon Gloves

"Haven't you ever asked why we use these gloves?"

- Various characters

Opera gloves or toon gloves are a main characteristic of cartoon characters; white, four-fingered gloves have been seen used by toons in shows since the early 1930s. Originally an addition of Walt Disney himself to the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons, to recognize the hands from the bodies when near, the gloves are now seen on hands of many famous cartoon stars, not only from Disney, but also characters such as Looney Tunes from other studios.

Background
Gloves have been proven not only to be white. Examples of this are Roger Rabbit, Jose Carioca, and the Beagle Boys, whose gloves are yellow. The color rarely varies, but the gloves are always soft.

Classic Walt Disney Comics usually colored most of the characters' gloves appearing in the stories yellow, and sometimes even of a blue color. It is unknown if this was a glitch on the printer or if they were intentionally colored as that.

The exact usage of the gloves in cartoon characters is really unknown and could possibly be just an accessory. Throughout history of animation, many toons have wondered why do they use these gloves.

Many characters who use such gloves have been also seen without the gloves. The most remarkable example is in A Goofy Movie, when Goofy takes his gloves off in the hotel before entering the pool. Another rare example is in the 1935 short, The Band Concert, where Clarabelle Cow's glove gets stuck in her flute.

Most remarkable Disney characters who use gloves

 * Mickey Mouse
 * Minnie Mouse
 * Goofy
 * Max Goof
 * Pete
 * P.J.
 * Clarabelle Cow
 * Horace Horsecollar
 * Roger Rabbit
 * Jose Carioca
 * Beagle Boys
 * Bonkers D. Bobcat
 * Pinocchio
 * Jiminy Cricket
 * J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon

Trivia

 * With the exception of Jose Carioca, no birds in the Disney Universe (and even outside of it; for example, Daffy Duck) use toon gloves. Donald Duck, his nephews, Daisy Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Panchito, Ludwig Von Drake, Gyro Gearloose, etc., have never used toon gloves.