First drafts and early versions are so weird, right? Though they stayed mostly true to form when the show hit Cartoon Network in 1998 (and now in 2016), even the Powerpuff Girls in their first appearance in Whoopass Stew! looked extra elongated and thus “off.”
And the Produce High gang is no different! By that, I actually mean some characters are extremely different from their initial incarnations. Some of the stars of this popular and world-famous web comic set in high school share a faint resemblance with their former selves, some got a complete overhaul, and some existed only as coffee-stained doodles once upon a time. Take a look for yourself!
Despite her beautiful handbag, Orange looked just as tragic as ever back in the olden days!
With those piercing cyan eyes and sexy sun tattoo, is it any wonder that Mango finds Coconut to be a stone fox?
In the initial stages, Strawberry was the one with the sunglasses on her head. Since then, she bequeathed those sunglasses to Coconut instead and got herself a sassy blue purse.
Apple rocked that Lisa Loeb look back in the day!
In the early days, Kiwi was drawn to be foreign and quite exotic! However, she ultimately adopted the uniform look as the other characters in an effort to keep creator Stef’s sanity in check.
Mango updated his look for the most current incarnation of Produce High by shaving off his goatee, which was so yesterday.
Shy, studious Plum is one of the few characters who look like the original design.
Like Plum, Fig is one of the few characters to have maintained his same overall shape and look. He even maintained a very similar acoustic axe!
Carrot is another character who stayed true to his original look, and with good reason—that cape is fly as heck!
In 2012, Banana traded in his varsity jacket for some shoulder pads just in time for the Produce High pilot when it was but a most humble animation project.
Principal Lettuce was more like Principal Cabbage once upon a time, with a plaid bow tie and tiny rectangular glasses. Talk about a total overhaul!
Once upon a time, Red, Green, and Yellow Pepper were mutants. Fortunately they underwent plastic surgery and became the very attractive burnouts you know and love today!
Cherry: Just as evil then as she is now—only with more eyelashes!
Like her older brother Plum and her crush Fig, Peach too maintained her original look.
Cucumber, past and present, looking as cool as ever.
There’s only one thing to say about this early version of Pear: Yikes! (Although Honey Bear just referred to her as a “creepy, beakless bird.” He’s so harsh.)
Little Blueberry rocked those baby duck barrettes just as hard in the early days as she does now!
Mushroom, looking just as condescending (and vaguely French) as he did in 2009!
Check out this super early incarnation of the Number 1s. They’ve got legs–and arms, even! Can you imagine any of the cast with limbs? On second thought, don’t—you’ll probably never eat another fruit or veggie again.
The new season of Produce High begins next week—make sure you’re caught up with the story in the P. High archives, and follow HappiMess Media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates as well as zany doodles!
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