Noodle the Animated Cat

Noodle and Bun (and Bean)

Noodle and Bun are TikTok and YouTube channels where animated shorts featuring Noodle the cat, Bean the dog, Bun the mouse and other animals.

I was introduced to Noodle by my nephew. I saw him watching this cat with the weirdest body shape and oddest movements and I got curious. At first I found the jiggly and unnatural movement a little off putting but I fell under the sway of this quirky cat's charms. 

The series lacks definitive episode titles, an episode guide and official premiere dates. That's not uncommon in contemporary internet series but it does make it a little tricky to talk about specific episodes when there are no common episode numbers, dates or titles to refer to.

My Favorite Character

I am a cat person. But Bean is my favorite character. I love the jelly bean design of that little dog. I love the look his face makes when he's upset. I love the way his mouth drops open. I love the sounds he makes. Every time I see that dog he makes me smile.

The Heart of the Shorts

My favorite short is called "What's Wrong with this Dog?" on YouTube. In the short, Bean is sick and Noodle is trying to nurse him back to health. The short is sweet and full of great visual gags.

The Baby Versions

I am very partial towards baby versions of cartoon, puppet and cartoon puppet characters like the Scooby gang in A Pup Named Scooby Doo, baby Toony Tuna from Toon in with Me and the Muppet Babies. One Christmas special sees Noodle get trapped outside and instantly flashback to being an abandoned kitten in a box. Another Christmas special features the dog, Bean, struggling to prepare the perfect Christmas. When Bean thinks he hasn't received a gift, he remembers the loneliness and abandonment of his puppyhood. They are sad circumstances for the introduction to even cuter versions of the main characters.

Sculptures

I tend to make little sculptures. It's my natural inclination to work in a small scale. Maybe it's because I've always loved miniatures. 

This was my second attempt at a Noodle sculpture. I gave up on the first one after I hated the way my attempt a wire armature came out. 

I used a mix of Cosclay, Sculpey and Arteza based on the color I needed. To create Noodle, I sculpted a tinfoil armature and slowly added Cosclay till I was happy with the silhouette. The eyes, ears, mouth and nose were little pieces of clay added to that. The most important thing I've ever learned about polymer clay is that you can bake it multiple times. After creating a Noodle that I was happy with, I moved on to Bean, baby Noodle, baby Bean, Bun and the Daffy looking duck. I used a piece of wire for Bun's tail and a little paint for details but the sculptures are predominately clay and aluminum foil. They have joined the menagerie of Toon in with Me and Sventoonie figures I made.