Jungian Archetypes in The Animals

If you'd like to see these kawaii creatures from a new perspective, then you may be pleased to know that there's more to them than meets the eye.

You may be familiar with the Swiss psychologist (and founder of psychoanalysis) Carl Jung.

In this case, you probably already recognize the concept of "archetypes" - various personas that come together and create the psyche of a whole person. This is something that is discussed in many dream dictionaries or books on the psychology of dreaming.

Even when I started creating these cartoon cuties in the Summer of 2017, I was already realizing that they're all archetypes of me in a way. Read on for an explanation.

Dogosaur is "The Child". He's not overly self-aware (of how he comes across to others), but thrives more on his current wants & needs. Despite his size and aggressive appearance, Dogosaur's got a vulnerable streak and can be prone to random tantrums. Overall, he's innocently playful.

Pandaroo is "The Wise Old Man". Often quiet and thought to be pessimistic, he is just quite realistic because he's learned from experience that life is far from perfect. He's also quite knowledgeable and the other animals come to him for advice like he's a Google speaker!

Parrofly is "The Trickster", but not in the typical way of trying to deceive. Rather, he rarely takes a situation seriously, often trying to divert his role by using humor. Even his Mr. Bean-like voice screams "I'm a comedian!"

Slowan is "The Self". That is, he's incredibly aware of both his conscious and subconscious minds, and perhaps this has to do with his love of sleeping and dreaming. After all, dreams are mind-expanding! This is also why he 'clicks' so well with everyone else, as he sees the 'wholeness' of friends coming together and is the connector of all the other archetypes.

Elefox is "The Animus", the masculine personality. Although he's nice and by no means "macho" (ick), he is large & loud, has a phallic facial feature and LOVES to eat tons of food! Plus, he is outwardly energetic, much like Dogosaur. 

Beever is "The Hero". Despite his tiny size, he's the hardest-worker of them all. He also grows, nourishes and nurtures flowers. He proves that even the very small can also be very strong & helpful.

Rabbird is "The Maiden". She is soft (literally and figuratively), feminine and innocent. Often sweetly quiet and shy, she's got a pure heart full of poetry.

Froogle is "The Shadow". Though she's not malicious or 'dark' per se, she is painfully aware (much like Pandaroo) of an underlying darkness in life. She is aware that we all have moral choices to make, and not everyone makes selfless ones. Because of this, she's not over-the-top friendly because she has trouble trusting others' true motives.

Unicat is "The Mother". She is strong, proud, kind, confident and always there when her friends need some support. Although she does act like a diva sometimes, she is always quick to apologize.

Penguana is "The Father". Though he's smaller than most of them, he is still quietly supportive of everyone. He's also honest enough to be a great help to friends in need. He is mostly mature, but with a "dad joke" sense of humor. (I could've drawn him with a pipe, newspaper, thick glasses and a sweater-vest).

Zebat is "The Anima". She carries the ultimate feminine energy, with a flirty and 'womanly' vibe about her. She blows kisses, giggles, winks, has a sweet voice and a heart-shaped mark on her chest. She is also very friendly and supportive.

Octomouse is "The Persona". She basically represents the 'better version of self' that we all desire to show to others in social situations. Quite frankly, she is terrified of the others because they seem so big and threatening! So to appease them - and protect herself - she puts on her very best behavior.

Do you recognize anything there about yourself? Which one is your personal strongest archetype?

It's also hard to believe that we're already in our 3rd day of the new year! I spent December 31 drawing this for you to enjoy. Learn more about the project at https://www.patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist