Somewhat ironic that the only character that wasn't "Stick thin" was the literal skeleton

god hearing sans undertale, the onceler, raymond animal crossing and jeff the killer being mentioned in one sentence dealt psychic damage i was not prepared for

The fact that Alastor was practically designed to be simped over only for him to be canonnically acromantic and asexual was absolutely hilarious

Apparently the Invisible Man from Hotel Transylvania was a major thirst-magnet, and probably would have been classified as a Tumblr Sexyman, until he was revealed to be cartoonishly ugly in HT4. People were literally simping for a pair of glasses.

I remember being so annoyed with the human Bill Ciphers because I was attracted to the triangle

Ok but Alex Hirsch drawing his own horrifying cannon version of Bill Cipher is the most Alex Hirsch thing I've seen

toby fox really has a knack for making tumblr sexypeople whether he wants to or not

Bro Sans IS the tumblr sexy man now, he broke the model yet he is the example.

“Why don’t you stop kinning Komaeda and start kinning your homework” I spat my drink out

As soon as you said “how bad can I be?” I felt a profound emptiness.

Honestly this video is so much funnier after Bruno, Sun/Moon and especially Spamton all became Tumblr/TikTok sexymen, since the culture surrounding them is an odd mix of genuine attraction, irony, and self awareness. Great retrospective!

After Spamton, I'm convinced that Toby Fox has realized that he has the power to create sexymen at will.

I was not prepared for Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid to be on the wiki

It’s just so ironic how the first Sexyman™ to break the skinny archetype was a *literal skeleton* Sans really said “I’m not chubby, I’m just big boned” and wasn’t lying

10:45 the fact sans broke every single trope, yet is still the reason so many thirsty teens (myself included) are so obsessive over fictional characters is crazy (just goes to show how much power this man has)

im so glad sans has continued to defend his sexyman title

Tumblr: Doesn't like capitalism also Tumbly: Thirsts over the crazy capitalist corporate overlord

“Why don’t you stop kinning Komaeda and start kinning your homework” has the same energy as "stop calling yourself a bottom you are 14 and need to finish the To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 12-15 analysis questions"

I will forever appreciate Encanto for giving Tumblr a new sexy man (December 2021) and he’s Latino! Bruno Madrigal. He’s not evil or wears a suit. He’s a skinny, anxious, dork, with oily hair that loves his pet rats. He’s perfect and YES I have read the fanfics. Don’t judge.

On the one hand, Alastor as a design is actually a lot older and can be found on Vivienne’s ancient deviantart account. On the other hand, Alastor is canonically asexual, so it’s entirely possible he was conceived as a bait and switch.

Is Waluigi a Sexyman? - Evil ✅ - Tall, skinny ✅ - White ✅ - Formalwear ✅ (he has canonically worn formalwear at some point IIRC)

character: is not remotely sexualized or even human, existing in an obscure piece of media tumblr artists: 👀

As someone who was the target demographic for the classic tumblr sexymen, I’d like to offer some insight that I never see talked about; basically the whole core of why some characters gained a cult following was the idea that we weren’t supposed to be attracted to them. Like I remember the onceler taking off so hard because everyone was just in pure shock that he wasn’t just a pair of green hands like in the original. People were seeing images from the 2012 movie for the first time and going “omg THAT’S the onceler??” Like, he fit the aesthetics of the time just enough to gain teen girl interest without being an obvious choice for a giant fandom. So it felt sort of scandalous to take these characters that no one would conceive of being sexy conceptually and thirsting after them instead of a character that specifically pandered to teen girls (you know before people started to catch on to the fact that that’s what teen girls liked). And we thrived on that scandal.

I can’t believe that Dr. Facilier from princess and the frog just keeps ticking off boxes to fit into the “sexyman” category and even existed BEFORE the Onceler and yet somehow keeps getting glossed over. I guess the one factor that’s missing is the popularity factor. Gee I wonder why that is….

It makes me upset people labeling Sans as evil or having a dark side when in the actual game he was the good guy. Tumblr buggin

The sexymen are basically the seasonal waifus of Tumblr.

“Character design work hard but teens on tumblr wanting to make a bangable character work hard” basically the whole video sum up to this quote

I feel like the tumblr sexyman has evolved somewhat. Bruno Madrigal is considered the latest tumblr sexyman but he definitely is his own breed of sexyman and has very little in common with Bill, the Onceler, etc. I feel like this type of sexyman is a few evolutions past Sans. Funny, short, dark, not conventionally attractive, glowing green eyes, tortured. Sans and Bruno both have this “weight of expectations” and “potential for evil” commonality as well as a desire for a stress free life. But due to their responsibilities, they can’t ever truly be free. There’s a little more of a conflicted edge to the new tumblr sexyman and a little less “evil for the sake of it”.

''They multiplied Onceler and shipped him with himself." Scientists: Ah yes, finally the ever-elusive Twiceler.

"Character designers work hard but teens on Tumblr who want to make every character bangable work harder" absolutely broke me. It should be on a shirt.

i think mystery is also a big part of what makes these characters so popular. bill cypher is hyped up as the secret final antagonist of gravity falls through all kinds of hidden codes and symbols. sans has a secret alter ego and most of his development is locked behind the genocide route. even tony the talking clock has a menacing cosmic edge hidden behind a non-threatening appearance. often there's something grand and unknowable about these characters, as if the viewer only sees a fraction of their personality (and history) within their source material. it's why the invisible man from hotel transylvania was so popular for a long time too. he's literally invisible

Watching this in September 2022 right after Sans won a Tumblr sexyman contest is wild.

I don’t even know why it makes me die from laughter about when the Gravity Falls creator made a horrendous canon version of human Bill Cipher and the whole fandom just went “We don’t see it”

I love how all of them are arguably “twisted” or have a dark backstory and then there’s freaking RAYMOND FROM ANIMAL CROSSING 😭 HES A GODDAMN NERD CAT WTH

12:40 Vivzievop designed alastor when she was still in high school so I don't think he is bait, what is most likely is that he is probably inspired by the "sexyman" trope, since timelines match. Then he became part of the whole "angels and demons" arc concept for another project of vivzies. But that concept arc was so good ot became its own series (Hazbin hotel) and hence alastor becoming unintentionally a certified "sexyman"

It boggles my mind how tumblr managed to make a sentient dorito a sexy character

what i don’t get is why sans became the sexyman over mettaton, he was literally wrapped up nice and pretty for tumblr

Men obsessing over fictional women: Oh it's just boys being boys Women obsessing over fictional men: WHAT? THAT IS WEIRD ._.

i have an odd love for the tumblr sexyman fandom, it’s just a funky thing i find so oddly interesting and entertaining

I hate that Tumblr sexymen Heathers poster implies Sans is Veronica

"I wonder if kids will get crushes on characters in my game. Like, papyrus or sans. I feel bad for those theoretical children" -Toby Fox, 2015

I'm so proud of Subway Boss Ingo making it to the overall list on the wiki, good for him honestly

Okay, now you HAVE to do a video about Reigen winning every poll BUT tumblr sexyman since he lost to Sans Undertale.

I feel the reason Alastor looks like “sexy man” bait is because Vivziepop made Alastor when she was in middle school. Now guess what the prime userbaze of tumblr is? Preteen to teenage girls. So I feel Alastors design was born out of what tumblr is generally attracted to when it comes to sexy man material

Another trait of most sexymen: Charm. Whether it’s clumsiness, humor or looks, Sexymen are often evil yet still have a somewhat charming personality. This makes them more likable, something that contrasts well with a character with “a dark side”.

I'm haunted by the fact that Alastor's design is essentially the oldest and appeared long before Once-ler's 2012 version

I knew there was a reason this showed up in my feed again. I hope she makes a video essay about it

-Top Hat -Suit -Dark side/unhappy personality -Tall -Pale Now I can finally have an excuse for my lifelong obsession with Ebenezer Scrooge.

im reporting you for the 'how bad could i be?' you've just undone years of therapy and very specific memory erasure. i will be seeing you in court.

The Onceler being a Sexymen again, but instead of Tumblr it's the whole internet.

Blackhat is an interesting case. His coat and tie were solidified, for a good few years prior to the the show and promotional clips. It is a passion project. Then when the show was taken in by CN Mexico, the art style was revamped, because the creator developed as an artist and animation needed a art style to tell the story. So I don't think he was designed to be a Tumblr ssexy man but he just fit the bit, due to the show and the TSM craze overlapping in time

"post-ironic tumblr sexymen" I love how we're using terms that look like actual terms historians would use for real life events.

Sexy Tumbler men: Tall, skinny, suit, top hat Sans: "Hey, you can't mess with the perfection "

reigan aratacka, #1 baby girl, #1 dilf, #1 milf, #1 hottest black haired anime woman, and so forth deserves to be mentioned here

Okay so after Spamton became canonized, I'd like to put forward a potentially new criteria for Sexymen: Voice actors enjoy voicing this character.

"Sans is the first to break all the Tumblr Sexyman tropes." Well, except for the part where everyone made a thousand different AU versions of him that they proceeded to ship together. That's pretty Onceler.

Alastor is interesting as a tumblr sexyman bait because he’s canonically asexual. He ticks all the boxes but he wouldn’t want any of you even if he was real lmao

I feel like there's also a very clear border to when a character is huggable or 'fluffy' and when it becomes a sexyman. Papyrus? Silly lovable dork. Sans? Sexyman!

I’m part of a really, really small fandom and I saw a few posts about turning the main villain into a tumblr sexyman. This was the only time that I was glad the fandom was so small. Still the thought of this character being a tumblr sexyman is the most hilarious and utterly terrifying concept.

14 year old boys: *sexualising things* everyone: boys will be boys 14 year old girls: *sexualising things* everyone: that's kinda disturbing honestly.

i cant believe that undertale had mettaton perfectly suitable for a sexy men and yet they choose goofy skelly

Congratulations to Sans for winning the 2022 TSM

SANS BEATING REIGEN KILLED THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND... we need a part 2 on this video just discussing That Topic.

The trend makes a lot of sense. They're just doing what comes naturally.

the fact the gravity falls creator made a "canon" human bill chiper just to shit with the fangirls is just amazing

One trait i also think is important is that they almost all very comedic fun and enthusiastic they have this weird air of confidence fx as mentioned in the video they often have mischievous/sly smiles. And I think alot of the characters that don't share this traits very easily fall into another archetype i.e the sad little meow meow.

Once-ler: handsome, dorkish beanpole corrupted by greed Sans: Cute, friendly skeleton with sympathetic if mysterious past B*ll: Literal psychopath demon with no shred of decency willing to destroy the world and murder children just for his own amusement that gave 13-year-old me trauma that permanently ruined both my favorite show and my ability to get into new media. ...I don’t think there’s any one path to becoming a meme icon.

Seeing Sans undertale in that sexyman list is so funny to me because I know for a FACT that if he were a human he'd be a tiny Danny devito body-havin stinky man

*"Who knows what character will be chosen as Tumblr's next target."* Me, *looking at the Dream SMP fandom and how artists draw their minecraft skins*: Yes, I wonder ?

As a old deviantart guy, I saw the rise of Sans as a "sexy" character. At the time after being a bit thrown off by this trope becoming more and more prevalant, I assumed it was a less weird equivalant to R34. I mean if some people can have sexy gardevoirs it makes sense that some other people would have sexy Bill cipher. Fantasies rise interesting questions about what and why we find some details attractive.

I've seen this video a hundred times, but I had to come back to look for Kia's art

The best part of this video is how she talks about sexymen traits being passed down like One For All

I can’t decide is like the tumblr sexyman anthem

Little did we know, we'd get another Tumblr sexyman in the form of a 1997 email spambot.

Honestly the formula is very simple to what makes a tumblr sexyman. To quote Bo Burnham, teenage girls just want the "half good, half bad, half boy". The design similarities are a red herring to this real essence of charisma and a sense of duality or 'redeemability' for not an evil but rather a POWERFUL character. Its not just teenage girls that want these tropes. The similarities in design are attributed to young teen immaturity and unoriginality in what makes a man "attractive". the slender, gangly villian is more approachable no matter how terrible they really are, and as soon as you show even the slightest hint at a "soft" side - game over. I look back at this time fascinated by how captured I was with these characters even while knowing how completely of the rails the fandom was.

But like- STOP SHIPPING THE TRILLIONS OF YEARS OLD DORITO WITH A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD BOY-

“Whether it be Shego, Flynn Ryder, Kronk, Human Shrek, Li Shang, or then the furry Robin Hood.” *What about regular Shrek?*

This video came up the same day the Reigen vs Sans 2022 Twitter stand-off happened. Lmao.

It is quite surreal coming back to this video following the September 8th Ultimate Tumblr Sexyman poll. We had no idea how right you truly were.

what do you think of resident evil's lady dimitrescu being canonized as the first tumblr sexywoman?

the real determiner is how well they can be animated to I Cant Decide by the Scissor Sisters

Coming here after Sans won by one fucking vote #SANSSWEEP

The background music slapped me right in the face with the nostalgia bat. You gotta love those obscure, low budget Wii games our parents bought secondhand from GameStop or the Walmart clearance bin. The ones we obsessed over for just the purest of reasons as kids. I love the amazing videos! (And amazing choices in background music.) Keep up the great work :)

I’m surprised purple guy/ spring trap wasn’t on here. Like holy shit he was massive for what felt like ages

Vivzipop was like "I'm gonna make a character that is the _definition_ of Tumblr Sexyman, right? But get this, _he's asexual aromantic :)_ " and honestly? mad respect.

the first time i learned about tumblr sexymen was when i was looking for reference images and stumbled across the sexypedia page for red son (specifically from lmk, not jttw). i was EXTREMELY CONFUSED and very concerned for many people's sanity. edit: going thru this criteria as a joke and damn... he really does fill a lot of the criteria lol also 100% girlboss move for alex hirsch making bill's human form very hideous to spite everyone who made sexy art of him lmao

Sans is the true sexyman

the textpost that said "onceler is feral and babey uwu" or something like that made me have heart palpitations

But Sans isn't evil at all. Sans' "dark side" is his heroic last stand as he realizes he's the only thing between the monster you've become and the rest of the world. There are HOLES in this Sexy Man definition

Can’t believe that this has killed the queen

My favorite sexypedia page is probably the one on Wilson from Don't Starve. Not because I personally am attracted to him or anything, I just think the writing on that page is exceptionally hilarious. Every day I think about "yee yee ass haircut"

Since Viv made Alastor when she was a teenager I wouldn’t be surprised if he was literally created through tumblr sexy man thirst lol. We all made those OCs don’t lie.

The real crime here is that you didn't mention Purple Guy, or how Tumblr named his fan interpretation, "Vincent."

sans undertale killed the queen

SANS CROWNED ULTIMATE SEXYMAN (NOT CLICKBAIT) #SANSSWEEP

The entire Onceler incident is downright hilarious now, with the benefit of hindsight, but actually living through it was harrowing

i think the most important character trait for a sexyman is The Smug™ for some reason tumblr users find cocky, knowing, smugness, extremely attractive

September 2022. Sans was elected as #1 sexy man #historyfacts

As someone who only ever looked in on whatever the hell happened with this trope, I do like the character design aspect of it. I think it's genuinely appealing and has some really cool and creative designs that people have come up with. going beyond that though... yeah, that's where I think it starts to get a bit too weird for me.

Jeff the Killer: White leathery burned skin, a huge slit open smile, and burned eyelids Tumblr artists: Not gonna lie, I’m kinda into that (Edit: I MADE THIS COMMENT YESTERDAY AND THERE’S 688 LIKES WTF)