A cartoon, on the other hand, is a totally different case. Even more dramatic of a departure from reality is the dog in Mr. Boffo, which is shaped like a mere squiggle. First of all, we have to understand that a cartoon is little more than a sign. A sigh is something that symbolizes an aspect of reality. This means signs can range from stop signs, which symbolize the concept of stopping, to words, which represent the meaning associated with them.
Cartoons are motivated signs, or signs that look more or less like what they symbolize.
Granted, some cartoons are more motivated, or close to their subject, than others. The characters from Rex Morgan, MD are drawn with closer attention to the shape and proportion of the real world than say, the characters from Miss Peach we mentioned before. Another way to talk about how cartoons resemble reality is to call them Icons. An icon is basically the same thing as a motivated sign - it looks like what it means. Cartoons can be broken down even further.