Stick figure: History and Key Facts

A stick figure (also known as a stick man, stick woman, or stick person) is a very simple drawing of a human or other animal, in which the limbs (arms and legs) and torso are represented using st

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team•Updated September 30, 2026•2 min read•✓ Fact-checked

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A stick figure (also known as a stick man, stick woman, or stick person) is a very simple drawing of a human or other animal, in which the limbs (arms and legs) and torso are represented using straight lines. The head is most often represented by a circle, which can be filled or unfilled. Details such as hands, feet, and a neck may be present or absent, and the head is sometimes embellished with details such as facial features or hair. Simpler stick figures often display disproportionate physical features and ambiguous emotion.

The stick figure is a widely recognizable symbol. Drawings of stick figures are recognized across many languages, locations and demographics, and the stick figure's roots can be traced back to over 30,000 years ago. Stick figures are often drawn by children, and their simplicity and versatility have led to their use in infographics, signage, animations, storyboards, and other kinds of visual media.

Following the advent of the World Wide Web, the stick figure saw prominent use in Flash animation.

Source and attribution

Text excerpted from Stick figure by Wikipedia contributors, available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. The extract is abridged and formatting has been adjusted; the adapted text on this page is shared under the same licence. Revision history.