A question about Aunt Hilda's appearance in "Sabrina: The Animated Series"

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OK. Now I understand that "S:TAS" is not related to the 1996-2003 (live-action) Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ("STTW") series (One proof aspect being that "S:TAS" is set in Greendale (like the comics), with "STTW" set in Boston, Mass.), and--just so you know--I've never read any of the Sabrina comics in my life, but when you watch "S:TAS", you'll notice that Hilda has a much darker skin tone than Sabrina's and Zelda's, and with dark brown hair (like she was almost an African-American), whereas on "STTW", Hilda's skin tone, and hair color, are the same as Sabrina's and Zelda's.

And that leads me to my curious question (perhaps two, since I never read the original comics):
Did Hilda really have darker skin in the original comics? And, if no, was she only changed dramatically just because of likeness-right issues (in this case Hilda and Zelda on "S:TAS" couldn't look anything like Caroline Rhea and/or Beth Broderick--which they wern't)? (Remember "S:TAS" was produced by DiC, which also produced The Real Ghostbusters, whose characters' appearences were also changed greatly, due to that aforementioned reason.)
 
No, Hilda always had the same skin tone as Zelda and Sabrina in the comics, like as seen in the bottom left panel here. I've just assumed that Hilda had a much more significant tan than Zelda or Sabrina in the DiC 'toon, was all.
 
Hilda and Zelda always had the same skin tone in the original comics; however, their appearances in the comics has changed over the years (particularly recently).

Originally in the comics (and as seen in the Filmation Sabrina cartoons), the aunts were both drawn as looking like traditional witches (Pilgrim-type outfits, green hair), with mortals like Harvey, etc. not noticing anything amiss about this.

Sometime in the late 90s IIRC, the entire Sabrina comic was made over to match the look of the DIC cartoon (complete with everyone looking like their animated counterparts). A few years later after the cartoon ran its course, the comic reverted back to its normal setting, but with the Aunts given modern makeovers---they had the same color hair (green and red), but dressed and looked conventionally like everyone else.

A few years ago, the comic went into an apparently-successful "manga" look, with all characters drawn accordingly (and more drawn-out storylines, etc.)---though the aunts' looks were just manga-ized versions of the modern-makeover-look.


-B.
 
Hilda just had a tan for some reason. I just assumed it was to contrast Zelda's conservative look with her trendy, party-girl persona.
 
Not to mention they've been getting progressively younger over the years. In the Filmation cartoons, they were crones. In the live-action show, they were mature women, but hardly elderly. In the animated series, they look like they are barely out of their teens.

Maybe Hilda's tan is just a case of the animators wanting to expand their color palette.
 
In the animated series, Hilda and Zelda were given 'teenage bodies' by the Witches Council; they were on 'probation' for their aiding Salem in his misguided attempt at world domination, which was a plot line carried over from the ABC series.
 
I don't think the orign of her parents were ever mentioned in the comics which I follow religously(not the ones based off the DiC toon or the manga design, though), but in the show, it's apparantely a rule that if a witch or warlock were to mate with a mortal, their child couldn't meet with their mortal parent until they've mastered witchcraft and wizardry. The rule probably does apply to comics, as well.

I remember in one episode of the live-action series that Sabrina gave up her powers and met up with her mother(the mortal) in a foreign location that escapes my mind, and in one episode of the animated series her father(the warlock) did return, for reasons why he left her in the first place escpaes me, as well.

Eh, both shows have their merits, but I'll take the Filmation Sabrina series anyday. At least that's partly faithful to the comics, since Cousin Ambrose, NOT Uncle Quigely, exists, and Salem's actually on cue with his color.
 
That struck me as funny....giving a couple of women who are several centuries old the bodies of teenagers. Sounds like a reeeaaalll harsh "penalty" to me.
 
I dunno, it's no different than the Time Lords of Gallifrey forcing the Doctor to give up one of his 13 lives as a penalty. Thanks guy, he didn't even do anything really bad and you just made him give up an entire existence.
 
The last thing *I* would want is to be forced to become a teenager again... especially considering Hilda and Zelda despite their chornological age are biologically stuck in their 30s/40s (being immortal and all ;-) ).
 
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