Whether it’s the casual vibe of low-poly characters or grand live performances of virtual superstars, I can never get over the ingenuity of Vtubers. Now, some clever creators have found yet another way to bring adorable character creations to life while streaming. It’s called “Pngtubing,” and on Sept. 18 the work of a streamer named Jeli charmed thousands of viewers online by showing just how cute the flip-book-esque animations can look.
Generally speaking, the world’s most popular Vtubers — content creators who stream using a virtual avatar — look like 3D anime characters. Instead of using a 3D model and face-tracking software, Pngtubers use PNGs or GIFs to depict a character digitally. As the streamer speaks into their microphone, the PNG image toggles between image frames and the character comes to life with an animation.
Jeli, who streams on Twitch as a chibi character with strawberry buns, got the idea to become a Pngtuber after seeing people use them to stream the game Muse Dash. Unlike the complicated, and potentially expensive software and art that goes into 3D Vtubers, Pngtubers can create a character with only a couple frames of art. Still, that doesn’t mean people aren’t welcome to add more complicated animations to their character. After seeing streamers like Oceonax and Mdxcai get creative with their Pngtubers, Jeli wanted to make something new.
“Seeing people like [Oceonax and mdxcai] really made me realise streaming could be more than just sitting and talking to a screen – I could set up a whole world and setting. It’s like an endless fountain of inspiration was opened for me,” they told Polygon via X.
To celebrate the ninth anniversary of Undertale, Jeli decided to create a special Pngtuber model inspired by the game. They gave their Pngtuber a special outfit modeled after the protagonist of the game and drew an entire scene that showed the character in a cozy childhood bedroom. As Jeli speaks into the mic, the character’s mouth moves. But they added another detail. As Jeli presses the up, down, and side arrows, it prompts animations that show the Pngtuber moving inside the bedroom.
You can view a clip of the stream below. It’s a really adorable concept and a unique way to present Jeli’s interactions with the game. The gameplay streams to a TV drawn inside the scene, accompanied by animations as Jeli plays. In a boss fight in Undertale, you can see Jeli’s Pngtuber avatar in different poses, moving in a way that almost looks like it’s playing Dance Dance Revolution.
The clip ended up going viral on X and got more than 24,000 likes. Jeli told Polygon that they have been honored by the warm reception to their work.
“I’ve wanted to stream for a long time and started earlier this year after a really bad January. I wanted to be able to look back in December and say ‘this was a good year’, y’know? This has given me a huge confidence boost in carrying on with my streaming setup. I love character design and game design, so I’m hoping to do something in that area soon.”
