| Character | Gallery | Relationships | Coverage |
| “ |
Well actually, I had a question about... |
” |
| —Multiple Occasions | ||
Paintbrush, labeled as The Hothead, is a non-binary contestant on Inanimate Insanity, Inanimate Insanity II, and Inanimate Insanity Invitational.
Though a pragmatic and hardworking member of the ill-fated Team Epic, Paintbrush's pettiness and short temper caused them to falter on a few occasions. They were eliminated in "Aquatic Conflict" alongside Salt with an unknown number of votes.
Paintbrush was the first previous contestant chosen to participate in Inanimate Insanity II. Their time on The Bright Lights mostly involved clashing with Lightbulb and Fan's more nonsensical natures, causing their anger issues to flare up even stronger than normal. A violent outburst during a challenge and their status as a challenge threat resulted in their elimination by a 3-2-2-1 vote in "Alternate Reality Show," not before making amends with Lightbulb and the remaining Bright Lights.
They returned in Inanimate Insanity Invitational as a member of The Thinkers, where they briefly tried to secure a leader position over OJ. They especially clashed with Silver Spoon, who stayed with them into the swap to The NEW Pinkers and stunned them with multiple blindsides throughout the season. This included damaging The New Old Thinkers alliance alongside Candle, which broke Paintbrush's spirits enough for them to be ready to leave by "Home Is Where the Heart Is" where they were eliminated in a 4-3 split for their threat status.
They are voiced by Jazzy Oliver.
Appearance[]
Paintbrush has a long rounded body with a square head. A silver metal rim surrounds the top of their head. Paintbrush has yellow bristles that form a pointed brush that emerges from the metal rim. At the bottom of their body is a hole cut out in the center of Paintbrush's torso. In comparison to other contestants, Paintbrush is remarkably tall, as Knife says in both season 1 and 2.
Changes[]
Debut
- Their body is wide and short.
- They are crudely drawn.
- They have no shading.
- Their hole is not cut out.
II1 3-II1 15
- They are taller and less wide.
II1 16-II2 4
- They now have shading.
- They are drawn smoother.
- Their hole is now cut out.
II2 5-II2 11
- They are drawn smoother, their outlines are now sharper around the corners.
II2 12-14
- Their colors are more refined.
- Their outlines are smoother.
III
- Their body is drawn slightly crudely.
- They are colored brighter.
- The shading and on their rim is rough, giving it a more realistic appearance.
- Their head is shaped more smoothly.
- Their hole is a vertical oval rather then a circle
II2 15+
- Their outlines are slightly smaller.
- Their rim now has a shine.
Personality[]
Paintbrush is a responsible contestant who is pragmatic in their approach to challenges and life. They take the game very seriously compared to other contestants, and try to corral their team into trying their best at challenges and taking as few risks as possible. They hold their friends and allies' best interests at heart. In some ways, their problem is that they care too much; when things don't go their way and their teammates don't try their best, they are prone to angry outbursts. When they're angry, sometimes they resort to physical violence and yelling (like when they punch Fan and say they hate him in Mazed and Confused).
Although they are a skilled leader, they are outranked by Lightbulb and her outside-the-box ideas. Although Paintbrush shows a willingness to work with Lightbulb in some episodes, they often butt heads because they are both stubbornly set in their ways.
They are a compassionate, loyal friend, as seen when they try their best to comfort Marshmallow, and are always there to save Nickel in Season 1 when things go awry. Paintbrush is both outspoken and very impatient, so they are not unfailingly kind. This is especially true in Season 1 episodes such as The Snowdown, where they're unnecessarily rude to Apple and MePhone 4. They are also shown to be petty at times; examples of this are present when they still feel angry at OJ for besting them in the Christmas Challenge in The Penultimate Poll, even though it'd been months.
Official Site Bio[]
| “ |
Paintbrush is a tall and quite amiable player. His favorite- oops... her favorite- wait... um... Paintbrush loves to help out whenever possible for his/her team! Being quite outspoken, but under the rank of Lightbulb, Paintbrush appears to be Lightbulb's right-hand man... or... woman... or... forget this. |
” |
| —Inanimate Insanity Site, 2013 | ||
| “ |
Paintbrush strives to be a responsible leader that can earn victory for their team! The only problem is... they’re not the team leader, but that won’t stop them! Paintbrush is very compassionate and is always looking out for the best interests of friends and allies. Their strong leadership skills stem from a pragmatic approach to solving problems. That being said, they have little-to-no temper for those who slack. If you happen to anger Paintbrush... run. |
” |
| —Inanimate Insanity Site, 2018 | ||
Abilities[]
- Combustible Bristles: Paintbrush's bristles react to their emotions and can glow with heat, as seen various times. If angered enough, Paintbrush's hair can ignite into flames.
- Heat Explosion: As seen in "Everything's A-OJ", "Mazed and Confused", "Alternate Reality Show", "The Overthinkers", and "Best Served Cold", when Paintbrush reaches a high level of rage, they will explode in a fit of fire. Additionally, they can send off heat waves that can ruin an entire area of land by burning it, and send a large burst of flame upward.
Coverage[]
Vote Status[]
Season 1 Votes[]
| Episode | EP # | Votes | Total Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Stacker" | 5 | 33 | 265 | 12.45% |
| "Aquatic Conflict"[note 1] | 11 | ~70 | 364 | ~19.2% |
| Total: | 126 to 137 votes | |||
Season 2 Votes[]
| Episode | EP # | Votes | Total Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Marsh on Mars" | 2 | 88 | 2,498 | 3.52% |
| "Tri Your Best" | 3 | 172 | 3,021 | 5.69% |
| "Let 'Er R.I.P." | 6 | 946 | 4,211 | 22.46% |
| "Everything's A-OJ" | 7 | 791 | 4,300 | 18.39% |
| "Alternate Reality Show" | 12 | 3 | 8 | 37.5% |
| Total Number of Season 2 Votes: | 2,000 | |||
| Total Number of Votes Combined: | 2,126 to 2,137 | |||
Popularity Poll[]
| Votes | Total Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1402 (to join) | 22513 | 6.22% |
Season 3 Immunity Votes[]
| Episode | EP # | Votes | Total Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Shame of the Name"[note 2] | 2 | 3362 | 14917 | 22.53% |
| "Snapshot Showdown"[note 3] | 3 | 1251 | 7357 | 17% |
| "The Overthinkers" | 4 | 1360 | 7850 | 17.32% |
| "Best Served Cold" | 7 | 1347 | 10041 | 13.41% |
| "I Am Chocolate!" | 10 | Part of 15417 | 36413 | Part of 42.3% |
| "Pesty Besties" | 11 | 2386 | 16250 | 14.68% |
| "Home Is Where the Heart Is" | 12 | 1666 | 14986 | 11.12% |
| Total Number of Season 3 Votes: | 11372 | |||
Season 3 Elimination Votes[]
| Episode | EP # | Votes | Total Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Overthinkers" | 4 | 1 | 6 | 16.67% |
| "Home Is Where the Heart Is" | 12 | 4 | 8 | 50% |
| Total Number of Season 3 Votes: | 5 | |||
Trivia[]
Comparisons[]
- Paintbrush's height has been a constant focus throughout the series. While they are the tallest contestant in Season 1, Baseball's size increase in Season 2 demotes Paintbrush to the second-tallest.
- As of Inanimate Insanity Invitational, Paintbrush is also the second tallest of the competing contestants, just below Silver Spoon. This is confirmed in Cabby's Files.
- Paintbrush was also the thinnest contestant until Silver Spoon's introduction.
- As of Inanimate Insanity Invitational, Paintbrush is also the second tallest of the competing contestants, just below Silver Spoon. This is confirmed in Cabby's Files.
- Paintbrush and Tea Kettle are the only two contestants who are able to emit heat when angry.
- They additionally utilize the same sound effect when angered, ironically a rising steam sound effect which works more in tangent with Tea Kettle's steam.
Competition[]
- Paintbrush is one of the only contestants to appear in all 3 seasons, the others being Balloon and Nickel.
- Paintbrush was the first confirmed contestant in Inanimate Insanity II, and also the first contestant to be declared safe from elimination in Inanimate Insanity II.
- Paintbrush has survived being in the bottom two in Inanimate Insanity II twice, which is more than any other character. This was in Let Er' R.I.P. and Everything's A-OJ.
- Paintbrush is the only Bright Lights member who has never sat out of a challenge.
- Paintbrush got eighth-to-last in Inanimate Insanity. Coincidentally, they got 8th place in Inanimate Insanity II and Inanimate Insanity Invitational.
- However, due to Blueberry's rejoin, they are now placed 9th in Inanimate Insanity Invitational.
- Paintbrush was the first contestant to use a confessional in Inanimate Insanity Invitational.
- In Inanimate Insanity Invitational, Paintbrush has always been on a team with at least one other former Bright Light, being Yin-Yang on The Thinkers or Test Tube on The Pinkers.
- They competed exactly 12 episodes in both Inanimate Insanity II and Inanimate Insanity Invitational.
General[]
- Paintbrush is the first Inanimate Insanity character to be confirmed as nonbinary, followed by Bot.
- Lightbulb is the first character who is confirmed to know this.
- Before Alternate Reality Show, Nickel, Marshmallow, and Fan seemed to think Paintbrush was a boy, while Apple and Test Tube seemed to think they were a girl. MePad, Knife, and Lightbulb have referred to them as both.
- After Alternate Reality Show, most of the contestants seemed to have picked up on Paintbrush being nonbinary as they have been exclusively referred to with gender-neutral pronouns since then.
- The only confirmed exception is Yang, that is until Paintbrush confirmed to him in "The Overthinkers" that they are, indeed, nonbinary.
- After Alternate Reality Show, most of the contestants seemed to have picked up on Paintbrush being nonbinary as they have been exclusively referred to with gender-neutral pronouns since then.
- According to Taylor, Paintbrush's gender wasn't decided by the crew at the start of the series.
- As stated by Adam in a vlog and Taylor in a Tumblr post, Taylor started voicing Paintbrush because their original voice actor, TotalDramaFantasy, disappeared. He voiced Paintbrush starting in "The Snowdown".
- Paintbrush's voice has steadily become more natural and less digitized throughout the course of the series.
- Paintbrush attempted to ask a question in "The Crappy Cliff", "A Lemony Lesson", "Double Digit Desert", "Breaking the Ice", and "Marsh on Mars", but each time they were interrupted. While this was one of the longest-running mysteries and gags of the show, in "Alternate Reality Show", it was confirmed to be about future-Lightbulb's appearance during the first challenge.
- The concept of Paintbrush's bristles igniting in fury was originally conceived as being like a "wacky cartoon cliche" before it became more meaningful to their character.
- According to their website bio, Paintbrush is very particular about their bristles, preferring to keep them straight and smooth.
- Paintbrush is also very particular about taking care of Baxter. They keep him safe in their room, and are somewhat protective of him.
- According to the II website and Inanimate Comics, Paintbrush hosts arts and crafts classes every week at Hotel OJ to reduce stress.
- This is just one measure they've taken to address their temper.
- It is confirmed in "Mine Your Own Business" and "Hatching the Plan" that Fan and Paintbrush are roommates at Hotel OJ.
- In "The Snowdown", Paintbrush states they do not believe in Santa Claus, and do not care about Christmas.
- It is unknown whether Paintbrush still feels this way.
- Paintbrush is the second contestant to ever blush, the first being Balloon, the third being Silver Spoon, the fourth being Yin-Yang, and the fifth being Paper.
- However, they are the third character overall to blush as Toilet was the first character to blush.
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Exact number of votes received is unknown, but the total vote number is known to be 364.
- ↑ Numbers revealed via. one of Cabby's files in The Overthinkers.
- ↑ Numbers revealed via. one of Cabby's files in The Overthinkers.
| Team Epic |
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 Members: Lightbulb (c) • Nickel • Knife • Paintbrush • Baseball • Marshmallow • Paper • Apple |
| The Bright Lights |
|---|
 Members: Lightbulb • Test Tube • Fan • Paintbrush • Marshmallow • Apple • Yin-Yang • Cherries • Tissues |
| The Thinkers |
|---|
Members: OJ • Clover • Goo • The Floor • Candle • Yin-Yang • Nickel |