Avatar (2024)

For users on Roblox, see users.

An avatar (previously known by Roblox as a character, or Robloxian) is a customizable entity that represents a user on Roblox. Whenever a user spawns in a place, the user is given a character that is a replica of the user's avatar, which may be disabled or limited by developer's choice. There are two rig types of an avatar; R6 and R15, both of which have a different number of parts. Users can switch to either rig type. Avatars can wear items from the Marketplace, such as Heads, Faces, Accessories, Classic shirts, Classic pants and Gear. Colors of avatar parts can also be changed through Skin Tone, which can also be used to change an individual part's color.

Controller Flags (2004–2005)[]

During this stage of Roblox development, the game had no actual avatars. Instead, playable characters were made through the usage of ControllerFlags, which were used in conjunction with motors in order to create vehicles that move through obstacles, or in cases like "Steer the Spheres" were used to push around a sphere using various methods.

ControllerFlags were called ControllerFlags due to the 3D flag that was over the controllable model indicating what ControllerType it was. ControllerType included "KeyboardLeft", which was WASD, "KeyboardRight", which was the arrow keys, but was later replaced with UHJK, "Flee", which ran away from other ControllerFlag models, and "Chase" which chased the nearest ControllerFlag model unless it was already chasing a model. They were removed in 2009, in favor of Vehicle Seats.

1.0[]

The first and most iconic version of avatars had round studs on their body parts and no moving limbs. The torso also became only one part. In 2007, avatars were given the ability to move their limbs. This avatar type is also associated with R6, which was the only avatar rig available for use until the introduction of R15.

A new head with a different shape was added to the avatar in 2009, with some giving it the nickname "shiny head" due to the tremendous amount of glare emitted from the head. The "shiny head" mesh is still used up to today, however, most of its glare is not present anymore ever since Plastic got a texture. You can still bring the old glare the head mesh had by changing the head's material to Smooth Plastic. The same goes for all other body parts.

Reiterations of 1.0[]

2.0[]

Robloxian 2.0 is a bundle available for 15 Robux. It was introduced along with the bundle feature itself in 2010, then called "packages". The feature allowed users to optionally change their avatars to have unique body types, by buying bundles with Robux in the catalog. This was the first bundle on Roblox for players to try out for their avatar. Although it didn't get much criticism when it got introduced, it later got severe criticism because of it looking somewhat realistic and people worrying about "ODers" (online daters) using the bundle because of its realistic look.

3.0[]

3.0 bodies are the starter bundles for users that have registered an account in May 2014 or later. Users could choose between the Man bundle or the Woman bundle. Soon after, the starter Man bundle was changed to include a hair-type hat that cost 90 Robux, a blue and black shirt with a motorcycle print and dark green jeans. The Woman bundle, on the other hand, was given a grey striped shirt with a denim jacket and a pair of pink jeans. These bundles were introduced in 2012, but cost 75 Robux. The price was decreased for the new bundles to 25 Robux, and eventually, they were available for free. This series of bundles also has a negative association, as avatar 3.0 is the default for new users and is seen as "amateur."

4.0[]

On March 2, 2016, 4.0 bundles ("Boy" and "Girl") were added and are automatically received by users after signing up depending on which gender they choose. They are free bundles and resemble an updated Robloxian 2.0 but with realistic digits on the hands instead of curved nubs. However, each hand is missing a pinky finger.

Neoclassic[]

Neoclassic Avatars, or Classic Blocky, was released on March 26, 2020, with the free release of the first Classic bundles into the Marketplace. It is a modern recreation and a mixture of 1.0 and 3.0 avatars. The avatars themselves weren't met with much criticism, but criticism arose when the bundles started to replace more commonplace bundles in the advertisem*nt posters for Roblox.

Default Avatar[]

Currently, the default avatar for male users starts off wearing the Man bundle, Smile face, Pal Hair, Blue and Black Motorcycle Shirt, and Dark Green Jeans. For female users, the avatar wears the Woman bundle, Smile face, Chestnut Bun, Grey Striped Shirt with Denim Jacket, and Pink Jeans. If the user doesn't select a gender, the avatar wears the Skyler bundle, Smile face, My Favorite Pizza Shirt and Black Jeans.

There are 20 skin tone combinations that appears randomized.

Torso can appear with "Light stone grey", "Bright blue", "Medium stone grey", "Black", "Bright yellow", "Bright green", "Dark stone grey", "Earth green", "Medium blue" and "Bright red" colors.

Head and arms can appear with "White" and "Medium stone grey" colors.

Legs can appear with "Medium blue" color only.

History[]

2004-2005[]

In its earliest stages of development, Roblox did not have directly controllable avatars. The earliest known model to represent a human-like character was the "Child on Skateboard" model, which was created by David Baszucki in November 2004. This and other humanoid-style models were on the website and could be inserted into minigames, but were mainly for building and decorative purposes due to their non-interactive nature. However, it was common for these models to be put on top of vehicles that were controlled by the player through ControllerFlags to give the appearance of a human driving, as seen in several game thumbnails from 2005.^[1]

2005–2007[]

The first playable avatars were introduced on January 12, 2006. Originally, players would start with a yellow head and arms, green legs, and a blue/light blue/gray torso. The version with a blue torso has become the stereotypical "noob" look in Roblox. At the time, body colors were only available as presets, and you could choose one on signup, you could also change it by going to the "MY ROBLOX" page and clicking on "Change Character". The reason behind that was avatar customization didn't exist before March 2007. These avatars are considered to be "classic avatars" according to Roblox Terms of Use.

2007–2009[]

On March 7, 2007, when avatar customization was added,^[2] it introduced new default avatar colors for users, while causing already-existing avatars to change colors as well. These avatars had a light-yellow head and arms, light blue legs, and a random-colored torso. These avatars and later revisions are considered to be "modified classic avatars" according to Roblox Terms of Use.

2009–2011[]

On March 24, 2009, the default avatars were changed to have either white or gray heads and arms. There are also several new default torso colors, and avatars will start off wearing the Blockhead, Roundy, or Trim heads. The first account to have this avatar was fddfsads4fdff.

2011–2014[]

On March 23, 2011, players started receiving different avatars based on their gender.^{[note 1]} For a short time in early May 2012, new users would start without the Red Roblox Cap (and people who chose the female gender possibly started with no items as well^{⁠[citationneeded]}). This was later reverted to the latter. The last player to receive this default avatar was Gumby4life on June 24, 2014. Players who sign up on mobile may get these avatars as a glitch instead of the 2014–present avatars. (See below.)

2014–present[]

On May 30, 2014, Roblox started rolling out new starting avatars to select users, and by late June, all players who signed up received these avatars. These avatars generate with the 3.0 bundles (Man and Woman) rather than 1.0, and for the first time they are given free clothing. In 2014, they had a Roblox "R" or the Bloxxer T-Shirt just like the previous default avatars. This was removed in 2015.

Since January 2017, new users have R15 enabled on their avatars by default.

2014-2015[]

2015-2017[]

2017-present[]

Early 2023-July 2023[]

July 2023-present[]

2016–present[]

In 2015, Roblox started testing out avatars for the Xbox One. In January 2016, Roblox released on Xbox One. The avatars in which you start on Xbox is different to the other platforms.

2016-2017[]

2016[]

On Tixapalooza, 4 avatars were re-textured from Xbox, but later they went unused. Now, when you're making a new account, you receive these items.

They had Nougat skin color, Smile face, 4.0 body and accessories with clothing.

2017-2019[]

They originally had R6 equipped, but they have since been updated to R15.

2019-2021[]

In early September 2019, Roblox removed skin color from the heads of these avatars, causing them to change.

2021-present[]

In December 2021, Roblox removed skin color from the clothes/body parts of these avatars, causing them to change.

2019–2020, 2024[]

In December 2019, Roblox started rolling out a new sign-up page to select players, including 8 default avatars, and a fully customizable avatar editor.

In April 2020, these two avatars (along with two others) were discontinued to add four more preset avatars.

In late March 2024, the blocky preset avatars became optional default avatars on all devices.

2019–2021[]

The avatars below were also added in December 2019, but were removed later than the previous four due to the new sign-up page being removed and reverted to the previous sign-up page. In December 2020, a beta released for a new Roblox client which added these avatars back to the sign-up page, with some of the avatars having different skin tones. They were only available on the client. In June 2021, the client started to be in use and these avatar options were removed.

2020[]

In April 2020, the Kenneth, Cindy, Dennis and Lindsey avatars were added to the default avatars on the new sign-up page, removing four other avatars.

They were later removed when the sign-up page was reverted to its previous form.

2020–present[]

On September 8, 2020, Roblox completely removed the gender selection buttons on the sign-up page for some users worldwide. Instead of picking a gender, users get an avatar that is "genderless" after they sign up which starts with the Skyler bundle, My Favorite Pizza Shirt, Black Jeans, Down to Earth Hair, and Smile. Through the settings page, they can still change their gender. Some users voiced their displeasure with this new avatar on social media and the feature of having no gender to select was later removed from the website almost a week later. However, it has since been re-added and you can still get this default avatar if you don't select a gender when signing up for an account.

In rare cases after July 2023, people won't get the Skyler bundle as their default avatar, instead they get a gray topless avatar with green legs. However, this glitch seems to be patched. The avatar doesn't come equipped with a dynamic head by default.

July 2023-October 2023[]

On July 27, 2023, Roblox started rolling out new avatars, whilst still keeping the older ones. But as of September 2023, the older ones are starting to be replaced by the new ones. Since October 2023, the old avatars are still being used, but the new avatars are still coming out.

Avatar rigs[]

R15[]

Main article: R15

R15 is an avatar rig. Instead of the regular 6 joints, it uses 15, allowing for more fluid animation. R15 was officially announced in this blog. Beta testing for this new feature came out on February 18, 2016. It was fully released on September 29, 2016, and users can switch to the rig via the Avatar customization page. Extra animation bundles for this were added later and can be purchased from the catalog, which has been positively received as the most appealing part of this rig. (R6 is usually preferred from a nostalgic viewpoint).

Interestingly, even though this was released back in October 2016, files of R15 date back to 2013, and some even as early as 2012. (This could possibly be a bug).

On May 16, 2018, the R15 limbs' smoothness was reduced, and had a notable gap between the limbs. This was done so that the block rig would be compatible with Rthro's scaling.

Rthro[]

Rthro is the 2nd newest avatar type to be released. Rthro scaling was released on October 22, 2018, with the first Rthro bundle releasing a day later on October 23, 2018. It usually needs the R15 body type and/or a Dynamic Head in order to work correctly.

Trivia[]

This section is a trivia section. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections of the article.

• The first characters had medium green pants, a bright blue, grey, green, light blue or a light red torso, and a yellow, brown, pinkish and light brown head and arms, resembling what many players call a Roblox noob.
• Avatars were originally meant to be plastic robots, hence the "Ro-" part of Roblox.
• These are similar to Minifigures from the LEGO series.
• A user can change the colors of their avatar's limbs; if the user is not wearing a shirt, players can see the color of its torso.
• Up until 2013, the player's torso color would change to the color of the team they were on, their head would become yellow, and their arms and legs would become dark gray.
• Avatars from 2006 to 2007 didn't have bevels on their limbs.
• According to an admin post, avatars are only 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) tall, while Rthro (if put on the maximum scale) avatars are 6.5 inches (16.51 centimeters) tall.
• Having different limbs (ex. smaller limbs or bigger limbs) doesn't actually give an advantage on games such as obstacle course games. This is due to all models having the same hitbox.
• Users used to have circle studs on their shoulders until March 2009.

  

• In early 2007, the icon for an avatar looked different, as seen with Builderman in the picture to the right.
• Shoes were going to be a form of accessory. It was an idea that was thought of in 2007, but due to technical issues and modeling problems, they were ultimately scrapped.
  • They were added back as a layered clothing item in 2022.
• Back in 2007, a screenshot of the first Hair accessory on Roblox was uploaded. It was supposed to be released in 2007, but it became unused and scrapped after that.
• On September 17, 2019, a large amount of glare was added to newly generated avatar thumbnails. This was due to the transition to new lighting technology.
• Sometimes, your newly created account won't have its necessary peripherals on them, such as a classic shirt.
• Up until 2013, characters not wearing package or clothes would have studs.
• Most default avatars up until 2015 wore a ROBLOX "R" or the Bloxxer T-shirt.
• Robloxian body parts were also used on Buildaverse, unaffiliated from Roblox, where their facial designs resemble those with default smile face.
• Some avatar previews may show an emote (wave) or picture instead of an avatar.
• There are 75 available Skin Tone colors that the user can choose for each of their avatar's body part.
• In 2021, there was a glitch where users would appear without a head even with one equipped. This was fixed on September 28, 2021.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

References[]