GIRAFFE, MUPPET, OR HUMAN?

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Designing VR avatars for children works best when they strike a balance of moderate realism: clearly non-human but plausible (like an animal), avoiding both hyper-realistic humans and overly fantastical characters that can feel creepy or confusing. Research shows consistency matters most—appearance, proportions, movement (especially eyes), and distance must align—because mismatches intensify discomfort in VR, where kids' emotions and sense of reality are heightened.