Synesthesia, Stockholm Syndrome, and Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst Syndrome. These classic characters had them all.
Have you ever wondered if the Sesame Street Count's extreme affinity for counting stems from a numeral-based neurological condition? Or if Belle from Beauty and the Beast really just had Stockholm Syndrome? Sometimes, kids' film and TV characters are just plain diagnosable. Not in a bad way—just in a way that, if these characters existed in real life, their quirkiest qualities might be explained by a few fascinating syndromes and conditions that most of us never knew existed.
We decided to channel our inner Lucy van Pelt, check out a few quirky characters' symptoms, and lightheartedly diagnose them with some of the world's most peculiar conditions. Read on for some foreign accents, sun-sneezes, and blue people; the doctor is in.
This post also appears on Flavorpill, an Atlantic partner site.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.