googly-eye-loop

name	googly-eye-loop
description	motion-graphic primitive — pair of eyes (sclera + pupils) where each pupil tracks a periodic path with asymmetric independent offset to break the "doll-eyes" feel. canonical mascot beat (sp-a marshmallow). distinct sub-type of character-loop.

googly-eye-loop

Purpose

Animate two googly-style eyes whose pupils wander on a periodic path inside their scleras. The key detail: each pupil moves independently with a small asymmetric offset, so the eyes don't look like a stamp.

Params

{
  "sclera_color": "#FFFFFF",
  "pupil_color": "#0F0F0F",
  "eye_radius_px": 200,
  "pupil_radius_px": 80,
  "spacing_px": 60,                      // horizontal gap between the two eyes

  "cycle_frames": 75,                    // ~2.5s at 30fps for a full pupil tour
  "asymmetric_pupil_offset_px": 4,       // 2nd eye's pupil is offset by N px from 1st
  "easing": "ease-out-cubic"
}

Behaviour

1. Render two circles (scleras) side by side at spacing_px apart.
2. For each sclera, render a smaller pupil that moves along a periodic path:
   • center → left → right → down → center
   • Each leg takes cycle_frames / 4 frames
3. Pupil 2 has a constant offset applied to break symmetry.

The asymmetry is the whole point. Two pupils moving in lock-step look mechanical / dead. Tiny decorrelation = alive.

Style pack overrides

• SP-A (marshmallow) — sclera white, pupils ink, spacing 60, cycle 75 frames.
• Other packs: rare, occasional in SP-G as illustration mascot.

Quality Checks

• Two eyes visible side-by-side.
• Pupils move in a periodic loop with full traversal.
• Asymmetric offset ≥ 2 (without it, eyes look like a doll's).
• Pupils don't exit their sclera bounds (clip inside).

Failure Modes

• Eyes look like a stamp. No asymmetric offset; pupils move in lockstep. Set asymmetric_pupil_offset_px ≥ 2.
• Pupil escapes sclera. Path range too wide. Reduce so pupil_pos + pupil_radius < eye_radius.
• Eyes feel nervous. Cycle too fast. Bump to 75+ frames.
• Eyes feel dead. Cycle too slow (150+ frames). Reduce.