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Disney Animation

Ursula

Ursula is a lavender sea witch with a white bouffant and six black tentacles, and almost none of her comes from Hans Christian Andersen, whose sea witch has no name. Her look is widely credited to the drag performer Divine — the heavy eye make-up, the white bouffant, the full figure and the theatrical confidence — and lyricist Howard Ashman wrote her number, Poor Unfortunate Souls, as a showstopper in the Broadway tradition he came from.

Shop Ursula shirts Kids & adult sizes

Disney AnimationDebut 1989animationfilm

Written and maintained by The CharacterTshirts editorial team · · How we work

First appearance
The Little Mermaid (1989), Walt Disney Feature Animation
Created by
Ron Clements, John Musker, Ruben Aquino, Howard Ashman
Also known as
The Sea Witch
Universe
The Little Mermaid
Appears in
animation, film

Who is Ursula?

Ursula is a lavender sea witch with a white bouffant and six black tentacles, and almost none of her comes from Hans Christian Andersen, whose sea witch has no name. Her look is widely credited to the drag performer Divine — the heavy eye make-up, the white bouffant, the full figure and the theatrical confidence — and lyricist Howard Ashman wrote her number, Poor Unfortunate Souls, as a showstopper in the Broadway tradition he came from. Ruben Aquino animated her, and she is drawn with six tentacles rather than eight, a simplification that keeps a constantly moving lower body manageable for animators. Pat Carroll voiced her with a delivery that is funny and predatory at once, which is the combination that has kept the character popular with adults. Melissa McCarthy took the role in the 2023 live-action film. On a shirt she is lavender, black and purple, and the eyes-and-lipstick close-up has become a design category of its own.

Ursula: the details

First appearance
The Little Mermaid, November 1989
Directed by
Ron Clements and John Musker
Animated by
Ruben Aquino
Voiced by
Pat Carroll
The look is Divine's
The design is widely credited to the drag performer Divine
Six tentacles
Drawn with six rather than eight to keep the animation manageable
A Broadway number
Howard Ashman wrote Poor Unfortunate Souls in the stage-musical tradition

Why Ursula endures

A near-nameless fairy-tale figure rebuilt as a drag-inspired showstopper, and the villain who launched the Disney Renaissance.

What Ursula looks like on a shirt

Signature motif: Lavender skin, white bouffant, black tentacles, red lips

The make-up close-up — lashes, shadow and red lips — is the design that sells into adult sizing, and it needs no full figure. On black fabric the lavender carries the whole image.

Make-up close-ups and tentacle silhouettes both work for adults. Lavender and purple need a dark ground. Villain-group designs pairing her with Maleficent and Cruella are a strong adult category.

Ursula T-shirts

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Buying from outside the United States? Prices shown are amazon.com in US dollars. Links redirect international readers to their local Amazon, where pricing, sizing and availability are shown in local terms.

Price and availability are taken from Amazon at the time shown and can change. The price on Amazon at the time of purchase applies.

Sizes: kids to adult

These links run a live Amazon search for Ursula shirts in each US size band. Amazon shows what is currently listed; availability in a particular size is confirmed on the product page, not here.

BandAgesUS sizesSearch
Toddler 2–4 years 2T, 3T, 4T Search toddler sizes
Kids 4–7 years XS (4/5), S (6/7) Search kids sizes
Youth 8–14 years M (8), L (10/12), XL (14/16) Search youth sizes
Adult 15+ S–3XL Search adult sizes

US sizing shown. Cut and measurement vary between brands — see the size guide before ordering, especially for youth sizes. Base search: Ursula t-shirt.

Who has played Ursula

PerformerProductionYearType
Pat CarrollThe Little Mermaid1989Voice
Melissa McCarthyThe Little Mermaid2023Live action

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Ursula T-shirts: common questions

Who created Ursula?

Ursula was created by Ron Clements and John Musker and Ruben Aquino and Howard Ashman, first appearing in The Little Mermaid in 1989 (Walt Disney Feature Animation).

What does a Ursula T-shirt usually look like?

Lavender skin, white bouffant, black tentacles, red lips. Make-up close-ups and tentacle silhouettes both work for adults. Lavender and purple need a dark ground. Villain-group designs pairing her with Maleficent and Cruella are a strong adult category.

Are Ursula T-shirts made for children?

Yes — Ursula appears on our kids pages, and shirts are commonly made from US toddler 2T up through youth XL.

Who has played Ursula?

Ursula has been played on screen by Melissa McCarthy (The Little Mermaid, 2023), and voiced by Pat Carroll (The Little Mermaid, 1989).

How much does a Ursula T-shirt cost?

Ursula shirts we currently track start from around $19.99 on amazon.com. Every price on this page is dated, because they move.

This profile was compiled from published reference material about Ursula — first appearance, creator credits and production history — and is a secondary source rather than a substitute for the original publication. Where a detail could not be corroborated it has been left out. We do not physically test garments; see how we work for what that means and what it does not.

Reference. This profile was compiled from published sources. For the character's full publication history see Wikipedia (Wikidata Q6175066). Our method and limitations are stated in full.

CharacterTshirts.com is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or connected to any character rights holder, publisher, studio or network named on this site. All character names and titles are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to identify the products described.