Bartholomew Oobleck/Behind the Scenes

Throughout the production of a series, a lot goes on behind the scenes in regards to planning and design, which often go through multiple stages before resulting in the final version that is seen on screen. Some concepts and ideas can have an effect on the show and characters, and unexpected occurrences during production can also lead to changes and additions to the plans for the show.

Character Basis
Bartholomew Oobleck alludes to the character Bartholomew from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck. This allusion has had the following influences on the character and the show:
 * His name is taken from the title of the book.
 * His hair is green, like the oobleck.
 * The fact that he prefers to be called "doctor", rather than "professor", may reference how the author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, authored his children's books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.

Production

 * Over the course of Volumes 1 through 4, Oobleck's eyes have repeatedly changed colors.
 * Between Volumes 1 and 2, Rooster Teeth released a RWBY playing card deck, containing a card that depicts Oobleck with yellow eyes.
 * In Volume 2, his eyes are finally made visible in the show proper, and they are revealed to be brown.
 * In Volume 3, his eyes are dark blue.
 * In Volume 4, his eyes are brown again.
 * After Volume 3, Rooster Teeth changed animation software from Poser Pro 2013 to Autodesk Maya. With this change, the animation department also made all new models for RWBY. The Bartholomew Oobleck model was given a newer hair model that gives him the same hairstyle but is structured differently.