Agreed. The previous illustrations were pretty awesome, and this post has lost a lot for it.

Agreed. The stick figures do not mesh well with the colourful cartoony backgrounds that make the images visually appealing. They feel out of place, and I found it harder to tell when I was supposed to consider one stick figure distinct from another one without actively looking for it (I also have this problem with xkcd).

Strong vote for return to the original style diagrams, with the gender imbalance fixed.

[looks back at the top-level post] Yes, they are. Especially the professor in the last picture -- it reminds me of Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas. Using thinner lines à la xkcd would be better, IMO.

I didn't see the old stick figures, but I think the ones that are there now are fine.