Characters is the twenty-first studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in late 1987 on Tamla Records.

77), which both reached number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart (the former being the most-recent American top-40 hit of Wonder's career).

In the UK, it also fared less well, reaching only #33, the first album to miss the top 20 since Music of My Mind, which failed to chart in 1972.

"[4] Lynn Van Matre of the Chicago Tribune claimed "There are no big surprises here, just plenty of the polished, assured mix of pop, soul and funk that has kept Wonder on the charts for nearly 25 years...Wonder wrote, arranged and produced all of the songs with the exception of ”Dark `n` Lovely,” about the situation in South Africa, which features lyrics by Gary Byrd.

The album's first single, "Skeletons" received two nominations for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 30th Grammy Awards, losing to Bill Wither's "Lean On Me" and Smokey Robinson's "Just to See Her" respectively.