It could be that the character is distracted by a sound or movement coming from that direction. Or perhaps it's just a way for the artist to add some visual variety and express the character's curiosity.
Maybe it's looking for something interesting or someone to catch its attention.
The reason could be that the cartoonist wanted to convey a sense of anticipation or uncertainty. Maybe the character is looking to the side to avoid something or is about to discover something new.
Maybe he's looking for something or someone. That's a common reason for such behavior in cartoons.
The cartoon girl might be looking to the side because she's avoiding eye contact with someone or something in front of her. Maybe she's also waiting for someone to come from that direction.
Maybe they saw something interesting off to the side that caught their attention.
Maybe it's trying to catch something interesting out of its normal view.
The reason might be that there's a sound or movement on the opposite side that piqued the bear's interest. Maybe it's a natural instinct for the bear to explore and look in that direction.
It could be to show curiosity or to catch something out of the corner of their eye. Maybe they heard a strange noise or saw something interesting off to the side.
Maybe it's because the thumb has something interesting on it that caught the character's attention.
Maybe the character is hungry and wants to eat. That's a common reason!
Maybe it's feeling sad or lost. That's a common expression when something's bothering them.
Maybe it's curious about what's inside. Sometimes characters do strange things out of curiosity.