Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Friendships The Most Adorable Throwbacks of Dylan & Cole Sprouse, in Honor of Their 31st Birthdays From a pint-sized talk-show appearance to college graduation, see the sweetest photos of the famous twins in celebration of their big day By Diana Pearl Diana Pearl Diana Pearl is a former writer and reporter at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. People Editorial Guidelines and Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld is a features writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since April 2022. Her work previously appeared in Newsweek. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 4, 2023 10:00AM EDT Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse with Jay Leno . Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Dylan and Cole Sprouse have been in front of a camera since before they could talk and now — three decades later — the famous twins are celebrating their 31st birthdays. After starring in diaper commercials before their 1st birthdays, the duo kept booking gigs — oftentimes sharing the same role as they were virtually indistinguishable from one another. From appearing on The Tonight Show in 1999 to promote their first movie role in Big Daddy to graduating from New York University, here's a look back at some of Dylan and Cole's sweetest throwback moments. 01 of 16 Starting Early The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty The Sprouse twins have been acting in diaper commercials since before their 1st birthday, but they really got their start on the show Grace Under Fire, on which they shared the role of Patrick Kelly for five seasons. Cole says he doesn't remember much of his time on the show, telling the New York Post: "I remember being on set and growing up on that soundstage and running around and causing a little bit of mischief. I haven't watched it at all. I honestly could not tell you what that show is even about." 02 of 16 Side by Side Dylan Sprouse/Instagram Especially as kids, the two were virtually indistinguishable from one another, which made it easy for them to swap in and out for the same character in their earlier roles. 03 of 16 Big Screen Debut Siemoneit/Sygma/Getty After Grace Under Fire wrapped in 1998, the twins scored their first film roles as Julian in Big Daddy, where they showed off their comedic chops opposite Adam Sandler. 04 of 16 Palling Around Adam Sandler, Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse. Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty In 1999, the Sprouse twins spoke to PEOPLE alongside their mother, Melanie, about the production of their first movie and working with Adam Sandler. At the time, Melanie recalled that Sandler told her that the boys’ acting was “so good it makes me sick to my stomach." 05 of 16 Big Chairs, Little Dudes Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse sit down with Jay Leo in 1999. Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Dylan and Cole made their Tonight Show debut in June 1999 while promoting the movie, and sat down with then-host Jay Leno. 06 of 16 Bring It In Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic The pint-sized cuties appeared to have quite the appreciation for a Hawaiian shirts, like the ones they wore to the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. 07 of 16 Two of a Kind Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty See what we mean? 08 of 16 The One Where They Appear on 'Friends' Warner Bros. Television Their next big roles came as Ben Geller, son of Ross and his first wife, Carol, on Friends. Like with Big Daddy and Grace Under Fire, the pair shared this part. Though they only appeared in seven episodes, the show has remained a touchstone in their careers: It's been more than 15 years since his last episode on Friends aired and Cole told the New York Post he still gets recognized for the part. 09 of 16 In Disguise Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage For the the 9th annual "Dream Halloween Los Angeles" benefit in 2002, the twins went all out with these KISS-inspired costumes — platform boots and all! 10 of 16 Good Hair Day Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse. Frazer Harrison/Getty As famous as the twins were for their acting chops, they were also known for their blond — and matching — sweeping hairdos, which were on full display at the 2004 premiere for the Disney Channel Original Movie Tiger Cruise. 11 of 16 Living the 'Suite Life' Disney Channel/Everett In 2005, the boys got their big solo break when they landed every child actor's dream: their own Disney Channel show. They played twins, Zack and Cody Martin, who lived in a luxury hotel on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 12 of 16 Disney Darlings Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Suite Life was a big hit. The show lasted for three seasons and 87 episodes and, after its conclusion, got a spin-off, Suite Life on Deck. 13 of 16 Sweet 16 Cole and Dylan Sprouse celebrate their 16th birthday. Alexandra Wyman/WireImage To ring in their 16th birthdays, the Sprouse twins celebrated the milestone with a star-studded party hosted by Nintendo. They were joined by Disney pals including Selena Gomez, Brenda Song, Debby Ryan, David Henrie and Alyson Stoner. 14 of 16 Sea-ing Double Craig Sjodin/Disney Channel/Getty Suite Life on Deck, which saw the twins relocate from the Tipton Hotel to a ship for a semester-at-sea program, was equally successful to its predecessor, also running for three seasons. 15 of 16 Beyond Disney Philip Ramey/Corbis/Getty However, the Disney bliss didn't last forever. The twins pitched an idea for another spin-off show, which at first, Disney didn't like, according to a YouTube video Dylan shared in 2013. Later, he said that Disney came back and pitched them what was pretty much the same idea, and the company refused to give the twins producer credits. "Cole and I turned to each other and we basically laughed in their faces and walked out," he said. "And that was the last meeting we had with Disney." 16 of 16 Milestone Moment Courtesy Dylan Sprouse After Suite Life on Deck finished, the twins took a hiatus from acting to focus on their education. Both men started at New York University in the fall of 2011, with Cole majoring in humanities and archaeology and Dylan studying video game design. They both led fairly normal lives during college: they lived in dorms, and Dylan even worked at a restaurant. They graduated together in 2015. Close