From Aaahh!!! Real Monsters in 1994 to Adventure Time in 2010, television shows have morphed into something that is barely recognizable to the kids who grew up watching Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and Dexter’s Laboratory.
Television shows that are on now and are directed at kids do not always have the most kid friendly content. Between Spongebob and its mock profanity, and Total Drama Action, a cartoon about a reality television show, cartoons and other shows just are not like they used to be. Cartoons and other kids shows used to be innocently funny and something all parents approved of for their kids to watch. Now they have some content that is frowned upon by adults and makes teens like me confused as to why it is on television.
I remember being a little kid and getting up with my mom and sister on Saturday mornings and watching hours of mind-numbing cartoons. I grew up watching Rugrats (not all grown up), Ren and Stimpy, Rocket Power, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and many others. Now as a teenager I have two little brothers and many cousins who love to watch cartoons. However, instead of hearing about how Tommy and other rugrats spent their day, I’m hearing about how Spongebob and Patrick are making dolphin noises to mimic profanity.
Even shows that aren’t made for kids are catching their eyes. My little brothers and many other kids are fans of Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad and King of the Hill. These shows, by far, are in no way appropriate for kids this age, but, because it is a cartoon, children think they can watch it. At my house, watching Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, and King of the Hill is a ritual that happens every day. As much as I try to get my little brothers to watch something else, they insist on watching these shows. When I was a kid these “cartoons” didn’t even exist.
I feel like the cartoons that are on now are affecting the minds of the kids that watch them. Kids aren’t so innocent anymore and that is because the cartoons they are watching aren’t as innocent and kid-friendly as the ones that were on in the 1990s.
In the show Super Hero Squad, a cartoon about the various superheroes of Marvel Comics, there was an episode where the team finds themselves in outer space. While battling a villain, one of the heroes refers to a super villain as an “asteroid clown.” For those of you who know what obscene term he may have been referring to, do you really want your younger brothers or sisters, nieces or nephews, or any young kid to be exposed to that? The fact is this show is about superheroes, which are supposed to be the upright, responsible, defender of all things decent and moral, but they referred to a term that no kid should know.
Cartoons just aren’t like they used to be. Instead of having the innocent, wholesome, funny cartoons, we have Spongebob with its faux cussing and Almost Naked Animals, —just look at the title itself!
What has childhood come to with shows like this on television?