What KIDS cartoon is the most "Getting Crap Past the Radar" vehicle?

[Meeko]

Cartoons tend to have a practice of putting in comments and jokes that kids flat out won't get. Only on a second viewing, years and years later, after you have, ahem, matured, do you realize that "Oh My God! X Meant Y?"

Note : I am asking about actual Children's cartoons, and not the Adult Swim type cartoon. FOX's "Animation Domination" Sunday prime time Block, Comedy Central, and Adult Swim needs not apply.

Pee Wee Herman........ had some well placed moments. But while this is a Kids show, I wouldn't call it a cartoon. [I'm Sure Beakman's World had some moments too.....]

Not to bias the responses, but I think that Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, and Spongebob Squarepants have to be in the running.

If there is a channel that does this better* than Nickelodeon, provide that as well. I'm just not so sure there is another Kid's network that ...... ends up with this much..... gray.

* No Offense to Nick, I think that the first 20 years of Nick are sacred. But that's another thread. Nick just comes off having a few number of shows that do this. Not saying that strive to do it, but it IS in the content.

[Farmer Jane]

SpongeBob
Animaniacs
Phinneas & Ferb

Well, to me - those are a few shows that I can watch without wanting to stab myself in the eyeball with a blunt fork. Hey, Arnold! and Rugrats also make the cut.

[Stauderhorse]

Spongebob and Rocko's Modern Life would be my top two, with Animaniacs being close behind. Observe. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePGlKqbs9d8)

[DCnDC]

In addition to SpongeBob and Animaniacs, I would nominate The Fairly Odd Parents. It's loaded with references that kids like my nieces and nephews, who I watch it with, completely don't get (not that that interferes with their enjoyment of the show, nor mine for that matter).

[Fear Itself]

Rocky and Bullwinkle did this almost 50 years ago.

Rocky: What kind of a game can you play with girls?
Bullwinkle: Boy, this really is a kid's show.

[astro]

Game over (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7f568_ren-and-stimpy-gay_shortfilms)

[Banquet Bear]

...the tent scene from Avatar The Last Airbender, with Sokka and Suki.

[johnpost]

yeah i would go with Rocky and Bullwinkle.

people who worked on that show had worked in old time radio. there are references to that culture as well as books and movies.

it was a multigenerational show as is the Simpsons now.

[piepiepie]

Game over (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7f568_ren-and-stimpy-gay_shortfilms)

Was that from the actual show or the atrocious "Adult Party Cartoon?"

edit: I mean yeah I think it's obviously from the revamp but that wouldn't count. John K did that purposefully and it aired on Spike.

[DSeid]

The old Warner Brothers (Bugs Bunny and company) did it all the time too.

[74westy]

Betty Boop.

[John Mace]

yeah i would go with Rocky and Bullwinkle.

people who worked on that show had worked in old time radio. there are references to that culture as well as books and movies.

it was a multigenerational show as is the Simpsons now.

Yep. My favorite part was Fractured Fairytales.

[Rubixcube]

The old Warner Brothers (Bugs Bunny and company) did it all the time too.
Betty Boop.
Those don't count, they were theatrical shorts intended for a general audience that included kids but were also just as much for adults. My vote also goes to Animaniacs and Rocko's Modern Life.

[Mahaloth]

Here are the top 11 naughtiest moments on Animaniacs. (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/nostalgia-critic/34-nostalgia-critic/221-the-top-moments-in-animaniacs)


"No, no, no, fingerprints."

She looks at Prince(the singer).

"I don't think so."

[MyFootsZZZ]

Rocko's Modern Life example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWJ9_jftMJQ

[furryman]

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy:
"What are you doing?"
"Yelling from the rooftops of the world."

Foster's Home:
"That's got to be the biggest bust I've ever seen."

[cochrane]

Pinky and the Brain.

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"Well, I think so, Brain. But where do you stick a feather and call it macaroni?"

[Son of a Rich]

I recall Huckleberry Hound saying of another character: "that boy's got a statistical sense of humor". Few kids would get that.

[Tanbarkie]

...the tent scene from Avatar The Last Airbender, with Sokka and Suki.

And the follow-up, after Sokka's been, ahem, lei'd.

[Red Barchetta]

Rocko's Modern Life example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWJ9_jftMJQ

I think I can top that, from the same show. An on-screen orgasm:

http://youtu.be/iq_vqDtWRLY

[cochrane]

I recall Huckleberry Hound saying of another character: "that boy's got a statistical sense of humor". Few kids would get that.

And one adult who doesn't get it, either. :confused:

And I remember Huck.

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

Viva Pinata which had one character dress in drag complete with stuffing beach balls in his chest...

[Malacandra]

Bob the Builder had a couple of instances I can think of. One is when Bob is wallpapering, very ineptly. He slips and falls face-first on the pasted paper, sticking it to him from head to toe. As he blunders about trying to free himself he twice mumbles something that certainly sounds to me like "Oh fuckin' 'ell!". :eek:

Another time, Bob has a couple of jobs on at once, placing statues in someone's garden and bollards in front of the town hall. When he's called away, the machines try to help out, but put the statues in front of the town hall by mistake. Bob, seeing this, rushes round to the lady's house and exclaims "Bollards!" when he sees what has happened.

(In Britspeak, "Bollocks!" -- literally "Testicles!" -- either means "Nonsense" or is a general-purpose cuss-word only slightly less intense than "Oh, fuck!".)

[Farmer Jane]

Yakko Warner: We protest you calling us "little kids". We prefer to be called "vertically-impaired pre-adults".

Yakko: We'd love to stay here and count our brain cells as they die one-by-one.
Dot: But we can't.

Yakko Warner: Wait a minute. You expect us poor, innocent children to climb up dangerous scaffolding and paint naked people all over a church?
Warners: We'll do it!

Yakko: Alas, poor Yorik!
Dot: [translating] Woah! Check out Skull Head.
Yakko: I knew him Horatio: A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.
Dot: [translating] He was funny.
Yakko: He hath borne me on his back a thousand times.
Dot: [translating] He gave me piggy back rides.
Yakko: And now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it.
Dot: [translating] I'm going to blow chunks.
Yakko: [kisses Skull Head] Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft.
Dot: [translating] We kissed a lot. NOT!
Yakko: Where be your gibes now? Your gamboles? Your songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar?
Dot: [translating] How come you're not funny now?
Yakko: Not one now to mock your own grinning? Quite chap-fallen?
Dot: [translating] No one's laughing now and by the way your lower jaw's missing
Yakko: Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favor she must come; make her laugh at that.
Dot: [translating] Follow that woman and tell her no matter how much make up she wears, she's still going to croak and end up looking just like you, and see if she laughs.
Yakko: Prithee, Horatio, tell me one thing.
Dot: What'd you find in the hole?
Wakko: Our next cartoon.
(I've always wanted to play this one if I get to teach an English class. :D)

Yakko: Wait. You're forgetting something.
Umlatt: What?
Yakko: Well, being an evil villain, you are contractually required to explain your plan before you get rid of us.

Brain: It must be inordinately taxing to be such a boob.

Slappy: If I were a better person, I'd ignore her and go on with my life. But I'm not.

Stewardess: Welcome to Air Pacific, the Jolly Airline. Our deluxe 757 is equipped with a number of safety features to use in case of an emergency, such as our fuel tanks explode, and we crash like a fiery ball into the sea. You'll find life jackets under your seats. In the event of a water landing, they will keep you afloat, unless you are seized by a giant squid, and dragged screaming beneath the waves. Thank you for choosing Air Pacific. You have well over a forty percent chance of landing safely. Enjoy your flight.


I mean, come ON. Best show ever.

:: runs off to see if she can find it on her Roku ::

[Son of a Rich]

And one adult who doesn't get it, either. :confused:

And I remember Huck.

IIRC, the other character was a dog* who was preventing mailman Huck from delivering the mail. The dog was amused at Huck's discomfiture, so Huck decided he must have had a sadistical sense of humor.

*might have been the "Heh heh heh" dog, I'm not sure.

[grude]

Adventure Time

This show which is apparently aimed at children(it has a large amount of adult fans) is jam packed with bizarre sexual innuendo, fudge packed!

Not one episode goes by I don't snort at what they got past the radar, the show is also clever as hell and many episodes are basically deconstructions of cartoons and fantasy(check out the gender reversal episode, they even comment on their own show).

[Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor]

G.I. Joe

The Baroness, chief female villain on the show, was basically an Eastern European Schoolmistress/dominatrix in a black leather catsuit, gloves, boots & high heels. And glasses.

[drewtwo99]

I guess I have to go with Rocko's Modern Life. I mean, he was a phone sex operator. Heffer got "milked" once. Rocko picked a berry that turned out to be testicle. This stuff was blatant.

Honorable mentions: Freakazoid, Fairly Odd Parents, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Cow and Chicken, Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Alas, I am not too up on recent-day cartoons but I hear things like Chowder get away with a lot of adult stuff too. I'm glad the tradition hasn't died. I hear nothing but good things about Adventure Time from my 20/30-something friends.

[Craz3d117]

Adventure Time

This show which is apparently aimed at children(it has a large amount of adult fans) is jam packed with bizarre sexual innuendo, fudge packed!

Not one episode goes by I don't snort at what they got past the radar, the show is also clever as hell and many episodes are basically deconstructions of cartoons and fantasy(check out the gender reversal episode, they even comment on their own show).

I wouldn't really count Adventure Time. I don't think that show is truly aimed for children. Anyways, I'm surprised no one has said Invader Zim. That show is definitely up there with Ren & Stimpy type ridiculousness.

[DSeid]

Those don't count, they were theatrical shorts intended for a general audience that included kids but were also just as much for adults. My vote also goes to Animaniacs and Rocko's Modern Life.
OTOH the fact of the matter is that many of these "kid's" cartoons are similarly targeted for all ages, even if less explicitly so. The jokes that the kids don't get are not just there because the writers are amusing themselves; they are there because they understand that there are adults often in the room too, that the audience may be first the kid but is not exclusively the kid. Really not much different.

[C. Montgomery Burns]

I've gotta go with with Rocky and Bullwinkle. There were many, many innuendos- in an early episode, a scene with the moon men Gidney & Cloyd has a bookshelf with the book 'Sex on Planet X' on it.

[GuanoLad]

Tiny Toons ep.180 credits: Name Inadvertently Omitted In "The Name Game" - Plucky

[Pyper]

I present: Spongebob watches porn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcXC6rqvQFo).

[Meeko]

Clarification: I was going more after Innuendo and Double Entendre than References.

That is, More Crap Past the Radar, less Parental Bonus.

[grude]

I wouldn't really count Adventure Time. I don't think that show is truly aimed for children. Anyways, I'm surprised no one has said Invader Zim. That show is definitely up there with Ren & Stimpy type ridiculousness.

Invader Zim which while I love it appeals even less to small children, IZ's humor is actually fairly sophisticated. A constant and series wide theme is how stupid and oblivious government and modern society in general is, remember Zim is that poor green kid with a skin disease to all the adults.

I think the reason it was cancelled proves this because while it had great ratings, the demo was teenagers and adults which Nick's advertisers had no interest in so it was canned.


If you asked me what was the absolutely most adult animation, I would name Moral Orel but it is not in any way aimed at children. The last season in particular is one of the absolute bleakest and depressing meditations on hateful abusive families/parents and alcoholism I have ever seen. Pessimism doesn't even begin to describe it!

[RandMcnally]

If you asked me what was the absolutely most adult animation, I would name Moral Orel but it is not in any way aimed at children. The last season in particular is one of the absolute bleakest and depressing meditations on hateful abusive families/parents and alcoholism I have ever seen. Pessimism doesn't even begin to describe it!

I remember reading somewhere (helpful, I know) that the reason it was canceled was that it was so damn depressing. Not aimed at children at all.

[Odesio]

If you asked me what was the absolutely most adult animation, I would name Moral Orel but it is not in any way aimed at children. The last season in particular is one of the absolute bleakest and depressing meditations on hateful abusive families/parents and alcoholism I have ever seen. Pessimism doesn't even begin to describe it!

It had some pretty touching moments. The episode "Closeface" was bitter sweet. Orel and Christina are in love with each other and get to dance happily together at the Arm's Length Dance. Stephanie is bummed out because she remembers the love she had for another girl at a similar dance when she was Orel's age. When her father, Reverend Putty, says it wasn't the same she gets upset and says "Why, because we're both girls?" "No," her father replies. "Because she didn't love you."

The words themselves don't sound particularly sweet but in that one moment Stephanie really got to connect with her father. With that one statement he didn't condemn her for who she was and indicated that he empathized with Stephanie, which, in turn, made her a little happier. Truly, it was a beautiful moment on Adult Swim. Quite frankly, Morel Orel was a great show and should not have been cancelled.

[RandMcnally]

It had some pretty touching moments. The episode "Closeface" was bitter sweet. Orel and Christina are in love with each other and get to dance happily together at the Arm's Length Dance. Stephanie is bummed out because she remembers the love she had for another girl at a similar dance when she was Orel's age. When her father, Reverend Putty, says it wasn't the same she gets upset and says "Why, because we're both girls?" "No," her father replies. "Because she didn't love you."

The words themselves don't sound particularly sweet but in that one moment Stephanie really got to connect with her father. With that one statement he didn't condemn her for who she was and indicated that he empathized with Stephanie, which, in turn, made her a little happier. Truly, it was a beautiful moment on Adult Swim. Quite frankly, Morel Orel was a great show and should not have been cancelled.

I've always loved the rant that Clay went on in the episode "Sacrifice." Spoiled for spaceYou know. The pain. Of you. Day in, day out, being there. With that face. Not knowing what to say. Not caring anymore. Not even knowing that you'll probably only care about her when it's finally too late. Forgetting about all those desperate- those desperate years you spent alone, your barren years when no woman would even consider resting her tired head on your shaky little shoulder. Stinking of belly semen. Why even wipe? And when you finally get one of these [Points at Dolly and imitates a fanfare] coveted pieces of tail that have been built up as the grand trophy in your nothing life, you try desperately to keep it. Not to protect it! But to hoard it. To keep it away from the other wolves and jackals circling your territory! And you realize, all too soon, that you're not good enough! That maybe there was a jerk-off called Darwin after all. And that you never acknowledged his existence because you knew deep inside that you were really what you feared you were-- weak. And passive. And ultimately, broken by the ones who were made the fittest. And that through your weaknesses, you built up a poison that poisoned others around you. That you love. And the only true justice was to let those dominant jackals feed on you. Survive off you.


According to Wikipedia there may be some specials or episodes coming out.

[Larry Mudd]

Clarification: I was going more after Innuendo and Double Entendre than References. Sesame Street, back in the '70s: "I know! Suzie can get on top of me, and Bobby can get on top of Suzie, and Sally can get on top of Bobby, and we'll do it together!"

There is an episode of Blue's Clues titled "The Grow Show.";)

[KneadToKnow]

I'm going with Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, also.

Mac [they're stuck on the roof and need to find a way down] But how? A ladder? Man, this is tough.
Bloo No, sheets!
Mac [shocked] Bloo!
Bloo No, no! Sheets! Bed sheets!

[MsRobyn]

Viva Pinata which had one character dress in drag complete with stuffing beach balls in his chest...

Shit, son. Bugs Bunny was doing that almost 70 years ago in at least one of the WWII-era cartoons (Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips, to be specific. It's on YouTube, but I'm not going to link to it because, while it reflects the zeitgeist of WWII-era America, it's pretty racist by today's standards. You've been warned.), and maybe before that. Hell, some of the flirting in your average Merrie Melodie/Looney Tunes cartoon was pretty shameless; it was pretty obvious that some lovin' was gonna happen had Bugs been an actual human woman.

[Larry Mudd]

Shit, son. Bugs Bunny was doing that almost 70 years ago...Warner Brothers' cartoons weren't intended as children's entertainment, though.

[MsRobyn]

Warner Brothers' cartoons weren't intended as children's entertainment, though.

Sure they were, in the same way that Rocky and Bullwinkle were. They were general entertainment, not specifically aimed at one demographic or the other.

These old cartoons were shown in movie theaters as part of a double feature. You'd get an A film (top stars in what are now considered classic movies), a B film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-movies) (a low-budget movie), a cartoon, a serial, and maybe a sing-along or a newsreel. Warner Bros. cartoons were invariably shown with Warner Bros. movies; other studios had their series, as well. (This site (http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/08/comment-of-the-week-remembering-the-uptown/) has more information, and of course, The Master Speaks (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1057/whats-the-difference-between-a-looney-tune-and-a-merrie-melody).)

That being said, depending on the movies and the time of day, most of the people in a theater might be kids. The kids who grew up with Warner Bros. cartoons in the movies passed their fondness for the cartoons on to their own kids, who have watched them on TV as part of the Saturday morning cartoon shows. This second generation of Warner Bros. fans have introduced them to their own kids through DVDs and on YouTube. So even if they didn't start out as being specifically for kids, they sure ended up that way, racy content and all.

[bup]

Shit, son. Bugs Bunny was doing that almost 70 years agoShit, little girl, Bugs Bunny? Betty Boop was working borderline blue 90 years ago.

[MsRobyn]

Well, yeah, but was she in drag? That's what I was talking about.