# Are children's cartoons more nonsensical and shrill these days, or is it just me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790 "2008-04-10T19:18:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kalibakthegreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@Kalibakthegreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalibakthegreat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/1 "2008-04-10T19:18:16Z")
Things like “High School Musical” and “Hanna Montana” have been in the news and greater consciousness lately, so I decided to try to watch a little bit of cartoons on cable TV - I think it was Nickelodeon or Disney or something like that. I was shocked and taken aback at how completely shrill and nonsensical cartoons seem to have gotten since I watched them as a kid in the seventies. The one show, “Billy and Mandy,” was just loud noises and piercing screams, while each characters talked in a exaggerated and goofy voice that I couldn’t stand for more than about 30 seconds. Am I just old, or have they gotten more like this? ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/2 "2008-04-10T19:24:07Z")
I feel the same way! Kids shows when I was younger (Rugrats, Rocco’s Modern Life, Gullah Gullah Island, Doug – that sort of stuff) seemed to have a very clearly defined plot and characters who weren’t dreamed up on an acid trip. Now Sponge Bob Squarepants and other kids shows seem like deranged slogs through the minds of seizure-addled meth addicts. I feel like such an old man, but my god kids’ shows today are just trash compared to my fond memories. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/3 "2008-04-10T19:26:49Z")
Evidently you guys never heard of [H.R. Puff-n-stuff](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA3FFT54Ehs), or the Banana Splitz. I do agree that a lot of cartoons are more intense - classic Warner Brothers is my absolute fave for my kids, although there you run into a lot of racism. Spongebob, though, cracks me up. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/4 "2008-04-10T19:27:29Z")
Herc! Herc! Daedalus has stupidified all the new shows! I dunno. I’m not convinced the old ones were much better. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/5 "2008-04-10T19:33:18Z")
No way. Sponge Bob is great! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/6 "2008-04-10T19:35:13Z")
[QUOTE=Soul] I feel like such an old man, but my god kids’ shows today are just trash compared to my fond memories. [/QUOTE] Fond memories? Of shows like the kid who turns into a convertible when he gets splashed with water? Or Captain Planet? Or the Go-Bots? Or all the shit from the 70s? Or all the crap from the 90s? Sure, there’s been plenty of great stuff, but the great stuff is definitely spread out among all years (including today), just look at Batman Beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/7 "2008-04-10T19:41:50Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] Fond memories? Of shows like the kid who turns into a convertible when he gets splashed with water? Or Captain Planet? Or the Go-Bots? Or all the shit from the 70s? Or all the crap from the 90s? Sure, there’s been plenty of great stuff, but the great stuff is definitely spread out among all years (including today), just look at Batman Beyond. [/QUOTE] Fraggle Rock! Eureka’s Castle! The Rugrats! Doug! Captain Planet! Inspector Gadget! Of course my memories are tinted by fond recollection, but still, it’s tough to argue that the overall tone of kids’ shows today isn’t more “X-TREME” than in the past. Lady Soul and I actually sat around a few nights ago watching old Tom and Jerry cartoons talking about how much stuff has changed in that sphere. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/8 "2008-04-10T19:48:32Z")
Fraggle Rock was such a stoner’s trip. I haven’t been keeping up at all with cartoons since dropping my cable service, but the most recent _good_ cartoon I enjoyed was Kim Possible. Not a very old show at all. It is/was coherent and witty, with entertaining characters and plots. There’s also Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, which is definitely geared more toward younger kids but still fun to watch. Billy and Mandy…yeah, I’ll give it to you, it’s just a strange show. But then, it gave us the Brains song, so it’s not all bad. Nostalgia is plagued by confirmation bias. We only remember what was good, while we can see both the good and bad that’s airing right now. If you come across a show called Bobobo Bo-bobobo on Cartoon Network, run. Very fast. And do not look back. Your brain will leak out your ears. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/9 "2008-04-10T19:48:51Z")
They might be “louder” or something than cartoons used to be, but cartoons today are also, on the whole, _much_ better than they were in the 50’s-80’s. Most cartoons that people like to reminisce about from these decades turn out to be garbage when you watch them today. > [@](#): > > I feel the same way! Kids shows when I was younger (Rugrats, Rocco’s Modern Life, Gullah Gullah Island, Doug – that sort of stuff) seemed to have a very clearly defined plot and characters who weren’t dreamed up on an acid trip. I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. Ren & Stimpy, anyone? Rocco’s Modern Life _not_ an acid trip? Ditto Gullah Gullah Island, which had a weird island community interacting with a giant, bright yellow tadpole on a regular basis? Doug was pretty subdued, I suppose. No doubt that the 90’s were a great decade for cartoons. But the 00’s are at least as good. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/10 "2008-04-10T19:51:26Z")
[QUOTE=Soul] Of course my memories are tinted by fond recollection, but still, it’s tough to argue that the overall tone of kids’ shows today isn’t more “X-TREME” than in the past. [/QUOTE] I’ve never understood this argument, what are these “X-TREME” cartoons. Were the Ninja Turtles the start of “X-TREME”? Or maybe it was M.A.S.K.? Or maybe it was all those dumb BMX/skateboarding movies from the 80s? “X-TREME” stuff really only exists in the parodies of “X-TREME” stuff that The Simpsons and other shows pull out. Well, there was this: [C Bear and Jamal - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_Bear_and_Jamal) ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/11 "2008-04-10T19:53:15Z")
Fairly Oddparents is a bit intense, lots of bright, shifty images. There’s always a story arc, though. Jimmy Neutron looks the same way, although I don’t think I’ve ever sat through it. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/12 "2008-04-10T20:20:17Z")
They have been that way at least since 1974 or 1975, the years when my oldest child started watching TV. I could never stand the horrid shrill sounds, so she could not have those things on when I was around. She used to get up very early and watch tv with the sound turned down really, really low so I wouldn’t hear it and make her turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/13 "2008-04-10T20:28:48Z")
When I said x-treme, I was thinking of stuff like Codename: Kids Next Door, Naruto, Airbender (Avatar? Air…guy with the arrow on the head). And the acid trip stuff was coming from things like Chowder, My Gym Partner’s A Monkey, things like that. I’ve surely phrased things poorly. Perhaps this would get my thought process across more clearly: the cartoons I remember from my childhood seemed like things you’d dream up when you were very, very stoned. Today’s cartoons (at least the ones I’ve seen) seem to me like something you’d dream up on ecstasy or meth. And oh my yes, I’m positive I’m suffering from confirmation bias. Besides, my favorite show when I was a little kid was The Price Is Right, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/14 "2008-04-10T20:35:03Z")
[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat] each characters talked in a exaggerated and goofy voice [/QUOTE] Don’t _most_, if not all, cartoon characters speak in exaggerated and/or goofy voices? > [@Soul](#): > > When I said x-treme, I was thinking of stuff like Codename: Kids Next Door, Naruto, Airbender (Avatar? Air…guy with the arrow on the head). _Naruto_ is Japanese, and _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is an American cartoon with Japanese influences. I don’t watch anime that much, but most of it (at least to this _baka gaijin_\*, and I’m sure to most Americans as well) usually involves magical powers or robots or the like that certainly would appear to most to be drug-influenced. \*stupid foreigner ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/15 "2008-04-10T20:39:15Z")
I don’t really disagree, **Soul**. A lot of humor and entertainment in cartoons these days is based on lightning-quick cuts and one-liners. The pace in general is much faster than the stuff I remember from the 80s. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/16 "2008-04-10T20:40:32Z")
[QUOTE=Soul] When I said x-treme, I was thinking of stuff like Codename: Kids Next Door, Naruto, Airbender (Avatar? Air…guy with the arrow on the head). And the acid trip stuff was coming from things like Chowder, My Gym Partner’s A Monkey, things like that. [/quote] I’m not sure I’d count any of those shows as “X-TREME.” I think we have different definitions. [QUOTE=Soul] I’ve surely phrased things poorly. Perhaps this would get my thought process across more clearly: the cartoons I remember from my childhood seemed like things you’d dream up when you were very, very stoned. Today’s cartoons (at least the ones I’ve seen) seem to me like something you’d dream up on ecstasy or meth. [/QUOTE] And I’m still trying to parse just what the hell this means, but I can’t quite figure out what you’re trying to say. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/17 "2008-04-10T20:42:14Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] A lot of humor and entertainment in cartoons these days is based on lightning-quick cuts and one-liners. [/QUOTE] Isn’t that the way it was in the old cartoons, such as MGM or Warner Bros.? A lot of the modern cartoons- _The Fairly OddParents_ in particular- remind me a lot of the old-time cartoons. Warner Bros. themselves probably started this trend with their series such as _Animaniacs_ which were meant to mimic the old shorts. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/18 "2008-04-10T20:51:05Z")
We had to yank _Tom and Jerry_ from the lineup over here - it honestly seemed to be effecting their play. My son was definitely getting more violent after 2 weeks of access. He’s calmed down quite a bit in the week since I banned that cartoon. Another example of "xtreme"ism is the new images of Mickey Mouse, et al. I can’t find any decent images, they look really bizarre though. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/19 "2008-04-10T21:00:45Z")
I don’t think the new shows are any more nonsensical or psychedelic (I remember some of the stuff on _Sesame Street_ being pretty trippy). But they do seem faster-paced, louder, and generally more aggressive. I think _Ren & Stimpy_ was the turning point. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790/20 "2008-04-10T21:04:18Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] I’m not sure I’d count any of those shows as “X-TREME.” I think we have different definitions. [/QUOTE] Well, it works for Naruto, but I sure can’t figure out how it applies to KND or Avatar. Of course, from the rest of his post, he appears to mean frenetic quick cuts which…disincludes Naruto, too, save for certain battles, at least last time I watched it. But, as Mobo mentions, doesn’t actually preclude many older cartoons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-childrens-cartoons-more-nonsensical-and-shrill-these-days-or-is-it-just-me/444790.md?page=2)