# Happy families in cartoons
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 5, 2000, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207 "2000-12-05T23:35:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2000, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207/1 "2000-12-05T23:35:30Z")
Having a young family (4yo, 2yo and newborn) I spend a fair bit of my time involved in their play and education.
Why is it that cartoons, kids shows and story books persist with the sterotype of a main character being a young male with his friends being a mix of predominantly males from other families or species. Occaisionally he is allowed a younger sister. Having a brother seems to be a no-no, and female leads are very rare.
Sure there are exceptions, e.g. The Simpsons (though Maggie has a similar role to a family pet), Hughie/ Dewey/Louis and April/May/June (who could be regarded as the same personality in multiple bodies), Angry Beavers (Norb & Dag look less brothers than diferent species) etc. etc.
If anything, I’d guess this “bias” is even more pronounced than when I was growing up.
Why is this so?
Do the PC lobby not consider this an issue that merits attention?
Does the “Boys like cartoons, girls play with dolls” paradigm still apply?
Is there something subversive about varying the standard character set?
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### Author:  [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2000, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207/2 "2000-12-05T23:46:07Z")
Someone once did some research suggesting that girls will watch a male protagonist, but boys won’t watch a female protagonist. This has become the Divine Received Word among the designers of children’s entertainment.
There have been a few exceptions, but they are exceptions.
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### Author:  [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207/3 "2000-12-06T02:03:09Z")
Thanks for that cher3
That would “justify” the Divine Received Word in relation to female characters, but why can’t Bart or Franklin or Rupert or Noddy or Oakey or Winnie or Tommy et al have a brother?
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207/4 "2000-12-06T02:31:21Z")
Okay cartoons…cartoons. This is a lot harder than it sounds. I guess you’re right. I remember a book when I was younger, though, about a boy being tortured by his older brother Anthony, and how he vowed to get revenge upon him when he was six years old. But that’s not really a cartoon…
I’ve heard the same thing, cher3. I don’t know if its true, but as a female (go me!), I’d be willing to watch a male main char. (More likely to, actually…)
OH!! NO!! WAAIT!
Rugrats!! Tommy and Dill! (Though I do abhorr Dill, here’s an example.)
I thought of it myself! i am so SMART, s-m-r-t- d’oh…
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### Author:  [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2000, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-families-in-cartoons/44207/5 "2000-12-06T04:43:27Z")
Cher3 is spot on. Damn focus groups.
But, Woolly, you have **got** to start watchin’ _The Powerpuff Girls_. Best damn show on TV right now. Back that up with _The Wild Thornberries_, another girl-centered show. Top it off with a few reruns of Slappy Squirrel’s stuff for that post-apocalyptic touch.