# This generation's cartoon. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012 "2019-07-13T12:37:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CastletonSnob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ea924/32.png) [@CastletonSnob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/1 "2019-07-13T12:37:51Z")
Every generation has their own cartoon. Boomers: Looney Tunes. Gen Xers: Simpsons. Millennials: Spongebob. What is the cartoon for Zoomers? Maybe Adventure Time? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/2 "2019-07-13T13:11:46Z")
Then who had Ren & Stimpy? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/3 "2019-07-13T13:40:19Z")
[Looks](https://www.fatherly.com/play/tv/most-popular-kids-shows/) [like](https://www.trendrr.net/24197/most-popular-cartoons-world-best-hottest-ever/) it might still be Spongebob? But I suspect that the audience is too fragmented and the options too many for any one series to be iconic. Very important ones would probably include (derived independently of that list) _Steven Universe_, _My Little Pony_, and _Rick and Morty_. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/4 "2019-07-13T13:45:23Z")
Rick and Morty? Archer? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/5 "2019-07-13T15:04:47Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Rick and Morty? Archer? IMHO, those two shows are clearly targeted at Gen-Xers. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/6 "2019-07-13T16:09:56Z")
Some of us older boomers go back even farther to Betty Boop, B&W Popeye and even cartoons with no speaking, just music (I seem to recall mice were involved in most of these) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/7 "2019-07-13T17:06:06Z")
For my students, it’s Rick and Morty, followed by Spongebob. I have two students (18 year olds) with Spongebob tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/8 "2019-07-13T17:11:52Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Some of us older boomers go back even farther to Betty Boop, B&W Popeye and even cartoons with no speaking, just music (I seem to recall mice were involved in most of these) Yeah, but most of those old timey cartoons were made eons before I was even born. So would those be “boomer” cartoons? If I try to remember cartoon shows that were closer to my age at the time I watched them, I think of _Crusader Rabbit_ or _Tom Terrific_ or _Mighty Mouse_. I was probably closer to my teens, but _Rocky and Bullwinkle_ was pretty iconic for my peers and I. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/9 "2019-07-13T19:10:30Z")
Aren’t Boomers now Zoomers? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/10 "2019-07-13T22:44:21Z")
I hear Paw Patrol is all the rage. :dubious: For young adults I’d say it’s Yu-Gi-Oh! They’ve been marinaded, battered and deep fried in it. It was licensed real cheap so it became ubiquitous for almost two decades. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/11 "2019-07-13T23:18:42Z")
The Millenial cartoon is probably South Park or Pokemon, no? Spongebob always struck me as a Generation Z thing. It started just after those two, but it seems like it was mostly watched by people born in the 2000s? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/12 "2019-07-14T01:46:23Z")
Nitpick: The first Looney Tunes cartoons were produced in 1930. They were as much the Greatest Generation’s property as the Boomers. The cartoons Boomers could plausibly claim ownership of are the limited animation Hanna Barbera TV shows like Flintstones, Jetsons, etc. I guess that’s more proof we Boomers ruined everything. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/13 "2019-07-14T02:54:32Z")
> [@CastletonSnob](#): > > Gen Xers: Simpsons. Pfft. Yeah. “Groovy”. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/14 "2019-07-14T04:53:08Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Nitpick: The first Looney Tunes cartoons were produced in 1930. They were as much the Greatest Generation’s property as the Boomers. > > The cartoons Boomers could plausibly claim ownership of are the limited animation Hanna Barbera TV shows like Flintstones, Jetsons, etc. > > I guess that’s more proof we Boomers ruined everything. To be fair, while we Gen-Xers like to claim cool shows like _the Simpsons_, what we \*actually \*grew up on was 30-minute toy commercials like \*Transformers \*and _G.I. Joe_. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2019, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/15 "2019-07-14T05:27:51Z")
Yeah, when the Simpsons came out, the oldest Gen X were in their mid-20s, and the youngest were about to hit our teens. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/16 "2019-07-14T05:42:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > To be fair, while we Gen-Xers like to claim cool shows like _the Simpsons_, what we \*actually \*grew up on was 30-minute toy commercials like \*Transformers \*and _G.I. Joe_. I’ve seen one sociologist who split Gen-X into 2 waves, “Atari Wave” and “Nintendo Wave”. Speaking as an Atari Wave Gen-Xer, I was already in college by the time the toy commercial shows were on. Instead, I grew up on the dregs of Filmation and Hanna-Barbera’s death throes, the shit Boomerang won’t touch despite having the rights. Crap like “Hong Kong Phooey” and all the kids-and-a-talking-critter-in-a-vehicle-solving-mysteries shows that just duplicated the Scooby-Doo formula - Funky Phantom “let’s make an real ghost part of the team” - Jabberjaw “talking shark instead of talking dog” - Speed Buggy - “ah fuck it, can’t think of an animal, just make the car talk and call it a day” and all the animated spinoffs of current prime time hits (“The Brady Kids”, “New Adventures of Gilligans Island”, “Emergency +4”). It’s amazing anyone my age likes animation, especially as Disney Feature Animation was at its absolute nadir in the 1970s. Based on my kids (born in 1999 and 2002) and their classmates, I’d say the big shows in the 00s were Pokemon, Spongebob, Ben 10, and the various Butch Hartman “screaming morons = funny” shows on Nick. For the current decade, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Regular Show. And although it bombed in its original run in 2003, around 2010-2012, reruns of “Invader Zim” started developing a cult following with the middle school and older set. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/17 "2019-07-14T05:48:04Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Some of us older boomers go back even farther to Betty Boop, B&W Popeye and even cartoons with no speaking, just music (I seem to recall mice were involved in most of these) > [@carrps](#): > > Yeah, but most of those old timey cartoons were made eons before I was even born. So would those be “boomer” cartoons? If I try to remember cartoon shows that were closer to my age at the time I watched them, I think of _Crusader Rabbit_ or _Tom Terrific_ or _Mighty Mouse_. I was probably closer to my teens, but _Rocky and Bullwinkle_ was pretty iconic for my peers and I. I’m old enough to remember the first cartoons actually made for TV, like Crusader Rabbit, Tom Terrific, and [Col. Bleep.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_eNVLx-YFg) Those even more ancient cartoons were made as shorts for movies, in the 1920s and 1930s but there was such need for content for kids in the 1950s that they played [Farmer Gray](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-nVWhWyja4) and others incessantly on Saturday mornings, so they became as much ours as they were our parents’. The next iteration was all the Jay Ward productions, such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Dooright, and George of the Jungle. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/18 "2019-07-14T10:25:07Z")
Are we talking what cartoons they like watching _as kids_? My 7yo is all about My Little Pony:FiM and Teen Titans Go. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/19 "2019-07-14T17:03:03Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > The cartoons Boomers could plausibly claim ownership of are the limited animation Hanna Barbera TV shows like Flintstones, Jetsons, etc. > > I guess that’s more proof we Boomers ruined everything. The other shows I mentioned were earlier, but had even more limited animation, mostly just stills with narration. Hanna Barbera’'s TV cartoons started in 1957 with _Ruff and Ready_ followed by _Huckleberry Hound, Pixie and Dixie,_ and _Yogi Bear_. (A nitpick: _The Flintstones_ and _The Jetsons_ weren’t kids shows, but were shown in prime time for adults.) But all the Jay Ward shows are of about the same vintage, and were much better. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012/20 "2019-07-14T17:35:31Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I’ve seen one sociologist who split Gen-X into 2 waves, “Atari Wave” and “Nintendo Wave”. You’re thinking of [Neil Howe and William Strauss](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19759007&postcount=21). I’m an Xer, and I would consider The Simpsons the defining cartoon of my generation, but, yes, when we watched everyday cartoons, it was more like Transformers or He-Man for me in my younger days. Once I got to high school, it was Simpsons the rest of the way through (I was a freshman when the Simpsons debuted, though I remember the Tracy Ullman shorts, as well.) That cartoon became “water cooler” talk at school the way none of the other did. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-generations-cartoon/837012.md?page=2)