There are several kid cartoons that are really inappropriate that children watch regularly. We would like to think that the creators of cartoons and children shows would avoid incorporating any content that would need censoring, but what has been deemed inappropriate has changed over the years. If you want to make sure that the children around you are not being influenced by kid cartoons that are really inappropriate, then sit down and watch a few episodes with them. Make sure the cartoons they watch are not filled with things not meant for children. Here are a few cartoons known to have content that has been considered inappropriate for our youth.
1 Total Drama Island
This Canadian cartoon, which aired in the United States in 2008, is a parody of the reality show Survivor, which already deems it as one of the kid cartoons that are really inappropriate. It is a funny cartoon, but content was removed from it in order to keep the PG rating. There are episodes where long bleeps, to suggest that the characters were cursing, were taken out and replaced with actual words. It seems like the creator, who plans to have 10 seasons, wanted the cartoon to seem like a legit reality show. On top of the removed bleeps, the women characters are half dressed and hook up/make out with the male characters regularly.
2 Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage is such a cute dog, and I actually liked this cartoon when I was younger. My friends however did not like the cartoon, because they thought it was too scary. Looking at it now I can see how a child might be frightened by its content. It’s an American horror animation that features purplish dog Courage and his elderly owners. A series of creepy events happen on their farm, in the middle of nowhere, and it is Courage’s responsibility to keep his owners safe and get rid of the problem.
A fairly new cartoon, Adventure Time can be very scary and inappropriate for children as well. This toon, set in a post-apocalyptic land called Ooo, features a boy named Finn and his dog/adoptive brother Jake, who is able to change forms. The show seems harmless and childlike until you realize that Finn and Jake are constantly fighting off demons and the Ice King, who constantly kidnaps the princess characters. I think the scariest episode I’ve seen is where a character portrayed as Satan came to Ooo and sucked the souls out of every character he came into contact with, while the creepiest was an episode where the Ice King took a piece of every princess character and stitched them together to create his own princess. Not to mention there was an episode where Finn had split personalities and became a psychopath, all highly inappropriate for a kids' cartoon in my opinion.
4 The Regular Show
Being my favorite cartoon, I hate to admit that it is inappropriate, but then again I probably like it because the content is relatable to an older age group. It’s not really scary, but does deal with the paranormal a lot. It also has inappropriate sexual scenes where one of the main characters, Muscle Man, who is actually all fat, makes out with his girlfriend Darla. The scenes are often a minute or so long and include the couple tongue kissing and rubbing all over one another. Maybe I should consider a new favorite cartoon!
5 SpongeBob Squarepants
I know you’re probably thinking, SpongeBob? No way! But yes, it’s true. A lot of negative criticism has come along with the overly outgoing personality of the perfectly square sponge. A study in 2011 showed that children who watched SpongeBob, versus children who didn’t, had a much shorter attention span, and that upset some parents.
6 The Ren and Stimpy Show
This is an old cartoon, premiering in 1991, that only had five seasons. Even though it aired on Nickelodeon, it was known for its sexual content and vulgar humor. The cartoon focused on Ren, an unstable Chihuahua, and Stimpy, an idiotic cat, who disagreed on everything. In 2003 the creators actually made it into an adult cartoon for Spike, but it failed. The cartoon now airs on TeenNick as part of the '90s Are All That segment where cartoons from the '90s are showed.
7 Secret Mountain Fort Awesome
This cartoon is definitely the most unappealing of the ones I’ve listed. The main characters are called “disgustoids” and come to earth trying to create peace with humans. The characters are what make this cartoon inappropriate, consisting of five nasty characters. There is a character that is actually a butt and farts whenever touched or dancing. Thankfully this cartoon was cancelled after only 2 seasons and completely discontinued in March of 2013.
8 Rocko's Modern Life
Did you know that Rocko once worked at as a phone sex operator? What about that the name of the restaurant "Chokey Chicken" had to be changed after season four when they censors realized that it was a euphemism? These are just some of the reasons that this show is inappropriate for kids. One website even compiled a video of the 40 dirtiest moments from Rocko's Modern Life.
9 Cow and Chicken
This probably isn't one of the worst shows on this list, but that doesn't mean it doesn't belong here. One of the main characters in Cow and Chicken is a devil like creature that doesn't wear pants. Of course there are a lot of cartoon characters that don't wear pants, but do they all have a very outlined and accentuated rear end? No, well this devil character does. They also spend a lot of time talking about Cow's udders and on top of everything their parents (yes they're siblings) are missing the entire upper halves of their bodies.
10 Johnn Bravo
This is one of those shows you look back on and realize just how inappropriate it was for you to watch as a kid. Johnny Bravo is a show about a womanizer that is constantly making sexual innuendos. For example, in one episode he is going to be a human sacrifice and when someone says that they are sacrificing a virgin, Johnny looks right into the camera and says "virgin?" Maybe this show was targeted towards older kids, but that didn't stop young ones from watching.
11 Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
As you can see by the picture, one of the main characters of this show is the Grimm Reaper. The antics of the episodes usually end up with the two children seriously injured or even dead, but reappear completely fine in the next episode. That might not be too bad because the main character getting hurt seems to be the norm for cartoons, but what about causing harm or even murder? The girl, Mindy, actually causes the death of a few secondary characters and the trio sometimes makes appearances in a shadowy underworld. This would be fine if it was on late at night for an older crowd, but a three in the afternoon time slot is definitely aimed towards children.
How disturbing is it that cartoons have to be monitored? Parents should be able to trust the cartoons that their children watch without the worry of negative influences. It seems that the creators of cartoons have decided that they are not crossing any lines when incorporating content that's not appropriate for children. Have you seen any of these cartoons? What do you think?
This article was written in collaboration with editor Lydia Sheehan.
Flowersuponcrowns Spongebob is amazing so please stop
Recellya Wow,Just Just wow XD
Danielle And cow and chicken, parents should blame themselves for the swearing part, my mom doesn't expect me to swear yet it is a part of almost every sentence she speaks.
Loz Sponge bob really
wade i read this and see parents who blame everything but themselves because of bad parenting choices i am 29 and have one child and another on the way and would have no qualms about either of them watching any of these hell i watch an episode or 2 a day of adventure time with him he LOVES jake
Mike Sponge bob should be num 1 if you remember the episode where there giggling in the box
wade @Mike, really giggling in a box? kids dont do that...ever?
Claire I watched most of those cartoons as a kid. I am now 25 and I turned out perfectly normal, kind and considerate. I doubt i even realised they were that rude at the time, so i don't think it is a big issue!
Mackenzie-Catherine I am thirteen. I have watched and grown up with all of these shows. I have not grown up to be a vulgar, ignorant, pervert by watching these television shows. Not to brag, but more to prove my point, I am an all A's, musically inclined, and polite student. I personally think adults make big ordeals of these things. Take the Barbie controversy as an example. Parents see a bad role model. Children see a doll with endless hours of fun, not a walking eating disorder. The same with these shows. Parents and adults see children shows with crude humor and awful outcomes in their child if they watch it. Children see a show, that has potty humor (as many young kids find humorous) and a show that makes them laugh. People need to lighten up. I mean, as long as their young kids aren't watching shows like, "The Walking Dead" or movies like "Ted", I think they will be okay. And to the people who think kids shouldn't watch television period, I disagree. If you allow them to watch good material, then there are actual benefits. Kids can stay in touch with the world or learn new ideas. Bottom line; Stop acting like everything targeted for kids, is innapropriate for them (Barbie, Spongebob, etc). Our youth views it as nothing more than a TV show or a fun game.
Nick Why isn't the power puff girls on here? It featured a cross dressing Satan, amongst other things.
Clee000 Oh please number 2 and sponge bob ! I have watched and loved them ! Theyre too beautiful :)
Chacha I think it's the parents fault if kids are watching these cartoons. Maybe Nickelodeon is more for middle and high schoolers and not good for elementary kids. If you are a great parent your kids are not watching tv.
Chelsea Being that my daughter is four years old and has never had a nightmare having anything to do with anything on this show, I think she's good. It's not like she's watching zombie movies and there's realistic blood and violence. They're cartoons. Like I said, make sure your child has a legitimate connection with reality and what happens in cartoons will be entertainment.
Jasmine @Olivia, im from the UK too, iv watched all, adventure time & regular show is always on cartoon network (:
Chris I used Spongebob to teach the seven capital sins and it out a good way to grasp the lesson well.
Chris Spongebob sem
Luna Adventure Time? Seriously?
Krysten The cartoons may be aimed for the teen audience to open them up to the real world and not have them overly sheltered and narrow minded
Write4U I think the author is being a little over-sensitive. Restricting a child can make matters worse. And most of the jokes go over kids' heads. I recall SpongeBob & Patrick selling chocolate bars door to door. When sales were bleak, Patrick suggesting taking off their clothes first. SpongeBob replied, "No, let's save that tactic for when we sell real estate." Hilarious, but what kid is going to catch that?
Taylor @Write4U Totally agree. People restrict so much stuff now a days. You can't shelter your kids from the real work forever
Arin @Write4U kids nowadays are much smarter than they used to be. You'd be surprised at what they are able to comprehend.
Kendra I mean we've gotta expose kids to these things at some point. I watched all of these and still do as I'm just a teen, and I think it helped prepare me that not everything is all luxuries and that there are bad things in the world
Lillica I disagree about spongebob. A few poop jokes, but so what? ren and stumpy was never meant to be a kids show. It was an adult cartoon from the start and was then edited down to be tame enough for kids. And if most people knew what lady rainicorn was saying in Korean, they would definitely not want kids to watch it. I invite you to google it.
Maggie Amen. I agree to them all
Olivia I agree that total drama island is inappropriate, when I first watched it I was shocked that it was a kids programme, it's better for older kids, never heard of any of the others except spongebob because I'm from the UK.
Chacha @Olivia I think that some of these jokes are for the unconscious brain, kids may not hear the bad jokes, but subconsciously they do get it. Disney was under fire for this as well.
Toria What about billy and mandy?
tgurl @Toria I agree so much. Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy is one that is not for kids at all
Goldie Lol u can't just put your kids in a bubble or they'll be naive forever!
Taylor I grew up watching spongebob and I never once got any "adult humor" from it since I was child. Obviously don't let your kid watch major violence but adventure time and spongebob aren't bad compared to some 90s cartoons we used to have...Anyone remember that mutant babies show with the grandma which was extremely gross? Now that was bad. Shows like Johnny bravo and cybersix were fine.
Chelsea And if it gets too scary, your child will walk away or ask you to change the channel, you as a parent should have more influence than a tv show. Teach your kid right and a cartoon with just be what it was designed to be in these cases, entertainment.
Chelsea I let my daughter watch adventure time, regular show, sponge bob...most of these shows. I'm not going to over sensitize my daughter by barring a cartoon that really isn't that scary. And sponge bob is only inappropriate because there is adult humor sometimes...humor kids don't get so it doesn't matter... (Like a cake that said "sorry for the scabies") lol
Rebecca SPONGEBOB!!! Really???? LOVE SPONGEBOB! Watched it often with my GrandCherubs!! I grew up very well-adjusted to life watching Looney Tunes, Popeye and The 3 Stooges, etc.
BLinstrot I don't let my any of my kids watch Spongebob or Ren & Stempy. I haven't seen the others but they wouldn't be on in my house if the descriptions are accurate. However, my reasoning isn't about the age appropriatness, it is the fact that the glamorize being stupid. My kids range from 12 to 39 & once they were out of the house they can watch what they want but when they bring their cchildren over they have already told them no spongebob at Grandma's house. I don't understand why so much of our entertainment makes fun of people who may not be as intelligent as we are OR who may just be smart in different ways. BTW - I consider all these cartoon channels alng with the Disney Channel and ABC Family as anti-family channels. The children are so disrespectful and are always trying to connive around their parents and never suffer any real consequences. We stick with PBS, Disney Junior.
Kelly I agree with that all the cartoons except spongebob. There's no sexual content, curses, or scary/dark plots. As long as kids aren't obsessively watching it, it's completely harmless
Aliyah ❤❤
Jasmine i personally love watching adventure time, its great and really funny, maybe it is aimed at teens, i also find regular show halirious and entertaining, maybe its just peoples response on different types of humour...
Tonais I agree! I have watched all episodes exact the last two and had to pause and think about what just happened/what did they say in those cartoons. They definitely have too many inappropriate moments and my daughter will not watch them.
Louise I watched all of these but 1,6 and 7.
Sterre As a kid i found Courage soooo freaking scary! I still zap away if i see it on the internet.
Patricia Courage !!! Always will be my favorite show
Lexi I agree with Teddie these shows are targeted for teens people seem to forget they can't use the tv as a child's baby sitter where monitoring their child and what they are watching is necessary.
California Yeah, my 7 year old cousin isn't allowed to watch any of these
Johana I'm 17, and as I kid I hated all this shows! & as of now is still do, if anything I would only watch #1.
Fey Weird, number 7 looks like 'Uncle Grandpa' but I agree with this list. Regular show and adventure time are favorites of mine and I pick up on some of their sexual innuendos sometimes.
Serena still love ren and stimpy :)
MeganTardisi Just because they are animated does not make them for kids. Parents need to monitor what their kids watch. The only one of these that are really marketed at kids is Spongebob and I do wish they would move that to a later time slot.
Teddie I have to admit that some if the cartoons are teenagers target because of the content,