Adult Situation Cartoons

No, I don’t mean adult oriented animated shows/movies. I’m referring to the television shows many grew up watching and loving. Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon are the two channels I grew up watching some of my most beloved cartoons. The cartoons that parents could watch and laugh right along with their kids. Not any of this Dora the Explorer nonsense or Bob the Builder bullshit either. I’m talking specifically about Kablam!, Angry Beavers, Ren & Stimpy, and Rocko’s Modern Life. While I loved these when I was younger, I still appreciate them to this day, still laughing at some of the silly jokes, but more importantly, at the material that’s supposed to go over the kids’ heads. That is what made those so funny and popular in their time.

The good news is that even though such cartoons are long since abandoned and cancelled, they do air on some channels, not to be forgotten. And even better news, there have been shows following in those very footsteps. Invader Zim, unfortunately now among the ranks of other deceased cartoons, is one of those. Enough childish humor to keep the young’ns satiated, while providing entertainment for the adults that have to sit through it with their children. Also treading the same path, Spongebob Squarepants. This is the best example, as it is still one of the most popular cartoons on today.

Analyzing these, a few things become very apparent. The characters themselves are adults in bizarre situations. Spongebob the blissfully ignorant. Ren and Stimpy, the seemingly homosexual couple. Rocko, the only sane wallaby in an insane world. They all possess nuggets of comedy that I can still laugh at going on 21 years of age. Hopefully, more will continue to come about, because I’ve seen every episode of Rocko’s Modern Life a dozen times by now….