Cartoons: sketches or drawings, usually humorous, as in a newspaper or periodical, symbolizing, satirizing, or caricaturing some action, subject, or person of popular interest.[1] Cartoons: a major part of every child’s life. Why is that? When one thinks of cartoons, immediately images of Looney Toons, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network come to mind. With characters like Bugs Bunny, Timmy Turner, and Dexter, how could anyone but a child enjoy these shows? However, nowhere in the definition does it mention anything pertaining to children. Where ever did we get this idea that cartoons are for kids?
Well, watching cartoons with an adult proves that this is certainly not the case. In Bee Movie, one bee comments that the Queen Bee’s picture is of a man in women’s clothing and that he’s a drag queen. Now, at that point my mom and I were laughing hysterically, but my 9-year-old cousin just sat there and asked, “What’s so funny?” Of course, there are rudimentary jokes and situations involving boogers or cooties in several cartoons that children can find humorous, but in reality, cartoons were created for adults. References to classic novels or movies, sexual innuendos, and even guest voices make this form of entertainment comical on a whole new level. As my teacher always says, “If you’re five, it’s funny. If you’re thirty-five, it’s even funnier.”[2]
One fact numerous people don’t realize is that children’s cartoons are written by adults. The only way animators are able to stay sane is to include details that are humorous to themselves. For instance, one of Jimmy Neutron’s friends is named Sheen Estevez. This is a parody of Hollywood’s Sheen family (Martin & Charlie) whose original last name was Estevez (Emilio, Charlie’s brother).
There are several character parodies included in Warner Brothers’ Animaniacs segments, such as the Goodfeathers (from the movie Goodfellas), who always argue and beat up each other; Godpigeon (Marlon Brando’s Godfather), who is the boss of the Goodfeathers; & Codger Eggbert (Roger Ebert), who is punished for giving a bad review. This makes for one hilarious show.
In an episode of Dexter’s Laboratory, Dexter shouts, “No books for you!” in a reference to the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld. Adolescents find it funny because Dexter is shouting in his heavy German accent, but adults enjoy it even more due to the original source. Fairly Odd Parents even included a militant character named Jorgen Von Strangle, who is the epitome of Arnold Schwarzenegger in cartoon form. Another reference many probably don’t know is that Jorgen’s grandmother, Nana Boom Boom, bakes “special” brownies in order to win a baking competition…I think we all know what that means. David Hasselhoff’s guest appearance in Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie and the extreme violence portrayed in Tom & Jerry are just a few more ways in which the writers and animators say, “Hey, we’re still adults here!”
And do I even need to discuss the very appearance of Jessica Rabbit?
