I love cartoons. I've never stopped watching them. Batfink, Top Cat, Captain Caveman, GI Joe and of course Scooby Doo, all when I was a kid (not to mention the Flintstones - and then junk like the Osmonds - ugh). More recently, it's Dragon Ball and DBZ, The Last Airbender, Spongebob Squarepants, Jimmy Neutron and The Powerpuff Girls. But I've noticed something - cartoons nowadays are made for adults. I'm not talking about The Simpsons or Family Guy - they are clearly adult themed. But the stuff for kids is adult targeted as well. So before you accuse me of being immature enough to still relish my Aang and Goku, it's not my fault - the writing is so good and they put references in these toons that only 20 or 30 somethings (and even older) could understand.
For babies or Baby Boomers?
Powerpuff Girls - man Mojo Jojo is the greatest supervillain ever. The humour is fantastic - the colours and slapstick clearly appeal to kids. But the episode called The Beat Alls was a Baby Boomers flashback. The arch villains of the PPG's unite to form the Beat Alls (because they were to 'beat all' others). Well into the evil ensemble's reign, Mojo Jojo was lured away by a Japanese primate, and this of course dissolved the fab troupe. If you don't get the reference yet - it's the Beatles - broken up when Yoko Ono came along and poached Lennon (or so the story goes).
Jimmy Neutron features lots of music, and usually copyright friendly very recognizable versions of popular groups or songs - like Blink 182. There was a very Benny Hill-like chase scene complete with the strikingly similar music in one episode. It included the requisite line of pursuit sped up and goofy as ever in true Hill style. You'd have to have a few years under your belt to get that reference and some of you reading this probably don't know who Benny Hill is! In which case you get my point.
They could never catch this guy - is he Osama?
Death
Then there's death. In GI Joe, no matter how much firepower they threw at Cobra - or vice versa - nobody ever died. Cobra soldiers always parachuted out of their personal flight vehicles just in time, everytime. Then of course after the standard fierce battle and foiled run for world domination, Cobra would escape. The young kid would then shout 'Duke, they're getting away!', Duke would respond 'It's ok. We'll get them next time'. In todays cartoons, bad guys drop like inner city drug dealers. DBZ, Goku, the hero actually died. My all-time favourite episode of DBZ is when Goku returns from the 'other world' after 7 years. Man it was tear jerking - you have to know the story to understand.
I think the first kids cartoon I saw where folks died was Batman Beyond. I was wasn't shocked, it was actually relieving. The idea that no matter what you did, the badguys would always get away conveyed through GI Joe - and most other cartoons where it was always the same villain (like Mumrah, Skeletor and Hugo a Go Go) - was a bit disturbing.
Sometimes a punk needs to get smoked! Come to think of it - did Monstar ever get sent up the river Styx? It makes me wonder what the heck Mumrah was fighting for, cause it was only ever the Thunder Cats on a piece of desertified rock fighting Mumrah for no apparent reason.
Women
There was always only one girl in old-school cartoons. One girl in Thudercats, in He-Man, Silverhawks, The Smurfs and GI Joe. And no one ever seemed to have a romantic interest in her. It was just weird. Why were girls alway outnumbered in older cartoons? Well not always, Scoob and co had some equality of the sexes going on. Spongebob, however, features only one female main - Sandy the butch squirrel. But that raises something rather contraversial.
Hidden Genders?
Wearing his heart on his head?
The Spongy One has had some questionable content. One of the early episodes had Spongbob asking Patrick to be his valentine with a giant chocolate heart-shaped balloon. Kinda odd for children's telly. Spongebob declared in one episode that he 'wasn't on the menu' - what did he mean by that? Maybe the child rearing episode might shed some light. Himself and Patrick raised a baby clam and Sponge became a busy housewife complete with rollers and night dress while Patrick was the tie-wearing, suitcase carrying Dad/husband. Could it be a reference to gay marriage? Squidward is a quintessential urbane character who likes ballet, modern dance and was the make-up artist for a motion picture endeavour - ahem?! You tell me. Then there has been repeated rainbow imagery in Spongebob. From rainbow wigs, 'imagination' rainbows and pretty pattie rainbows.
The colours of an agenda?
In case you don't know, rainbows are the universal gay emblem. I'm not saying the Sponge is gay, just noting what I see in one of my most favourite cartoons. But even if he was gay, that wouldn't be the problem, rather it would be in the transparency (or lack thereof) of the agenda. Then again Bugs Bunny would frequently lay wet kisses on Porky the Pig and Elmer Fudd.
Race
At some point, kids cartoons began to be about 'real' issues (mind you Charlie Brown always was - but I don't think CB was ever for kids as it bored the tar outta me) like crushes and romance, discrimination, single parenting and death and divorce etc. A some point cartoons began to reflect the kids who watched them. More female characters took the fore (As Told by Ginger, Kimpossible, Totally Spies and PPG for example), and there was even some amount of racial diversity. I still think there is a white heavy leaning on the race front - but the new Transformers Animated has a distinctly minority heavy cast, particularly Black and Asian characters.
In some ways cartoons avoided race by having non-human characters. But c'mon, we all know Panthro's a black dude. And Smurfs defintely aren't black cause no black guy would walk around shirtless in white leotards and a jaunty white beret (not according the US black culture). We all know Disney hasn't portrayed a black lead character (though a black female lead is waiting in the wings). The closest they came was the Lion King, and Mufasa died like all black characters do - and he was a lion - so that doesn't count.
I like the turn most cartoons have taken. But it does have a dark side. Are we using kids programming to programme kids? Sometimes the content seems too adult. Whether its overly sexy, underwear prancing, anorexia inducing Brats or the amazing power Power Rangers had to make 4 year olds kick you in the shins. If Spongebob is gay and there is a hidden agenda to advance the cause or promote tolerance (which is not a bad thing if unhidden) is it the right platform to do this? Shouldn't cartoons be just about entertainment? The worst thing old-school cartoons did was plant the desire for kids to join the special forces and kill the never dying enemy....hmmm.
I still love cartoons. Can't imagine I will ever stop. But...here's the pun you've been waiting for....you draw your own conclusions. Booyah!
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