Even today, in an era with "The Simpsons", "South Park", anime' aimed at an older audience, "Adult Swim", the 'Cartoons Are For Children' thing is still sround.  :P Which I read from many reviews about animation & some of my family/friends also assume that cartoons are "kids' stuff".



What's your opinion?



I know that Looney Tunes & Disney were originally aimed at both kids & adults at the theatres. When shown between news reels & the movie.

But when did the whole 'toons are just "kids' stuff" originate?


IMO, cartoons are for everybody. (Depends On The Content)


Simpsons... 8 +

Beavis & Butt-Head... 10 +

South Park... 13 + (Depends On The Person)

Kim Possible... all ages

etc.

Cartoon's are awesome....and you can tell that some aim at Adults or I guess I should say perverted adults like South Park and Princess if you've ever seen that, while others are aimed at adults with the more "mature" humor such as the Simpsons, which I personally love.  Other Cartoons are obviously aimed at kids from all age groups. Although if the age is above 5 I'll still usually enjoy the show.

Looney Toons in my personal opinion was the best of the mixture.  I love Looney Toons and it's physical comedy is for the younger crowds where the cliches are for the older "Kids".

I think cartoons these days are aimed towards older kids like the cartoon Stripperela starring Pamela Anderson is aimed towards 18 and older.I do watch it BTW. ;D


Howard

I used to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle as a kid. But then I watched them again as an adult and realized that kids wouldn't "get" half the jokes. So before South Park and the Simpsons, there was the wonderful Rocky and Bullwinkle show. IMO one of the best adult cartoons ever made.




Cat

My children and I all enjoy Spongebob Squarepants! :)

wouldn't adult cartoons today in this day and age be considered as "Hentai Cartoons"? ;D



Howard

But when did the whole 'toons are just "kids' stuff" originate?


You'd have to say it followed from the Hays Code of 1930. Its "success" paved the way for Wertham's Seduction Of The Innocent to claim that comics led to juvenile delinquency and sexual perversion. The combination of censorship of both movies and comics pretty much hits the cartoon sweet spot - animated comics.

Fortunately the moral panic didn't take the same hold in Japan, so it has a tradition of mature animation for all ages, such as the World Masterpiece Theatre stuff for kids, up to Jin-Roh, a military-political thriller about a Nazi-like future where terrorists duel with the police, and the secret Wolf Brigade of elite counter-terrorist troops, and everything in between.

Other titles for adults might include Genji Monotagari, based on the first novel ever writte, about courtly scheming in Heian-era Japan, or perhaps Spring and Chaos, a tale of the life of the poet Kenji MIYAZAWA, who strove to live a simple rural life with community farming, much to the disgust of his more materialistic father. Maybe try Millennium Actress, the story of a dying actress and the epic story of her life's secret quest as mirrorred in her film appearances and narrated to an investigative journalist. Or how about Grave Of The Fireflies, about two children orphaned by firebombing in World War II.

My children and I all enjoy Spongebob Squarepants! :)


I hate Spongebob. I'm mad at Ween, one of the best bands I know of, for doing music for them. I loathe them. D*mn you Derek Drymon! D*mn you!!!!  >:(

I have never looked at cartoons as for kids only.  Growing up, my dad and I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons together.  Bugs Bunny was a 4 hour block, then and we watched the whole thing.  To this day, I will call him and he will be watching Rocky and Bullwinkle.  I like to watch cartoons with my daughter, too.  I love Rugrats and Spongebob.

When I was in high school, I came home one day and my parents were sitting there watching Popeye. Personally, I never really like Popeye but I was shocked to find my parents watching it. I guess I should have monitored their television viewing better.  ;)




Cat

And not forget "Ren & Stimpy"...  Though it had "hidden messages" like most 'toons today.  :D



Thanks for the info.  :)


Though I can't believe Cartoon Network finally nolonger airing Looney Tunes.  (Besides countless "Scooby Doo" & Tom & Jerry).  :P And they're now on Boomerang. Along with many Hanna Barbera classics.
(Source: TV Tome, Looney Tunes Show)

I have never looked at cartoons as for kids only.  Growing up, my dad and I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons together.  Bugs Bunny was a 4 hour block, then and we watched the whole thing.  To this day, I will call him and he will be watching Rocky and Bullwinkle.  I like to watch cartoons with my daughter, too.  I love Rugrats and Spongebob.


That's the spirit. A lot of people have you believe that the things you used to enjoy as a kid, you shouldn't be doing as an adult - well I think that's sad and I fervently believe that any type of kid's cartoons can be enjoyed by everybody (subject to taste  :)).

Even today, in an era with "The Simpsons", "South Park", anime' aimed at an older audience, "Adult Swim", the 'Cartoons Are For Children' thing is still sround.  :P Which I read from many reviews about animation & some of my family/friends also assume that cartoons are "kids' stuff".



What's your opinion?



I know that Looney Tunes & Disney were originally aimed at both kids & adults at the theatres. When shown between news reels & the movie.
        Do you know what Rhetoric is?  Argumentative and or persuasive speeches...some are like lawyers do in a trial, and some are like an academic debate team, or a political debate too. Well, in this Rhetoric class I took late last year I did a paper on audience participation when the "speech" is Cartoons.    I talked about Warner Brothers Looney tunes(bugs & Daffy), The Animaniacs (Pinky and the Brain, "The Warner Brothers and their Sister Dot"=Anamaniacs, The latest Lights Camera Bugs Bunny Movie w/ Brendan Fraser and jenna Elfman and I started to discuss the same correlatives to yes, Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.And to a lesser degree also Disney animation.

    It was my opinion that yes, these cartoons=animated features, and so called "children's programming if you will, were working on two levels.  1st: it was just plain ole' entertainment for the vast majority of kids who are, were or will be watching these programs.  But then 2nd, there are the social commentaries, the jabs at social norms, the trickster style wit of the cross-dressing, multi talented Bugs Bunny...doctor one minute, the next minute a manicurist or playing it up with full  costume in "What's opera Doc"?    And then there is the commentary on the military, and the times of the cartoon's animators, how the Marx Brothers, and all manner of actors swoon and cry out "O! It's Donald Duck"! During one particular feature i can remember seeing, tho' it ws probably run first in theaters as fillers between the western Serial films of the 50's.  Well maybe 60s too. Or was it 40s? 
    ANYway, it is true.  The artists and the animators I found online interviews from all said this was the case.  They were putting in sly jokes like Disney's Aladdin line where the Genie says, " the famous Dead Sea tupperware see,ppft, still good"!  Very Little kids don't give a nickel about what tupperware storage plastic is, but they are laughing because he more or less spits, and as the narrator he is ready to get the story underway by this point inthe film.

   
But when did the whole 'toons are just "kids' stuff" originate?

I would say some time after "speed racer", and the hippy generation turned off HR Puff nStuff  (go ahead spell it any way you like 70s ed.)  and about the time they started telling networks that they had to begin making "children's programming" up to 5 hours of air time.  it changed in the 80s to now and is headed by the TV and film commission that settle on the film ratings system: G, PG, R, and so forth??    Probably around the time they started creating those Public Service "after school speicials" and declaring Saturday on the network of your choice was the equivalent of "Must See TV" for rug rats over 3 and under 15.
  Sorry, I assume your savvy to American Television practices.  But even still, there is your answer More or Less.

I recently had someone tell me I'm too old  because I don't recall seeing something.  What?  too old to turn on my tv?

My favorite adult cartoon is Drawn Together, but I still enjoying some cartoons for children, once I watched OK KO and it’s pretty hilarious. I don’t like hentai for porn, but I’d like to watch it for the plot, does anyone know a good one?

You're never too old to watch cartoons, I do watch them but only on occasions.

I don't watch them much anymore personally. If they were only meant for children though there wouldn't be innuendo and adult humor subtly peppered throughout episodes like some do.

I'm 14 and i still enjoy cartoons, most people stop watching cartoons at a early age.

I hate that myth.

cartoons use to be made for adults to enjoy after a hard day of work.  If you look at the Loony tunes Cartoons cartoons cartoons on facebook,  you can see that all ages can enjoy them.  The audience of cartoons has gone to kids.

I wish I could tell OP that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Just wait for 2010 when grown ass men will watch My Little Pony! :D

Cartoons were meant for all ages.

I don't know. All I know is that I don't watch them.

Cartoons are for everybody!

Cartoons are for everybody!


I agree Celeste! O0

I don't know. All I know is that I don't watch them.


But you used to watch them?

The only adult cartoon I actually hate is Squidbillies.  :P And Robot Chicken isn't as funny as it once was.