Pop Culture | Cartoons

11 Cartoon Moments You Will Be Glad You Didn't Catch As A Kid

Kid's cartoons are loaded with hidden meanings and messages, usually harmless and often a good life lesson. Sometimes animators take it a bit too far and slip some dirty humor into what you would think to be a harmless situation.

From dirty jokes, to racist humor, some of your favorite childhood shows were loaded with jokes that would definitely raise your eyebrows as an adult. Thankfully the first time we were watching it, we were too young to understand.

Spongebob References Prison Attacks

In the episode "Gary Takes A Bath", Spongebob tries to lure Gary into the tub by creating a pirate scene. When handing him two bars of soap, he cautions Gary not to "drop them". The phrase "Don't drop the soap" commonly refers to assault that happens in prison. Considering this is a real world problem, it's hardly appropriate for a children's show.

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Buzz Lightyear Can't Control His Erect Wings

In Toy Story 2, after Jesse is introduced to the other toys, the movie makes a joke not meant for kids. After Jesse performs a series of tricks and stunts to free Andy's dog from his room, Buzz can't hide how impressed he was with her and unconsciously pops out his wings. I guess he couldn't control his Woody!

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Disney's Depiction of Asian People

While we may have not noticed it when it came out in 1970, The Aristocats were incredibly racist. What may seem like a harmless kids movie about three kittens trying to find their way home, actually holds a strong Asian stereotype. Shun Gon has big buck teeth, speaks broken English and plays the piano with chopsticks. Oh boy!

Barney Has A Second Head

While you may remember The Flintstones as a wholesome children's cartoon, it had it's moments too. In the episode "The Masquerade Party," Barney and Fred are working together to find costumes for a social event at work. Fred makes a comment to Barney needing another head, to which he replies that he already has two...

Yup, they made a dick joke on the Flintstones and we never noticed.

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Lord Farquaad Has "Private Time" In Shrek

While there were plenty of scenes in Shrek that would have flown right over your head as a kid, it's hard to ignore this one particularly nasty moment.

After Lord Farquaad sets his heart on marrying Princess Fiona, he settles into bed with his hairy shoulders in full display. He then has the Magic Mirror loop the footage of his desired bride-to-be. Thankfully, the scene cuts away before it goes too far.

Dexter Hires a Dancer

I think we all remember watching Dexter's Laboratory as kids! Airing on the Cartoon Network in the mid to late 1990s, the show follows the adventures of an eight-year-old child genius who has a hidden scientific laboratory in his house. But it definitely had it's moment that stretched beyond the reach that an eight-year-old should comprehend.

In the episode "DeeDee And The Man," Dexter learns he needs his sister's interruptions as part of his creative process. When his sister no longer will cooperate, he finds a a woman who tells Dexter that dancing is "fifty bucks extra". Oh my!

Grandpa Partied A Little Hard In The 60s

Hey Arnold! was a beloved series that aired on Nickelodeon in the mid-1990s. Rarely did this show touch on deep issues, but when one of these not-safe-for-kids moments happens, we can't forget it.

In the episode "Back To School,"Arnold tries to talk his grandfather into finishing his education. His grandfather rejected this idea, stating he lost too many brain cells after he attended Woodstock in the 1960s.

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Disney's Racist Depiction of Indigenous People

Okay, so we know Disney had a bit of a racist issue with their movies, and here is another example. In 1953's Peter Pan, they paint an unflattering picture of Indigenous People. They are exaggerated caricatures that appear when the film's song "What Makes The Red Man Red?" plays. I won't even get into all the things wrong with this.

Grandpa Rents An Adult Movie

While Rugrats was filled with adult jokes, one episode takes it a step further. In the episode "Grandpa's Date", Tommy's Grandpa Lou is looking for a way to combat his loneliness. That's when he went to rent a VHS tape entitled, "Lonely Space Vixens." You can imagine that it wasn't a video meant for children's eyes.

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Disney Targets African Americans

So Disney has been guilty of stereotyping Asians as well as Indigenous People, unfortunately it's no surprise that African Americas were a target as well.

In the 1941 classic, Dumbo, a set of characters raised some eyebrows for stereotyping the group. The Crows in the movie, especially Jim Crow who was literally named after legislature used to restrict the voting rights of African Americans, raised countless eyebrows.

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The Animaniacs Almost Got To Second Base

There's a sentence I never thought I would say... The Animaniacs were a staple in our TV watching as a kid, and never did we think it was anything other than childlike innocence. Until now.

In the episode "Hercule Yakko" the three characters are investigating a crime when Dot is ordered to dust for fingerprints. She returns with Prince the artist, and realized that dot took "finger-prints" a little too literally. Oh noooooo!

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I will never look at some of these the same way again...

Inspiration: The Gamer