cartoons are for everyone

there was a time when i believed cartoons were for your childhood, and you graduate from cartoons to normal TV. eventually i understood that cartoons are for everyone. i figure if they are made by adults, why can't adults enjoy them? i googled "best cartoons for kids," and was surprised that some of the shows i watch as an adult are actually considered "kids cartoons."

there are so many more i could list but the point is, most of these shows i never watched as a kid and am watching for the first time as an adult. even if they are meant for children, i am entertained by the plot and characters and interested in the art of the cartoon. now they do make adult cartoons and such like family guy, big mouth, disenchantment, bobs burgers, the simpsons, south park, and i could go on and on. but big mouth for example, is painful for me to watch because the crude humor paired with the cartoonish animation seems off to me and i personally would rather watch a above belt sitcom meant for children than a show like big mouth. sorry big mouth fans.

when i was a kid, i started watching happy tree friends, a show you have to see to believe. the only reason i watched it was because it was animated and my eight-year-old brain equated that to "it's meant for kids like me," which turned out to be a big mistake. the cute characters with kid-friendly colors brought me to believe that the desired audience was me, an eight-year-old girl who wanted to watch a cartoon about different colored animals. the character development of the show was all around impressive, until they started dying in crazy graphic and traumatizing ways.

needless to say, i was scarred for life to know that even cartoons could be violent and sadistic. happy tree friends had scenes where each of the cute characters die in a violent and graphic way and i am sure the cute characters drew in other unsuspecting kids like me but then were horrified after watching one episode. i don't understand why adults would even watch and enjoy that show, but that is when i started to conclude that just because something is animated doesn't mean it's for kids.

the reason i watch cartoons as an adult is mostly because i am interested in the animation and creation of the show, but shows like disenchantment and bobs burgers give me so many laughs and i can appreciate the writing and direction of the cartoon. same goes for anime, but maybe an anime article is for another time. in conclusion, kids cartoons are for everyone to enjoy, and adult cartoons are for adults to enjoy.

and keep your kids away from happy tree friends.