10 Cartoons That Parents Love to Hate
At some point in their lives, those adorable little children parents brought into the world start to develop their own preferences and tastes. Eventually their tastes start to clash with those of their parents, especially when it comes to television programming. Thus the list of cartoons parents love to hate is born! I asked hundreds of parents and parent bloggers which cartoons they couldn't stand that their children adored. I present to you the ten most mentioned shows, along with a few honorable mentions.
Good old Caillou earns my number one spot on this list for plenty of reasons. While the show is indeed wholesome, the main character comes off often as whiny and manipulative of his parents, who give into his every whim. Lots of parents cringe when they hear his voice saying the ever present phrase "but mommy!" with his characteristic whine. Plus, his parents are supposedly named Doris and Boris. More »
SpongeBob has been around longer than I'd care to admit, and it repeatedly does well in the ratings. However, the giggle, the doofy sidekick Patrick, and scientific research proving that this cartoon makes children perform poorly in academic environments make this one high on the list. Most parents I talked to forbade it to be on in their homes. I wonder why.More »
She is loud, demanding, and forever without adult supervision. She asks questions and stares at her audience until they either blurt out an answer or shift uncomfortably in their seats until she does. While repetition is good for learning, it's not so great for a parent who just needs twenty minutes to themselves. Sure, your children pick up a few Spanish vocabulary words, but at what cost to your sanity? More »
For many of the same reasons that parents dislike Dora, Diego ranks high on the list as well. Only, instead of running around his local... whatever it is that Dora lives in... he has free unsupervised reign of the entire rainforest, as well as access to heavy machinery, vehicles he's obviously not old enough to drive, and constant contact with wild animals.More »
The age old question every parent poses to themselves at least five times while watching this show: where are their parents? Occasionally Max and Ruby have interaction with their grandmother, as well as other adult role models like the Bunny Scouts leader and various teachers, but never once do viewers catch a glimpse of any parental involvement. Obviously they don't live with their grandma, because she lives a block away. And why is Ruby always squashing any attempt by Max to be imaginative and to help solve her problems? It's not his fault he has limited speech capabilities.More »
Okay, so I'm not shy about how I feel about Uncle Grandpa. I even got hate mail at my blog because of my post there. However, most parents who have been forced to sit through this program with their kids seem to agree with me. This show is stupid. There. I said it. There is no reason that it needs to continue to exist, and it's a mystery why it gets the ratings it does (or perhaps not, since it seems to be most popular with teens and college aged kids).More »
This show surprises me every time I get a press release from Nickelodeon in my email with ratings updates. It continually rates among the top shows in its demographic. Maybe the writing is getting snappier from when I first reviewed it, but it has obnoxious levels off the charts right along with their ratings. More »
This one I don't entirely agree with, but due to my advanced polling methods of asking pretty much every parent I know, it came up enough that it deserves mention. I can understand that it's strange and there is absolutely no continuity between the episodes. The demographic it aims for is definitely older than the kids that end up watching it, especially thanks to recent McDonald's Happy Meal inclusion. It's most assuredly not for younger audiences, and that alone makes parents wary of its existence on a kids' network.More »
Another one I actually adore personally that made my frequently mentioned list, mostly due to the voice acting. However, many parents who mentioned the show also noted that the actual parents (who have no names other than Timmy's Mom and Timmy's Dad) are portrayed as babbling idiots, and this is upsetting to parents whose kids watch. I personally think the writing is hilarious, but this isn't about me. More »
Parents who care about proper depiction of scientific principles love to argue about the physics of the Bubble Guppies universe. They're underwater... and there's wind. And trees. And squirrels. Not squirrel-fish but actual squirrels. What does the school being underwater even add to the series except for a fish teacher who sounds suspiciously like John Candy? These are the questions parents ask themselves when they watch this show. Also, a cover of a Lady Gaga song? Are they serious with this? More »
Sanjay and Craig - This one came up often in my questioning. Parents think it's crass and the humor is base. Me, I have a tiny crush on Chris Hardwick, so I think it's hilarious. To each his own. It's definitely meant for older kids.
Peppa Pig - Another oft-mentioned show, Peppa Pig (or as I tend to refer to it, Pepper Pig, because they're British and that's how they say Pepper!) also deserves a shout out in this category. Peppa has an obnoxious voice which paired with a British accent borders on skin crawling. Everything they do is hilarious, apparently, and causes them to fall on their backs, kicking their legs and laughing raucously. And there's a talking potato.
1. Caillou
Good old Caillou earns my number one spot on this list for plenty of reasons. While the show is indeed wholesome, the main character comes off often as whiny and manipulative of his parents, who give into his every whim. Lots of parents cringe when they hear his voice saying the ever present phrase "but mommy!" with his characteristic whine. Plus, his parents are supposedly named Doris and Boris. More »
2. SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob has been around longer than I'd care to admit, and it repeatedly does well in the ratings. However, the giggle, the doofy sidekick Patrick, and scientific research proving that this cartoon makes children perform poorly in academic environments make this one high on the list. Most parents I talked to forbade it to be on in their homes. I wonder why.More »
3. Dora The Explorer
She is loud, demanding, and forever without adult supervision. She asks questions and stares at her audience until they either blurt out an answer or shift uncomfortably in their seats until she does. While repetition is good for learning, it's not so great for a parent who just needs twenty minutes to themselves. Sure, your children pick up a few Spanish vocabulary words, but at what cost to your sanity? More »
4. Go Diego, Go!
For many of the same reasons that parents dislike Dora, Diego ranks high on the list as well. Only, instead of running around his local... whatever it is that Dora lives in... he has free unsupervised reign of the entire rainforest, as well as access to heavy machinery, vehicles he's obviously not old enough to drive, and constant contact with wild animals.More »
5. Max and Ruby
The age old question every parent poses to themselves at least five times while watching this show: where are their parents? Occasionally Max and Ruby have interaction with their grandmother, as well as other adult role models like the Bunny Scouts leader and various teachers, but never once do viewers catch a glimpse of any parental involvement. Obviously they don't live with their grandma, because she lives a block away. And why is Ruby always squashing any attempt by Max to be imaginative and to help solve her problems? It's not his fault he has limited speech capabilities.More »
6. Uncle Grandpa
Okay, so I'm not shy about how I feel about Uncle Grandpa. I even got hate mail at my blog because of my post there. However, most parents who have been forced to sit through this program with their kids seem to agree with me. This show is stupid. There. I said it. There is no reason that it needs to continue to exist, and it's a mystery why it gets the ratings it does (or perhaps not, since it seems to be most popular with teens and college aged kids).More »
7. Breadwinners
This show surprises me every time I get a press release from Nickelodeon in my email with ratings updates. It continually rates among the top shows in its demographic. Maybe the writing is getting snappier from when I first reviewed it, but it has obnoxious levels off the charts right along with their ratings. More »
8. Adventure Time
This one I don't entirely agree with, but due to my advanced polling methods of asking pretty much every parent I know, it came up enough that it deserves mention. I can understand that it's strange and there is absolutely no continuity between the episodes. The demographic it aims for is definitely older than the kids that end up watching it, especially thanks to recent McDonald's Happy Meal inclusion. It's most assuredly not for younger audiences, and that alone makes parents wary of its existence on a kids' network.More »
9. Fairly OddParents
Another one I actually adore personally that made my frequently mentioned list, mostly due to the voice acting. However, many parents who mentioned the show also noted that the actual parents (who have no names other than Timmy's Mom and Timmy's Dad) are portrayed as babbling idiots, and this is upsetting to parents whose kids watch. I personally think the writing is hilarious, but this isn't about me. More »
10. Bubble Guppies
Parents who care about proper depiction of scientific principles love to argue about the physics of the Bubble Guppies universe. They're underwater... and there's wind. And trees. And squirrels. Not squirrel-fish but actual squirrels. What does the school being underwater even add to the series except for a fish teacher who sounds suspiciously like John Candy? These are the questions parents ask themselves when they watch this show. Also, a cover of a Lady Gaga song? Are they serious with this? More »
11. Honorable Mentions
Sanjay and Craig - This one came up often in my questioning. Parents think it's crass and the humor is base. Me, I have a tiny crush on Chris Hardwick, so I think it's hilarious. To each his own. It's definitely meant for older kids.
Peppa Pig - Another oft-mentioned show, Peppa Pig (or as I tend to refer to it, Pepper Pig, because they're British and that's how they say Pepper!) also deserves a shout out in this category. Peppa has an obnoxious voice which paired with a British accent borders on skin crawling. Everything they do is hilarious, apparently, and causes them to fall on their backs, kicking their legs and laughing raucously. And there's a talking potato.
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