Spongebob Squarepants acting extremely bashful.
I’ve said it once before, so I’ll say it here again: there’s nothing like watching a great cartoon show. Besides the fact that they often explore the impossibilities we wish we could have or create (i.e. having a talking, purple dog able to banish all things evil from our presence), cartoons are a colorful blur that takes its viewers to an entirely different existence. Cartoons were great when we were kids. Watching the dragons in Dragon Tales conquer their fears or A Pup Named Scooby Doo made learning addition worth getting through. But watching cartoons now may top the good old days. The amount of subliminal messages in cartoons is overwhelming amazing. It’s almost as if they made a show for the minds of a college student, or better yet anyone beyond the basic algebra stages. A few cartoons did it best, but there are plenty besides anything on Adult Swim just waiting to be exposed. It all starts with SpongeBob SquarePants.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Okay, so let’s take the time to note that SpongeBob SquarePants is already 100 times messed up. Besides the fact that he takes baths underwater, SpongeBob also doesn’t know how to swim. To make it even better, he can even light fires and tan—all underwater. But take some of these weird facts away and you’re left with a creatively genius show built to please viewers of all ages. Not to mention all of the subliminal messages hiding within Bikini Bottom (peep that name).
In one episode I remember as a child, SpongeBob and Patrick raise a baby clam. Immediately, SpongeBob becomes the irksome, complaining stay-at-home wife that complains more than he can change a diaper. Patrick rises to the role of a lazy dad, unable to even keep a steady job to support his wife and child. Sounds a little familiar, right? It should, it was a prediction of what was to become Teen Mom. At the end of the episode Patrick turns to SpongeBob and says, “Let’s have another one.” In which SpongeBob’s eyes bulge and the screen fades to black. Enough said—SpongeBob is the master of all things good.
Rugrats
One of the greatest shows to ever air on Nickelodeon, right? Minus the fact that we were all either miserable to have an Angelica in our life or glad to have a Susie to fix it, Rugrats answered all of the basic questions we had such as what was on the other side of the mirror or what happens when you eat watermelon seeds. But luckily, there was one character that occasionally stopped by to offer that one subliminal message we were all looking for: Dr. Lipschitz.
Call me immature for finding this name hilarious, but not only does it sum up how the creators viewed certain doctors during that time, but it also explains Dr. Lipschitz character perfectly. Known around town as a profound child psychiatrist, most of the things that came out of Dr. Lipschitz mouth pertained to his last name. With books, videos, and a 1-900 number, he was the face of how to “fix your children” that was hated by most of the older characters like Grandpa Lou. He was greedy, he ate too much, and all of his advice never helping the children in the show at all. Yup, his name was perfectly chosen.
The Powerpuff Girls
I still wish I could have superpowers like Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Even if it meant fighting an evil monkey or pretty much the devil himself (does anyone know what that red thing was?) But this show possibly had the best and most amount of hidden jokes within it.
In one episode we have Blossom explaining how she and her sisters were accidentally made in the Professor’s laboratory. The girl then replies, “Don’t worry, I was an accident too!” Strike one. In another, after realizing that the Rowdy Ruff Boys, the Powerpuff Girl’s nemeses, are growing every time the girls show them love instead of cowering in fear, Blossom comes to a conclusion. “Whenever their masculinity is threatened, they shrink in size,” she says with a wink. Strike two. The mayor’s assistant. Strike three.
Cartoons were made to appeal to the child watching them and the semi-older person forced to sit through them. Thankfully, the creators threw in a joke here and there. It’s certainly worth the watch.