Should drinking and smoking be aloud in kids cartoons? (P.G)

[I.R Joey]

I mean they are apart of real life, but yet I hear alot that Networks won't allow cartoon charecters alot of times to engage in these activities. I mean look at the laughable smoking twigs of Blue Sub 6 when it aired on CN.
We can think of a bunch of others, I think the Silverhawk's staff was not happy with not being able to have charecters drinking, but I'm not sure. I mean yhey did have a shot where a no drinking sign was blasted in a bar. Seriously, though "Limbo coolers?" Clever tactic to get around it but still corny as maze. Oh well.

[DerekPowers]

i totally agree. but atleast these days theres alot of more adult cartoons out there that allow it. most anime, southpark, simpsons (um, well ateast from 3 years ago), a bunch.

[Trent Lane]

It depends on the message the writers, cartoonists, etc. are trying to push. Maybe if they have a character like the make-up lady on the critic smoking they pass on that "don't smoke or you'll end up like this" message, whereas Bugs Bunny smoking gives you that "smoking makes you smart and cool" message. Drinking goes the same way...

[Calhoun07]

I agree. I mean, the only reason I am a non smoker and a non drinker today is because I never saw Bugs Bunny doing it in excess so I knew it wasn't cool. Family had no influence in my decision what so ever!

[Calhoun07]

as for if it should be allowed in a kid's cartoon? Well, what's the motivation to put it in there? I say if it fits the caracter, leave it in. If not, there's no reason to put that stuff in a cartoon just to say you put it in a cartoon. But I will always disagree with editing of any older cartoons to remove those things. Cartoons are not the influencing factors over children whether to smoke and drink, as people who probably get paid a heck of a lot more money than I do want you to believe, but family is the #1 influence in a kid's life. Friends I would place at #2, and school at #3. The media, well, I think I'd place that near the bottom of the list.

[Karkull]

It all depends: if it's a show like Pokemon, I say no. Batman: TAS, I say if it fits the personality of the character you're writing, go for it. For all the naysaying by Hollywood and the government, having characters have "bad" habits like smoking tells a reader/viewer a lot about the character's personality. It's a classic Hollywood standby.

Honestly, if a child is motivated to smoke because he wanted to be cool like the bad guy in a movie, cartoon, or comic book...chances are something else will get him eventually. As Dennis Miller once said, "You can't save everybody...just try not to live next door to him when he goes off."

[DR. BELCH]

--the Duckman episode "You've Come A Wrong Way, Baby", which parodied anti-smoking overreactionism. Bernice goes gung-ho on big tobacco after catching Charles and Mambo smoking a cigarette, and at one point shows on the floor of Congress her reedided p.c. version of Casablanca with Bogey's cigarette replaced with a badly-dubbed carrot.
Show me one kid who was ever inspired to smoke by Daffy Duck or Joe Camel, though. Chances are they got it from their parents or their peers....