Have there ever been cartoons that have been considered "cool"?

[Toonback]

Most cartoons do not seem to be hip. They are either designed for children, or it is considered a geeky thing to watch.

[Old Guy]

Dragonball Z...I guess. :confused:

[Gokou Ruri]

Simpsons, Family Guy, Disney/Pixar. Some of Dreamworks stuff as well.

[Eddy]

Apparently it's "cool" to watch Family Guy these days. I kind of miss when Family Guy was more obscure and I didn't see merchandise with Stewie Griffin's face on it everywhere I went.

Not trying to sound like one of those "I can't like it now that's it's popular" types.

[HG Revolution]

Pretty much, in order for a cartoon to be considered "cool" with most people, it has to be A) ironic (the only way to fight the "kids" stigma without entering "geek" territory, it seems) and B) commercial enough for people to know what it is (the only way to fight the "geek" stigma).

[TheTerror]

Family Guy and Bevis and Butthead are/were considered "in" by the general public, I suppose. I remember being in middle school and everyone and I mean everyone was into B&B and talked about it all the time as well as made references to it often. Same with Family Guy circa 1005-current.

[Blackstar]

That's not easy to determine, as "cool" is a relative term and what constitutes as being "cool" and "hip" really boils down to personal opinion. I suppose you could say that whatever the current "it" show is at the time is considered "cool"by the masses.

Also, I disagree completely with the notion that cartoons are "a geeky thing to watch". If it were really so unpopular to wacth cartoons, there wouldn't be so many animation themed forums on the internet. Hey, like this one! I know that I'm a geek, but the fact that there are so many of us here indicates that there are more than a few of us who are into cartoons, so are you suggesting that everyone here is tragically un-hip?

[SycrosD4]

Most cartoons that are "cool" (meaning popular) are really not that good in terms of actual quality. I cannot STAND Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and I'm sick of people acting like it's such a great show. It may be considered good if your catyclysmically smashed or stoned, but for those of us who have respect for the art of animation, ATHF is an embarassment. Same thing with South Park. I can't even stand to watch a South Park commercial.

[rattis1]

Well, back in the 20's and 30's, animation in general was certainly considered "cool" in american youth/counter culture. "Jazz and animated cartoons are americas only native artforms" was a popular saying among "radicals" and left-leaning intellectuals, who wanted to denounce high-brow culture such as opera or traditional live theatre. But that all changed when Disney gave animation its new image of family/child entertainment...

[weirdojace]

It seems like "South Park" is pretty in right now, at least with high school kids. I would go to school the day after a premiere, and everybody (I'm not kidding) would be quoting last night's episode. Even to the point where after "Canada on Strike" aired, somebody would yell "I'm not your friend, buddy!" and then somebody on the other side of the hallway would yell "I'm not your buddy, guy!"

Same with Family Guy, although I personally don't watch it.

And of course, Pixar movies. They're considered cool no matter what age you are.

[strawberryjuice]

south park, family guy...
Basically the "duh" answear :/

[ABrown]

I'd say right now Family Guy would be considered "cool" if you will. At this point in my life, I don't really care any more if watching cartoons is considered cool. I'd say 75% of the TV that I watch is cartoons. And if someone has a problem with it, it's their problem.

[warnerbroman]

Family Guy and Bevis and Butthead are/were considered "in" by the general public, I suppose. I remember being in middle school and everyone and I mean everyone was into B&B and talked about it all the time as well as made references to it often. Same with Family Guy circa 1005-current.same thing with south park

[Spideyzilla]

Batman TAS, people sang "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" on my school bus.

[Blackstar]

Batman TAS, people sang "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" on my school bus.

What's really funny about that is that kids were singing that rhyme many years before Batman: TAS.

[J!!!]

Family guy-everyone incluiding 6 year olds watch it.

[mowub]

What's really funny about that is that kids were singing that rhyme many years before Batman: TAS.

That song was actually Bart's first line in the very first Simpsons episode, circa 1989.

[Blackstar]

That song was actually Bart's first line in the very first Simpsons episode, circa 1989.

And the song predates The Simpsons by several years also. I remember kids singing it back when I was elementary school, but where I grew up, the last line was "...And the Comissioner broke his leg", not "...And the Joker got away." I didn't hear the latter version until the Joker himself sang the song in the Batman:TAS episode "Christmas with the Joker".

[Kuromi_Star]

Family Guy seems to be cool. At least that's what all the kids in the hallway saying "Cool whip" say. I think anime has settled somewhere between cool and super geeky. DBZ is cool and nostalgic. Pokemon not cool since 4th grade. Naruto depends on who you ask. Anything not on mainstream tv though is called "hentai" by the masses. It seems pretty ok to watch Batman:TAS and Teen Titans and things like that though. Also for some reason it's always ok to watch the classics or anything made in the 90's for Nick.

[Dr.Pepper]

Family Guy and South Park. Also to a lesser extant Simpsons

[Antiyonder]

That's not easy to determine, as "cool" is a relative term and what constitutes as being "cool" and "hip" really boils down to personal opinion. I suppose you could say that whatever the current "it" show is at the time is considered "cool"by the masses.

I'm pretty sure in this case that forums is refering to cool in the sense that every social conscious person bowing to peer pressure will watch,


Also, I disagree completely with the notion that cartoons are "a geeky thing to watch".

If you hear a casual television viewer talking about an animated program they enjoy, you're bound to hear a discussion on the popular cartoons (Spongebob Squarepants, Family Guy, Simpsons, Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry to name a few) as opposed to the more obscure programs (Gargoyles, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, Avatar The Last Airbender, etc).


If it were really so unpopular to wacth cartoons, there wouldn't be so many animation themed forums on the internet.

Thing is that even if a socially conscious person watches animation, he/she makes it a point not to talk to his/her friends about said interest. The internet on the other hand allows for them to express their interest in the medium without risking their coolness.

[Kuromi_Star]

Invader Zim is cool. Ask everyone who hasn't even seen the show with their Gir shirts on. I think it's not considered geeky to watch all those bad WS originals even though it's not really cool.