Poll: Teenager cliches in cartoons

[Anthonynotes]

Another poll (and another self-serving ego-driven^H^H^H "creative" sketch):

(Open on: the town of Smallville, some 15 years in the past. Pan past various Silver Age-era Smallville sights, such as the billboard on the city limits stating "Welcome to Smallville, Home of Superboy", and the Kent General Store. Fade in on Smallville High School, where we see various students, many wearing era-appropriate clothing, are going to class. Cut to one classroom, where we see the teenaged Lana Lang, Pete Ross, and Clark Kent present.)

TEACHER: And so, class, we're glad to welcome our newest visiting student, Brainatra...I hope you'll make him and his family feel welcome during their stay in Smallville. (The class claps)

(Pan over to... the teenaged Brainatra of 15 years ago. Yes, I'm *that* old...)

YOUNG BRAINATRA: Thanks, Miss Othmar.

MISS OTHMAR: Now, class, for your project, we'll be splitting up into several teams. Your assignment is to write about what aspect of being a teenager in today's world fascinates you the most, and how the experiences of today's adolescents will impact the world of tomorrow.

(Class moans; cut to some time later at the Kent family home---Young Brainatra's been paired up with Clark...)

YOUNG BRAINATRA: "Impact the world of tomorrow"?! I watch TV and read comic books---how is any of *that* going to influence future events? (Flips through a copy of "All-Star Comics" with the Justice Society on the cover) Well, I have an idea---what if we just did stuff together for the next few days, claim it as research into typical adolescent life, and then wrote up about it?

CLARK: (Looking at a "Newstime" cover) Hmm... I guess that'd be OK. I could show you around town, as well!

YOUNG B.: Fair enough. Guess we could... (sees a lamp on a nearby table is blinking, which as old-time Superboy fans know means he's needed by either the President, Chief Parker or Professor Lang) Uh, Clark---something wrong with your lamp?

CLARK: (Slightly unnerved) Oh, yeah... must be, er, a fuse blown. I'll go fix it... be right back.

(Clark unplugs the lamp, and exits... Young B. looks around the room, and scratches his head, noting all the other lights are still on.)

(Cut to: a fanfic-style montage of Clark and Young B. trying to do various teenage stuff together, with grunge-style rock music playing. In one scene, the two are at a carnival, with Young B. trying to encourage Clark to try to knock down milk bottles at a game, but Clark seemingly intentionally misses, says something to Young B., and then runs off. The next scene, Clark and Young B. are looking at some newfangled portable computer called a "Powerbook" on display at the Kent General Store [a sign reads: "Can hold up to 8 MB of RAM! Huge 20 MB hard drive!"], but Clark suddenly pretends to bend over in pain, then races off. Another scene sees the two attending a rock concert by the new music sensation from Vancouver, British Columbia called "Nelvana", at Smallville Bowl, but Clark suddenly says something to Young B. and leaves again. Finally, we see Lana, Young B. and Clark laughing hysterically at an episode of "Tiny Toon Adventures", but Clark suddenly stands up, says something to his two cohorts, and leaves again...)

(Cut to: Young B., by now annoyed, and Clark, going through more copies of "Newstime".)

YOUNG B.: OK, Clark---for the past several days, I've tried to do research with you, *together*, for this report. But so far, you keep *disappearing* on me...

CLARK: (Nervous) Er, but I had good excuses...

YOUNG B.: (Mildly annoyed) I'll say you have. (Counting off) So far, you've had to help your Ma with the dishes, help your Pa with mowing the lawn, help Ma *again* with taking out the trash, remember suddenly that you needed to return some overdue library books, and had two stomachaches, a seizure from that video game we played, a stubbed toe, *and* a sudden bout of *Legionnaire's disease*...

CLARK: (Nervous) Yeah... that last one left me, er, wondering what century it was... heh, heh...

YOUNG B.: Whatever. Point is, I'm *not* going to do all the work on this myself... (shoves paper and pencil in Clark's hands) Let's go---there must be *something* we can do together that won't induce everything short of a biblical plague upon your well-being...

CLARK: (Sighs) I know... I'm sorry I keep disappearing on you. I don't mean to hurt your feelings or shirk work. I'll try to help out more...

(And so, some time later, in Smallville High's hallways...)

YOUNG B.: (To Lana) Clark had a great idea---write up on what being an adolescent in a world with Superboy is like! That way, all we had to do is keep following him around and compare his activities with those of ours. Clark did vanish a bit---OK, a *lot*---during Superboy's appearances, but he said he wanted to get a better angle on the super-action...

LANA: *Disappeared*?! (Looks pensive) Hmm... disappearing when Superboy's around... sudden stomachaches... "getting" Powerbook-induced motion-sickness from its slower-than-a-desktop 16 mhz of speed... there's only one logical explanation for all this... Clark Kent must really be--- (goes into a weird convulsion, a la Mr. Crocker from "Fairly OddParents") *SU-PER-BOY*!

(Young B. stares)

LANA: (Regains her composure) Er, sorry... finding out the Boy of Steel's secret identity is just a little, uh, "hobby" of mine. (Grins broadly)

YOUNG B.: I assure you, Clark is no Superboy. But he does seem like an OK guy after all... (the two walk up to Clark, who's standing by his locker) Thanks for the report help, Clark. Too bad, erm, everyone *else* had the same idea and wrote about the same topic, with Miss Othmar giving us all "C"'s for lack of originality... hmph. Well, I still think it was a great idea for a topic. Anyway, thanks again...

CLARK: No problem. I hope the next new transfer student is just as helpful as you are...

(Cut to class the next day...)

MISS OTHMAR: Class, I'd like to introduce our *new* visiting student, a young man named Bruce Wayne, who's visiting Smallville with his Uncle Philip... (turns to a teenager standing next to her) Say hello to the class, Bruce.

BRUCE: Hello, everyone. I'm glad to be here and study...for my mission to accumulate all I can learn... (muttering) Yes... must learn... all I can... to not disappoint my parents...

MISS OTHMAR: Er, perhaps you'd like to work on our next project with our second-newest transfer student, Bruce?

BRUCE: Yes, that would be fine, Miss Othmar... we'll take care this project or *else*. (Somewhat stern) After all, we can't disappoint our parents, right? Or at least, *your* parents... (shadow casts on him in an ominous manner) who're still alive... not victims of the criminal decay infiltrating our society... (glares at Young B.)

YOUNG B.: (Looks annoyed by Bruce's attitude)(Frowning) I don't think so... (shoves Bruce's empty desk next to Clark's; in a favor-asking tone of voice) Oh, Cla-a-aaark... have you and Bruce met?

BRUCE: (To Clark) Do *you* have parents you can't disappoint---er, with this assignment, that is?

CLARK: (Moans)

---

Teenagers are often treated in cartoons with various recurring cliches, unique ones that cartoons about children or adults don't seem subjected to (or subjected to as frequently). Thus my poll idea: What cliches about teenagers do you see in cartoons? (Given the heavy number of grade schoolers as cartoon characters these days, some of these cliches, particularly any related to romance, are showing up more in shows starring younger children, as well...)

For starters:

- episodes about driving lessons.

- teenagers who start their own rock groups or have a rock group.

- teenagers are capable of solving mysteries and succeeding every time (mostly a Hanna-Barbera cliche).

- teens will usually have an almost-always-annoying younger sibling of some sort. See: Kim Possible's younger brothers.

- teenagers get to have way more freedom than I was ever allowed as a teenager (travelling cross-country unchaperoned/minimally chaperoned with cohorts of the opposite sex, etc.).

Any others?

[Dr.Pepper]

There's normally one about them getting a zit on picture day or something

[Kitschensyngk]

Oh geez, where to start?

- Main character has two tickets to a concert, but he has two main friends.

- Main character must write a review of a school play, but feels guilty about panning his/her friend's lousy performance

- Main character wants to become one of the popular kids

- Main character has a divorced/widowed single parent

- Main character gains popularity and treats his/her friends like crap

- There's always a Saved by the Bell archetype (nerd, jock, popular girl, rebel, etc.)

- There's always a school dance

- There's always a school play, and it's always "Romeo and Juliet"

The list just goes on and on.

[Henk55]

Oh geez, where to start?

- Main character has two tickets to a concert, but he has two main friends.

- Main character must write a review of a school play, but feels guilty about panning his/her friend's lousy performance

- Main character wants to become one of the popular kids

- Main character has a divorced/widowed single parent

- Main character gains popularity and treats his/her friends like crap

- There's always a Saved by the Bell archetype (nerd, jock, popular girl, rebel, etc.)

- There's always a school dance

- There's always a school play, and it's always "Romeo and Juliet"

The list just goes on and on.

Hate hate hate hate hate HATE em!

Especially "school dance" and "Main character gains popularity and treats his/her friends like crap" plots.

[Scirel]

Hate hate hate hate hate HATE em!

Especially "school dance" and "Main character gains popularity and treats his/her friends like crap" plots.

Come on judyindisguise, you know that's your cue.

[Elven Moon]

-Running for class president (or similar position)

-Friend is really bad at something (singing, sewing, etc.) but everyone is too afraid to tell them

-Learning that their idol is not as cool as they thought

-Someone throws something away (like a childhood toy) and everyone has to get it back

-First date (and they get stood up or the guy/girl is a real jerk)

-Teen gets a job in order to afford that dress, or pair of designer shoes, etc. only for it to blow in their face or they sacrifice having it for a friend

[Hordesman]

Teenagers, whether they're superpowered or riding around in some mecha or what have you, are always more equipped to handle evil better than more experienced adults- even when said adult(s) has the same abilities.

[Cullen]

And have you noticed that almost all teenage cartoon girls these days are wearing short shirts that exposes their bellybuttons? Both popular and unpopular girls always seem to be wearing them.

[pseudowudo]

As always Brainatra, your Comedy sketches are Impressively Awesome and Hilarious, how do you come up with these scenes?


Now continuing on with the topic, here are some more Teenager Cliches in cartoons:

- The occasional 'Food Fight' in the school's cafeteria/lunchroom

- "Fight, Fight, Fight!!" a familiar chant uttered by teenagers when there's a confrontation between the protagonist & the antagonist over a girl or something else.

- Teenager getting up late and missing the schoolbus or being late for school.

- Teenagers getting caught up in the latest fad.

- Convincing parent(s) to increase their allowance/ doing household chores most teenagers avoid like a plague.

[Wolf Boy2]

- The "hero" boy FREQUENTELY kicks the jock's ass, and yet the jock stays popular and maintains his "tough guy" image

- A pair of glasses causes an otherwise HOT chick to not get a boyfriend (I mean, come on -- how many dudes are ACTUALLY looking at her eyes???).

- Parents falsely thinking their kid is in trouble or on drugs (Static Shock, Batman Beyond).

[HellCat]

Lead female character is usually an outspoken liberal (possibly also goth).

[M.O.D.O.K.]

A guy and a girl HAVE to be "more than friends" 99.9% of the time. It annoys me.

[tb4000]

And have you noticed that almost all teenage cartoon girls these days are wearing short shirts that exposes their bellybuttons? Both popular and unpopular girls always seem to be wearing them.

Because females are eye candy. Everyone knows that.

[Golgo13]

All of these are present in Doug. The nervous teenager with diary, his love, his best friend, bully, quirky parents, and liberal arts daughter.

One of the cliches that may have gone over some kid's heads was how Skeeter described college.

"Everybody there smokes."

[Scirel]

All of these are present in Doug. The nervous teenager with diary, his love, his best friend, bully, quirky parents, and liberal arts daughter.

One of the cliches that may have gone over some kid's heads was how Skeeter described college.

"Everybody there smokes."

TBH, I've found that a greater percentage of students smoke on High school than college. Lung cancer FtL!

But you should take it easy on that episode, it was a throwaway comment to distract you from the real cliche of "main charachter thinks he's so pure good that he dosen`t realize he is jealous of his friend until the very end."

It's one of the reasons I didn`t like ATBG. Ginger has a ludicrously high opinion of herself and never realizes what an ass/tool she is half the time. Even though Miranda was too sterotypically evil to be believeable in the first season, she was right in saying Ginger was a wannabe.

Carl's stories were more interesting anyway, even though they did get a bit on the gross side sometimes.

[Tash]

*reads topic*

You know, this topic is giving me flashbacks to "The Weekenders". I wonder why...

[tb4000]

*reads topic*

You know, this topic is giving me flashbacks to "The Weekenders". I wonder why...

At least that show acknowledged they were cliches.

[Dudley]

Popular kids are unrealistically complete jerks who belittle everyone else.

The popular jock has an embarrasing secret, (Dash from Danny Phantom collect those stuff dolls, and Brad from AD:JL wants to be a ballerina).

The main character is always (I repeat, ALWAYS) an upopular kid.

[J. B. Warner]

I know we're talking about teenage characters, but I can't help but notice that "Hey Arnold" pretty much embodies this entire thread.

[Neo Ultra Mike]

There's always a Saved by the Bell archetype (nerd, jock, popular girl, rebel, etc.)

Wasn't that established though In "The Breakfast Club" movie though, not Save By The Bell (who probably helped populate the idea on a series level but the Breakfast club is the original showing of the various type of teenage characters).

Another annoying teenage cliche is how there always seem to be a "Oh no! A test that I didn't study for or homework I didn't do" type plot and always make school seem more important then it actually is. I mean this is done in grade school shows too but teenagers really should know better. And yeah some freak out at those type of things but nearly everyone does in most toons except the uber smart nerdy guys or girls.

Another annoying cliche is usually the main characters being horribly razed and annoyed by the popular or villianous kids and not doing anything about it besides generic revenge-ish tactics that only last to the end of the episode. I mean yeah it's in kids show's too but once again kids don't know better while teenagers should. Espically since most of these bully types don't really even exisit in most high schools/elementrary schools anyway so why bother having them on the show besides falsifying a stereotype that isn't even true anymore?