Favorite ‘Anti-Christmas’ Cartoons

[Zubby]

The holiday season is here, and so it’s time to look at our favorite animated specials.
Way too many holiday animation specials either try to bring up warm fuzzy holiday feelings, celebrate ‘the true meaning of Christmas’, or both.
Some shows do exactly the opposite. Those are the ones I really like, they’re an antidote to the forced cheeriness and consumer frenzy that is the holiday season.

I’ve made my list and checked it twice. Here are my favorite holiday themed shows that subvert the typical Christmas episode stereotypes. What are yours?

1, South Park:: ”Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Poo”
Sure, Mr. Hanky got a little tired after he was featured in several South Park holiday shows, and there have been more extreme anti-holiday shows. However, this one has the perfect combination of humor, good writing, and sheer audacity to guarantee it’s #1 spot on my list.

2. The Tick: ”The Tick Loves Santa”
Technically, not a Christmas themed episode, but it is set during the holiday season. A third-rate crook in a Santa costume discovers he can replicate himself an infinite number of times. As usual, bad puns abound.

3, 4. Futurama: “Xmas Story:” and "A Tale of Two Santas"
In which we learn that Santa Claus in the future is a bloodthirsty robot hellbent on destroying humans, who are all on his ‘naughty’ list.

5. Invader Zim: “The Most Horrible Xmas Ever”
Should take care of any lingering feelings of warmth you may have towards Santa Claus.

6. South Park: “A Woodland Critter Christmas”
This season 8 episode makes Mr. Hankey seem like ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’.

7. The Boondocks: “A Huey Freeman Christmas”
Doesn’t subvert Christmas stereotypes, instead, it questions historical accuracy and artistic integrity while referencing ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’.

8. The Venture Brothers: “A Very Venture Christmas”
Funny and great. Too bad it’s only 11 minutes long. Even then, it manages to revive an old holiday tradition-the Krampus is a real legendary figure.

9. TV Funhouse: “The Harlem Globetrotters First Christmas”
Just watch it:
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/56622/detail/


Note: I didn’t list any of The Simpsons’ holiday episodes, not because they aren’t good (most of them are), but because even though they poke fun at the holidays, they tend to emphasize family bonding.

[Desensitized]

Woodland Critter Christmas for sure. No matter how many times I see it, I still lose it when that bumper pops up.

'Hail Satan!'

[EscaflownePilot]

I don't know for sure that you could call it an "anti-Christmas" episode, but I've always loved Bruce Wayne's "bah, humbug" attitude through most of "Christmas with the Joker" in Batman: The Animated Series.

How does the quote go? "I never did see 'It's A Wonderful Life'. I could never make it past the title"? Best line in a holiday special, ever, IMO.

[Movie06]

Oh, I love that episode, Christmas with the Joker is one of my favorite B:TAS episodes and that line to me is just genuis.

[kaseykockroach]

Ginger Nutt's Christmas Circus gets my vote, if only for having a really hilarious unexpected ending.

[Kentaro Doe]

Dexter's Lab - The Christmas episode had Dexter accidentally ruining Christmas, as well as these last few lines.

Dexter: Well, I'm sorry I ruined Christmas. Again. But, isn't Christmas really about the family, and the sharing and... Oh, Christmas tree! Oh, Christmas tree!
Dee Dee: You blockhead! That's not what Christmas is about!
Dexter: It's not? Then what is it about?
Santa Claus: The presents. Ho ho ho!

Beavis and Butt-Head - Both of the Christmas episodes end with them not learning anything. You have to be stupid to expect anything different with these two.

[Kitschensyngk]

A Christmas episode in a technical sense, the Angry Beavers Arbor Day episode was present envy and nothing but. No moral or anything.

Sheep in the Big City had Clearance Day, where Sheep at the end was thankful that it only came once a year.

[Elven Moon]

I love the Futurama holiday episodes, seeing as I don't think I've seen too many "anti" specials. I love how they make Christmas out to be twisted and scary. People hide in their homes, block the chimneys - it's basically the worst day of the year.

[Antiyonder]

Forgot the title, but wouldn't that one episode of Dexter's Laboratory work as an Anti-Christmas? I mean it basically has Santa saying that Christmas is about presents rather than family.

[Lonestarr]

"Dexter vs. Santa's Claws" is a classic. Even before the ending, it's pretty anti-Christmas, as Dexter tries (and fails) to prove that Santa isn't real, even going so far as to accost one of the reindeer.

And I definitely second "Xmas Story". Some of the dialogue is, in true "Futurama" style, surreally funny.

[DrTooth]

Earthworm Jim- For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls
In this classic episode (that only aired once, and even then, it was hard to find) Queen Slug for a Butt kidnapps Santa Claus and tries to turn him from the jolly persona of the holidays to an evil minion. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know Santa used to be the Norse God of Punnishment.

[stephane dumas]

Would the SNL's TV Funhouse parody of Charlie Brown's Christmas would count as a "Anti-Christmas" cartoon?

[Kitschensyngk]

Ed Edd n Eddy's Jingle Jingle Jangle had Eddy deliver a moral about how Christmas is about what's in your heart...only to forget it ten seconds later when he makes off with Santa's goody bag.

[HG Revolution]

I'm shocked and annoyed that nobody has mentioned The Nightmare Before Xmas yet.

[Darklordavaitor]

I'm shocked and annoyed that nobody has mentioned The Nightmare Before Xmas yet.

Does it count? If so, then yes, I, too, am shocked.

[bethhigdon]

the Holiday episode of The Weekenders everything went wrong in every holiday of the season and even on a regular weekend.

[Beat]

Beavis and Butthead if we're just talking TV. An angel tries to convince Beavis and Butthead that the world would have been better if they had never been born, only for the two at the end to push the angel off an overpass, believing that the world would be worse off if they weren't around.

[weirdojace]

What about the Billy and Mandy Christmas special with Santa as some kind of vampire monster? I didn't watch the whole thing but I remember that from it.

[Antiyonder]

I'm shocked and annoyed that nobody has mentioned The Nightmare Before Xmas yet.

the Holiday episode of The Weekenders everything went wrong in every holiday of the season and even on a regular weekend.

I believe for them to be anti-Christmas, they have to pretty much deliver a cynical message, like The Futurama episodes.

Where as what you mention, has some optimistic tones to them.

[Bat Artist]

How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic example of the 'Anti-Christmas' cartoon.