Parent Hating Cartoons

**candy17** · 03-08-2003, 10:35 PM

I'm doing some cartoon essays as a personal project and one of them is about how parents are always portrayed in cartoons as being inferior to their offspring or the parents aren't portrayed at all (like in Ed, Edd, and Eddy and Charlie Brown) and I need some information from my favorite guys (that's you

)

So...does anyone know of any cartoons (past or present, good or bad) where the parents are shown as know-nothing, cold-hearted authority figures or the parents are not shown.

A Note: The cartoons you list don't have to be TV shows and you can include school prinicipals and any other adult on the show that acts as a parental figure.

**czyznyck99** · 03-09-2003, 01:46 AM

Well, an easy choice would be Principal Kelly from X-men Evolution. In the Season 3 episode "Mainstream," he was all but encouraging the Brotherhood to fight the X-men, so he would a reason to throw them all out.

I don't actually know of any "cold-hearted" cartoon parents. Networks usually discourage that, because it conflicts with the family image they want to give.

Later.

**ROBBOT** · 03-09-2003, 07:37 AM

I'll give u 2 examples, ok:

- Dr. Slump (the original series). It constantly makes fun of adults and paternal figures.

- G & E. Grim. Grim. Grim. Bonehead. Blind Transvestite.

**Mackenzie Rainelle** · 03-09-2003, 08:38 AM

Codename: Kids Next Door - I'll bet money that the father of the Delightful Children is probably Satan in a bad disguise.

**Anthonynotes** · 03-09-2003, 02:57 PM

Well, the "kids smarter then ther (oftentimes idiot) father" has become a pretty heavy sitcom cliche... though for animation, can't really think of as many examples, besides maybe "The Simpsons" (Bart and Lisa are smarter than Homer (and also sometimes act/talk like very short 40-year-olds vs. 10- and 8-year-olds)).

-B.

**Howard Fein** · 03-10-2003, 01:15 PM

The parents of Beavis and Butthead never appeared either. The movie hints that their fathers abandoned them in their infancy: while lost in the desert, they encounter two drifters who bear an uncanny resemblence to each, right down to their laughs.

Come to think of it, none of the H-B teenaged sleuths (SCOOBY, JOSIE, FUNKY PHANTOM, GOOBER, BUTCH CASSIDY, SPEED BUGGY, JABBERJAW, NEW SCHMOO) seemed to have parents either. Only in CLUE CLUB is there even a clue

that they have a home: much of the initial research takes place in a house's attached garage. Well, in the case of Josie, Butch and the shark, they're touring rock bands. So it's fair to assume they must be into their twenties. In one BUGGY episode, Tinker does mention that he's 18 and already has dishpan hands.

(In one JOSIE, after they've wrecked the villian's hangout in typical slapstick fashion, Alexandra yells in parting that they can charge the damage to her father's account. It's a rare acknowledgement that any of these characters might have parents- and an equally rare nod by H-B to Josie's comic-book roots, in which they were typical Archie-esque teenagers- same publisher- who had on-page parents and went to high school.)

As far as on-screen cartoon parents, the only faintly realistic one I can think of is the venerable George Jetson

, who would often get angry at, and punish his two kids while still conveying parental affection. At least that was the case in the 'classic 24' episodes that originally aired on ABC's prime-time lineup in 1962. Interestingly, you'd never see George's H-B contemporaries, Fred and Barney, reprimand their teenaged offspring through several Saturday AM spin-offs.

But most modern cartoon parents, especially dads, are typically easygoing and clueless. In many shows (DEXTER, COW & CHICKEN, ODDPARENTS, JIMMY NEUTRON), this is played pretty much as a parody of the very notion of Dad Being An Idiot that's a longtime staple of sitcoms and movies. Dexter's and Jimmy's moms get off a little easier than their dads- although they still are depicted as Mrs. Perfect Homemakers, right down to Judy's pearls and Mom's permanent rubber gloves. (At least Judy does show occasional exasperation with Hugh's flightiness.)

Of course, the RUGRATS' parents should be arrested for child neglet, witness how virutally every episode has the completely unsupervised carpet vermin ("Didi, I thought you had them!"

) cheerfully risking life and limb in the inner workings of a car wash, postal facility, etc. Even in the opening scenes of many episodes, the parents are inside the house watching the 'rats play outside in the yard. Apparently, 4-year-old Angelica has been entrusted to watch the rest of them.

The more recent cartoons with kids as protagonists tend to have them being raised by single parents- usually divorce (PEPPER ANN, BRACEFACE, GINGER), with obligatory Very Special Episodes in which our heroine reunited with her absentee father. I'm not sure about the mother on ROCKET POWER, except that Ray is the usual annoyingly permissive father. When the kids are punished, the punishment is never administered onscreen- and Ray is probably grinning and apologizing even then. Of the above three shows, only Ginger's mom (Lois?) seems to exhibit any of the emotional baggage common to divorced moms. Peppie's mom is eternally cheerful- whoever performs her voice does a marvelous Edie McClurg imitation.

HEY, ARNOLD! and RECESS do take us home to meet the various parents from time to time. The only ones regularly shown on ARNOLD are the wildly disfunctional Patakis, whose personalities give us good insight to how Helga turned out the way she did. There's furious on-line debate as to whether Miriam is an alcoholic; Big Bob shares his daughter's belligerence and cro-Magnon single eyebrow. I think of him as a characeture of Dan Lauria, the well-meaning tough-guy dad on THE WONDER YEARS, but without the well-meaning.

P.S: All of the above observations on various CN, Nick, ABC Family and Disney shows are borne from force-watching them with my 7-year son. The only modern cartoon series I'll watch of my own accord are DEXTER, THE SIMPSONS (what can we say about Homer and Marge that hasn't been already) and KING OF THE HILL. As for that show, Hank fairly accurately suffers typical fatherly frustrations- even though he never appears to punish Bobby, who often deserves it. Dale, on the other hand, is a complete idiot, who never catches on to the fact that his son (who he continually dotes on) bears no resemblance to him.

**Anthonynotes** · 03-10-2003, 03:10 PM

>>The parents of Beavis and Butthead never appeared either. The movie hints that their fathers abandoned them in their infancy: while lost in the desert, they encounter two drifters who bear an uncanny resemblence to each, right down to their laughs.
<<

The show implied that they lived with their mothers (from the number of "your mother's a so-and-so" jokes the Gruesome Twosome kept cracking on each other)---which I guess explains why the utility companies haven't shut off their phone/cable/electricity service ;-)

>>Come to think of it, none of the H-B teenaged sleuths (SCOOBY, JOSIE, FUNKY PHANTOM, GOOBER, BUTCH CASSIDY, SPEED BUGGY, JABBERJAW, NEW SCHMOO) seemed to have parents either. Only in CLUE CLUB is there even a clue

that they have a home: much of the initial research takes place in a house's attached garage. Well, in the case of Josie, Butch and the shark, they're touring rock bands. So it's fair to assume they must be into their twenties. In one BUGGY episode, Tinker does mention that he's 18 and already has dishpan hands.
<<

The various Scooby spinoffs eventually introduced us to the various parents of the Scooby gang, along with revealing their last names (at least one episode having the gang solving a mystery involving Daphne's wealthy parents---which I guess explains who's paying for the whole driving-around-the-countryside thing...).

>>(In one JOSIE, after they've wrecked the villian's hangout in typical slapstick fashion, Alexandra yells in parting that they can charge the damage to her father's account. It's a rare acknowledgement that any of these characters might have parents- and an equally rare nod by H-B to Josie's comic-book roots, in which they were typical Archie-esque teenagers- same publisher- who had on-page parents and went to high school.)

Yep...

>>As far as on-screen sdcartoon parents, the only faintly realistic one I can think of is the venerable George Jetson

, who would often get angry at, and punish his two kids while still conveying parental affection. At least that was the case in the 'classic 24' episodes that originally aired on ABC's prime-time lineup in 1962. Interestingly, you'd never see George's H-B contemporaries, Fred and Barney, reprimand their teenaged offspring through several Saturday AM spin-offs.

Probably since Fred and Barney weren't really the focus of them, but rather the teenage Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (and their friends), a la the other teen-based shows of the time...

-B.

**Scythemantis** · 03-10-2003, 03:14 PM

The "parents are the dumb ones" cliche offends the hell out of Capalert. Cap guy (I don't remember his real name ever, so I just call him that) throws a fit whenever any child is shown "backtalking", or portrayed as an independant, mature person capable of fending for theirself in any way whatsoever.

**shogunthethird** · 03-11-2003, 02:37 PM

*prepares a list*

Professor Membrane (Invader Zim)
Norman Osborn(Spider-man)
Magneto(X-men evolution, quicksilver and the scarlet witch are his kids)
Yusuke Urameshi's mother (Yu-Yu hakusho)
the entire Canmore clan(gargoyles)
Chihiro's parents (spirited away)
I don't know how much of that is viable

**Cartman** · 03-12-2003, 03:23 PM

There is also "South Park." The show mainly focuses on the kids and it is they who usually solve the problems.

**Captin "Hank" Murphy** · 03-12-2003, 04:17 PM

don't forget the "Buttons and Mindy" cartoons on Animaniacs, their parents are idiots and always leaving their child under the protechtion of a dog, and no matter how hard the does to protech the kid, the parents always chew him out like he's the neglectful one. Heck, Mindy doesn't even consider her mother her mother, just calls her nice lady.

**ROBBOT** · 03-12-2003, 05:05 PM

don't forget the "Buttons and Mindy" cartoons on Animaniacs, their parents are idiots and always leaving their child under the protechtion of a dog, and no matter how hard the does to protech the kid, the parents always chew him out like he's the neglectful one. Heck, Mindy doesn't even consider her mother her mother, just calls her nice lady.

Yea, the other day I saw this ep. where she ends up on a plane, it was crazy!

They land safely using a mail bag as a parachute heheh

**Jade_GL** · 03-12-2003, 05:54 PM

A lot of shows have been mentioned already, however I would like to add one thing, just because I think it takes the neglectful parents or evil adults to the extreme.

In Revolutionary Girl Utena, all the children go to a private school, so there are no parents except in flashbacks. Besides that, all of the adults are shown as really bad people. One of the adults on campus, Akio, is the main villain and manipulates the teens into doing anything and everything. Not only that, but he has intimate relationships with underage people and *ahem* his own younger sister.

Another adult shown is the mother of a girl named Kanae. We find out in her minute or so scene that she is cheating on her husband with Akio.

The principal, at least I think that's her role, is the general stock character of an angry and old teacher. She is an old woman that constantly tries to get Utena in trouble, at least in the episodes she appears. (like I said, this world is almost devoid of all sdults)

And the piano teacher is hitting on one of his young male students.

This is an extreme example of a) parents being neglectful and b) adults being shown aa cold hearted and just plain evil, and c) adults or parents not being shown at all. This is a japanese series, but you can see what I mean just from the lack of parents in the first few episodes. They are on VHS and DVD.

**Captin "Hank" Murphy** · 03-12-2003, 06:24 PM

Just remebered another lousy parent. If any of you played the game .hack/infection, than you also know about the anime movie DVD that comes with the game. In the anime, the mean parent is the mother of the main character, the girl. When the girl told her mother that she doesn't want to join the school band and just play the bass violen for fun, she got pissed because she's one of those parents that's wants their kids to be pro legends if they wanted to or not. Soafter the talk scene, she went to the girl's room and destroyed her bass violen. After seing that, I just wanted to punch that poor excuse of a mother in the face.

**candy17** · 03-13-2003, 07:51 AM

Originally posted by ROBBOT
G & E. Grim. Grim. Grim. Bonehead. Blind Transvestite.

Not to go OT, but how is Grim a blind transvestite?

**ROBBOT** · 03-13-2003, 09:14 AM

Watch the episode called....., "Look Alive"

**candy17** · 03-13-2003, 04:18 PM

Originally posted by ROBBOT
Watch the episode called....., "Look Alive"

I could, I would, I should, and I did.

**Zapages** · 03-13-2003, 05:17 PM

My parents hate Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Ed Ed And Eddy, Spongebob Squarepants, and YuGiOh.

My parents like Pokemon, Jackie Chan Adventures, Voltron, Thundercats, Robotech, Gundam ( in general), Doug, Fairy Odd Parents, and couple of others anime.