Who watches a pineapple under the sea? Well, most of us, turns out. Cartoons are not just for kids, even though some people want to deprive us of their sweet, colorful goodness.
People of all ages enjoy cartoons for lots of different reasons. One of them is the nostalgic factor of watching your favorite childhood show. Even if a show isn’t great, if it is what you watched when you were a kid, you are going to feel all those good kid feelings of being safe and being free from the pressures of your current life. Sometimes it just feels good to remember what it felt like to be seven.
Some people argue that cartoons should stay in their respective audience, meaning that only kids should watch them. These people must not know about cartoons specifically made for adult audiences, like BoJack Horseman, Archer, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and arguably Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and Southpark. Cartoons are just a genre, and like fantasy, sci-fi, or Westerns, a genre can be made for many different audiences.
But beyond adults watching cartoons made specifically for them, many teens and adults enjoy returning to cartoons specifically made for kids. There are many reasons that they may do this.
Cartoons can help some people with their mental health in different ways. An article on how animation helps mental health says that “animated characters can portray a wide range of emotions and experiences that make it easier for people to relate to them and feel less alone.” People can relate to the characters and can feel comfort from a character. Millions of kids watched Aang from Avatar process things like guilt, anger, and even the genocide of his people in a way that was accessible. When they got to real world examples of these things, they were more ready to confront them because they’d had a practice round.
Cartoons can also just be a way to relax. A Harrison junior stated, “I watch lots of cartoons as a way to unwind. Watching kiddy cartoons is a great way to relax without a super convoluted plot!” Our world is so fast paced that sometimes we need to turn off our brains, and simple, safe cartoons that we’ve seen before can be a great way to do that.
Some may just enjoy watching cartoons due to the humor. Like in SpongeBob, it has a bit of adult humor in it that you wouldn’t have understood when you were younger. The best cartoons have layers, with things that kids can enjoy and also things that grownups can enjoy. If both a kid and their grownup are laughing at Olaf, you know that Disney did a good job.
There are a few different opinions on this topic. A junior had said “I don’t think anyone can be too old or too young for MOST media. Social norms make us 10+ -and sometimes even younger than that-individuals feel bad for watching “kids” shows, when in reality most of us ARE still kids. And if we’re not, then it isn’t anyones business what we watch.” A Senior also said “Cartoons are for all ages! Well, most of them. There are some that I believe are strictly made for babies, but otherwise, anyone should be able to enjoy watching anything they want!” A Freshman states “You can watch cartoons, but objectively, they are made for kids” another student being a junior argues “No cartoons are really just for kids but it gets to a point where if you’re still watching the shows you were watching as a child and it’s your biggest interest you might want to grow up and watch something else.”
The most watched cartoons in Harrison High school are SpongeBob, Wild Kratts, Magic School Bus, Scooby Doo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Super Why, Phineas and Ferb, Teen Titans, Curious George, Bubble Guppies, and The Amazing World of Gumball. 72.4% of the students still do watch cartoons currently while 27.6% of the students don’t. As quoted from a Junior “Live Laugh Love SpongeBob”.
