History Main / SubvertedKidsShow

* ''WebAnimation/LaceyGames'' seems to be a series of [[UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash flash game]] series aimed at young girls. However each series ends with rather disturbing endings:

** ''Lacey's Petshop'' after the player finish all the customer's requests, [[spoiler: player greeted with flashing image of naked figure of Lacey censored with black bars, then it switches to nightmarish sequence of Lacey's house, exploring further of her awful home life]].

** ''Lacey's Diner'' If the player lets the timer runs out, [[spoiler: Lacey would lose her customers and became insane as result. Afterwards, a playable sequence of creating another recipe with [[NauseaFuel disgusting]] and downright [[{Squick}} squicky]] ingredients, including ''broken glass, meth, cockroaches, porn magazine, and even used condom'' which serves as symbolism of Lacey's DarkAndTroubledPast]].

* ''WebAnimation/GoryToons'' seems to be a harmless animation, featuring several lovable but iconic characters, which includes WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants, VideoGame/{{Kirby}}, and more. The animation looks wacky enough, and filled with vibrant colors. Cue to everybody's favorite sponge getting eviscerated in the most relentless ways. You think Kirby is spared? HAH. He gets subjected to cruel demises especially.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[SpaceWhaleAesop And that is why you always eat your vegetables]].]]-]

See also SubvertedSitcom (a SisterTrope that does for {{sitcom}}s what this does for kids' shows), WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids (when a show not intended for children is mistaken for a kids' show), SugarApocalypse (where a SugarBowl is nearly conquered or destroyed), DisguisedHorrorStory (where a work of fiction masquerades as being harmless or near-harmless but eventually becomes super disturbing and nightmarish) and VileVillainSaccharineShow (where a lighthearted show has an incongruously sinister antagonist). If the characters in the show are also children, you may have a case of MatureWorkChildProtagonists. You might find the DepravedKidsShowHost in one of these. Also see AgeInappropriateArt and GrossoutShow. If a show is like this parodying a specific work, it's a DarkParody. MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction is a specific variant of subverted kids' show, focused on the MagicalGirl genre. MascotHorror is an entire genre of video game focused just around subverted kids' shows, with the distinguishing feature being that they have specific mascots.

See also SubvertedSitcom (a SisterTrope that does for {{sitcom}}s what this does for kids' shows), WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids (when a show not intended for children is mistaken for a kids' show), SugarApocalypse (where a SugarBowl is nearly conquered or destroyed), DisguisedHorrorStory (where a work of fiction masquerades as being harmless or near-harmless but eventually becomes super disturbing and nightmarish) and VileVillainSaccharineShow (where a lighthearted show has an incongruously sinister antagonist). If the characters in the show are also children, you may have a case of MatureWorkChildProtagonists. You might find the DepravedKidsShowHost in one of these. Also see AgeInappropriateArt and GrossoutShow. If a show is like this parodying a specific work, it's a DarkParody. MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction is a specific variant of subverted kids' show, focused on the MagicalGirl genre.

-->'''Bray''': Oh, [[https://youtu.be/5Kza7j4aae4 that just warms my soul]]! But don't worry - there's still a lot of darkness in this ol' noggin! But this time's different. This time, I learned how to harness it. How to control it. (''[[SurpriseCreepy somberly]]'') So whaddaya say? You wanna see my secret?

* ''VideoGame/BaldisBasicsInEducationAndLearning'' at first glance seems like a late 90's children's EdutainmentGame, complete with dithered graphics & Comic Sans. [[spoiler:But then you [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption inevitably]] [[SurpriseCreepy get a]] [[SurvivalHorror question wrong]]...]]

* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay''. The game's original concept, ''VideoGame/TwelveTalesConker64'', would have been more appropriate to general audiences; however, after the gaming press accused ''Conker'' of being yet another cutesy Rare platformer in the vein of ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'', Rare decided to completely rewrite the scenario to include more sex, violence, swearing and ToiletHumor. What it would have been can be seen in the GBC game ''Conker's Pocket Tales''. In fact, the only thing that seems anything like the original ''Twelve-Tales'' concept that's left in the game was the fire-farting dragon, which really isn't any worse than some of the jokes snuck past the radar in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' and ''Banjo Kazooie''.

* ''Welcome to my Neighborhood'' features drawings of cute animals performing acts such as child abuse, bank robbery and murder. Even the relatively harmless-looking front cover contains broken beer bottles and other assorted rubbish.

See also SubvertedSitcom (a SisterTrope that does for {{sitcom}}s what this does for kids' shows), WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids (when a show not intended for children is mistaken for a kids' show), SugarApocalypse (where a SugarBowl is nearly conquered or destroyed), SurpriseCreepy (where a work of fiction starts off harmless but eventually becomes super disturbing and nightmarish) and VileVillainSaccharineShow (where a lighthearted show has an incongruously sinister antagonist). If the characters in the show are also children, you may have a case of MatureWorkChildProtagonists. You might find the DepravedKidsShowHost in one of these. Also see AgeInappropriateArt and GrossoutShow. If a show is like this parodying a specific work, it's a DarkParody. MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction is a specific variant of subverted kids' show, focused on the MagicalGirl genre.

* ''Film/TheBananaSplits'' can be considered to be one for the original ''Series/TheBananaSplits'' television show, but even InUniverse the show is a popular children's hit, but after the live showing for its last episode, the animatronics go on a psychopathic killing spree, [[spoiler:as well as kidnapping the children in the audience to keep them captive to ensure the series will never end]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' features an in-universe one titled ''Threshold Kids'', a puppet show created by agents of the Federal Bureau of Control as "light entertainment" in order to [[spoiler:educate Dylan about the paranormal]]. Given that we're talking about ''[[TheMenInBlack FBC agents]]'' here, their attempts at creating a "normal" kids' show are inevitably... ''[[NightmareFuel off-putting]]''.

* The character of Monokuma in ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'', a horrible, but hilarious scheming murderer, played in the Japanese version by the voice actress for Manga/{{Doraemon}}. The famous LetsPlay of the game notes that Doraemon's voice virtually ''is'' childhood in Japan, and Japanese players invariably have a huge reaction as soon as Monokuma starts speaking. Tarako, TheOtherDarrin from ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' onward, doesn't help with her most famous role being the title character of ''Manga/ChibiMarukoChan''.

* South African company "Parents For Responsible Viewing" created three [=PSAs=] featuring a character named "Biggie Bear" doing seemingly child-friendly things, only for things to turn a disturbingly dark turn for the worse. In the first one Biggie brutally beats up then shoots a rabbit, in the second he cheers up his dalmatian friend by giving him heroin, and in the third he greets then rapes his new cat neighbour.

* ''WebAnimation/GoryToons'' seems to be a harmless animation, featuring several lovable but iconic characters, which includes WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants, VideoGame/Kirby, and more. The animation looks wacky enough, and filled with vibrant colors. Cue to everybody's favorite sponge getting eviscerated in the most relentless ways. You think Kirby is spared? HAH. He gets subjected to cruel demises especially.

%% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1604162990030604800

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edbYNEPUmV0 Gali the Alligator]], a parody advertisement for the French action/suspense channel 13th Street, shows the titular alligator [[SugarApocalypse slaughtering his way through a children's show in a very gory way]], [[SoundtrackDissonance all to a cheery tune sung by children that also has some very violent lyrics]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw Dumb Ways to Die]], a 3-minute PSA about train safety, has cute animation and a catchy song, but it's actually about bad ways to kill yourself.

* That the fictional fifth and final season of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' appears to be one of these is a major plot point in ''Fanfic/FiveScoreDividedByFour''. [[spoiler: Because Lauren Faust got the storylines from a humanized [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan Twilight Sparkle]], which included details of Discord's betrayal.]]

* ''VideoGame/ShowdownBandit'' is a variation as while the [[ShowWithinAShow Showdown Bandit Show]] was innocent enough (barring the fact they had an ''undertaker'' for some reason), the game takes place long after the show was cancelled, and the studio has been twisted into a maze filled with {{Perverse Puppet}}s where the former stars resort to drastic attempts to live by the phrase [[ArcWords "Don't Look Up"]]. [[spoiler: And as the end of the game reveals, ''the audience themselves'' may have been corrupted.]]
* ''VideoGame/BaldisBasicsInEducationAndLearning'' at first glance seems like a late 90's children's EdutainmentGame, complete with dithered graphics & Comic Sans. [[spoiler: But then you [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption inevitably]] [[SurpriseCreepy get a]] [[SurvivalHorror question wrong]]...]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has an in-universe example with [[FunnyOctopus The Squiddles]], a sickeningly adorable cartoon that the kid protagonists remember. However, it turns out that [[spoiler: the squiddles are actually humanity's subconscious representation of the [[EldritchAbomination Horrorterrors.]]]] This is especially apparent in the last song from the [[DeFictionalized Squiddles album]], [[LastNoteNightmare "Let The Squiddles Sleep (Ending Theme)".]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Doobl}}'' at first looks like a fairly standard Christian webcomic (with lame yet frequent bible jokes), but when a DeathByNewberyMedal storyline comes up, [[spoiler: Neek tells Doobl that animals don't have souls. After reading the bible to verify, Doobl begins to degenerate in both faith and family-friendlyness. Soon, Doobl becomes a {{jerkass}} and starts spewing profanity. Humi, up until this point an exception to ReptilesAreAbhorrent, studies the bible in an attempt to save Doobl, only to become just like him. It goes FromBadToWorse the moment Humi discovers his [[GagPenis penis]]]]...

* Creator/GeorgeCarlin and Jack Burns did a skit called "Captain Jack and Jolly George", or what it would look like if a pair of beatnik hippies got their own kids' show. Needless to say, it's not really for children. And then George Carlin went and played "Mr. Conductor" on the American version of ''Series/ShiningTimeStation''. He then went on to do a stand-up routine on parenting (entitled "Fuck the Children") in which he tells parents "And remember, this is Mr. Conductor talking; I know what I'm talking about."

* ''The Groove Tube'' features "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBvpj0cCHLA Koko the Clown]]", who acts like a sickeningly sweet kiddie-show host until it's "Make-Believe Time" and tells the kids to make the adults leave the room. He then sits down, lights a cigarette, and reads his viewers erotic literature, such as excerpts from ''Fanny Hill'' and de Sade's ''The Philosophy of the Bedroom''. It adds to the effect that he selects passages his kiddie-viewers have specifically requested in letters.

* The RealityWarper Peacock from ''{{VideoGame/Skullgirls}}'' lives this kind of life; thanks to cartoons negatively influencing her already tortured and unstable mind, she became a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, highly dangerous thug who travels with an equally dangerous ensemble of living objects including an anvil and two bombs, and most of her attacks involve cartoony physics and gags that have a very realistic degree of killing power.

* The character of Monokuma in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'', a horrible, but hilarious scheming murderer, played in the Japanese version by the voice actress for Manga/{{Doraemon}}. The famous LetsPlay of the game notes that Doraemon's voice virtually ''is'' childhood in Japan, and Japanese players invariably have a huge reaction as soon as Monokuma starts speaking. Tarako, TheOtherDarrin from ''Anime/DanganRonpa3'' onward, doesn't help with her most famous role being the title character of ''Manga/ChibiMarukoChan''.

See also SubvertedSitcom (a SisterTrope that does for {{sitcom}}s what this does for kids' shows), WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids (when a show not intended for children is mistaken for a kids' show), SugarApocalypse (where a SugarBowl is nearly conquered or destroyed), SurpriseCreepy (where a work of fiction starts off harmless but eventually becomes super disturbing and nightmarish) and VileVillainSaccharineShow (where a lighthearted show has an incongruously sinister antagonist). You might find the DepravedKidsShowHost in one of these. Also see AgeInappropriateArt and GrossoutShow. If a show is like this parodying a specific work, it's a DarkParody. MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction is a specific variant of subverted kids' show, focused on the MagicalGirl genre.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has an in-universe example with [[FunnyOctopus The Squiddles]], a [[TastesLikeDiabetes sickeningly-adorable]] cartoon that the kid protagonists remember. However, it turns out that [[spoiler: the squiddles are actually humanity's subconscious representation of the [[EldritchAbomination Horrorterrors.]]]] This is ''especially'' apparent in the last song from the [[DeFictionalized Squiddles album]], [[LastNoteNightmare "Let The Squiddles Sleep (Ending Theme)".]] You will never hear "LET'S BE TANGLE BUDDIES!" again without ''[[NightmareFuel shivering.]]''

* ''The Tin-Pot Foreign Dictator and the Old Iron Lady'' is done in the style of Creator/RaymondBriggs' books for children, but is a savage and unflattering satire of UsefulNotes/TheFalklandsWar that caricatures both General Galiteri and Prime Minister Thatcher as [[TakeThat heartless metal monsters sending innocent "real men, made of flesh and blood" to be injured, maimed, or worse over a "sad little island" just to stroke their egos]].