History WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids / WesternAnimation

* The original ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' series made heavy use of BizarreAlienBiology to create characters with [[NightmareFuel absolutely nightmarish designs]], the sequels involved themes such as [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-esque]] [[FinalSolution attempts at genocide]], [[FantasticDrug powers with drug undertones]] and implied {{Serial Killer}}s, and all four entries have at least one, if not multiple, cases of VileVillainSaccharineShow. By the time of ''Ultimate Alien'', things had become so dark the writers decided to go LighterAndSofter in [[WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse the next iteration in the franchise]], as well as the reboot of the series in order to avoid making things too dark, but that didn't stop them from still having some dark moments, such as the destruction of the entire universe in Omniverse, the death of multiple Ben's also in Omniverse, and the evil Ben 10K's backstory in the reboot.

* ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' has a similar premise (and some of the same crew members) as ''WesternAnimation/{{Ren and Stimpy}}'' and is almost as boundary-pushing as the aforementioned show, with stuff involving Chicken entering the girls bathroom and mistaking a tampon machine for a cigar dispenser, Cow stuffing toilet paper on her head to make her horns look bigger, and Cow receiving a note that says "I got crabs", complete with her pausing at the word crabs, and the infamous BannedEpisode where Cow befriends a group of mannish-looking bikers who are heavily implied to be lesbians. Not to mention that one of the main characters was the ''devil'', but they call him the "Red Guy" instead (though he was called "The Devil" on the pilot short "No Smoking"). He also has some risque names like "Officer Pantsoffski", "Ben Panced", "C.D. Heinie", "Lance Sackless", and the most suggestive, "Mrs. Beaver". The show also features some gender-bending between characters in addition to some FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and BlackComedy. And just like ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' (see below), this was one of Creator/SethMacFarlane's projects before ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''.
* While every episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' has some adult jokes and/or content, it is suitable for children. "Rude Removal", though, is not, given the fact that it has censored swearing throughout and a rather unfriendly title card to boot.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', unsurprisingly given its premise, lives off of BlackComedy, FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, more than a few instances of DemographicallyInappropriateHumor (such as [[EroticEating Irwin sucking a lemon to titillate Mandy]]), and disturbing imagery that makes ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' look childish and tame in comparison. It's all PlayedForLaughs, but it can sometimes get disturbing nonetheless.
* The setting of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' is essentially an otherworldly train that kidnaps anyone no matter their age and keeps them prisoner until they learn to improve as people, whether that takes weeks, months, or years. And don't expect to learn exactly ''how'' you're meant to improve, as you never learn why you were taken to begin with; you're expected to simply figure it out on your own. As for the plots themselves, they tackle everything from divorce and mourning the dead to identity and the worth of life, with the third season explicitly following the exploits of two cult leaders. Beyond the introspective themes the show is also [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence rather jarringly violent]]. One episode in the second season outright involves a character being run over by the titular train and losing the lower half of his body, after which he spends the next few minutes dripping gore everywhere (although [[AlienBlood it isn't red]]) while admitting he's not long for this world, [[spoiler:and is later killed outright by one of the protagonists]]. In the third season, which was moved to HBO Max perhaps for this reason, another unquestionably human character dies [[spoiler:screaming while having the very flesh age off his bones with no discretion shot in sight.]] When talking about the possibility of a fourth season, [[https://io9.gizmodo.com/infinity-trains-creator-says-the-shows-future-is-in-jeo-1844852183 the creator said]] it falling into this trope is one of the biggest issues execs have with the show.

** Then there's the events of both "True Colors" and "Olivia & Yunan". The former features [[spoiler: Andrias attempting '''child murder''' by throwing Sprig out a window, trying to kill Polly for getting in the way, and the cherry on top: Stabbing Marcy]]. The latter is even worse somehow, [[spoiler: There's the nightmare projection the characters suffer through, and the '''literal entire ending''' to the episode]].

** In Season 2, [[spoiler: Della Duck is revealed to have lost her leg when her spaceship crashed. Even worse, there's the implication that she had to ''cut off her own leg'', since it was crushed underneath her ship, though no pain or blood is shown and she happily shows off her self-made prosthetic. In addition, viewers watch her grapple with 10 years of isolation on the moon, sending messages home that [[DramaticIrony the audience knows her family never saw]]. Even after she gets home and happily reunites with her family, there are some subtle instances that her trauma from those events is still there.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' was Disney's first truely dark animated series, with surprisingly mature themes such as gun violence. In the first episode, Goliath performs an on-screen BareHandedBladeBlock that leaves visible bleeding wounds on both palms. The episode primarily regarding Gun Violence hinged on explaining proper gun safety and pulled no punches as to what could happen even if a trained officer of the law was irresponsible with her service weapon (not storing it properly in this case). It likewise gave an excuse as to why the bad guys (and '''only''' them) have [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms laser weapons]], namely that they were stolen test weapons and were more military grade than police weapons grade and are more destructive and dangerous than service weapons (the series never once gave a police character a laser weapon as a service weapon).
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' really stretches its TV-Y7 rating. The show is positively rife with NightmareFuel, bizarre imagery, and touches subject matter that is normally taboo in children's programming, whether it be for the sake of drama or for a joke. Adult jokes are prevalent and the show can get quite violent, compounded by the fact characters visibly shed blood in multiple episodes (though [[AlienBlood in the case of non-humans, it's not necessarily red]]). The show's characters are shown to be quite flawed for Disney protagonists as well; Stan [[spoiler:and his brother]] are far from ideal role models and even Dipper and Mabel have engaged in unsavory behavior (although they usually learn from it). The show's a lot more mature than one would expect from it, especially considering it aired on Disney. The creators have joked about traumatizing children on occasion.

** Notably in regards to NightmareFuel, as of [[spoiler:"Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future", the world has ended, an extra-dimensional demon-God has taken physical form, and the last thing we heard in the episode was the hysterical screams of the townsfolk as a dimensional rift to what is essentially Hell opened above them. In the next episode ("Weirdmageddon Part 1"), we find out that [[KidHero Dipper]] apparently went around during the apocalypse for three days without knowing if anyone he knew was still alive, a character gets [[FacialHorror the functions of all the orifices in his face rearranged]] (causing him to fall to the ground gurgling/screaming), and group of demons play a variation of Spin the Bottle called Spin the Person, where they spin a dead body and the spinner has to eat whomever it lands on.]]

* Fans of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' have debated on why it is classified as a preschool aimed show and why it has a Y rating ever since its premiere. None of the fans deny that it's for kids, but the fact that it's aimed at preschool kids is stunning, given that the violence is sometimes a tad unfriendly to that target audience. There are some suggestive jokes, and we even see a dead body (which, although this happened in the movies it's based on as well, is still unusual), along with some of the Aesops being quite mature for children of that age. Overall, it's often agreed that the show would be better off with a TV-Y7 rating. Season 2 has [[spoiler: Scar return from the dead, resulting in more blatant attempts to kill entire herds, multiple locations are turned to ash, and several major characters nearly wind up dead.]] Season 3 almost completely kicks the show out of typical preschool cartoon territory, as [[spoiler: the opener has Kion explicitly bleeding, Ono loses his eyesight, Ushari burns to death, and Kion gets infected with a venom that causes him to start wrestling quite clearly with his darker instincts, along with the fact that, given this is a midquel for ''Simba's Pride'' that they do not appear in, guarantees the Guard does not come back, albeit due to voluntarily disbanding.]]

** TheReveal in [[Recap/TheOwlHouseS2E16HollowMind "Hollow Mind"]] that [[spoiler:Emperor Belos is a WitchHunter named Philip Wittebane, and that the Day of Unity he's planning is a whole witch '''genocide''', ''regardless of anyone's ages''. It's also revealed that Philip likely ''murdered'' his brother, Caleb, due to him having a relationship with a witch, and that Hunter is the latest in a long line of clones of Caleb that Belos made to serve as his Golden Guards, all of whom were murdered after they found out the truth for themselves. After learning this, Hunter brokenly asks Belos what he did to his family, prompting Belos to declare Hunter a lost cause and try to kill him as well.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' eventually plays this straight in the series finale, "Forever Royal". The standout elements include [[spoiler: the revelation that Sofia's father died at sea, and King Roland's wish for a family caused Queen Lorelei to die since her body couldn't handle it, Vor possessing the more sympathetic villain Prisma to do her bidding and being the first antagonist to actively try to ''murder'' Sofia, a scene that (from the parents' perspective) looks like Sofia is trying to commit ''suicide'' even though she's just trying to escape the boat with Amber and Minimus, and to top it off, Vor's death that's not too dissimilar to the Earth Queen's death on ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''.]] This was still rated TV-Y by the way.
* Daron Nefcy's ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' takes a similar route as ''Gravity Falls'', starting out as a sugar-coated parody of the MagicalGirl genre. By the second season it's started to become far darker though, with similar points made by the former; discussing [[FantasticRacism Racism]], DemonicPossession and [[DealWithTheDevil Deals With The Devil]], toxic relationships (with a boy who's literally the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Prince of Hell]]), and a plethora of examples of VileVillainSaccharineShow.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'', the Programs' unusual way of dying (shattering into little decaying cubes) allowed them to get away with stuff that would ''definitely'' exceed the Y-7 rating otherwise. At least OnceAnEpisode, someone ends up being smashed into cubes in some horrible way (shot, impaled, one Program ''bisected at the waist'' and still trying to crawl before "bleeding out"). We see Tesler's troops commit mass murder in a ''hospital.'' There's also the Iso genocide, nasty brainwashing, [[BloodSport The Game Grid]], and plenty of ColdBloodedTorture (Dyson took a ''buzzsaw'' to Tron's face). Add a BigGood that is CoveredInScars, ''deeply'' messed up psychologically, and almost ''kills'' his apprentice for trying to talk him out of revenge. It's saying something when the animated series makes the discredited [[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh first-person shooter]] look downright fluffy by comparison.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' takes place in a fantasy world where the characters have GreyAndGrayMorality, one of the leads is a ChildSoldier, and at least a few instances where blood is shown onscreen, yet it still has a TV-Y7-FV rating. [[note]]Granted, at least two episodes of the series ([[Recap/TheDragonPrinceS2E7FireAndFury S2 E7]] and [[Recap/TheDragonPrinceS3E9TheFinalBattle S3 E9]], which have [[BloodierAndGorier a noted increase]] in the level of violence) are actually rated TV-PG, although Netflix doesn't show an individual episode's ratings until you play that episode.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''. The show features adult themes like an overkill (by Nickelodeon standards) of cursing and one of the darkest backstories of any main Nickelodeon character at the time (Helga, who is considered the {{unfavorite}} in her family in favor of her StepfordSmiler sister, has a [[AbusiveParents verbally abusive father]], and a mother who is clearly a [[TheAlcoholic depressed alcoholic]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/SanjayAndCraig '' takes full advantage of the GrossUpCloseUp whenever possible (though this was toned down in the second season). The show seems to love BlackComedy jokes as well, one of which implies that Craig, [[AnthropomorphicAnimal an anthropomorphic snake]], ate a hamster's family.

** Even among all this, three episodes in particular- "One Coarse Meal", "Demolition Doofus", and "Ink Lemonade" - really stand out and seriously make you question how ''any'' of it was allowed on a show aimed at children. The actual plots of these episodes, respectively and [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer without exaggeration]], are "Mr. Krabs discovers that Plankton is [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes terrified of whales]] since he thinks [[SapientEatSapient they eat plankton]], so he dresses up like Pearl and psychologically torments Plankton to the point that he ''[[DrivenToSuicide attempts to get run over]]''", "Spongebob injures Mrs. Puff so badly that she ends up with a ruptured inflation sac (i.e. is permanently disfigured) and, in a fit of insanity, tries to '''actively murder Spongebob'''," and "Patrick engages in increasingly disgusting and violent ways of tormenting Squidward so he can make lemonade with his bodily fluids[[note]]Specifically, his ink, which isn't as scary or gross as other bodily fluids, but still.[[/note]]."

** What makes this even more astonishing is the fact that ''Redwall'' aired on PBS at all. While it can be argued that shows like ''Wild Kratts'' and ''Liberty's Kids'' have to cover some disturbing topics as a result of their educational subject matter (i.e. the unsavory aspects of American history, the sometimes violent and scary parts of nature), ''Redwall'' doesn't. In fact, it's one of the few--if not the ''only''-- non-educational cartoons ever to air on PBS (though it is believed that it did have a slight {{Aesop}} of ReadingIsCool, thus allowing it a free pass). Given PBS's normal aversion to violence in its cartoons, it's odd that this would be the exception.

* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'' and its accompanying book series ''Ordinary People Change the World'' can slip into this territory at times due to covering topics not a lot of other preschool shows/books do such as racism[[note]]In "I Am Rosa Parks", "I Am Martin Luther King Jr", "I Am Jackie Robinson", and "I Am Harriet Tubman"[[/note]], slavery[[note]]"I Am Harriet Tubman" again[[/note]], sexism[[note]]"I Am Marie Curie", "I Am Susan B. Anthony" and "I Am Billie Jean King"[[/note]], war,[[note]]"I Am George Washington" (book only, not the episode)[[/note]] etc, to the point where MoralGuardians and HeteronormativeCrusaders deemed the series inappropriate for kids. Also, in the ''I Am Madam President'' special, [[spoiler:Berby '''''dies''''' and drifts off into space. You read that right, a PBS Kids show killed off one of its main characters. She did come back though]].

Canadian animation targeted toward kids falls into this category from time to time, due to ValuesDissonance between Canada and its southern neighbour. While the dissonance usually comes in the form of Canadian kids' cartoons being allowed to use very light curse words (like "crap" and "suck") and more crass material that would probably get an American cartoon pulled off the airwaves (including DemographicallyInappropriateHumor), these examples get much more intense than that.

* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' is a BlackComedy cartoon with the implication that its setting, Miseryville, is {{Hell}}, as seen through the demonic populace, the heat and lava everywhere, and the usage of misery as a euphemism for eternal damnation. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen The setting being Hell would have been outright stated, too]], [[ExecutiveMeddling had the creators had their way]], but you still have to wonder what sort of twisted mind would try to make a show about Hell for a kids channel.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' and its successor ''Justice League Unlimited'' were the last shows to be created for the ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'', and its creators must have just thought "fuck it" and decided to try and get away with as much as humanly possible, especially when ''Unlimited'' was put on the Saturday night Creator/{{Toonami}} block, which at the time was still technically a children's programming block. There were vague allusions to people having sex, having sex behind some boxes, phone sex, human women having sex with gorilla men, skimpier costumes for the ladies and other people commenting on them, innuendos about impotence and HideYourLesbians, a villain eating oysters very suggestively, ComicBook/GreenArrow and ComicBook/BlackCanary really getting into wrestling each other, an intentionally uncomfortable YouAreACreditToYourRace comment, and implied violence like Franchise/{{Superman}} murdering ComicBook/LexLuthor with his EyeBeams.

* On the whole, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' is pretty kid-friendly overall, but it does have moments of this at times with storylines involving [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]], blackmail when [[spoiler:Slade threatens to kill the Teen Titans unless Robin becomes his apprentice]], a few [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything instances of]] MindRape, and some [[NightmareFuel frightening imagery]].

* Mainframe's first show, ''WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}'', starting from the second season and only gets worse from there[[note]]Due to the show moving from ''[[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]]'', a national broadcast network with more restrictions to ''Creator/CartoonNetwork'', a cable network with more freedom over the former[[/note]] featured a forcible fusion scene with parallels to rape (BrotherSisterIncest rape, to boot), many, many [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath deaths]], two children being mistaken for dead and forced to wander the universe for years while time flowed differently for them, TheCorruption of surrounding systems, and finally the ''end of the world'', not to mention several very [[{{Fanservice}} fanservicey]] designs. In ''Daemon Rising'', there is also a BrainwashedAndCrazy cult of Guardians that have been {{Mind Rape}}d into suicide bombers (a fact the show does not shy away from, even showing on-screen deaths).
* ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'' is a nihilistic CosmicHorrorStory aimed at kids. On top of that, worlds get destroyed regularly, NeverSayDie is downright averted, plenty of characters do die, the Beast Generals are horrifying villains (one of them even [[MindRape Mind Rapes]] Tekla with the image of her planet being destroyed), the heroes kill as many innocent people as the Beast Planet and are completely incapable of ever beating it, and the CGI falls into UnintentionalUncannyValley territory.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}''
** There's probably a good reason why the show wasn't picked up across the Atlantic until Creator/{{Netflix}} picked it up. Ranging for all the ''really'' dark themes (like genocide, the loss of families, some of the more NightmareFuel-filled moments, accidental cannibalism), {{fanservice}} and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything innuendo]]; in fact, the show is used for the main image of the MatingDance trope. The English dub even makes liberal use of the word "Hell" rather than GoshDarnItToHeck. Part of it can be attributed to ValuesDissonance, due to looser broadcast restrictions in France (Same goes for ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' above).

* ''WesternAnimation/WhatANightmareCharlieBrown'' was undoubtedly one of the darkest ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} specials. Snoopy has an AcidRefluxNightmare about being a sled dog during the Yukon Gold Rush, where he's abused by his master and tormented by his fellow dogs. Snoopy eventually [[BreakTheCutie snaps]] and [[BewareTheSillyOnes fights his way to become the "alpha dog"]], only for his dream to end when the sled falls into a frozen lake and Snoopy is dragged screaming to certain doom. There's little in the way of laughs, aside from the scene at the beginning where Charlie Brown tries to make Snoopy pull a sled, and a scene where Snoopy visits a saloon in a Yukon boom town and goes through some humiliating slapstick scenes.

* ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue'': Kids who grew up in the nineties will remember this ScareEmStraight [[{{DrugsAreBad}} anti-drug]] [[AVerySpecialEpisode special]] as "the one that promised all your favourite cartoon characters in one place, then gave you BodyHorror [[NightmareFuel nightmares]]".

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'': This adaptation was already a good deal [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] than [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the 1987 show]] and [[TruerToTheText much closer to]] [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the original Mirage comics]], but the series establishes how dark it is going to be by ending the first episode with the Shredder [[YouHaveFailedMe personally executing a punk for failing]] offscreen. Then the third episode establishes how Hun and The Shredder punish Baxter Stockman: by removing his body parts every time he failed, ultimately reducing him to [[BrainInAJar a brain, an eyeball and some neuron tissues in a big jar]]. The show just kept getting progressively darker with each season, ultimately resulting in more and more [[NightmareFuel nightmarish images]] and BodyHorror elements, to the point that [[Recap/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003S4E19InsaneInTheMembrane one completed episode]] was banned, [[Recap/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003S5E6NightmaresRecycled one episode]] was axed before it could be completed and one entire season was temporarily banned with the intention to release it straight to DVD and the TV version airing a LighterAndSofter SoftReboot season instead. And the show was produced by Creator/FourKidsEntertainment, a company infamous for [[{{bowdlerise}} censoring dark anime]].

** [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] with ''JustForFun/TheItchyAndScratchyShow''. Featuring the titular cat-and-mouse duo, ''The Itchy & Scratchy Show'' is an [[{{Gorn}} over-the-top violent]] animated segment played within ''The Krusty the Klown Show'', which is for children and is popular with that demographic. In ''The Itchy & Scratchy Show'', Itchy the Mouse [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill gorily mutilates]] Scratchy the Cat [[TheyKilledKennyAgain to death in almost every episode]]. Bart and Lisa Simpson find it hilarious. This led their mother, Marge, to form [[{{MoralGuardians}} a concerned parent's group]] to ban the show. Though the show had been {{bowdlerized}} in-universe a few times, [[StatusQuoIsGod the bowdlerization would later be lifted every time]]. Krusty lampshades this in "White Christmas Blues" when he has to block violent images due to modern sensitivity; at first, he's reluctant, but then he catches a glimpse of the show:
-->'''Krusty:''' (''horrified'') Oh my god! I've never watched one of these sober! I have to get this bloodbath off my kids' show!

** Another in-universe example is in "Blame It On Lisa", when the Simpsons travel to Brazil, Bart finds himself enjoying a local children's educational program in which a shapely woman uses her chest complete with nipple tassels to teach the concepts of "clockwise" and "anti-clockwise".

** "Saturday Morning Fun Pit" has three segments parodying {{Saturday Morning Cartoon}}s from UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, which are shown in-universe to be aimed at children. It doesn't exactly stop them from having inappropriate content, especially the ''WesternAnimation/GIJoe'' parody (which Nixon's head has to cut off mid-broadcast and switch to a PSA because it eventually devolved into a complete bloodbath).

* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': In the ''ComicStrip/USAcres'' segment, "Kiddie Korner", Aloysius demands that Orson and his friends perform family-friendly NurseryRhymes. Unfortunately, since the gang plays them straight, they inadvertently reveal all of the violence, starvation, and death that the rhymes contain, and Aloysius won't stop griping about it.

* Several episodes of ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids'', including the ones about prison (which had swear words in the original version; the new version censors the swear words) and gang violence (which had a young boy get killed in the crossfire of a gang war), had material that many parents would probably not want their kids to watch, at least alone. There was even an episode about a teen mother, which didn't go into detail about how babies were made. Parents were likely supposed to talk with their kids about sex and avoiding teen parenthood. Another episode dealt with [=STDs=], and a doctor even mentioned a couple of the diseases by name. The same episode also had mentions of sexual intercourse, and Bill Cosby told the viewers that those words were something they should ask their parents about. Few kids' shows out there touch such heavy topics. In the ''Double Cross'' episode, George and his gang were clearly White Supremacists. Near the end of the episode, he launched into a blunt tirade explicitly condemning Latinos, Jews, Catholics, Italians, Asians, and Blacks. Fat Albert also visits Mudfoot and a Rabbi who tells him about the Nazis, Antisemitism, and the Holocaust.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' has genocide, on-screen death, a DatingCatwoman (or at least shagging her) situation in "Renegade Rangers", slavery, torture, ''massive'' aversions of NeverSayDie (with the on-screen body count to back it up)... even Robert Mandell admits the show's writing "flew over the heads of six year olds."

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' begins with the funeral of the main character's father and not too long later their foster home full of little girls gets bombed. Despite being aimed at little girls and [[MerchandiseDriven being made to advertise toys]], ''Jem'' featured many dark and mature themes. Infidelity, drug use, abusive parents, parental abandonment, suicide, depression... That's even ignoring the fact the characters are put in life-and-death situations essentially every episode. The creator wanted to push the envelope more, but the show was ScrewedByTheMerchandise and cancelled after three seasons.

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' could get shockingly dark at times for a show with such a Narmish concept. There are episodes centered around drug abuse, gang violence (no less than four episodes), civil war, nuclear war, and AIDS. The show also wasn't afraid of showing graphic images of death and destruction.

* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow''. More sex jokes, frequent lethal use of weapons, and mild profanities ("crap", "sucks", even "pissed" [[note]] the censors eventually caught onto "pissed", however, as it is dubbed over with "ticked" in reruns[[/note]]) then you can shake a yardstick at. It's based on two short films creator J.G. Quintel made in animation school called "WebAnimation/TwoInTheAMPM" and "The Naive Man from Lolliland", and while the latter is safe for family viewing (a single use of "hell" wouldn't faze most viewers), the former [[BleachedUnderpants isn't]] -- at least, by Cartoon Network's already selective standards. Finally paid off as by the 42nd Annie Awards it was put in the "General Audience" category along with ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and similar shows.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'' has excessive violence, a lot of ComedicSociopathy, some sexual innuendo, some mild swearing (mostly words like "crap," "sucks" or "screwed"). One of the show creators worked on ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' and it has the look and feel of a ''Superjail'' spin-off or companion show.

* ''WesternAnimation/PigCity'' contains very questionable and rather suggestive humor and jokes with one episode involving the characters mistaking a piece of crap as a meteorite and another episode where they go inside a train and one of the pig's pants flies off and we see his buttcrack.

* Mainframe's first show, ''WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}'', starting from the second season and only gets worse from there[[note]]Due to the show moving from ''Creator/{{ABC}}'', a national broadcast network with more restrictions to ''Creator/CartoonNetwork'', a cable network with more freedom over the former[[/note]] featured a forcible fusion scene with parallels to rape (BrotherSisterIncest rape, to boot), many, many [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath deaths]], two children being mistaken for dead and forced to wander the universe for years while time flowed differently for them, TheCorruption of surrounding systems, and finally the ''end of the world'', not to mention several very [[{{Fanservice}} fanservicey]] designs. In ''Daemon Rising'', there is also a BrainwashedAndCrazy cult of Guardians that have been {{Mind Rape}}d into suicide bombers (a fact the show does not shy away from, even showing on-screen deaths).

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with ''WesternAnimation/BlinkyBill''. While it is for children and family-friendly enough, Creator/TheABC reran it on the network's preschool programming block [=ABC4Kids=] in the early 2010s, despite several scenes that aren't exactly preschooler-friendly, such as Marcia asking Blinky if she should bash Danny in "Blinky and the Red Car", Ma holding Danny and Shifty's heads underwater during "Blinky Bill's Fund Run", Daisy (a teenager) flirting with Blinky, Flap and Splodge (all of whom are children) in "Blinky and the Film Star", and Basil, the villain of Season 3 who had been chasing Blinky, Nutsy and Flap around the world through its entirety, getting carted off in a straitjacket for multiple crimes (including arson) in the season's finale.

* The Season One climax for ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatianStreet'', "The Devil Wears Puppies", has Cruella return, and seeking out her Puppy Fur Coat again. It shows that Cruella is very abusive in her relationship to Hunter, in order to get him to do her bidding. What makes it especially dark is that she has a skinning machine which she intended to throw the Puppies in, she uses Dawkin's Doll to demonstrate to the Puppies what it shall do to them, and she tells Delilah & Doug that she is going to force them to watch her do this, before turning them into matching luggage.

* Fans of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' have debated on why it is classified as a preschool aimed show and why it has a Y rating ever since its premiere. None of the fans deny that it's for kids, but the fact its aimed at preschool kids is stunning, given that the violence is sometimes a tad unfriendly to that target audience. There are some suggestive jokes, and we even see a dead body (which, although this happened in the movies it's based on as well, is still unusual), along with some of the Aesops being quite mature for children of that age. Overall, it's often agreed that the show would be better off with a TV-Y7 rating. Season 2 has [[spoiler: Scar return from the dead, resulting in more blatant attempts to kill entire herds, multiple locations are turned to ash, and several major characters nearly wind up dead.]] Season 3 almost completely kicks the show out of typical preschool cartoon territory, as [[spoiler: the opener has Kion explicitly bleeding, Ono loses his eyesight, Ushari burns to death, and Kion gets infected with a venom that causes him to start wrestling quite clearly with his darker instincts, along with the fact that, given this is a midquel for ''Simba's Pride'' that they do not appear in, guarantees the Guard does not come back, albeit due to voluntarily disbanding.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CarlSquared'': Although the show aired on a kid's channel it contains inappropriate and rather suggestive humor with one episode where Carl swears at his enemies in a intercom when he thinks that it's the last day on earth and another episode where Carl drinks a bottle of piss after mistaking it for a bottle of lemonade.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'', despite being a more LighterAndSofter spin-off of ''Total Drama'', still contains dark and suggestive content like its parent series with one of the running gags being Cody dying or getting injured in nearly every episode he appears in and another episode involving a creepy and pervy middle-aged fairy called the Fart Fairy who asks all of the kids if he can smell their farts.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' was never aired in the USA, and for good reasons. The characters use extreme [[BloodlessCarnage violence]] (the characters own guns, bazookas and the like), and since DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist, they have also died {{Family Unfriendly Death}}s due to the violence. They abuse drugs (both GRatedDrug's and regular ones), alcohol, and tobacco. There are plenty of sex jokes and even a few moments where its two main characters, who are in love, try to sexually harass each other. There is also tons of BlackComedy, mentions of infidelity, implications of some characters being bisexual, and some religious references.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': {{G Rated Drug}}s in the forms of candy and maple syrup, stories full of bizarre, dark events that would make ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' look like a {{Bowdlerise}}d Grimm's fairy tale, a lot of off-color jokes that make ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' look really tame, extensive amounts of [[ExtremeCloseUp extremely gratuitous]] [[GrossUpCloseUp gross-up close-ups]], lots and lots of gruesome violence depicted in extremely graphic detail (complete with tons of very brutally and graphically extreme slapstick), NightmareFuel scenes that make ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' look like child's play, extreme amounts of gross-out humor, and DerangedAnimation that makes ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy]]'' (both the original and '''''EVEN''''' [[WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon its adult reboot]]) look as sane, on-model, and beautifully animated as your average Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon film. In short, this is ''easily'' Cartoon Network's darkest show, which says a lot.

* There's an obscure series of shorts that aired on Cartoon Network called ''[[MeaningfulName Ovni]]'' about [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter an adorable alien]] who has adventures throughout various historical periods, sounds innocent right? Well said alien typically [[TheyKilledKennyAgain dies multiple times]] in an episode complete with AlienBlood and he doesn't die permanently because [[BizarreAlienBiology he instantly regenerates like a video game character]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'': Excessive violence, a lot of ComedicSociopathy, some sexual innuendo, some mild swearing (mostly words like "crap," "sucks" or "screwed"). One of the show creators worked on ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' and it has the look and feel of a ''Superjail'' spin-off or companion show.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'': The episode "Chipocalypse Now" is ''loaded'' with these, specifically Chip Whistler and his Wholesome Squad coming this close to destroying the Greens' house and their legacy along with it, as well as a full-blown battleground. What really takes the cake of it is Chip going full-on psycho once he's banned from Big City, which almost culminated with him [[WouldHurtAChild nearly killing Cricket]] and his whole family, and by chance, ''everyone who stuck up for them.''

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'': Genocide, on-screen death, a DatingCatwoman (or at least shagging her) situation in "Renegade Rangers", slavery, torture, ''massive'' aversions of NeverSayDie (with the on-screen body count to back it up)... even Robert Mandell admits the show's writing "flew over the heads of six year olds."

* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' likes to dabble in this a lot. The show not only breaks the NeverSayDie rule, but many of the show's antagonists actively attempt to kill major characters, sometimes in the most disturbing ways possible, and in one episode ''it actually happens''. There are copious amounts of BodyHorror, and the motivation of the BigBad is based around an unhealthy, stalker-like obsession with a married woman.

* In a similar vein to ''The Lion Guard'' (below), we have fellow Disney Junior series ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor''. While it definitely has enough light-hearted moments and happy endings (or endings where the positive elements are given more emphasis) to have it fit on the channel, it qualifies for this trope due to its realistic take on trauma, the fact that the main antagonist succeeds in ''murdering'' Elena's parents, and its much tighter focus on serialized storytelling (its parent series, ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'', has many of these elements, but they were more pronounced in later episodes and less in earlier ones). It's still definitely a children's series, but its subject matter is incredibly dark by the standards of a preschool series.

* ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' might just be the king of this trope. The Programs' unusual way of dying (shattering into little decaying cubes) allowed them to get away with stuff that would ''definitely'' exceed the Y-7 rating otherwise. At least OnceAnEpisode, someone ends up being smashed into cubes in some horrible way (shot, impaled, one Program ''bisected at the waist'' and still trying to crawl before "bleeding out"). We see Tesler's troops commit mass murder in a ''hospital.'' There's also the Iso genocide, nasty brainwashing, [[BloodSport The Game Grid]], and plenty of ColdBloodedTorture (Dyson took a ''buzzsaw'' to Tron's face). Add a BigGood that is CoveredInScars, ''deeply'' messed up psychologically, and almost ''kills'' his apprentice for trying to talk him out of revenge. It's saying something when the animated series makes the discredited [[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh first-person shooter]] look downright fluffy by comparison.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{MAD}}'' fits this trope to a T. While somewhat cleaner than the [[Magazine/{{MAD}} magazine]], it's nonetheless filled to the brim with DemographicallyInappropriateHumour (with frequent sexual humor and actual swearing; the fourth episode actually had bleeped usage of "fuck" during the "Rejected ''Franchise/ToyStory'' Characters" skit), jokes involving popular characters being severely injured/killed, and the like. It's a wonder that Creator/CartoonNetwork aired the show uncensored, let alone for four seasons.

* ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'' is a show aimed at preschoolers, and airs on Creator/NickJr. Despite the overall preschool-friendly tone, there have been countless times where the characters who need help could have '''died''' if the PAW Patrol hadn't saved them in time. The episode "Mighty Pups, Charged Up: Pups vs. the Copycat" in particular features the threat of Adventure Bay, the show's main setting, being '''[[ColonyDrop crushed by a meteor]]''' if the PAW Patrol fails to stop the supervillain Copycat.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{TUGS}}'' is a sister show to ''Thomas & Friends''. It may be about cartoony-looking talking tugboats, but it is much DarkerAndEdgier than ''Thomas''. Special mention goes to the episode "Munitions", which features a horrific fire and explosion. It kills Big Mickey[[note]]In the VHS version. In the TV version, he survives[[/note]], causes a petrol barge to explode, almost kills Ten Cents, and a results in a naval tanker being horrifically torn apart.

* The original ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' series made heavy use of BizarreAlienBiology to create characters with [[NightmareFuel absolutely nightmarish designs]], the sequels involved themes such as [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-esque]] [[FinalSolution attempts at genocide]], [[FantasticDrug powers with drug undertones]] and implied {{Serial Killer}}s, and all four entries have at least one, if not multiple, cases of VileVillainSaccharineShow. By the time of ''Ultimate Alien'', things had become so dark the writers decided to go LighterAndSofter in [[WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse the next iteration in the franchise]] in order to avoid making things too dark.

* On the whole, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' was pretty kid-friendly overall, but it did have moments of this at times with storylines involving [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]], blackmail when [[spoiler:Slade threatens to kill the Teen Titans unless Robin becomes his apprentice]], a few [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything instances of]] MindRape, and some [[NightmareFuel frightening imagery]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' is often criticized for being ''too'' kiddie (though the bright colors and attractive artstyle makes this criticism not hard to come by). The show's TV-PG rating is there for a reason though, as this show is rife with BlackComedy and ComedicSociopathy, [[ParentalBonus parental bonuses]] are frequent (with some so old that they could've counted as these in the [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans 2003 series]]), NeverSayDie is rarely, if ever, played straight, and there are a bunch of risque jokes throughout the series.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' has implications of {{Twincest}}, many references to and depictions of murder, and doesn't shy away from the severe mental strain that is put on ChildSoldiers. One of ''the protagonists''' favorite tactic is MindRape, and it is played out for maximum shock value. The subplot in "Beneath" heavily implies that the mother of one of [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Jaime Reyes']] friends is being physically abused by her boyfriend. The same episode also reveals that Queen Bee is essentially running a child-trafficking ring where innocent teenagers are kidnapped and sold to aliens who use them for experimentation.

* ''Literature/{{Babar}}'', an animated series based on a childrens' book series, has the FiveEpisodePilot: Babar's mother is shot by The Hunter, The Old King dies from eating a poisonous mushroom, and the Hunter is burnt alive by the fire he caused (all while shouting how he'll destroy all the animals), with Babar confirming that the Hunter died for real in a later episode. Beyond that, the later episodes tackle with subject matter such as Babar and his friends being picked on because they look different, two episodes where Cornelius and Pompadour believing an assassin is out to kill Babar, an elephant-hating general sending Celesteville and Rhinoland to war, and Flora nearly dying from being bitten by a poisonous snake. As the series was produced by Creator/{{Nelvana}}, the series largely aired on preschool networks, such as Creator/{{Qubo}} in the US and Creator/TreehouseTV in Canada.

* ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'' is a show aimed at preschoolers, and airs on Creator/NickJr.. Despite the overall preschool-friendly tone, there have been countless times where the characters who need help could have '''died''' if the PAW Patrol hadn't saved them in time. The episode "Mighty Pups, Charged Up: Pups vs. the Copycat" in particular features the threat of Adventure Bay, the show's main setting, being '''[[ColonyDrop crushed by a meteor]]''' if the PAW Patrol fails to stop the supervillain Copycat.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' was initially criticized for being too kid-friendly. It ''more'' than made up for it from the end of the first season and beyond. Brutal depictions of WarIsHell, {{Family Unfriendly Death}}s, and [[BlackAndGrayMorality a good amount of morally questionable moves by the traditional heroes]] turned it into one of the most fearless family-friendly animated programs in recent memory. A few early episodes included mild profanity in their initial broadcasts, though this was caught and {{bowdlerise}}d for later airings.

-->'''Marge:''' [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]] left it to the imagination...