History WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids / WesternAnimation

* Even with airing in a midnight slot when kids wouldn't exactly normally be up, ''{{Superjail}}'' has also received criticism and ire from parental groups and media reviewers for its excessive violence and sexual references. When it briefly aired in Canada on G4, an episode was rated "PG" by mistake, which caused [[http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2010/100818.php much backlash and complaints from the decidedly MORE than "PG" content]].

** Teletoon, the Canadian version of Cartoon network, specifically airs warnings before and during each show from 9pm on (the "Teletoon at Night" block) that the shows are not intended for children. They actually build in a margin for error in that they start with an hour of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' and then come the shows like ''MoralOrel'', ''{{Archer}}'', and ''{{Squidbillies}}''. By the time the later shows role around the warnings include comments like "...meant for 14 years of age and older. And if you aren't 14, what are you doing up this late?"

* Similar to the above is ''WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome''. It's a {{Hanna-Barbera}} production and often released on ''Creator/CartoonNetwork'' and ''Boomerang'' so people get the impression it's for children. However it's more like a 1960s version of ''TheSimpsons'' mixed in with a watered-down ''AllInTheFamily''.
* If you turn to the search menu for your DVR and search for ''Archer'', you will find it labeled as [[WhatAnIdiot children's programming.]] [[SarcasmMode Oh, goody gumdrops. Kids will]] ''[[SarcasmMode really]]'' [[SarcasmMode love seeing the excessive bloody violence, copious female nudity, and sexist/racist/overall politically incorrect humor]].

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes (the original shorts from 1930 to 1969) have, according to its directors and how it was distributed back then, been meant for general audiences (i.e., kids and adults, though most of the humor in the Looney Tunes cartoons would either be too risque for kids or wouldn't be readily understood by kids). When the cartoons were syndicated for TV, a lot of the cartoons had to be edited or banned outright so it can appeal to kids (and a new generation of adults who would see some of the outdated jokes and scenes as racist, sexist, or un-PC). The DVD releases of the cartoons have the shorts uncut and even include a warning in the beginning, stating that the cartoons are products of a different era and should be seen as more of a historical window.

* Similar to the above is ''WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome''. It's a {{Hanna-Barbera}} production and often released on ''Creator/CartoonNetwork'' and ''Boomerang'' so people get the impression it's for children. However it's more like an early version of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (or ''AllInTheFamily'' if it toned down some of the racist and sexist content and was a cartoon series) if anything.
* If you turn to the search menu for your DVR and search for Archer can you guess what ''{{Archer}}'' is labeled as? Comedy? Nope it's labeled [[WhatAnIdiot as Children's programming.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FishPolice'' was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon about anthropomorphic fish, with colorful backgrounds and many fish-themed puns, ''very'' loosely based on a [[ComicBook/FishPolice comic book series]] and aired as an early competitor to ''The Simpsons'' (back during its GoldenAge). It was also filled with content that, at the very least, counts as ParentalBonus turned UpToEleven. Examples include ''tons'' of innuendo, rampant sexual tension between main characters, dialogue bound to go over kids' heads (either explicitly sex related or not), and, in one episode, an entire red lantern district, complete with a pimp and prostitutes soliciting clients in the streets, shops with pornography ("Fishy Videos") and equivalents of S/M gear. And a brothel. No wonder only six episodes were made.

* The Seth [=MacFarlane=] cartoon franchise is the most frequent targets of the claim, including ''TheClevelandShow'', ''AmericanDad'' and most notably, ''FamilyGuy''. Critics, including the Parents Television Council – in harshly criticizing the frequent very adult plots, extreme violence, crude language and lewd sexual situations – cite the fact that the show is animated, have child-friendly businesses (such as Burger King) as frequent advertisers, have merchandise marketed to children and its airing during early evening hours when children are potentially in the audience. Those defending the show often point out that the show's intended audience is not children and that some won't allow their children to see it, but those claims have often been refuted by the PTC and others.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has dealt with subjects like animal abuse, child abuse, politics, drug abuse, alcoholism, religion, and juvenile deliquency, but back when it first aired, a lot of people didn't accept it as an adult cartoon because of how childish the animation and art was, and trashed it for corrupting youth due to the subject matter and having Bart Simpson (who, back then, was written as a more destructive, 1990s spin on Dennis the Menace) as the main focus of the stories. It also didn't help that ''Simpsons'' merchandise back then was seen as children's toys.

* ''WesternAnimation/FishPolice'' was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon about anthropomorphic fish, with colorful backgrounds and many fish-themed puns, ''very'' loosely based on a [[ComicBook/FishPolice comic book series]] and aired as an early competitor to ''TheSimpsons'' (back during its GoldenAge). It was also filled with content that, at the very least, counts as ParentalBonus turned UpToEleven. Examples include ''tons'' of innuendo, rampant sexual tension between main characters, dialogue bound to go over kids' heads (either explicitly sex related or not), and, in one episode, an entire red lantern district, complete with a pimp and prostitutes soliciting clients in the streets, shops with pornography ("Fishy Videos") and equivalents of S/M gear. And a brothel. No wonder only six episodes were made.

* The animated shorts collection ''WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight'' features horrific violence - and unlike the live-action version, it isn't bloodless. The usually more conscientious commonsensemedia.org thinks Gotham Knight is appropriate for ''[[http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/batman-gotham-knight eleven-year-old children]]'' (in comparison, they unanimously [[http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-dark-knight thought otherwise]] for ''Film/TheDarkKnight''). Because it's animated, and it's about Batman, right? Thank God none of the shorts featured SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, there would be kids in therapy.

* ''SlackerCats''. It was on ''ABCFamily''. The first episode alone has necrophilia. And pornography. As for why it was on ABC Family? The original sale from the Christian Broadcasting Network to Fox/Saban contained a stipulation that the [[ArtifactTitle channel contain the word "Family" in the name forever]], no matter who owns the network. And no matter what's actually on the channel, apparently.

* The animated shorts collection ''WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight'' features horrific violence - and unlike the live-action version, it isn't bloodless. The usually more conscientious commonsensemedia.org thinks Gotham Knight is appropriate for ''eleven-year-old children'' (in comparison, they unanimously thought otherwise for ''Film/TheDarkKnight''). Because it's animated, and it's about Batman, right? Thank God none of the shorts featured SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, there would be kids in therapy.

* One of the biggest is ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', despite airing at a time when kids should be in bed some watch it anyway. Despite the animation using a paper cut-out doll style, it is ''full'' of swearing, violent death, gore (especially in the later seasons), uncensored cartoon nudity, implied sexual abuse and rape, and child abuse both implied and confirmed. People with various predjudices aren't always directly punished, and childish innocence is rarely a good thing, which might confuse children. It also makes fun of PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad, references many current events, and features a manipulative, sociopathic, anti-Semitic little boy (Cartman).

* The Seth [=MacFarlane=] cartoon franchise is the most frequent targets of the claim, including ''TheClevelandShow'', ''AmericanDad'' and most notably, ''FamilyGuy''. Critics, including the Parents Television Council – in harshly criticizing the frequent very adult plots, crude language and lewd sexual situations – cite the fact that the show is animated, have child-friendly businesses (such as Burger King) as frequent advertisers and have merchandise marketed to children.

* One of the biggest is ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', despite airing at a time when kids should be in bed some watch it anyway. Despite the animation using a paper cut-out doll style, it is ''full'' of swearing, violent death, gore (especially in the later seasons), uncensored cartoon nudity, implied sexual abuse and rape, and child abuse both implied and confirmed. People with various predjudices aren't always directly punished, and childish innocence is rarely a good thing, which might confuse children. It also makes fun of PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad, references many current events, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and has Eric Cartman in a starring role.]]
** MTV3, The biggest commercial TV channel in Finland, actually aired ''South Park'' on afternoons along with a bunch of kids' shows. Whoops.
* The aforementioned ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has dealt increasingly bluntly with subjects like animal abuse, child abuse, politics, drug abuse, alcoholism, smoking, anti establishment jokes, sex, murder, organized crime, torture, and war, but [[AnimationAgeGhetto because it's animated]], it was often mistaken for a children's show. And it references a lot of things that only adults will get or remember - a lot of its humour will even go right above kids' heads.
** At least part of the reason "The Simpsons' is mistaken for a kid's show could be a result of all the MisaimedMarketing they do. It doesn't help that there are video games aimed specifically at kids.
** It's been on so long that people forget that it originated as very short pieces on The ''Tracey Ullman Show,'' an early Fox show that wasn't disturbing or gory, but definitely wasn't aimed at children; it was basically a one-woman version of "{{Saturday Night Live}}" with fewer pop culture references and more female-centric humor. ''The Simpsons'' was done by very much not for kids cartoonist Matt Groening, whose major work at the time was ''Life in Hell.'' ''The Simpsons'' had cartoon characters sitting around deadpanning their lines, which was ironic, or making really obscure references to things like Tod Brownings' movie ''Freaks.''
* WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} is even more adult than ''TheSimpsons''. Just because it was made by the guy who made ''TheSimpsons'', some people assumed Futurama was going to be RecycledInSpace. But it involves a LOT of sexual humour (albeit fairly tasteful) with hooker-bots and hooker-aliens and strip joints, and there's a lot of crime addressed with Bender being a regular KarmaHoudini. Rape has been implied on more than one occasion. Apart from that there's all the socio-political issues ''TheSimpsons'' addresses, only re-written to make sense with aliens and robots, and a lot of physics-based jokes that kids won't get at all. Piled on top of that, the show actively makes fun of how modesty is an out-of-date idea, resulting in many scenes of near-nudity and clothes being considerably more revealing than in TheSimpsons.
** To elaborate, ''TheSimpsons'' is a PG/PG-13 cartoon. ''Futurama'' is a PG-13 cartoon, moreso since it's not on Fox anymore.
* On that note, ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' for much the same reasons. Arguably worse than both ''TheSimpsons'' and ''{{Futurama}}'', since while ''The Simpsons'' is written to follow Fox's censorship standards, ''Family Guy'' ''isn't''.
-->'''Lois''': [Values] come from inside, from your own beliefs.\\
'''Peter''': I agree, Lois. Like, for instance, if you're watching a TV show and you decide to take your values from that, you're an idiot. Maybe you should take responsibility for what values your kids are getting. Maybe you shouldn't be letting your kids watch certain shows in the first place if you have such a big problem with them, [[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch instead of blaming the shows themselves.]] ([[BreakingTheFourthWall Peter looks at the audience]]) Yeah.
* Despite the fact that Cartoon Network's nocturnal block is called '''Creator/{{Adult|Swim}}''' [[Creator/AdultSwim Swim]] for a reason, kids are still prone to tune in to the programs shown. A lot of them tend to be fans of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken''. It helps that the network is kid-friendly during the day.

* The DCUniverseOriginalAnimatedMovies are not very appropriate for young children as they include graphic violence, swearing, and some sexual content and jokes - they're not bloodsoaked {{Gorn}}-fests, but definitely earning their PG-13s by not being bound by kids' show rules. It probably doesn't help that the {{DCAU}} fits [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids elsewhere]].

** Even Spumco itself brings this trope to life with ''RenAndStimpy: Adult Party Cartoon''. The original ''Ren and Stimpy'' [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids was a kids' show]], but for its revival, Spike TV [[ExecutiveMeddling forced]] the addition of more mature elements into the series.
* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes (the original 1930-1969 shorts), [[WordOfGod according to most of the directors]], were never meant for children, and yet have been enjoyed by generations of youngsters in spite of it.

* Similar to the ''[[TheMuppetShow Muppet Show]]'' example in [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids.LiveActionTV Live Action TV]], the first ''{{Shrek}}'' movie was meant to feel slightly more like a movie for adults than for children, and contained mild language and more innuendoes than its sequels. As one result of this, [[TheMerch the movie's toys]] were made by [=Todd McFarlane=]'s company (specializing in detailed, collector-grade action figures) - hard to believe for some, given the more "toyetic" and child-oriented merchandise of the sequels.
* ''WesternAnimation/FishPolice'' was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon about antropomorphic fish, with colorful backgrounds and many fish-themed puns, ''very'' loosely based on a [[ComicBook/FishPolice comic book series]] and aired as an early competitor to ''TheSimpsons'' (back during its GoldenAge). It was also filled with content that, at the very least, counts as ParentalBonus turned UpToEleven. Examples include ''tons'' of innuendo, rampant sexual tension between main characters, dialogue bound to go over kids' heads (either explicitly sex related or not), and, in one episode, an entire red lantern district, complete with a pimp and prostitutes soliciting clients in the streets, shops with pornography ("Fishy Videos") and equivalents of S/M gear. And a brothel. No wonder only six episodes were made.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'': It's about a cartoon duck, and it's made by the [[KlaskyCsupo nice people]] who brought us WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}. If only it weren't for the language and sex-related jokes.

* Despite the fact that Cartoon Network's nocturnal block is called '''{{Adult|Swim}}''' [[AdultSwim Swim]] for a reason, kids are still prone to tune in to the programs shown. A lot of them tend to be fans of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken''. It helps that the network is kid-friendly during the day.

** It's been on so long that people forget that it originated as very short pieces on The ''Tracey Ullman Show,'' an early Fox show that wasn't disturbing or gory, but definitely wasn't for kids. People under the age of fifteen probably wouldn't have understood the humor, and found it boring. ''The Simpsons'' was done by very much not for kids cartoonist Matt Groening, whose major work at the time was ''Life in Hell.'' ''The Simpsons'' had cartoon characters sitting around deadpanning their lines, which was ironic, or making really obscure references to things like Tod Brownings' movie ''Freaks.''

* ''TransformersPrime'' is a weird example. Okay, so it is for kids, ''technically.'' But even without taking into account the mature, complicated storylines, and allowing for [[DiscretionShot Discretion Shots,]] it's the darkest Transformers yet (including the Bay movies).
** Energon was always the life-force of Transformers. Now it's treated identically to blood and it gets spilled on a regular basis. Not just a few cuts either; main characters have repeatedly been shown with life-threatening injuries, lying in a pool of their own Energon.
** The writers had the bright idea of returning FacelessMooks to the series so that the heroes have somebody to tear up. They do this a lot - fight scenes are incredibly violent.
** AnyoneCanDie. Or be tortured. Violently.
** There's a lot of GettingCrapPastTheRadar with jokes that pre-teens might not get.
** Megatron gives us NightmareFuel on a regular basis.

** AnyoneCanDie. Or be tortured.

** AnybodyCanDie. Or be tortured.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'': It's about a cartoon duck, and it's made by the [[KlaskyCsupo nice people]] who brought us WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}. If only it weren't for the language and sex-related jokes.

* On that note, ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' for much the same reasons. Arguably worse than both the above, since while ''The Simpsons'' is written to follow Fox's censorship standards, ''Family Guy'' ''isn't''.

** To elaborate, ''TheSimpsons'' is a PG/PG-13 cartoon. ''Futurama'' is a PG-13/M cartoon, moreso since it's not on Fox anymore.

* {{Futurama}} is even more adult than ''TheSimpsons''. Just because it was made by the guy who made ''TheSimpsons'', some people assumed Futurama was going to be RecycledInSpace. But it involves a LOT of sexual humour (albeit fairly tasteful) with hooker-bots and hooker-aliens and strip joints, and there's a lot of crime addressed with Bender being a regular KarmaHoudini. Rape has been implied on more than one occasion. Apart from that there's all the socio-political issues ''TheSimpsons'' addresses, only re-written to make sense with aliens and robots, and a lot of physics-based jokes that kids won't get at all. Piled on top of that, the show actively makes fun of how modesty is an out-of-date idea, resulting in many scenes of near-nudity and clothes being considerably more revealing than in TheSimpsons.

* Despite the fact that Cartoon Network's nocturnal block is called '''{{Adult|Swim}}''' [[AdultSwim Swim]] for a reason, kids are still prone to tune in to the programs shown. A lot of them tend to be fans of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' and ''RobotChicken''. It helps that the network is kid-friendly during the day.
** Teletoon, the Canadian version of Cartoon network, specifically airs warnings before and during each show from 9pm on (the "Teletoon at Night" block) that the shows are not intended for children. They actually build in a margin for error in that they start with an hour of ''{{Futurama}}'' and then come the shows like ''MoralOrel'', ''{{Archer}}'', and ''{{Squidbillies}}''. By the time the later shows role around the warnings include comments like "...meant for 14 years of age and older. And if you aren't 14, what are you doing up this late?"

* Similar to the above is ''WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome''. It's a {{Hanna-Barbera}} production and often released on ''CartoonNetwork'' and ''Boomerang'' so people get the impression it's for children. However it's more like an early version of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (or ''AllInTheFamily'' if it toned down some of the racist and sexist content and was a cartoon series) if anything.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'': It's about a cartoon duck, and it's made by the [[KlaskyCsupo nice people]] who brought us WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}. If only it weren't for the language and sex-related jokes.

* Similar to the ''[[TheMuppetShow Muppet Show]]'' example above, the first ''{{Shrek}}'' movie was meant to feel slightly more like a movie for adults than for children, and contained mild language and more innuendoes than its sequels. As one result of this, [[TheMerch the movie's toys]] were made by [=Todd McFarlane=]'s company (specializing in detailed, collector-grade action figures) - hard to believe for some, given the more "toyetic" and child-oriented merchandise of the sequels.

teenagers who do dangerous things and try to get laid. [[DoNotTryThisAtHome Some kids were caught imitating some of the things they did like putting their pets in the washing machine and dropping bowling balls into traffic; it was also blamed for a kid setting his trailer on fire killing his younger sibling (the family was later discovered to not have cable) resulting in a ban on fire related activity and moving the show to a later time.]]