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* [[Literature/Animorphs Animorphs]] features a lot more violence and HighOctaneNightmareFuel than you would expect, despite being for kids.
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* [[Literature/Animorphs Animorphs]] {{Literature/Animorphs}} features a lot more violence and HighOctaneNightmareFuel than you would expect, despite being for kids.
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one episode features the Avengers having to thwart [[KillerRobot Ultron's]] attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to act as a non-lethal prison guard) may lead to society's destruction.
* Similarly to DCAU and Avengers, there is {{Greg Weisman}}'s ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}''. While some people were put off by the simplistic and "childish" character designs, it turned out to be a very mature, intriguing, and character-driven show. With elements such as [[spoiler:a father injuring and framing his own son]] and likeable characters suffering mental breakdowns, story arcs involving drug abuse, love triangles, gambling addictions, and gang wars, and many HighOctaneNightmareFuel moments and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult innuendos]], this [[TooGoodToLast unfortunately short-lived]] Spider-Man series was defientaly not made with only kids in mind.
* Similarly to DCAU and Avengers, there is {{Greg Weisman}}'s ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}''. While some people were put off by the simplistic and "childish" character designs, it turned out to be a very mature, intriguing, and character-driven show. With elements such as [[spoiler:a father injuring and framing his own son]] and likeable characters suffering mental breakdowns, story arcs involving drug abuse, love triangles, gambling addictions, and gang wars, and many HighOctaneNightmareFuel moments and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult innuendos]], this [[TooGoodToLast unfortunately short-lived]] Spider-Man series was defientaly not made with only kids in mind.
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one episode features the Avengers having to thwart [[KillerRobot Ultron's]] attempts plan to bomb kill all of humanity, humanity with giant missles, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and death. Meanwhile, {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to act as a non-lethal prison guard) may lead to society's destruction.
* Similarly to DCAU and Avengers, there is {{Greg Weisman}}'s ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}''. While some people were put off by the simplistic and "childish" character designs, it turned out to be a very mature, intriguing, and character-driven show. With elements such as [[spoiler:a father injuring and framing his own son]] and likeable characters suffering mental breakdowns, story arcs involving drug abuse, love triangles, gambling addictions, and gang wars, and many HighOctaneNightmareFuel moments and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult innuendos]], this [[TooGoodToLast unfortunately short-lived]] Spider-Man series wasdefientaly definitely not made with only kids in mind.
* Similarly to DCAU and Avengers, there is {{Greg Weisman}}'s ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}''. While some people were put off by the simplistic and "childish" character designs, it turned out to be a very mature, intriguing, and character-driven show. With elements such as [[spoiler:a father injuring and framing his own son]] and likeable characters suffering mental breakdowns, story arcs involving drug abuse, love triangles, gambling addictions, and gang wars, and many HighOctaneNightmareFuel moments and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult innuendos]], this [[TooGoodToLast unfortunately short-lived]] Spider-Man series was
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** More recent episodes of ''Young Justice'' have been rife with GettingCrapPastTheRadar, implications of {{Twincest}}, and the episode "Failsafe" [[spoiler: which featured, among other things, three characters committing suicide for the sake of the mission and everyone dead at the end. Thankfully it was AllJustADream...]]
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*** To be fair, Big League Chew was developed as a safe alternative to chewing tobacco first and a product for children second. The creator of the product (a former minor league player) was worried about fellow players contracting cancer as a result of chewing (he also found it a nasty habit) so he developed the product to reverse the cases of cancer deaths from former players. And with more clubhouses banning tobacco today and more players using alternatives such as this and sunflower seeds, it worked.
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** The properties they choose to adapt for the [[LegoCrossoverGame Lego Crossover Sets and Video Games]] also skew towards PG-13 rated titles. StarWars and HarryPotter are initially PG material (with the later, darker ones being PG-13) but we also have the Burton/Schumacher {{Batman}} films (all PG-13), the PiratesOfTheCaribbean films (likewise) and the IndianaJones series (first two are PG, but only because PG-13 didn't exist, and Temple Of Doom was partially responsible for its creation).
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** The properties they choose to adapt for the [[LegoCrossoverGame Lego Crossover Sets {{LEGO Adaptation Game}}s and Video Games]] toys also skew towards PG-13 rated titles. StarWars and HarryPotter are initially PG material (with the later, darker ones being PG-13) but we also have the Burton/Schumacher {{Batman}} films (all PG-13), the PiratesOfTheCaribbean films (likewise) and the IndianaJones series (first two are PG, but only because PG-13 didn't exist, and Temple Of Doom was partially responsible for its creation).
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* Animorphs
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* Animorphs[[Literature/Animorphs Animorphs]] features a lot more violence and HighOctaneNightmareFuel than you would expect, despite being for kids.
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Correcting a little grammar and expanding an earlier entry.
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* The American publication of {{Kare First Love}} (via VIZ) is rated T (13+) despite Aoi's consistent pressure on his girlfriend to have sex with him. Curiously, the series' rating never increases, even after it displays a rather explicit sex scene. Other manga published by VIZ has been marketed to older teens/adults simply for containing frontal nudity -- such as {{RanmaOneHalf}}.
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* The American publication of {{Kare First Love}} (via VIZ) is rated T (13+) despite Aoi's consistent pressure on his girlfriend to have sex with him. Curiously, the series' rating never increases, even after it displays a rather explicit sex scene.scene and a pregnancy scare resulting from an affair between an adult man and high school teen. Other manga published by VIZ has been marketed to older teens/adults simply for containing frontal nudity -- such as {{RanmaOneHalf}}.
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* ''Manga/{{Life}}'' may be a ShojoGenre manga however it's considerably mature in nature. From the graphic nudity, sexual scenes, and gore.. It's no wonder TokyoPop changed it from being for "Older Teens" to "Mature". One scene in volume 6 involved showing two characters having somewhat graphically having sex. It can easily be mistaken for a {{Josei}} manga.
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* ''Manga/{{Life}}'' may be a ShojoGenre manga however it's considerably mature in nature. From the graphic nudity, sexual scenes, and gore.. It's no wonder TokyoPop changed it from being for "Older Teens" to "Mature". One scene in volume 6 involved showing two characters having somewhat graphically having sex. It can easily be mistaken for a {{Josei}} manga.
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** Quite a few of the other manga too, either due to violence or FanService.
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** Quite a few of the other manga too, either due to violence or FanService. ''PokemonDiamondAndPearlAdventure'' can be as violent as Special at times, and features dark themes like it, but can't be above {{Shonen}}.
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** All dogs doing what their title commands aside, kids can get through ''AllDogsGoToHeaven'' just fine. In fact, the [[TruffautWasRight gangsters and lowlife-style are even pretty rad]]! But ''TheSecretOfNIMH''? That film is scary as an adult and it's still marketed toward kids. It's been pretty amusing seeing cheap reprints of the DVD with nothing but cute and cuddly box art.
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** All dogs doing what their title commands aside, kids can get through ''AllDogsGoToHeaven'' just fine. In fact, the [[TruffautWasRight [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing gangsters and lowlife-style are even pretty rad]]! But ''TheSecretOfNIMH''? That film is scary as an adult and it's still marketed toward kids. It's been pretty amusing seeing cheap reprints of the DVD with nothing but cute and cuddly box art.
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This image really doesn\'t have a whole lot to do with this article at all, sorry.
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[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Evil_Sesame_Street_1765.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:SesameStreet [[SubvertedKidsShow if it were for adults]].]]
[[caption-width-right:300:SesameStreet [[SubvertedKidsShow if it were for adults]].]]
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Trying to break circular logic.
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one episode features the Avengers having to thwart [[KillerRobot Ultron's]] attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) may lead to society's destruction.
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one episode features the Avengers having to thwart [[KillerRobot Ultron's]] attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) act as a non-lethal prison guard) may lead to society's destruction.
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Eh, commonsensemedia.org rates it as suitable for ages 11+, only a year above KB itself.
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Eh, commonsensemedia.org rates it as suitable for ages 11+, only a year above KB itself.
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** Neon Trees' "Animal." It's either about cannibalism, an [[AllLoveIsUnrequited unlucky friend]], a drugged-up party-goer, or [[MindScrew all three.]] And then there's the ''constant'' repetition of [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean "No, I won't sleep tonight."]]
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** A character was murdered on this show (and perhaps even more than one, some scenes were downright ambiguous when they involved [[HeroicSociopath Alex Russo]]). In a DisneyChannel children show. [[{{Squick}} Yeah]].
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** A character was murdered on this show (and perhaps even more than one, some scenes were downright ambiguous when they involved [[HeroicSociopath [[VillainProtagonist Alex Russo]]). In a DisneyChannel children show. [[{{Squick}} Yeah]].
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Alex isn\'t a sociopath
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* ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' has its own unique feature, a huge amount of BrotherSisterIncest innuendo. On top of that, it has ''[[ManipulativeBastard Al]][[AntiHero ex]] [[HeroicSociopath Rus]][[EvilIsSexy so]]''. Not to mention the [[Radar/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace crap past the radar]], the ''[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace High Octane Nightmare Fuel]]'' (yes, it has HighOctaneNightmareFuel, the ''Wizards vs. Werewolves'' episode was rated PG, something that has never been done on DisneyChannel before), the FetishFuel and ''[[ItGetsWorse there was much more]]''.
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* ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' has its own unique feature, a huge amount of BrotherSisterIncest innuendo. On top of that, it has ''[[ManipulativeBastard Al]][[AntiHero ex]] [[HeroicSociopath Alex]] [[VillainProtagonist Rus]][[EvilIsSexy so]]''. Not to mention the [[Radar/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace crap past the radar]], the ''[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace High Octane Nightmare Fuel]]'' (yes, it has HighOctaneNightmareFuel, the ''Wizards vs. Werewolves'' episode was rated PG, something that has never been done on DisneyChannel before), the FetishFuel and ''[[ItGetsWorse there was much more]]''.
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* ''MirrorMask'': Many people compare this film with ''{{Labyrinth}}'': Being written by Neil Gaiman is not surprising that most of the story is a complete MindScrew that even the adults will find confusing...Also it is filled with some moments that are creepy as hell.
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* ''MirrorMask'': Many people compare this film with ''{{Labyrinth}}'': ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'': Being written by Neil Gaiman is not surprising that most of the story is a complete MindScrew that even the adults will find confusing...Also it is filled with some moments that are creepy as hell.
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* ''{{Labyrinth}}'' has frequently been cited as this. Three instances of the word "damn," the heroine almost getting killed by many sharp, rotating blades coming at her down a tunnel, beings that can (and do) gleefully dismantle themselves before trying to decapitate said heroine, "villain" twice the heroine's age basically trying to seduce her, and Bowie's Magic Pants, and you try to tell us it's for children?
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* ''{{Labyrinth}}'' ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' has frequently been cited as this. Three instances of the word "damn," the heroine almost getting killed by many sharp, rotating blades coming at her down a tunnel, beings that can (and do) gleefully dismantle themselves before trying to decapitate said heroine, "villain" twice the heroine's age basically trying to seduce her, and Bowie's Magic Pants, and you try to tell us it's for children?
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one episode features the Avengers having to thwart Ultron's attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) may lead to society's destruction.
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one episode features the Avengers having to thwart Ultron's [[KillerRobot Ultron's]] attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) may lead to society's destruction.destruction.
* Similarly to DCAU and Avengers, there is {{Greg Weisman}}'s ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}''. While some people were put off by the simplistic and "childish" character designs, it turned out to be a very mature, intriguing, and character-driven show. With elements such as [[spoiler:a father injuring and framing his own son]] and likeable characters suffering mental breakdowns, story arcs involving drug abuse, love triangles, gambling addictions, and gang wars, and many HighOctaneNightmareFuel moments and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult innuendos]], this [[TooGoodToLast unfortunately short-lived]] Spider-Man series was defientaly not made with only kids in mind.
* Similarly to DCAU and Avengers, there is {{Greg Weisman}}'s ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}''. While some people were put off by the simplistic and "childish" character designs, it turned out to be a very mature, intriguing, and character-driven show. With elements such as [[spoiler:a father injuring and framing his own son]] and likeable characters suffering mental breakdowns, story arcs involving drug abuse, love triangles, gambling addictions, and gang wars, and many HighOctaneNightmareFuel moments and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult innuendos]], this [[TooGoodToLast unfortunately short-lived]] Spider-Man series was defientaly not made with only kids in mind.
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** Heck, to a lesser degree, most of the DisneyAnimatedCanon could go here. Most people think of violence as not kid-friendly, yet the vast majority of people (including Disney's marketing) consider these to be family or kids' films even though most of them have a villain who tries to commit murder (and succeeds in the case of TheLionKing) and ends up dead himself/herself by the end of the film.
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** Heck, to a lesser degree, most of the DisneyAnimatedCanon could go here. Most people think of violence as not kid-friendly, yet the vast majority of people (including Disney's marketing) consider these to be family or kids' films. Most of these films even though most of them have a villain who tries to commit murder (and succeeds in the case of TheLionKing) and ends up dead himself/herself by the end of the film.
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* ''The following is a wonderful example of {{What Do You Mean Its For Kids}}, {{Trope Decay}} (in particular getting {{What Do You Mean Its Not For Kids}} and {{What Do You Mean Its For Kids}} confused) and {{Values Dissonance}} by another editor and for those reasons as been left in even those it's not an example of what it clams to be an example of'' : While {{Pokemon}} games are sometimes accused of being children's games (though one might challenge that fact given how much they sell), it started to get considerably darker in PokemonDiamondAndPearl, with the story of [[spoiler: Cyrus attempting to awaken Dialga/Palkia and obliterate the world because it contained "flawed" constructs such as emotion, in order to create a "perfect" world where he could rule]]. But it gets turned UpToEleven in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite'', which features [[spoiler:[[AbusiveParents G]][[MoralEventHorizon/VideoGames he]][[Monster/VideoGames ts]][[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/VideoGames is]]]]. Click on any of those four links and Ctrl+F him just to see how frightening and "kid-friendly" his misdeeds are.
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* ''The following is a wonderful example of {{What Do You Mean Its For Kids}}, {{Trope Decay}} (in particular getting {{What Do You Mean Its Not For Kids}} and {{What Do You Mean Its For Kids}} confused) and {{Values Dissonance}} by another editor and for those reasons as been left in even those it's not an example of what it clams to be an example of'' : While {{Pokemon}} games are sometimes accused of being children's games (though one might challenge that fact given how much they sell), it started to get considerably darker in PokemonDiamondAndPearl, with the story of [[spoiler: Cyrus attempting to awaken Dialga/Palkia and obliterate the world because it contained "flawed" constructs such as emotion, in order to create a "perfect" world where he could rule]]. But it gets turned UpToEleven in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite'', which features [[spoiler:[[AbusiveParents G]][[MoralEventHorizon/VideoGames he]][[Monster/VideoGames ts]][[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/VideoGames is]]]]. Click on any of those four links and Ctrl+F him just to see how frightening and "kid-friendly" his misdeeds are.
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* Any drink classified as a "Soft Drink" is limited by U.S. law in the amount of caffeine it can have in it to 71 milligrams per 12 ounces (the standard can). Jolt Cola, the soda the legends say can kill you, has 72 mg per can. By contrast, regular brewed coffee has from 100-200 mg. of caffeine per cup (8 oz.), and Red Bull has 80 mg per its normal can size (8.3 oz.), as "energy drinks" are not "soft drinks". Presumably, the reason is so that kids aren't so hyper, so all you have to do to get around the restriction is to give your kid coffee or Red Bull.
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* In the same line of the last example, the live-action film of the anime ''YatterMan'' made by TakashiMiike, was aimed to kids in Japan, but it was filled with innuendo, sex-related humor, profanity and one scene where one female-shaped robot [[spoiler: starts acting like it were having an orgasm]]
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* In the same line of the last example, the live-action film of the anime ''YatterMan'' ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}'' made by TakashiMiike, was aimed to kids in Japan, but it was filled with innuendo, sex-related humor, profanity and one scene where one female-shaped robot [[spoiler: starts acting like it were having an orgasm]]
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one arc features the Avengers having to thwart Ultron's attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) may lead to society's destruction.
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* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one arc episode features the Avengers having to thwart Ultron's attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) may lead to society's destruction.
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fixed advetising folder
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[[Folder:Advertising]]
* Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched Horseland, and a Tempur-Pedic bed ad appeared. Also, on some episodes of Pokemon on Cartoon Network, Progressive ads appeared.
* Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched Horseland, and a Tempur-Pedic bed ad appeared. Also, on some episodes of Pokemon on Cartoon Network, Progressive ads appeared.
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* Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched
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Made advertising folder and added something about Pretty Cure event.
[[Folder:Advertising]]
* Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched Horseland, and a Tempur-Pedic bed ad appeared. Also, on some episodes of Pokemon on Cartoon Network, Progressive ads appeared.
[[/folder]]
* Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched Horseland, and a Tempur-Pedic bed ad appeared. Also, on some episodes of Pokemon on Cartoon Network, Progressive ads appeared.
[[/folder]]
*Toei held two all night PrettyCure events at a movie theater for grown ups only due to a Japanese law that doesn't allow children to see movies after 8:00PM. They showed some Pretty Cure movies during this marathon. Heck, they even gave the adults Miracle Lights.
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* Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched Horseland, and a Tempur-Pedic bed ad appeared. Also, on some episodes of Pokemon on Cartoon Network, Progressive ads appeared.
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*Some Saturday morning cartoon blocks show commericals for things for adults. This troper watched Horseland, and a Tempur-Pedic bed ad appeared. Also, on some episodes of Pokemon on Cartoon Network, Progressive ads appeared.
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[[redirect:{{ptitle3aa6c4mw}}]]
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[[caption-width-right:300:SesameStreet [[SubvertedKidsShow if it were for adults]].]]
->''"Someone dies in the second episode of a kid's show?"''
-->--YouTube comment on ''KimbaTheWhiteLion''
Whenever a show or movie aimed toward younger viewers has a large enough PeripheryDemographic, many of the older fans will vocally argue that it isn't a "kid's show", and become offended when anyone says it is. This is tied heavily to the idea that [[AnimationAgeGhetto anything for kids]] ''[[AnimationAgeGhetto must]]'' [[AnimationAgeGhetto be crappy, or lack appeal to adults]].
One of the biggest causes of this is that, if a popular kids' franchise is over a decade old or so, the majority (if not the entirety) of its older fanbase loved it when they were kids, but are adults now. [[FanDumb Unfortunately, this can lead to certain deluded fans thinking that the company should cater exclusively to them, thinking they are the only audience for this franchise]]. The sad, hard truth of the matter is that, often enough, [[FleetingDemographic you stop being the franchise's focus the moment you stop being a kid]]. Fortunately, there are plenty of fans who know this, and to be fair, plenty of these companies do like to give little bonuses to their older fans [[AudienceShift (some more than others)]].
The other main cause is that fans of certain works ([[AnimationAgeGhetto or indeed entire mediums]]) have had to deal with people dismissing their interests as immature (and thus, by implication the fan themself) for years. [[BerserkButton This sort of stigma gets tiring real fast]]. It's much easier to argue for the "Adultness" of an individual work than to convince a skeptic of the concept that something can be equally appealing to adults and children. It shouldn't have to be this way, but it is.
This can also lead to productions that are marketed to children but make us wonder if they were created for them (namely for [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar potentially explicit content]] and/or serious and mature plots. While the latter is existent, the former is more common.) Namely, if these shows have an awful lot of ParentalBonus, ParentService, and the like. Unfortunately, this can also bring MoralGuardians out of the woodwork if it seems to be blatant enough. This can also happen when something [[RatedWForWhy is given a G rating but has an awful lot of potentially explicit content]].
This phenomenon can also occur due to ValuesDissonance. For example, OnceAcceptableTargets are, [[CaptainObvious by definition]], [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment no longer acceptable]], and RealLife tragedies can make things HarsherInHindsight, and different countries' MoralGuardians have [[RadarSystems different standards]].
Often confused with [=~What Do You Mean, It's Not For Kids?~=], where a work is ''commonly mistaken'' as being for kids even when it is not.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
-->'''ValuesDissonance plays a huge part in this category, as Japan has a ''much'' higher threshold than other cultures on what's not acceptable for kids. '''
* SailorMoon, no it was not for teens in Japan; [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONUVMin4QoE watch the freakin' commercials]]
* Pretty much any {{shonen}} or {{shojo}} {{anime}} and manga falls under this category, especially some MagicalGirl anime. This tends to happen because of the Japanese language's lack of true swearing, which results in some of the harsher words or interjections being translated into English as profanities; therefore, it's not uncommon to find an anime series that routinely uses the equivalent of "damn" or "shit" and was intended for children.
* American parents would be, to say the least, not pleased if they ever saw ''KeroroGunsou'' although it's hugely successful amongst kids in Japan. It's even had its own Happy Meal toys.
* The heavy amount of violence present in later episodes of ''EurekaSeven'' forced CartoonNetwork to air the English dub on its Adult Swim block with a TV-MA rating. Similar to ''KeroroGunsou'', however, Eureka Seven is a show targeted for kids, as evidenced by its [[http://www.japansociety.org/resources/content/2/0/5/4/documents/sato_mcgray%20interview.pdf 7 A.M. Sunday morning time slot in Japan]].
** Even the voice actors express their confusion over the timeslot during several of the more violent scenes in the Japanese [[DVDCommentary DVD commentaries]].
* ''{{Kuroshitsuji}}''. It has {{Seinen}} written all over it, but is published in a {{Shonen}} magazine.
** To elaborate, it contains violence and gore, murder, child abuse, sex (and in the {{anime}}, rape), pedophilia, homosexuality, and [[InnocentInnuendo questionable dialogue]]. To top it all off, its protagonists are [[VillainProtagonist Villain Protagonists]] who kill anyone who gets in the way of their goals.
* ''ZatchBell'' (I'm sure there are more examples) actually does feature Victoream-Sama saying "[[GratuitousEnglish very shit]]".
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TawoZ3AjbeM&feature=related Also, the Japanese version has this]]. It's not considered offensive in Japan.
* ''{{Inuyasha}}'' was aimed at boys in upper elementary or junior/high school, Shonen Sunday's target demographic. In the United States, it had to air very late at night on CartoonNetwork and be aimed at a college age audience.
* Speaking of which, ask any ''[[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]]'' fan in the United States and they will swear it's a show aimed for older teens and adults, which it is - in America. In Japan, the series aired at 8:30 A.M. on Sundays [[SaturdayMorningKidsShow (the Japanese equivalent to Saturday mornings)]], directly competing against [[PrettyCure Toei's Pretty Cure franchise]]. Doesn't stop Simon and Kamina from being made of pure {{badass}} though.
** Something similar happened to ''GaoGaiGar''--Media Blasters promoted it as a Super Robot anime ''by'' Super Robot fans, ''for'' Super Robot fans. In reality, it was aimed at Japanese kids, and was only a success with the PeripheryDemographic. [[TheNotSecret Don't let the mecha-fans find out...]]
* ''IchinenseiNiNacchattara'' plays with this {{trope}} [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/ichinensei_ni_nacchattara/v05/c028/23.html in its 28th chapter]].
* ''FistOfTheNorthStar'' is pretty much textbook {{Gorn}} with blood and guts flying around and torture and CompleteMonster villains... and it's also the TropeMaker for {{Shonen}} FightingSeries. It's also from the late Showa era; you probably couldn't get away with a lot of that in a modern {{shonen}} series. Its modern iterations only do get away because of the GrandfatherClause. Japan had a few scares with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Miyazaki an otaku serial killer]] and teen murders in the intervening 22 years, prompting more scrutiny from MoralGuardians.
* ''AzumangaDaioh''[='=]s sizable PeripheryDemographic leads some people to believe it's a {{seinen}} series - being aimed at teenage boys, it, along with Dengeki Daioh (where the manga appared), are actually {{shonen}}.
* {{Anime}} News Network's reviewers have condemned ''MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' for sexually suggestive dialogue and scenes (read: [[ParentalBonus light enough that kids wouldn't get it]]) as well as its aversion of BloodlessCarnage, even though it was originally published in Nakayoshi. The {{anime}} sanitized a lot of these scenes anyway, but it's confusing that people who ought to know better would judge this way. (The same review ''also'' exemplified [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids this trope's opposite]], in that it stated that no one that the reviewer deemed old enough to read the series would dare touch a cute MagicalGirl manga.)
* ''ArashiNoYoruNi'' is a movie about the [[{{Subtext}} arguably]] [[HoYay homosexual romance]] between two very close male friends of [[InterspeciesRomance wildly]] [[CarnivoreConfusion different]] [[StarCrossedLovers species]], and the opening scene features a wolf violently and ''bloodily'' getting his ear torn off by a [[MamaBear Mama Goat]]. [[spoiler:To say nothing of prey-friend Mei begging carnivore-friend Gabu to eat him near the end]]. However, it's still a kid's movie--and a fairly gentle-hearted one at that.
* ''DeathNote.'' It has all the makings of a {{Seinen}} series...but ran in Shonen Jump.
** Acknowledged by the authors who mention in their [[{{Bakuman}} manga about manga]] the idea of writing otherwise {{seinen}} stories in a {{shonen}} magazine. It even seems like they support {{shonen}} magazines having {{seinen}}-like manga.
* ''{{Nana}}''. With its fairly adult storyline and content, it runs in a {{Shojo}} magazine. {{Josei}} would have been more like it.
* In regards to the new four part movie remake being made based on it, Hideaki Anno mentioned, briefly, that ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' was intended for youths and even kids and how the message of the series was important for their ears more so than anyone else. You know, that show where [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel a naked teenage girl grows to the size of a planet and then falls apart]], [[MindRape another character has her mind horrifically invaded and essentially violated]], and [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids in the states, it's one of the biggest victims of the opposite trope due to its brutal nature]]. Japanese parents (and sponsors) were just as surprised at an afterschool {{anime}} growing so violent and nightmarish so quickly, culminating in the movies being strictly R-rating level affairs.
** It may have been intended to be a kids program, at least the initial idea. The creator, however, suffered from depression problems, [[CreatorBreakdown and he had something of a meltdown midway through the series]]. While the show had been dark before, there had at least been lighthearted moments, and characters seemed to be developing in a positive route; Things started to go downhill after that point, (much like a rolling stone hurling off a cliff into a pit of acid, lava, piranhas, and toenail clippings.)
** [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2007-05-03 This article]] shows that kids in Japan do still watch Evangelion, regardless.
* The [[MagicalGirl magical-girl]] {{anime}} series PrincessTutu is aimed to children in Japan, but it has a PG-13 level of violence, frightening scenes and some nudity.
* SaintSeiya was aimed to children in Japan, as well in Europe and South America, having a lot of controversy due the huge amounts of violence, frightening scenes and religious/mythological references.
* Many works of GoNagai could be considered way too frightening and violent to be for children, but are aimed to children in Japan (Like for example: {{Dororon Enma-kun}} and MazingerZ.)
* It can be argued that this {{trope}}, combined with ValuesDissonance, is why ''DetectiveConan'' (a.k.a., ''Case Closed!'') failed when it was broadcast on CartoonNetwork in the United States: it was too childish for '''[adult swim]''', yet too violent for Toonami. The aged animation style was the final nail in the coffin. In fact, this anime was aired during family hours in Japan.
* ''PokemonSpecial'' is in fact classified as a ''kodomo'' [[hottip:* :children's]] manga. However, its strong sense of continuity and characterization, as well as occasional violence, has people convinced it's meant for an older crowd.
** Quite a few of the other manga too, either due to violence or FanService.
* YoshiyukiTomino's early career is littered with examples of shows that were marketed to kids but were ''not'' so kid-friendly in their content. His ''{{Zambot 3}}'', which earned him the nickname "KillEmAll Tomino", looks like a typical Saturday Morning cartoon, with a bunch a school age kids saving the day with a colourful CombiningMecha, but quickly turns into something much darker; the property damage and civilian casualties are depicted much more realistically than in the typical Super Robot show, the public turns against the kids and tries to murder them several times when it becomes apparent that they're the whole reason Earth is getting attacked in the first place, and most of the main characters die a bloody death in the finale. The original ''MobileSuitGundam'' had a similar effect at the time it first appeared, as the term RealRobot hadn't been invented yet and HumongousMecha were still widely considered the stuff of children's programming, Mr. Tomino's earlier work not withstanding. And let's not even mention ''Triton Of The Sea'' or ''SpaceRunawayIdeon''...
** [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/gundam_sousei/c017/13.html Played with hilariously in]] ''GundamSousei'' chapter 17.
* Some of OsamuTezuka's {{anime}} and manga aimed at children/young teens tend to fall under this. The first episode of ''KimbaTheWhiteLion'' for example can pretty much be summed up as one massive BreakTheCutie for the eponymous character, and [[DownerEnding the ending for the manga and movie is one of the most infamous endings in the industry]].
* ''ChirinNoSuzu'': Aw, look, it's a cheerful film about a cute little lamb... [[MoodWhiplash Until the second half of the film]], whereupon it becomes a dark and depressing tale featuring revenge.
* The American publication of {{Kare First Love}} (via VIZ) is rated T (13+) despite Aoi's consistent pressure on his girlfriend to have sex with him. Curiously, the series' rating never increases, even after it displays a rather explicit sex scene. Other manga published by VIZ has been marketed to older teens/adults simply for containing frontal nudity -- such as {{RanmaOneHalf}}.
* ''BarefootGen'', a semi-autobiographical manga series best known for its graphic depiction of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, was originally published in ShonenJump and aimed at kids, complete with intermittent history lessons throughout.
* ''MaicchinguMachikoSensei'' is an anime about a quirky teacher who helps her students through everyday problems such as bullies and school work. Sometimes, she takes them on wacky adventures as well. It was a show aimed at middle school children. Oh, and every episode featured the main character naked due to her students' pranks. And yes, AnimeAnatomy was completely averted.
* ''{{Kinnikuman}}'' originally started out as a parody of Ultraman complete with action and comedy being somewhat expected of a Shonen manga. Then, the series shifted from being just a parody of superheroes to a series about ProfessionalWrestling. Despite the comedy remaining in the series, there was notably a lot more violence in the show. For one, the wrestling matches couldn't really be called matches anymore, as whenever someone won, it usually meant that they won via killing the other person, complete with FamilyUnfriendlyDeath for the defeated (One person actually got ''eaten alive'' by their opponent). Keep in mind that it was still considered a Shonen manga after the shift. The anime tried to tone down the violence, but a lot of it was still kept in.
** The same can be said for the anime of its sequel ''KinnikumanNisei'' (known in the US as ''Ultimate Muscle''). Despite being aimed at kids, it still follows in the footsteps of its predecessor with violence and loads of innuendo in both the original ''and'' the dub. The manga averts this trope, as it's marketed for adults.
* ''{{Pandora Hearts}}'' is a shonen manga series similar to ''{{Kuroshitsuji}}''. Like Kuroshitsuji and ''{{Death Note}}'' it probably would be more suited for a Seinen magazine, due to its violence, characters with violent and complex pasts (quite a few involving EyeScream)and generally being quite a mature manga series.
* {{Science Ninja Team Gatchaman}} has a gender-bending villain, plenty of violence and death, and (in the first series) TWO attempts to destroy the planet. Its target audience was 6-year-olds.
* ''Manga/{{Life}}'' may be a ShojoGenre manga however it's considerably mature in nature. From the graphic nudity, sexual scenes, and gore.. It's no wonder TokyoPop changed it from being for "Older Teens" to "Mature". One scene in volume 6 involved showing two characters having somewhat graphically having sex. It can easily be mistaken for a {{Josei}} manga.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* This {{trope}} was invoked in a ''BloomCounty'' strip, where one character is going around telling everyone "the awful truth" about, well, everything. He comes to Steve, and says "The truth is, ''Knight Rider'' is a kid's show!" to which Steve replies. "Can't be. Can't [[SymbolSwearing &%^#ing]] be!"
* The MarvelAdventures line, is written for the 5-12 kid demographic, but it seems designed to address most of the adult audience's criticism of the {{Marvel}} line: it has a much less confusing {{continuity}}, steers away from the {{Wangst}} and bleakness the main line tended to indulge in, and sidestepped the whole Comicbook/CivilWar fiasco completely.
** MarvelAdventures appeals to adults who liked mainstream {{Marvel}} comics from the 1960s to 1980s, IE when they were targeted to kids and teens. The fact that said period is largely considered to be the company's hey-day is a reminder that TropesAreNotBad.
* The Boom Kids comics based on the old DisneyAfternoon shows. Nothing outright offensive about the material, but, due to massive ContinuityPorn, they'll only make total sense to people who've seen the shows - which {{Disney}} has barely aired at all in the past decade and not at all since 2006. If you're under ''20'', chances are you'll be confused from Issue One. Oh, and they also cost a dollar more than most comics.
** To its credit, Boom Studios seems to have realized this. The worst offender, ''DarkwingDuck'', no longer has "Boom Kids" anywhere on the cover (though it's likely still placed on the kids rack at comic book stores).
* Regular {{Disney}} comics too. People only familiar with DonaldDuck and MickeyMouse from ClassicDisneyShorts might be surprised at the comics adapting say, ''TheDivineComedy'' ([[http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL++++7-AP twice]], [[http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1654-A in fact]]).
** Though, it should be noted that in many European countries, especially the Netherlands, Disney comics are [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff so universally popular]] that the comics made just for those regions really ''aren't'' for kids anymore.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film]]
* The ''{{Gamera}}'' films of the 1960s-1970s contained some of the most graphic "monster vs. monster" violence in movie history that's actually geared towards children. Yes, a film series that contained truly gruesome moments such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVMAw19cuug this]] was made for kids.
* GeorgeLucas has maintained that ''StarWars'' is intended for children. Some people point at the severed limbs, convoluted politics, [[TechnoBabble techno-babble]] and other kid-unfriendly aspects to counter those claims.
** Likewise, Lucas Studio's ''IndianaJones'' series recieved some criticism due to the level of violence in the movies, resulting in the creation of the PG-13 rating.
* ''Film/TheWizard'' was definitely made and marketed with {{Nintendo}}-loving kids in mind... but the scenes of upsetting family drama, the incestuous AccidentalInnuendo in the hotel scene, and Haley's cry of "HE TOUCHED MY BREAST!" make one wonder.
* ''TheSantaClause'' is a film which shows Santa Claus falling off a roof and dying as a moment of BlackComedy.
* [[{{Disney}} Disney's]] version of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' totally goes here. Endlessly marketed to kids with cute dolls and toys and such... and then Frollo sings [[VillainSong Hellfire]].
** What about when he "accidentally" kills Quasimodo's mother and then tries to outright murder him as an infant, flat out saying he's going to send him to Hell? That happens ''just minutes into the film''.
** Heck, to a lesser degree, most of the DisneyAnimatedCanon could go here. Most people think of violence as not kid-friendly, yet the vast majority of people (including Disney's marketing) consider these to be family or kids' films even though most of them have a villain who tries to commit murder (and succeeds in the case of TheLionKing) and ends up dead himself/herself by the end of the film.
* Speaking of {{Disney}}, ''TronLegacy''. Considering that the 2010 {{sequel}} has a DarkerAndEdgier plot and [[LudicrousGibs much more brutal]] [[NeverSayDie deresolutions]] than the [[{{Tron}} 1982 original]][[hottip:*:Many of the arena deaths, for example, dismemberment and splatter easily compare with similar scenes in [[{{Film/Gladiator}} Gladiator]], possibly being a nod to Scott's epic, only swapping dissolving luminescent cubes for real blood and gore.]], one could easily be shocked that this film, unlike its predecessor, was intended for kids.
** This can't possibly be stressed enough. The movie is about as close to {{Gorn}} as you can get without showing any blood, the villain is essentially [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Hitler]] (and [[UncannyValley fucking]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel terrifying]] at that), and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking there are a lot of references that]] [[ParentalBonus would go straight over a kid's head...]] and somehow it still managed to get a PG rating, with {{Disney}} somehow not realizing that their movie was '''very''' kid-unfriendly and [[MisaimedMarketing marketing it to young children]].
*** [[FridgeBrilliance Perhaps]] Disney actually wanted a PG rating ''because'' it was (at least initially) kid-unfriendly (whether it was an earlier version of the movie itself, or an earlier draft of the script); Disney isn't dumb. Look at it this way, Disney could have ordered ''more'' edits if they wanted. It works both ways. The movie everyone got was the most Disney would/could allow.
** It's interesting to note its promotions on DisneyChannel, as well as its [[http://www.shopadidas.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=10869167&f=PAD%2FGender%2FKids Adidas apparel line]], and its [[http://www.disneystore.com/tron/vehicles-and-rc-toys/mn/1000056+1000268/ large]] [[http://www.disneystore.com/tron/action-figures/mn/1000056+1000255/ collection]] of {{toys}}, all of which are made and meant for children.
* According to {{Word of God}} RalphBakshi said that in an interview he had kids in mind when making the film ''{{Wizards}}'', the film itself contains a lot of family unfriendly content such as swearing, graphic violence, innuendo, and partial nudity.
** The German version of the film has a straight up 16+ rating.
* ''TheGoldenCompass'', the film adaptation of the first book of HisDarkMaterials trilogy was marketed to children, and is considered a family film. But despite the Disneyfication process that suffered the adaptation (like removing most of the [[AuthorFilibuster hardcore atheist rants]]), it still had lot of dark elements, like a very violent polar bear fight, people being shot, lots of killings and many other things...
** Such as the [[SarcasmMode extremely heartwarming and uplifting]] ending scene which was left off the theatrical release...
* ''{{Labyrinth}}'' has frequently been cited as this. Three instances of the word "damn," the heroine almost getting killed by many sharp, rotating blades coming at her down a tunnel, beings that can (and do) gleefully dismantle themselves before trying to decapitate said heroine, "villain" twice the heroine's age basically trying to seduce her, and Bowie's Magic Pants, and you try to tell us it's for children?
* An even more explicit example would be ''TheDarkCrystal'', a fantasy flick with a dark atmosphere, creepy monsters, FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, lots of NightmareFuel Moments, and yet, it was aimed to kids.
** The Dark Crystal has creepy bits, yes, but it doesn't cause brain-breakage, severe terror, or serious emotional suffering, and provides a lot of fodder for young minds. This troper lists it among 'things I saw when I was too young to actually get it which made me smarter for life in the attempt to do so.' TropesAreNotBad, and neither is exposing kids to things not tailored to match what's already in their heads. In fact, that's a great way to raise basically-intelligent idiots.
* ''TimeBandits'', from TerryGilliam, a adventure/ fantasy flick starring a child. It features scenes of firing squads, a man getting crushed to death, nightmare creatures, and ends with [[spoiler:the kid's parents exploding]].
* ''MirrorMask'': Many people compare this film with ''{{Labyrinth}}'': Being written by Neil Gaiman is not surprising that most of the story is a complete MindScrew that even the adults will find confusing...Also it is filled with some moments that are creepy as hell.
* The same can be said about ''TheGreatYokaiWar'': A kid´s film directed by TakashiMiike (the director of IchiTheKiller). Of course, despite being clearly aimed to kids (many people compared the film with movies as ''TimeBandits'' or ''TheNeverEndingStory'') it still have lots of creepy moments, some innuendo, FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and lots of BlackComedy.
* In the same line of the last example, the live-action film of the anime ''YatterMan'' made by TakashiMiike, was aimed to kids in Japan, but it was filled with innuendo, sex-related humor, profanity and one scene where one female-shaped robot [[spoiler: starts acting like it were having an orgasm]]
* ''LegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'': A "PG" rated film by ZackSnyder with [[spoiler:owls clawing and slashing each other apart, characters dying, bats tearing apart owls, impalements...]] And yet, it was aimed to kids.
* ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' is a {{Disney}} franchise, and despite its subject matter, is generally considered family friendly, and isn't too violent or adult. Then there's that scene in the beginning of ''[[PiratesoftheCaribbean At World's End]]'' in which dozens of innocent people, including ''young children'', are sentenced to death and hanged while singing mournfully. [[NightmareFuel Sweet dreams, kids!]]
** To be fair, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" beat "At World's End" to the punch with the pirate prison scene, with the [[SarcasmMode family-friendly]] image of a pirate screaming as a bird pecks his eye out.
* ''HocusPocus'', for reasons better stated on the page.
-->'''TheNostalgiaChick''': "The villains are three weird but assumedly child-friendly witches. And by that, I mean this movie was made for children. ...I think."
* ''[[ToyStory Toy Story 3]]''. The characters all nearly die several times, much of the humor is over young heads, and a lot of kids get frightened and often even leaving during the [[NightmareFuel Monkey Scene]] (A few theorized the 11-year SequelGap helped Pixar aim for a DarkerAndEdgier route).
** Not only do the toys almost die several times, they come to calmly embrace death at one point.
** The original ''ToyStory'' got this reaction when we get to meet Sid, who tortures and mutilates {{toys}}.
* ''TransformersTheMovie'' featured the [[AnyoneCanDie mass]] [[KillEmAll slaughter]] [[DwindlingParty of almost]] all of [[ItWasHisSled the major original cast]].
** This one also fits AnimationAgeGhetto.
* Remember the joy of watching ''BackToTheFuture'' when you were a kid? Remember the scene where the second lead is ''gunned down by Libyan terrorists''? They sure don't make 'em like they used to...
** On the other hand, when Marty found himself in 1955, he made it a point to try and save Doc from his future fate...[[spoiler:and succeeds; it was more of an extremely delayed DisneyDeath.]]
** There's also Marty's plan to get George and Lorraine together at the dance involved him faking a rape attempt on his own mother, which was then broken up by a real rape attempt from Biff.
** "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious [[PrecisionFStrike shit]]!"
** As such, it was refreshing to see that line appear in the Telltale video game intact.
* The original ''{{Shrek}}'' has swearing and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult jokes]] and gruesome deaths.
* ''RoverDangerfield'' was Rodney Dangerfield's attempt at making a movie for kids. It had Las Vegas showgirls, drug-dealing mobsters, and [[spoiler:a comic relief character's onscreen death, for which the title character is framed and nearly shot]].
* ''ChickenRun'' opens with Ginger's repeated attempts to escape from a place resembling a concentration camp. Minutes later, one of her friends is killed, and towards the end Ginger and Rocky only narrowly escape being beheaded (Ginger does it twice) and being cooked alive.
* ''{{Rango}}'', just like ''{{Shrek}}'' contains lots of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar adult jokes]], some swearing, FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and huge amounts of ParentalBonus.
** [[http://www.amazon.com/Rango-Two-Disc-Blu-ray-Combo-Digital/product-reviews/B003Y5H542/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar But it's really fun reading the bad reviews of the movie by parents that show it to their four-year-old.]]
* What about ''AllDogsGoToHeaven''? Undoubtedly has to be DonBluth's darkest film, has relatively small "kid-friendly" scenes in between the controversial themes of gambling, first degree murder, theft, drinking, terrifying images of {{Hell}} and {{Satan}}, and the real clincher, [[spoiler:Killing the main protagonist at the end]]. Which is unheard of in Western animation for children. Bluth's got GUTS.
** All dogs doing what their title commands aside, kids can get through ''AllDogsGoToHeaven'' just fine. In fact, the [[TruffautWasRight gangsters and lowlife-style are even pretty rad]]! But ''TheSecretOfNIMH''? That film is scary as an adult and it's still marketed toward kids. It's been pretty amusing seeing cheap reprints of the DVD with nothing but cute and cuddly box art.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* Lemony Snicket's ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''. A story about a man who murders just about every character in the series trying to kill three orphans to get their inheritance. This includes characters being eaten alive, death by harpoon gun, and the untold unmentionables who didn't escape the hospital fire.
* Fairy tales, and pre-20th century bed-time stories. Maybe some of them were designed to ScareEmStraight, but still, some push it UpToEleven, with both psychological and {{body horror}} many snuff films don't get even close to. An example for the psychological horror story: a tale by Andersen consists of nothing else than a lengthy description of the hypothermia-induced delirium a little girl suffers while she slowly freezes to death. About tales with {{body horror}}... too many to list.
** Fairy Tales were written for peasant children who grew up in rather a CrapsackWorld. What would be considered fit for them would be different then what is considered fit for modern suburban kids. Although it might be argued that even these generally have a stronger stomach then many adults realize.
** Some of them were originally written for adults. In these cases, it's WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter''. Some adult fans realize that ''Harry Potter'' is a children's book, and like it anyway, but there are a lot of fans who will consistently deny that it is anything less than the highest, most mature form of literature, and that it is most definitely ''not'' for kids. They are children's books. That doesn't mean that teens and adults can't enjoy them, certainly, but to insist otherwise is hopelessly inane. The ''Harry Potter'' example is so prevalent that some editions of the books have plain covers in [[RealIsBrown dingy earth-tones]] (as opposed to the colorful fantasy illustrations that the "main" editions have) so that adult readers don't have to feel so embarrassed when they read it on the train.
** The idea that they're adult books is less ridiculous when you realize that [[WordOfGod Rowling herself]] has [[FlipFlopOfGod flip-flopped]] on this, first denying that they were anything but children's lit and then later claiming that she designed the books to "grow" with the audience, with the later books intended for a more mature audience than the earlier ones. See its entry on AudienceShift.
*** About the time that third book came out, Rowling, when asked by Rosie O'Donnell if she was surprised at the books' success with adults, said that she originally wrote the books for herself and that she's obviously an adult, so the answer was no. Considering most children's books are written by adults, you think adults wouldn't feel they needed to justify reading a children's book in the first place...After all, if the author isn't embarrassed at having written, why should an adult feel embarrassed at reading it?
** One of the best example of this {{trope}} is the ''Deathly Hallows'' [[Film/HarryPotter film]], which has a scene that caused major uproar (among MoralGuardians and parts of the fandom): [[spoiler: Naked [[TheHero Harry]] and [[TheSpock Hermione]] making out - a vision which [[TheMcCoy Ron]] sees as the locket shows his worst nightmares]].
*** Another is Bellatrix writting on Hermione's arm with a knife. Sure, we all know that Cruciatus is worse, but it is perceived as unreal. When Umbridge forced Harry to carve words into the back of his hand, it was also done with a magic medium, and therefore less visceral.
*** Harry also grows into the world of moral ambiguity increasingly as the books progress and he ages, until a large part of the seventh reads more as a {{Deconstruction}} of the ChildHero trope and associated character tropes than a straight fantasy climax. Especially the Dumbledore material.
* ''TheSagaOfDarrenShan'' is a kid's book series, but the author himself says that he knows people both above and below the series' age demographics read them. And he [[GettingCrapPasttheRadar gets a LOT past the radar]]:
** Book two mentions marijuana (or some other herbal drug; it's not mentioned by name) and 'shrooms.
** Book eight has a character who, though appearing to be fifteen (and probably around the same stage of puberty as any ''real'' teen), is really about 27, first outright saying that he wants to date said real teens ("That's the thing I love about high school girls: I keep getting older, they stay the same age") and then trying to do... ''something'' to his much-older teacher (who is very likely younger than him.)
** Plus, the books are so violent and gory, it's not even funny.
* ''TheDemonata'', also by the real Darren Shan, is another ultraviolent horror series involving demons. And just like the Saga, it's meant for kids. Among the not-so-kid-friendly elements:
** {{The protagonist}} advocating smoking.
** [[TheProtagonist The same protagonist]] later witnessing the graphic (and well-described) aftermath of a demon summoning gone wrong.
** [[TheProtagonist The twelve-year-old protagonist]] fantasizing about his uncle's sexy best friend.
** Said uncle's sexy best friend also, at one point "accidentally" spills milk all over her shirt, and calls the narrator in to help her out of it.
** And, by book five, [[ItGotWorse it all starts to go downhill...]]
* ''TheHobbit'', due to [[JRRTolkien Tolkien's]] natural propensity for large volumes of text.
* ''Literature/{{Coraline}}''. Full of distinctly Freudian [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Nightmare Fuel]], but the true creepiness of the book isn't always apparent to kids, who might see it as just a book about scary monsters.
** Also from Neil Gaiman, the first page of ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' involves a family being murdered, and the killer then going after the baby that crawled away. Other loveliness includes {{the protagonist}} threatening to mentally torture school bullies, a man being hit by a police car, hangings, and a FateWorseThanDeath.
** Basically, for those not familiar with his work, NeilGaiman does not believe in talking down to kids.
*** He has also reached the conclusion that children often enjoy horrific stories more than adults, which dovetails with his observation that, unlike adults, many children know no mercy when it comes to what happens to villains (cf. the deaths of many of the villains in beloved fairy tales).
* Despite being fairly new to the kid's book scene, Brandon Mull is pretty good at this. The ''[[{{Literature/Fablehaven}} Fablehaven]]'' series starts off very tame, like most other YA fiction, but when you get to, say, the ''extreme'' violence at the end of Book 2, the death-by-dissolving in Book 3, and [[spoiler:Naverog's]] eventual fate ([[spoiler:chomped in half, with his bleeding torso stump slumping to the ground]]), you start to wonder.
** ''TheCandyShopWar'' features the surprisingly vicious John Dart, who has no qualms about [[spoiler:[[BoundAndGagged binding and gagging]] ten-year-olds or shooting people's legs almost clean off]]. Not to mention both books running on twice their allotted helping of ParanoiaFuel.
** And as for ''TheBeyonders?'' Well, it ''begins'' with a mass SuicidePact and accidental mauling. From there, [[ItGotWorse it's pretty much all downhill.]]
* ''WatershipDown.'' Despite what one may think of the ''movie,'' author Adams wrote the original book as a ''bedtime story'' for his daughters, and has always maintained it was for children. In one edition's forward, he even talked about how happy it made him to see kids enjoying it.
* ''LittleNemo''. It's a whole [[NightmareFuelUnleaded nightmare ''world!'']]
** Actually, it is more of a shift in what is acceptable for children. It was a lot more open at that time as shown with other so called children's books during that time like The Wind in the Willows, which would almost be impossible to publish as a kid's book now. There's even a panel where LittleNemo, who is about nine at that point, is reading Gulliver's Travels.
* ''WarriorCats''. It's a series about a bunch of cats living in a forest which is marketed to ages 9-12 and decorated with colourful covers. But as for what's under the covers? As the title implies, there is a lot of fighting in these books, accompanied by pseudo-realistic (and often very graphic) violence. Pretty much every fight ends with every character involved bleeding from at least one gash, and on a few occasions cats have had their [[SlashedThroat throats slit or torn open and bleed to death]]. And those are some of the average moments. The series goes on to feature cats having their [[EyeScream eyes clawed out]], getting run over by cars, being crippled, [[DeathByChildbirth bleeding to death while giving birth]], getting mauled by dogs, [[spoiler:being ripped open and left to [[HighPressureBlood bleed to death]] ''[[CatsHaveNineLives nine times]]'']], being slaughtered by an AxCrazy mountain lion, [[spoiler:impaling a mountain lion with a stalactite]], falling off cliffs and breaking their necks, getting crushed by trees, having their tails removed, [[spoiler:having a wooden stake driven into their throat]], drowning in a series of dark tunnels which they are [[FateWorseThanDeath forced to wander for all eternity]], bleeding heavily from gashes in their stomachs, being tortured by extremely bloody [[NightmareDreams nightmares]], slowly bleeding to death after [[spoiler:being severely wounded by a beaver's teeth]], [[NightmareFuel hearing another cat screaming in agony as his stomach is ripped open offscreen]], etc. [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar How these books being considered child-friendly has never been challenged by parents or bookstores for all these years is a mystery]]. Not to mention the fact that it covers themes like racism (although towards [[FantasticRacism fictional races]], which technically makes it okay), genocide, [[GrayAndGrayMorality moral ambiguity]], organized religion (YourMileageMayVary on just how negatively it is portrayed), insanity, and war. Also, see the series' entry for [[{{Radar/Literature}} Getting Crap Past The Radar]].
* The VarjakPaw books are marketed for kids, but are full of inhuman viewpoints, death, mutilation, starvation, general creepiness, and the implication that the {{big bad}} is taking cats [[spoiler: and turning them into walking, talking {{toys}}, or silent, deadly killing machines, somehow]]. Being illustrated by DaveMcKean (as is ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'', above) probably doesn't help much, either.
* ''Wagstaffe the Wind-up Boy'' is a textbook example of WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids? The amount of anger and nihilism that permeates this supposedly funny story is notable; nowadays you'd call it BlackComedy. ''Everyone'' is unsympathetic. This book was not written by happy humans. Furthermore, some of the scenes... well... [[spoiler:The main character is pancaked by getting run over by a truck. There's ''illustrations''. Amazingly he's still alive when two workmen try to scrape him into a bin bag. Later, after he's been rushed to hospital and the renegade doctor's team turns him into the wind-up boy, they discuss what to do with the left-over organs. "It'd be a shame to waste them on the dog - he's so young and tender." They eat his heart and pancreas. "And very nice it was too", she tells Wagstaffe]].
* Much Victorian literature is like this. While Victorians are stereotyped as a whole century of MoralGuardians, one can find more then a few surprises along the way. Including occasionally things that it would be hard to imagine in a ''modern'' children's story.
** While Christina Rossetti insisted ''Goblin Market'' was a children's poem, it's kind of difficult to ignore the LesYay, to say nothing of the [[IncestIsRelative incest]].
* [[YourMileageMayVary Arguably]]... The MaximumRide series by JamesPatterson. Sure, its language is dialed down to PG-levels, and its main characters are a bunch of TotallyRadical kids with avian DNA spliced into 'em so they're man-made {{WingedHumanoid}}s... but the '''''sheer volumes''''' of HighOctaneNightmareFuel, {{Squick}}, and [[CrowningMomentOfSadness Heart-Wrenching Moments]] will just about ''guarantee'' any kid reader will come away from the series with a good dose of PTSD.
* The ''Literature/{{Dragons}}'' slash ''Last Dragon Chronicles,'' with a side order of MoodWhiplash. The first book in the series plays out like a traditional kid's story, with squirrels and magic clay dragons, and would appear to leave no doubt as to who the target audience of the series is. The ''later'' books, however, ''run'' on GettingCrapPastTheRadar (specifically, GRatedSex), with violence up the wazoo (including one [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice horrifyingly dark]] DownerEnding), existential crises, and a great deal of speculation on the nature of the universe, which leads to some [[MindScrew very messed-up stuff]]. However, [[LighterAndSofter the spinoff wears its kiddie-colors proudly]].
* [[{{Redwall}} Redwall]]. Cute furry creatures killing each other with swords, bows and arrows, spears, poison, and whatever else comes to 'paw'. Multiple instances of murder and torture, not all of it off-screen. FantasticRacism that is by all evidence justified. Slavery, cruelty, major battles, and almost anyone can die.
* ''DarkestPowers'' series is essentially the same as its dark, adult orientated ''TheOtherworld'' sister series. It's ''somewhat'' toned down, basically just the sex and profanity taken out. Thus we have a series about teenagers trying to escape getting killed [[spoiler:and one of them doesn't]].
* The ''{{Horrible Histories}}'' series, which is filled with BlackHumor, DeadBabyComedy-style jokes, and generally focuses on the grisly parts of history.
* ''AlfiesHome'', an attack on homosexuals thinly disguised as a story about a boy who was molested by his uncle. It has a ''massive'' {{Hatedom}} [[http://www.amazon.com/Alfies-Home-Richard-Cohen/product-reviews/0963705806/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt_sr_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar on Amazon]]. It includes the sentences "Some [kids] called me names like 'Sissy', 'Faggot', 'Queer' and 'Homo'" and "Now, I realize I'm not gay". And it was aimed ''at children.'' But don't take our word for it: ThatGuyWithTheGlasses [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/blogs/latest/entry/the-worst-childrens-book-ever-alfies-home will fill you in, along with the entire book's contents]].
* ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'' is marketed to pre-teens. It features the charming adventures of [[DemBones Skulduggery]] and his young apprentice Valkyrie who spend their time searching for clues and engaging in witty repartee and- OhCrap, did the Grotesquery just rip off someone's head? And, umm.... [[ApocalypseMaiden Darquesse]]? This is a kids book. You can't go playing football with people's brains.
* The entire point of the StarWarsExpandedUniverse series ''Galaxy of Fear'' was to be a horror series for kids. BodyHorror and {{MindScrew}}s abounded to the point where the book that revolved around ghosts was arguably the least scary of the twelve. Hell, they introduced a planet that eats people alive in the ''very first book''. Other lovely highlights include worms that suck the marrow out of your bones so that the empty space can be filled with a serum that makes you [[AndIMustScream an unwitting zombie]], a [[MindRape machine that traps you in your own nightmares]], forcible conversion into a [[BrainInAJar B'omarr brain spider]], swarms of [[EatenAlive beetles that eat you from the inside out]], other humans [[ImAHumanitarian who also think your flesh is tasty]], and some of the sickest {{EvilScientist}}s in the Star Wars universe. Good God, everywhere these kids go people die like flies! Special mention goes to the psychological trauma that goes with the question "If clones made of you have all your memories and think they are you, ''how do you know you yourself aren't a clone?''
* The ''{{Discworld}}'' kids' books. ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'' is deep (the rats are inventing their own morality as they go), [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel terrifying]] (the rats face vicious terriers, powerful traps and a {{Mind Control}}ing villain), and {{squick}}y (the "inventing their own morality" includes the idea that maybe they shouldn't eat other rats). The Tiffany Aching novels have a pre-teen (to start with) witch facing various inhuman creatures, including the Queen of TheFairFolk (one of Pterry's nastier villains) and a being of pure hatred towards witches. To say nothing of more mundane problems such as teenage pregnancy (not hers). All the books also feature references to sex, which become steadily less coded as they go on. Interestingly, ''Discworld/{{Wintersmith}}'' and ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight'' don't use the "smaller hardback" format of ''Maurice'' and the first two Tiffany books, although they're still listed as "for younger readers". Pterry's veiw is that ''all'' Discworld novels are aimed at anyone who understands the jokes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
-->'''As far as the British examples below go, they're mainly explained by the fact that Britain does not believe that [=~Children's Television Is Childish~=], seeing kids' shows as also being legit for serious storytelling (See that article for more details).'''
* While more clear-cut kid-friendly than the family show ''Series/DoctorWho'', some episodes of ''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' - * cough* ''Day of the Clown''* cough* - are not the kind of thing you'd want to let children watch alone...
** ''Series/DoctorWho'' itself is considered family viewing, despite its dark tone of certain episodes and surprising amount of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar sexual innuendo]] and it is shown around the supper hour on a Saturday.
*** ''Series/DoctorWho'' is over 40 years old and neatly matches the second paragraph of this trope's description. It's very much seen as a family/children's show, but it's been violent from the very beginning. A BBC audience research survey conducted in 1972 found that Doctor Who was the most violent show it produced at the time (cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_who). For instance, ''The Brain Of Morbius'' (1976) featured a man getting shot in the stomach with an explosion of blood, then crawling, dying, down a corridor.
** Oak and Quill. Whether with extant footage or with telesnaps, they are ''creeeeeepy''.
* ''{{iCarly}}'' has its own [[HoYay Les Yay]] and [[Radar/{{iCarly}} Getting Crap Past The Radar]] pages.
* ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' has its own unique feature, a huge amount of BrotherSisterIncest innuendo. On top of that, it has ''[[ManipulativeBastard Al]][[AntiHero ex]] [[HeroicSociopath Rus]][[EvilIsSexy so]]''. Not to mention the [[Radar/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace crap past the radar]], the ''[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace High Octane Nightmare Fuel]]'' (yes, it has HighOctaneNightmareFuel, the ''Wizards vs. Werewolves'' episode was rated PG, something that has never been done on DisneyChannel before), the FetishFuel and ''[[ItGetsWorse there was much more]]''.
** Before the trope was cut and locked, it had its own Incest Yay page. ''There weren't any other shows or '''mediums''' ''with their own Incest Yay page.'' Period.
** A character was murdered on this show (and perhaps even more than one, some scenes were downright ambiguous when they involved [[HeroicSociopath Alex Russo]]). In a DisneyChannel children show. [[{{Squick}} Yeah]].
** ''Wizards Vs. Angels''. Not so Christian friendly, considering the fact that demonic angels tried to invoke the beginning of the Apocalypse.
*** Over half of all modern fictional angels do this. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsnotDidactic It's probably symptomatic of the increasing millenialism of the devout, and the widening gap between them and the secular.]]
* Most {{tokusatsu}} shows, most notably ''SuperSentai'' and ''KamenRider''. The fact that there have been a few toku productions aimed exclusively towards adults (''ShinKamenRiderPrologue'' and ''{{GARO}}'', to name a few) does not negate the fact that the vast majority are aimed towards children. (In fact, of those two listed productions, ''Shin'' is quite the BaseBreaker '''for''' being aimed at adults! Well, more precisely, for being a {{deconstruction}}.)
** ''SuperSentai'' is especially surprising to some American audiences because of differences between Japan and the US. In ''SuperSentai'', they make frequent use of blood, have characters actually die, and actually show guns. In the US, none of this could be shown on a kids show, so when ''SuperSentai'' is adapted into PowerRangers, these are used very rarely, if at all.
*** Then that means Toku is considered on US TV-G levels in Japan, but in America would go from TV-PG-V to TV-14-V. but if edited to PowerRangers levels, that would be on a TV-Y7-FV level (the level Power Rangers is for all time). Why can't there be a TV-G-FV for Toku aired uncut in the US, dammit?!
* ''PowerRangers'' has been around long enough for the fans of the original series to become adults and bring about a whole generation of complaints about how "kiddy" the new series are and [[NostalgiaFilter how much better]] [[MightyMorphinPowerRangers the first series]] was.
** Several individual PowerRangers series delve into this {{trope}} by having things be really, really dark, to the extent that many viewers may ''mistake'' the target audience. For instance ''PowerRangersLostGalaxy'' featured a villain's StartOfDarkness that took her from AlphaBitch to a CompleteMonster using ''suicide bombers''[[hottip:*: this was 1999, naturally, there is no way that would have flown after 2001]], ''PowerRangersTimeForce'' and ''PowerRangersWildForce'' featured some pretty brutal onscreen death ([[NeverSayDie the former, notably, even used the d-word for it]]), and the 2009 season, ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', ''killed off 99% of humanity in a nuclear RobotWar''.
*** This troper concludes that Power Rangers really is targeted towards the teens and pre-teens of any given year. [[YourMileageMayVary Whether you call such people "kids" or not is your call]].
* ''{{Sapphire and Steel}}''. One of the most bizarre, [[NightmareFuel unsettling]], intelligently-written, solidly-acted dramas 1970s British television ever produced. Even today it's creepy, thought-provoking stuff. And yet it was made as {{ITV}}'s answer to ''Series/DoctorWho'' and aimed at the same audience - i.e. mostly kids.
* ''TheInkThief'' had a very gothic style to it, even though it was mostly kid-orientated. Richard O'Brien's character was pure NightmareFuel though.
* ''[[MaddigansQuest Maddigan's Quest]] is quite possibly the only children's show to have featured mind-altering drugs and cannibalism in the same episode. The series also contains child labour, implied [[SexSlave sexual slavery]] (with slavers refusing to sell a baby to the BigBad to be killed because she'd fetch a higher price as wife material), repeated attempts at infanticide, and BodyHorror.
* ''IkMikLoreland'', the [[EdutainmentShow educational programme]] that traumatized an entire generation of Dutch children. It was specifically targeted towards six year olds to teach them to read and write. The plot involves Loria, a land where everyone loves reading and writing, and the one-eyed monster Karbonkel who can't do these things and [[GreenEyedMonster gets so mad]] [[SugarApocalypse that he magics away everyone's ability to read and write]], scattering the words all over the world. A girl named Mik takes it upon her to [[GottaCatchThemAll get them back]] and Karbonkel pursues her and attempts to stop her. Karbonkel was a frightening antagonist who regularly [[NightmareFuel showed up in childrens' nightmares]], while many of the locations Mik visited on her journey were creepy and bizarre. Every year when it was rerun, debates would erupt among parents and school teachers about the appropriateness of the show. According to WordOfGod, ''TwinPeaks'' was a major influence.
* The Hamas-made kids show TomorrowsPioneers. It has death, murder, violence, promotion of hatred, and things that Westerners wouldn't really consider fit to be in a kids show.
* ''PressGang'' was aimed at children and teenagers, was frequently hilarious...and featured topics such as glue-sniffing leading to accidental death, child sexual abuse, a gun seige at a newspaper office, a gas leak resulting in a building blowing up (half of the episode was about one survivor, trapped in the rubble, trying to keep another alive until the rescuers could get to her...which didn't work), teachers having extramarital affairs, and so on. Storylines also focussed on a suicide, a reporter coaxing a confession of manslaughter out of a half-blinded gang member over the phone, and a death by drug overdose ([[DaEditor Lynda]] was not overly sympathetic). There's a reason that its [[StevenMoffat co-creator and sole scriptwriter]] went on to become Executive Producer of ''Series/DoctorWho''...
* On seeing the script of Episode One of ChildrenOfTheStones, director Peter Graham Scott remarked, "And this is for children?"
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music]]
* ''KidzBop''. A short list of songs that have been featured within that make you go "What the hell were they thinking?":
** Good Charlotte's "The Anthem"
** Trapt's "Headstrong"
** Hoobastank's "The Reason"
** BritneySpears' "Toxic"
** BlackEyedPeas' "Let's Get It Started" (the album version amounts to "Let's Get Retarded"!)
** BowlingForSoup's "1985"
** FloRida's "Club Can't Handle Me"
** CeeLoGreen's "[[CensoredTitle For]][[ClusterFBomb get]] You"
** Liz Phair's "Why Can't I" (Which is about screwing!)
** GreenDay's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (which in the album version even has an F-bomb!)
** The All-American Rejects' "Move Along"
** {{Pink}}'s "Who Knew", "So What" and "Perfect".
*** Heck, most P!nk songs are just not appropriate for kids. The worst offenders: "Funhouse", "Fingers", "Stupid Girl" and [[ADateWithRosiePalms "U and UR Hand"]].
** Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock"
** KatyPerry's "California Gurls"
** FranzFerdinand's "Take Me Out", despite the lyrics being okay, is actually based on a pretty morbid event where two lovers got shot.
*** Specifically, the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. That is to say, the song is about the shooting of the guy whose death caused a little incident known as '''WorldWarOne'''...
** Neon Trees' "Animal." It's either about cannibalism, an [[AllLoveIsUnrequited unlucky friend]], a drugged-up party-goer, or [[MindScrew all three.]] And then there's the ''constant'' repetition of [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean "No, I won't sleep tonight."]]
** Pete Wentz of FallOutBoy actually called them on this, preventing "Dance, Dance" from being used for ''Kidz Bop 10'' due to its sexual undertones.
** There was a joke about how a Kidz Bop version of Nelly's ''Hot In Here'' would go.
-->''It's getting hot in here''
-->''So put on some cool clothes''
-->''I am getting so hot''
-->''I'm gonna put a fan on''
* Two words: HilaryDuff. Some people assumed she was a children's musician because she was on {{Disney}}. Many little kids liked her and [[InnocentInaccurate didn't know what she's talking about]]. Not to mention she had a squeaky-clean image-no tattoos or piercings, for starters. But have parents (or the kids) bothered looking at the lyrics to her songs?
** Little Voice (When I see you I admit/ I start to lose my grip and all of my cool...all I really want is you/ But there are some things a girl won't do)
** Metamorphosis (Come on and give me a kiss/ Come on, I insist)
** Party Up (You roll me, you use me, you love me and then/ You wrap me up and reel me in and use me again)
* MirandaCosgrove. Same problems as Hilary (Although she's with {{Nickelodeon}}, not {{Disney}}). In fact, some of her songs reek of this.
** What Are You Waiting For (Here I am, Take a chance/What are you waiting for/I'm telling you, As a friend/We could be so much more)[[hottip:*: This song hints of the theme of TheirFirstTime.]]
** Sayonara (Party, hands all over my body/Working out like karate/Tell me boy can we kick it now/Can you hold me down)[[hottip:*: The song's theme is IntercoursewithYou. 'nuff said.]]
* TaylorSwift can, at times, [[RuleOfThree suffer from the same problems]] as Duff and Cosgrove,[[hottip:*: She's not with Disney or Nickelodeon, although she's commonly associated with the former (she's frequently played on Radio Disney and appeared on an episode of ''Take Two With PhineasAndFerb'').]] what with such lyrics as "That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay" (Picture to Burn), "She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress" (Better Than Revenge) and "You touch me once and it's really something. You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be" (Sparks Fly). Moreover, "Teardrops On My Guitar" and "Cold As You" both make use of "damn" (pretty mild, but still), while "The Way I Loved You" delivers a rather FamilyUnfriendlyAesop and "Fifteen" hints at a friend's virginity loss.
* The SpiceGirls. The song "Two Become One" [[IntercourseWithYou is about sex pure and simple]] with the chorus going "I wanna make love to you baby". Imagine a slumber party of 6-10 year old girls dancing around and singing those lyrics. Then there's "Holler" which contains lyrics about "fantasy rooms" and "start from the bottom and work your way up slowly". Then of course if you take the basic premise of five girls in Stripperiffic outfits posing provocatively you will get alarmed at the fact that little girls looked up to them.
* S Club 7 fell into this category with their last album ''Seeing Double''. Two songs in particular that stand out are:
** "Hey Kitty Kitty" which contains the lyrics "Hey, kitty kitty, set me free. Why d'you wanna do what you do to me? So good at being bad, you blow my mind. Hey, kitty kitty, you're so fine"
** "Do It Til We Drop." Bradley's raps were pretty unexpected for kids, but this song starts out with the line "Come on and play with me baby, like girls do" which is sung by ''[[LesYay Rachel]]'' and one line before the chorus that's repeated frequently is "I'm so high/I can't come down."
*** Imagine a couple of kids in the car with their parents singing along to those songs. At least one of the car crashes in 2004 had to have been caused by a situation like that.
* [[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40856856/ns/business-retail/ A recent recall]] happened involving a Wal-Mart CD called ''Kids Favorites'', in which it featured songs with absolutely explicit lyrics.
* Béla Bartok's set of piano pieces ''For Children'' includes several based on {{Bawdy Song}}s with unprintable lyrics.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theater]]
* Depending on the incarnation, ''StarlightExpress'' includes hate-motivated beatings, a SerialKiller villain, DomesticAbuse, marital infidelity, a young woman singing a solo about her favorite sexual experience, a retired prostitute, a character who maintains an equal-opportunity harem, an ocean's worth of sexual innuendo in general, and references to smoking, alcohol, and drugs. The show manages to get away with all these elements because the characters are anthropomorphic toy trains. The Las Vegas version of the musical, which featured the main female characters in showgirl costumes, actually ''wasn't'' intended for kids, but attracted family audiences regardless.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Toys]]
* ''{{Transformers}}''. There are fans who insist that Hasbro and Takara should only make big, expensive {{toys}} for the adult collector market and ignore those little kids who buy the toys to play with. Some have actually complained about ''TransformersAnimated'' because it has humor and plots aimed at pre-teen kids, which are the TargetAudience of almost all ''{{Transformers}}'' incarnations.
** Hasbro actually ''tried'' a line of big, expensive {{toys}} for the adult collector, and it didn't sell well enough to keep it going for too long. Turns out the adult collectors are [[SmallNameBigEgo a smaller piece of the pie]] than they thought, and ''kids'' are in fact the primary consumers of {{toys}}. Who knew?
** It's arguably become worse with the release of ''[[GIJoe GI Joe: Resolute]]''. More than a few fans are wanting a ''{{Transformers}}'' series in the same vein due to it.
** ''{{Transformers}}'' scribe Simon Furman complained about this {{trope}} in regards to the dark ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines''.
** It's a bit understandable, though, if you look at the premise devoid of context: Two factions of a race of alien war machines come to Earth, their war having gone on so long that battling for the resources our planet can give them to continue the war effort is more important than the war itself. The weakest of them has enough power to slaughter dozens of human soldiers and come away with nothing more than a badly-scratched paint job. At best, their feelings towards us are paternalistic, and they look down with a combination of pity and admiration on those of our species who see it as their sworn duty to defend us from them. At worst, they find us repulsive and enjoy slaughtering us when they have a chance.
* GIJoe as a whole gets this treatment, actually. Because it happened in the comics, there are those older viewers/readers who think that every TV show and movie--past, present, future, and otherwise--should use real bullets instead of (the Hasbro-mandated) lasers, and that there should be more onscreen deaths simply because of the military nature of the concept and toyline (which goes all the way back to the 1960s or 70s; i.e., before the "Real American Hero" era). Aside from the aforementioned Resolute, the closest the fans got to a version of Joe they wanted was probably the [[GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra live-action movie]]. Nonetheless, it's still a family franchise, even if the fans think it should be otherwise.
* {{LEGO}}. Have you ever met someone who has outgrown those silly little blocks? That's what I thought.
** The {{LEGO}} Group is a funny case though, as it is aware of its older fans and does things like adding {{Shout Out}}s to older series (such as Classic Space) or continuing series from the 1980s, like ''Space Police'' and ''Pirates''. It also produces sets marketed at adult fans, starting with ''Cafe Corner''; fans seem to be rather aware of the true target of their hobby (with exception of a few complaints over ''{{BIONICLE}}'').
** It is worth noting that {{LEGO}} bricks were originally sold as a tool for architects to create models of their future works with.
** And now they're ending the ''BIONICLE'' line, because they think the story is too long for the younger kids to enjoy. Older fans are ''not'' pleased.
** The adult fandom does not lack the occasional guy that complains about sets - specially colors or the lack of a realistic military theme - being too childish lately...
** The properties they choose to adapt for the [[LegoCrossoverGame Lego Crossover Sets and Video Games]] also skew towards PG-13 rated titles. StarWars and HarryPotter are initially PG material (with the later, darker ones being PG-13) but we also have the Burton/Schumacher {{Batman}} films (all PG-13), the PiratesOfTheCaribbean films (likewise) and the IndianaJones series (first two are PG, but only because PG-13 didn't exist, and Temple Of Doom was partially responsible for its creation).
* While not a big deal back in the 1960s when they were made, post-modernism pretty much guarantees that ''these'' bad boys won't be seeing a revival: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Y99YCVV70 Meet the Ding-a-Lings!]]
* For a short period of time, there were vibrating ''Literature/HarryPotter'' broomsticks in toystores. Which were enjoyed fondly by... well... ''all ages'', until it was brought to the companies attention that not everyone was riding the broom [[http://www.flowgo.com/funny/13464_girls-potty-over-potter-broomstick.html pretending to play Quidditch]], [[{{Nudge}} if you know what I mean]].
** Mike Mozart of JeepersMedia had some fun pointing out the UnfortunateImplications of this toy [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvK9Prd57Q0 here]]. Watch out for his awful British accent, though.
* Speaking of Mike Mozart, there's this [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgBvkHwCxJc&feature=relmfu]]. It's rather...interestingly shaped
* [[BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand Buzz Lightyear]] [[http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/21/buzz-lightyear-with.html sippycup]] -- so ''that'''s what "To infinity, AND BEYOND!" really means...
* For years {{Barbie}} has been accused of this (not to mention {{Bratz}}), and [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement we'll just leave it at that]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* There was a minor InternetBackdraft over the fact that one of the guys working on the ''[[SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' games in the run-up to ''SonicTheHedgehog4'' stated that their main demographic was children. After the release, it's kind of died down.
* Many ''[[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' games arguably fit into this category. It's not at all unusual for people to claim that [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime some of]] [[TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask the games]] are "too scary" for kids, despite the fact that most fans were indeed kids when they first played these games, and that {{Nintendo}} never stated the series was SeriousBusiness and not for kids. (''[[TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' managed to be DarkerAndEdgier enough to merit a T rating, but it's not really ''that'' much darker than other, E-rated installments.) Heck, our WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids article had about half the series on the page at one point.
* Some attribute the commercial failure of ''{{Shantae}}'' to this, among other factors. ''Shantae'''s cutesy, colorful graphics, goofy humor, and a definitely present twinge of GirlsNeedRoleModels certainly suggest it's a kid's game. The problem is, it's also strangely... [[ParentService sexy]] for something aimed at kids, and also more difficult than your average kid's game.
* Some people are rather disappointed that ''EpicMickey'' only got an E rating, despite the fact that it's {{Disney}} and y'know it stars MickeyMouse. On the other hand, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQTAxcrf9Ws it seems quite clear]] that it will be chock full of NightmareFuel in general.
** In fact, the game's creator, Warren Spector (Yes, ''[[VideoGame/DeusEx th]][[SystemShock at]]'' Warren Spector) says that he ''wants'' kids to play this and be ''terrified''.
* The first ''[[RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank]]'' game is rated T...and is arguably the tamest in the series. After the E10+ rating was invented, subsequent games were labelled as such despite increasing rates of violence and innuendo.
* ''KingdomHearts''. For a game series constantly rating E to E10+, there are a few dark moments mixed in with the colorful, {{Disney}} images. To name a few...
** [[TheHero The hero's]] [[NightmareFuel Darkside, which manifests in the beginning as his shadow coming alive and trying to kill him]].
** [[TheHero The hero's]] [[DoomedHometown entire world gets destroyed]].
** We get to see a townsperson "killed" by a [[CuteMonster Heartless]] and [[FaceMonsterTurn turned into one herself]].
** {{The hero}} [[HeroicSacrifice kills himself with his weapon to spare his love interest]].
** The above examples are from game one. The second game features a number of notable entries, but probably none more noteworthy than the scene where [[AnyoneCanDie Goofy is struck by a boulder and seemingly killed]] [[hottip:*: Of course, anyone even remotely familiar with the animation medium will know that this won't last. Goofy IS a cartoon character after all...]].
** Let's list some more, shall we? For starters, these games usually end in a rather depressing manner;
*** [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts First game]]; Sora is separated from the two people he spent the ''entire'' game trying to find, with little hope of ever seeing them again.
*** [[KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Second game]] (in order of release, not numbering) has more of the same, except this time the separation is by choice.
*** [[KingdomHearts2 The actual second game]] featured the psuedo-death of a character we just spent four to five hours getting to know, as well as witnessing his breakdown over finding out his entire ''existance'' is a lie; the ending is, incidentally, one of the few truly happy ones of the series.
*** [[KingdomHearts358Over2Days The next game]], a {{midquel}} between the first game and the true second game, has more of that character from the prologue, Roxas, and details how his life [[ItGotWorse generally went to hell]]. By the way, this includes one of his best friends, [[RetGone one he couldn't remember during]] KingdomHearts2, dying, in his arms, as part of a plan he had about zero knowledge of, ''struck down by his own hands,'' no less.
*** The {{prequel}} to the whole series, BirthBySleep [[BeyondTheImpossible takes it up]] [[UpToEleven to new levels]] with three protagonists, none of whom make it out alright; plus more than a little collateral damage. All this, while setting off the events for the ''entire'' rest of the series up to this point. And it gets worse when you realize that, [[PoorCommunicationKills had anyone been able to sit down and talk things out]], WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis.
** Moving on, there's also a good deal of violence, including the less family friendly variety. In just BirthBySleep, there's cutscenes where Braig and Eraqus receive their respective scars; they're shot with Dark Firaga, in the face, on-screen. For bonus points, Braig's experience involves EyeScream. Then, towards the end, ''Xehanort freezes Ven solid and drops him off a cliff.'' '''While he's still conscious.''' [[FridgeHorror Had Aqua not been there]] [[CatchAFallingStar to catch him]]... oh, and moments later, Vanitas is told to kill Aqua and comes very, ''very'' close to doing so; he would've stabbed her right in front of an immobile, very aware Ven had Ven not defrosted himself from sheer willpower. Eraqus also dies onscreen, after being severely weakened in a fight with Terra and finished off by Xehanort, pushing the latter very firmly into CompleteMonster territory.
** BirthBySleep in general seemed to be [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar pushing how much they could get away with]]. Tinkerbell [[PantyShot Panty Shots]], anyone?
*** Panty shots have already been done; in KingdomHearts2 you could play with the camera in The World That Never Was to see Kairi's underwear, which even had a little bow modeled onto the front. [[LampshadeHanging It's like they]] ''[[LampshadeHanging knew]]''.
** Don't forget all the delightful FridgeHorror!
* ''MagicalStarsign'' starts as a cute, fluffy game but once the second act starts things swiftly go downhill. There's too much horrible stuff going on here to list it all without taking up pages, but to sum it up: [[spoiler: The main plot is about bringing mages to a planet where just being there turns them into into gummy-like inanimate blobs to be used as fuel for a space worm]].
* ''The following is a wonderful example of {{What Do You Mean Its For Kids}}, {{Trope Decay}} (in particular getting {{What Do You Mean Its Not For Kids}} and {{What Do You Mean Its For Kids}} confused) and {{Values Dissonance}} by another editor and for those reasons as been left in even those it's not an example of what it clams to be an example of'' : While {{Pokemon}} games are sometimes accused of being children's games (though one might challenge that fact given how much they sell), it started to get considerably darker in PokemonDiamondAndPearl, with the story of [[spoiler: Cyrus attempting to awaken Dialga/Palkia and obliterate the world because it contained "flawed" constructs such as emotion, in order to create a "perfect" world where he could rule]]. But it gets turned UpToEleven in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite'', which features [[spoiler:[[AbusiveParents G]][[MoralEventHorizon/VideoGames he]][[Monster/VideoGames ts]][[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/VideoGames is]]]]. Click on any of those four links and Ctrl+F him just to see how frightening and "kid-friendly" his misdeeds are.
** The above statement is true only if you stick to core games. Otherwise, the series doesn't ''last'' until Diamond and Pearl. One word only: [[spoiler:[[KnightOfCerebus C]][[MindRape i]][[ParanoiaFuel p]][[PresidentEvil h]][[WouldNotShootACivilian e]][[CompleteMonster r]][[PokemonColosseum .]]]]
** Then there's all of the complex ways your team can be customized, some of which have their existence disavowed by Game Freak. Effort Values in particular.
* There's a game called ''Dog's Life'' for the PlayStationTwo. It's premise seems nothing bad. A cute game where you play as a dog trying to rescue his damsel-in-distress from a dog catcher, with some ToiletHumor and anatomically correct dogs (only in the CG, though) added in. By the end of the game [[spoiler:you learn the whole thing was a plan by the creepy cat food maker Ms. Peaches, who wants to make dogs into her cat food. You have to save Daisy from being killed, and in the end Ms. Peaches dies in a gruesome matter (and she says one word of mild profanity)]]. This game was rated 3+ in Europe, but T in North America.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Technically any webcomic ever could be this, since there are laws about letting anyone under 13 years old use the Internet unless supervised by a parent or guardian.
* ''{{Sonichu}}'' is nominally intended to be a children's comic, aimed for kids between the ages of 7 and 14...but that certainly doesn't stop its author from inserting scenes of bloody, brutal violence (up to and including a scene of a young girl mutilating a defenseless criminal with a pair of giant drills) and ([[FetishRetardant supposedly]]) titillating sex (with an entire chapter dedicated to showing off the main characters' sexual anatomy). Needless to say, no children even read the comic in the first place.
* The creator of ''{{Liltoon}}'' once had an on-site notice stating that his comic is suitable for readers aged 10 and up, but the recent "Flushing the Soul" arc seems to belie that.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''{{Neopets}}'' is a rather weird example; nowadays the target demographic is definitely little kids, but when the site started out it was mostly used by college students. There are still remnants from that time (such as the ski lodge plot) floating around, waiting to be NightmareFuel for any children who happen to stumble across them.
* Detailed in {{Cracked}}'s [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/10-great-childrens-books-for-people-who-hate-their-children/ 10 Great Books For (Traumatising) Children]].
** Here's another: [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19288_8-weirdly-sexual-products-you-wont-believe-are-kids.html/ 8 Weirdly Sexual Products You Won't Believe Are for Kids]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and the {{DCAU}} in general, which comprises of ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''BatmanBeyond'' and ''JusticeLeague''.
** Especially ''Justice League''!
** Interestingly enough, ''Batman: The Animated Series'' briefly received a PrimeTime slot shortly after it premiered on weekday afternoons, after there was a general critic outcry of "WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids" Sadly, the primetime slot fell quickly to the AnimationAgeGhetto.
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. Despite being aimed at kids, both can be pretty violent (several superheroes such as [[spoiler:B'wana Beast and the first Black Canary]] are killed over the course of TBATB) and contain a fair amount of double entendre. The Young Justice episode "Bereft" and the Brave and the Bold episode "The Mask of Matches Malone!" are rife with examples.
* In the same vein as ''{{Batman}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. Though the comics [[AudienceShift are another story...]]
** Like the issue with Elisa in a nighty, expecting Goliath for a midnight rendezvous?
** Or, from the original series, Demona ''murdering innocent humans by turning them into stone and smashing them?''
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': This has one of ''the'' biggest smut followings ever for a {{Nickelodeon}} show. Episodes like "The Beach" and Sokka's ReadyForLovemaking pose in "The Southern Raiders" didn't exactly help things either.
** The Southern Raiders episode in general, for its portrayal of murder, revenge and forgiveness. It doesn't go the way one might expect.
** The creators didn't [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG82P1lYD90 exactly]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkB2uiZlXzI help]] matters in that regard - particularly with Blue Spirit/Azula, given that the Blue Spirit is [[spoiler:[[BrotherSisterIncest Zuko]]]].
** Also the Air Nomad genocide.
** Although, for the amount of potentially lethal abilities in the series, we only see [[spoiler: freakin' Jet]] and [[spoiler: (kind of) Aang]] get killed onscreen. And for all the use of [[AbsurdlySharpBlade knives, daggers and swords]], nobody actually gets directly hurt by them. Mai [[ImprobableAimingSkills has her moments]], but [[spoiler: Sokka's finest swordfighting moment after Piandao was against a ''melon'']].
** Hell, the entire show is about a one-hundred year war with the BigBad being an EvilOverlord, CompleteMonster, and one of the best examples of an [[AbusiveParents abusive parent]] in animation.
* ''FredsHead'' goes one step further than the above shows with things like swearing, handling of mature situations outright, and other non-kid friendly material. Unsurprisingly, the show wasn't renewed for a second season.
* It's almost unbelievable that ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'' is for kids, with all of its swearing, sexual references and nudity (both male and female) and the fact that all the campers are underage and yet act and [[YoungerThanTheyLook sometimes even look just like adults]].
** Two episodes in, and ''TotalDramaWorldTour'' has probably outclassed several shows on this page.
*** The show was originally aired on Teletoon in the evening, around 8:00 PM, and it's never been in any of the channel's children's blocks. The execs who created the show in the first place clearly considered its main audience to be teens and adults.
** Canadian cartoons tend to be more lenient than those in the United States when it comes to objectionable content. Granted, it's clearly not meant to be watched by young children, but it manages to retain a simple G rating on Teletoon for the most part (does get the occasional PG). However, it doesn't help much that the TD characters are featured in the North American version of Skatoony, an animated game show aired at elementary-age children.
* As far as {{Nicktoons}} go, ''InvaderZim'' and ''DannyPhantom'' shared a common fate: they were both marketed towards boys seven and up but their darker tone attracted quite the PeripheryDemographic, mainly college students. The 7-to-11 audience, which Nick wanted for those two shows? They paid more attention to ''{{SpongebBob SquarePants}}''. [[FanMyopia This has led to the widely-held belief that the former was cancelled for being "too scary" for kids]].
** Well, ''InvaderZim'' did come from JhonenVasquez, the man who brought us JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac--an extremely graphic and violent serial killer, a boy who was basically [[TheChewToy the universe's chew toy]] and is implied to have repressed homicidal urges and a struggling artist being haunted by the same demonic/evil force that contributed to the aforementioned serial killer's crimes. Honestly, Zim isn't scary, but it is delightfully bizarre, grotesque and rather unsettling. What were the {{Nickelodeon}} execs thinking?
*** [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/SpongeBobSquarePants Speaking of SpongeBob...]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' (and its brethren ''TinyToonAdventures'', ''{{Freakazoid}}'', ''[[{{ptitle17u4r74z}} Histeria!]]'' and even non-Warner-produced Kids' WB! show ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'') gets this a lot, with it invoking every type of ParentalBonus, from the occasional [[ParentService Parent]] [[HelloNurse Service]], to the abundant [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed pop cultural references]] that your average 8-year-old wouldn't get (the ''[[{{Goodfellas}} Goodfeathers]]'', anyone?) It's a [[LateToThePunchline completely different show]] through an adult lens, as many a current teen/20-something who first saw it as a kid in the '90s can attest.
** So is ''[=~Rocko's Modern Life~=]''. I can't believe they got half that crap past the censors (in fact, much of it was removed from subsequent airings).
** And ''ThePowerpuffGirls''. WordOfGod says it originally ''wasn't'' intended for kids, but the AnimationAgeGhetto struck and [[ExecutiveMeddling he was forced to change it]]. The original intent becomes more and more obvious later in the series.
*** Not to mention that the series was originally titled "The Whoop-Ass Girls".
* ''LooneyTunes'', according to some who grew up believing these were kids' cartoons just because they aired during Saturday mornings and are marketed as such. Let's think, the frequency with which real guns appear and are used to hurt, crossdressing, the injuries sustained by Coyote, extreme sexual harassment (most of which can be found in the Pepe Le Pew cartoons), the politically incorrect humor, the pop culture jokes that kids wouldn't get (but their parents and grandparents would), the racial stereotyping (both the ones that had been edited and the ones that were left in due to being AcceptableTargets or the censors falling asleep at the switch), and the sometimes rather dark nature of the episodes.
* Canadian animation targeted toward kids tends to fall in this category from time to time, usually due to ValuesDissonance. For example ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}'', which has the implications that the setting's in hell.([[WhatCouldHaveBeen which would have been stated out right had the creator has his way]].)
* ''TheRenAndStimpyShow'': The original show has a lot of stuff is that is edgy even by modern standards, mostly a crapload of NightmareFuel, NauseaFuel, HoYay, FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and even getting away with showing the phrase "go to hell" onscreen (even though the "hell" part was censored out rather crudely)... and yet, it was aired in Nickelodeon. Plenty of scenes have been cut in the recent airings on Nicktoons.
** While Ren and Stimpy contains too much gay innuendo to list it all, it's mostly the NightmareFuel that was most disturbing. For starters, one episode features a pretty long and elaborate scene of Ren pondering killing Stimpy. It leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination - he sees a red line forming on Stimpy's neck and mutters "just one quick twist...".
** The DVD box sets currently have '''parental advisory''' labels on them. The website commonsensemedia.org rates the show as unsuitable for viewers below 16.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' seems to be trying to beat ''TimeSquad''s record with the amount of sex jokes it can get away with. Cue the gratuitous amounts of {{Double Entendre}}s, {{Subtext}}, VisualInnuendo, InnocentInnuendo and ThatCameOutWrong.
* ''WesternAnimation/Inhumanoids'', a MerchandiseDriven horror series about monsters from {{Hell}}--we mean, "[[ExpositoryThemeTune the fiery depths of the earth where nightmares begin]]"--attacking humanity.
* ''HeyArnold''. The show features adult themes like drug addiction (Chocolate Boy), an overkill (by Nickelodeon standards) of cursing, and the darkest backstory of any Nickelodeon character (Helga, who is considered the unfavorite in her family in favor of her StepfordSmiler sister, has a verbally abusive father, and a mother who is clearly a depressed alcoholic).
** The drug addiction in question was an addiction to chocolate (hence the name) and metaphors for drugs that aren't actually drugs are so common, there's [[GRatedDrug a trope for it]], so don't think that counts as an "adult theme".
* ''TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': Not only because the main premise is about two kids that became friends of the Death Itself, but also because the show depicts a series of grotesque situations quite unusual for a children´s show.
* ''TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': [[GRatedDrug G-rated drugs]] in the forms of candy and maple syrup, stories full of bizarre, dark events that would make Lemony Snicket's ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' blush, and animation that makes ''RenAndStimpy'''s look sane and on-model.
* ''TimeSquad'': On the outside, it's a show about an orphaned history whiz taken to the future by a TimeCop and his RobotBuddy to help them fix the past. On the inside, there's rampant HoYay and BelligerentSexualTension (most of which is centered around the [[AmbiguouslyGay Ambiguously]] CampGay RobotBuddy the Larry 3000), subtle, yet excessive [[FreudWasRight sexual imagery]], obscure ParentalBonus and GeniusBonus moments, [[StonersAreFunny drug humor]] (Betsy Ross Flies Her Freak Flag had George Washington's army acting like stoners; Larry has acted drunk on two occasions), and the [[DudeNotFunny jarringly cavalier take on child abuse and endangerment]] (cf. Otto's childhood in the orphanage and some of his adventures with Buck and Larry).
* ''RegularShow'' has possibly managed to outrival all previous CartoonNetwork shows made by the actual channel in the first episode (and possibly even most 90's Nickelodeon shows like ''RenAndStimpy'' and ''RockosModernLife''), managing to get hell and ''shit'' past the radar (...sorta), and Mordecai and Rigby even say pissed, which is outright shocking compared to the normal level of American censorship on children's programming. In the second episode ''alone'', they manage to get past a reference to testicles with gum-BALLS to replace it. Yet it was promoted constantly on a Labor Day weekend marathon. ''For kids.''
** Either that or GettingCrapPastTheRadar [[RefugeInAudacity to the extreme]].
** [[LampshadeHanging "THAT'S OUR DEMOGRAPHIC, GET OVER IT!"]]
* ''{{Robotomy}}'': Excessive violence, a lot of ComedicSociopathy, some sexual innuendo, some mild swearing (mostly words like "crap," "sucks" or "screwed"), the fact that one of the show creators worked on ''Superjail''...
* ''MAD'': most of its parodies are of movies and TV shows that wouldn't be considered "children's entertainment" (i.e. ''CSIMiami'', ''TheSocialNetwork'', ''House'', ''TwoAndAHalfMen'', ''The Bourne Identity'', ''JerseyShore'', ''ER'', ''Cloverfield'' and -- probably the biggest one thus far -- ''DistrictNine'') often mashed up with movies and TV shows that would be considered "children's entertainment" (''SesameStreet'', ''iCarly'', ''Bob the Builder'', ''Kung Fu Panda'', etc.). It's no wonder fans have compared this show to ''RobotChicken'' (though it is said to be the SpiritualSuccessor to the FOX sketch show, ''MADtv'', which wasn't a kids' show to begin with, but had plenty of {{Subverted Kids Show}}s during its 14-year run).
* Parodied and lampshaded on the ''Simpsons'' episode "Brother's Little Helper." In the beginning of the episode, Springfield Elementary School had Fire Safety Day where the Springfield Volunteer Fire Department arrived for the occasion, and the SVFD also hosted a show demonstrating the bad uses of Fire. Despite the fact that the audience in question were elementary school kids, most of the content of the skit was anything ''but'' kid-friendly. For one thing, the main characters mentioned that they had just arrived back home from a pot-party (indicating that they had some pot at a party that the majority of it consisted of smoking pot), briefly smoked a cigarette in order to "make the night complete." And they snuggle in bed, until "MadDog" drops his cigarette on his pants. Did I mention that the main characters are supposed to be based on hippies? Oh, and here's the kicker, the actors who played the main characters [[{{Irony}} are some of the most religious and prudish people in Springfield, Maude and Ned Flanders]].
** Because they were trying to shoehorn a DrugsAreBad message into their fire safety show. They juxtaposed drug use with a character too stupid to do anything when his ''pants are on fire''.
*** ''TheSimpsons'' constantly lampshades this trope, especially in the ''Itchy and Scratchy'' shorts and ''The Krusty the Clown Show''.
* ''CourageTheCowardlyDog'' was packed to the gills with both AccidentalNightmareFuel and HighOctaneNightmareFuel, like the "Big Stinkin' City" and "Perfect" episodes. It ran for four years, being cancelled due to being "too scary", which wasn't too groundless of a reason.
* Fans of ''{{Transformers}}'' are particularly notorious for this when it comes to the cartoons (and movies, even.) There is a sizable portion of the fandom that truly believes that [[TransformersGeneration1 the original 1984 cartoon]] was well-written and made for adults, despite the obvious flaws and the clear documentation that it was basically [[MerchandiseDriven a 30 Minute Commercial]]. Later series were decried as being "dumbed down". ''TransformersArmada'', for example, was decried because it was "too kiddy" and featured "those annoying Armada kids." Every series since that time has received the same cry of "too kiddy" or "too dumbed down." In particular, ''TransformersAnimated'' was decried because of the design of the characters. Already, criticism is pouring in for ''TransformersPrime'' even though fans have not yet had a chance to watch an episode.
** As a subversion of this trope, when shows like ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'' were released, containing themes that were obviously adult-oriented and even occasionally deeply mystical, the fandom at large reacted negatively, claiming the show was "too dark" and needed to lighten up.
*** Similar to its sequel, Beast Wars, although mostly considered light-hearted, contains episodes such as "Code of Hero" and "Transmutate" that contain shocking deaths and occasionally touch on deeper themes, such as euthanasia. Dinobot in particular speaks of suicide in the most vocabulary intense speech in any Transformers speech to date, and Rattrap often [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar gets slag past the radar]]. In addition FoxKids edited episodes to remove excessive violence (it didn't help much).
** And after ''Prime'' has been finally released, some argue that it's actually too violent for children to watch. Most of this violence comes from surprisingly graphic robot gore, but a human character has also been tortured with an Energon prod, and at least one lifeless human body has been sighted. As of Episode 23 it showed [[spoiler:Raf, the youngest of the three children]] seriously wounded and near the point of death. It's fitting this trope to a T.
*** It's actually got it's own HighOctaneNightmareFuel [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/TransformersPrime page]].
* ''JonnyQuest'' inverts this. It was never a children's show; it was a prime-time adventure drama aimed mainly at adults.
* ''StarWarsTheCloneWars'' is an interesting example of this {{trope}} at work: While the first season had some serious episodes (''Rookies'', ''Tresspass'' and the Ryloth trilogy), it played more towards the children's demographic. Once [[WhamEpisode Cad Bane]] showed up, the series ostensibly took a turn for the dark in season 2, including [[spoiler: Cad Bane torturing a Jedi to death]], showing [[spoiler:the ''heroes'' essentially using MindRape on a prisoner while a young child watches]], a story centered around deserters in wartime, Boba Fett's vengeance quest against [[TheStoic Mace Windu]] and [[spoiler: [[AntiHero Anakin]] using his force choke on a Prisoner to gain information]]. They even got away with using very mild profanity in the first broadcast of ''Rookies'' (edited out in subsequent viewings) and, in a cut scene from the season 3 opener, [[spoiler: Asajj Ventress kisses a clone right before she ignites her lightsaber through his stomach]]. And ''then'' there's the Savage Opress and Mortis trilogies too...
* The Hub's ''DanVs'' looks like a show that got lost on its way to [adult swim].
* Some of the old {{Disney}} shorts can be particularly dark, with the "Chicken Little" short (not to be confused with the more recent movie) being a particularly glaring example: [[spoiler:The fox eats all the chickens in the end, and when the narrator Lampshades that this isn't what happens in his book, the fox says, "Don't believe everything you read, brother," while ''playing with the dead Chicken Little's yo-yo''.]]
** Perhaps even more disturbing is that [[spoiler:''the fox made a graveyard out of their wishbones'']].
* ''Delilah and Julius'' is like a DarkerAndEdgier ''KimPossible'' despite the colorful art style. The villains routinely deal in semi-realistic viral, biological and nuclear threats, NeverSayDie is definitely not in effect and the two leads, while sharing a deep and mature friendship based on mutual respect of each other's abilities, [[UnresolvedSexualTension are also very aware of each other's impressive physical attributes due to their spy training]]. There's plenty of suggestive flirting between the two leads and their foes, some rather brutal fight scenes (Julius seems fond of slamming mooks' faces into glass) and occasional blood.
* ''JohnnyBravo'' is about an ElvisPresley-sounding CasanovaWannabe trying to get laid (and failing).
* Probably not so much these days, but ''TheSecretOfNIMH'' was considered this at least back when it first came out (in comparison to other "talking animal" movies). ''WatershipDown'' predates it, but still. It starts with an off-screen death, has a (more or less) on-screen one (which [[AdaptationDecay didn't happen in the book]], BTW), as well as a "[[PrecisionFStrike Precision D Strike]]" in one scene.
* ''StarchaserTheLegendOfOrin'' may or may not be an example.
* Actually, this trope is likely to be invoked (usually by MediaWatchdogs, MoralGuardians or both; some of the latter likely including "concerned parents", but also some regular viewers as well) anytime an animated movie is given anything other than a G rating (since live-action movies are more ambiguous in this respect). As noted from some of the above examples though, it has also been known to be invoked in G-rated movies as well (such as the aforemention ''TheSecretOfNIMH'').
* ''CodeLyoko'' is laced with teenage sexual frustration, has quite a lot of FanService, is rather dark, and has at least one attempted suicide.
** And the main couple is a 13-year-old boy and a girl who is chronologically 24 but biologically 14. The characters are also compelled by circumstances to commit multiple felonies (identity fraud, trafficking in nuclear materials, trespassing on military facilities, etc.), any one of which could easily result in a prison term of decades, if not life or death.
* ''GalaxyRangers'' typically ran with stuff like MindRape, genocide, slavery (even on the part of the ''good guys'' -- the team's Lancer was implied to have less than full civil rights), several rounds of HighOctaneNightmareFuel, a really painful IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy, implied sex between Goose and crime boss Daisy O'Mega, and averted NeverSayDie entirely. [[TheEighties This was during 1986.]] Even series creator Robert Mandell admits that, while he's proud of his work, he probably went a little too DarkerAndEdgier for the toy-buying set.
* ''{{Recess}}''. A lot of the jokes in the show would go over the target audiences' heads, and there was [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar a LOT of stuff in the show that the Disney censors missed]], making it [[PeripheryDemographic a hit with adults]]. While it was a show for kids, obviously, at times, it seemed more like a nostalgia trip for adult viewers who remember their elementary school experiences.
* The ParentalBonus references in ''ScoobyDooMysteryInc'' are getting so ridiculous that you have to wonder who they're really writing for. And that's not even getting into the ''casting'' running from standard geeky parent friendly to '''very''' out there. You have to love a show on Cartoon Network that casts a recurring character voiced by an actor best known for ''Andy Warhol's Dracula'' and several LarsVonTrier films.
* ''[[Series/SonictheHedgehog Sonic SatAM.]]'' [[AfterTheEnd A genocidal]] [[VillainWorld madman owns the world,]] [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence Lasers are NOT set to stun,]] [[SacrificialLamb more than one character dies,]] and [[CuteBruiser Bunnie]] [[GoodBadGirl is a pervert...]]
* TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles 2003 has a LOT of fighting in it - a lot more than the 80s cartoon. And it's a lot darker. There's torture, death, near-death, obvious pain, and the turtles get nearly killed more than once. The turtles also use their weapons a lot more. There's no blood and on the whole we see Foot ninja generally display signs of life once they're taken down, but for sure it's a lot closer to the Mirage comics than the 87 cartoon.
* This troper recalls finding a VHS of a Michael Sporn cartoon called "Whitewash" at his local public library. The cartoon in question is about racism, but the screenwriter saw it fit to aim this at children.
** I never saw it myself, but I was 7 at the time I found it there, and my father was with me. After studying the back of the box, he stated I should find some other video to borrow. I promptly put it back on the shelf.
** It didn't help that the video was on the shelf where stuff like ''{{Arthur}}'', ''AstroBoy'', ''SailorMoon'', Disney films, ''WallaceAndGromit'' and ''{{Pingu}}'' have been sighted.
* ''[[{{WesternAnimation/Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes}} The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' has more violence, dark themes and CharacterDevelopment than most viewers expected from a DisneyXD show. For example, one arc features the Avengers having to thwart Ultron's attempts to bomb all of humanity, while attempting to move on past [[spoiler:TheMightyThor]]'s apparent death, and {{Ant-Man}} also struggles to grasp with the fact something he created for peace (he originally built Ultron to non-lethally guard Prison 42) may lead to society's destruction.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Real Life]]
* Bubblegum Cigarettes.
** Similarly, licorice pipes, chocolate cigars, candy cigarettes, and the infamous "Hippy Sippy". Aside from the latter item, these are still sold today.
** Even a few of the most ardent anti-smokers still feel a little pang of nostalgia for these, and feel kind of torn at the idea of taking them off the market.
** Candy Cigarettes are sold today (in the U.S. at least) as "candy sticks" in smaller boxes (which feature superheroes instead of parodies of cigarette logos) and without the red tip at the end.
** While these {{Bowdlerized}} "sticks" are more commonly seen, the classic style candy cigs can easily still be found today, red tip and all.
** Big League Chew is another example in the same vein. Bubble gum shredded to resemble chewing tobacco, its name comes from the fact that chewing tobacco was once the vice of choice in Major League Baseball. Which means the sales pitch comes down to, "Hey, kids! Pretend you're chewing tobacco, just like your favorite baseball players!"
* [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14232143 This]] Al-Qaeda jihadist film, [[BlatantLies supposedly]].
* With all the [[NippledAndDimed controversy]] surrounding them, it's easy to forget that breasts are intended for use by babies.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Other]]
* In the 2011 Dance Off With the Star Wars Stars, which is for children, Darth Vader performs F**k You! during the freestyle half of the show.
[[/folder]]
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