History NightmareFuel / PBSKids

* ''NightmareFuel/TheBigComfyCouch''

* NightmareFuel/RabbitEarsProductions

* ''NightmareFuel/WordGirl''

** Mr. Glitch was an anthropomorphic tornado who would eat Mathman if he got a question wrong [[spoiler:and even once, when Mathman got it right]].

* ''Series/BetweenTheLions'':
** Cleo getting captured by hunters in "Little Big Mouse".
** Many people have claimed to have been frightened by the Arty Smartypants puppet due to his strange physical appearance.

* NightmareFuel/{{Animalia}}
* NightmareFuel/{{Arthur}}
* NightmareFuel/TheBerenstainBears
* NightmareFuel/{{Cyberchase}}
* NightmareFuel/GhostWriter
* NightmareFuel/TheMagicSchoolBus
* NightmareFuel/OddSquad

* NightmareFuel/{{Redwall}}
* NightmareFuel/SesameStreet
* NightmareFuel/TheodoreTugboat
* NightmareFuel/ThomasAndFriends
* NightmareFuel/WordGirl
* NightmareFuel/WildKratts
* NightmareFuel/WishBone

* ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'': The part where Ruff inadvertently got turned into a Turkey Vulture in "How Not to Impress The Press" is both this and NauseaFuel. Ruff becomes a deformed hybrid creature with a beak and bald face, and the rest of his body is coated with feathers and talons. [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment Even his voice turns into something sounding parrot-like]]. Understandably, even [[NotSoStoic Blossom]] [[StressVomit almost vomited]] out of disgust and trauma. Even by PBS KIDS standards, this can be very nauseating to viewers. Those Poor Fetchers...

** The "Ghost of a Chance" video. The whole concept of a pizza delivery boy getting trapped in a haunted house forever, unless he gets very lucky making a series of random guesses (to teach probability), is nightmarish enough, but then you have real footage of thousands of worms crawling over each other and an endless hallway with "EXIT?" signs over an endless number of doors. He picks the wrong one.
* ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool'':
** The scene where Timothy gets himself trapped behind a door near the end of "Shy Charles".

** The entire cast and the library patrons getting trapped inside a storybook after having been sent there by Click, who makes the ill-timed choice of going into ''sleep mode'' while everyone is screaming to be returned to reality. [[FromBadToWorse And then a seafaring captain comes to check said book out for his two-year voyage across the globe]]. Luckily everyone is fine by the next episode, but everyone is rightly horrified at how their situation nearly played out.
** Lampshaded with the Sam Spud skits, which almost always end with a young child commenting on how strange the show about sentient food is while watching it on TV, despite their parents insistence that it's "educational".
** The "freebee" virus in "The Good Seed" for all the random chaos that happens because of it. Taken up to eleven if you're a small child who just came here from ''WesternAnimation/TrappedInHyperspace''.

* ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'': For just how saccharine and otherwise pleasant this show is, Cyrus looks really creepy. Sure, he ''is'' supposed to be a bad guy, and he does have a few silly moments, but he's still... unsettling, to say the least. The fact that he's likely an omnivore doesn't make things any better.
* ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'':
** Martha's nightmare in "Too Much Martha" portrays her as being literally paper thin and unable to really move on her own, yet still forced on a (stricter) diet by Helen to "lose weight". While the sequence has some admittedly amusing moments, such as paper-thin Martha being flown like a kite for a "walk", Martha's panicky AndIMustScream state and Helen's obliviousness (or indifference) to Martha's condition make it all the creepier.
** The episode "The Trouble With Teddy" has some scary moments, including one of the dogs who was implied to have had a near-death experience in the past.
** In "Helen's All Thumbs", the negative effects of Helen's gaming. Particularly her forgetting to feed Martha and Skits and especially her ''hallucinating'' sprites from the game!
* ''WesternAnimation/MayaAndMiguel'': In one episode, Maya and Miguel [[TheBet make a bet]] about who can go longer without their forfeit (coming up with a plan to help solve a problem for Maya; playing video games for Miguel). While most of the episode is just weird as Maya keeps a lid on her attempts to help and Miguel's attempts at the same backfire so badly Maya's antics are stated to be preferable, late in the episode, Miguel has a nightmare where he's confronted by the villain of one of his video games and when he begs Maya for help, she ''leaves him to die with a cheerful statement that she's not allowed to help and a wave goodbye''.

** And let's not forget the immense creepiness of the battles between the pluses and minuses... A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53dSP5IM5CY visceral testament]] to the simplicity of arithmetic and the futility and horrors of war.

** The scene where Timothy gets himself trapped behind a door near the end of "Shy Charles".
* ''Series/{{Zoboomafoo}}'': "Grow, Zoboo, Grow" has a jarring scene where, when Chris and Martin return from their adventure, they find Zoboo chained to an automated rack, trying to stretch himself out to grow. The Kratt Brothers promptly release him from the rack to keep him out of danger,
** Worse, [[FridgeHorror if it would've took longer for the brothers to return, Zoboo's limbs could've been either dislocated or torn off completely.]]

* NightmareFuel/SagwaTheChineseSiameseCat

Not even the government-funded children's programming block Creator/PBSKids is free from scary moments.

* Quite a few were frightened by the Dot system cue that aired after shows between 1999-2013, which consisted of Dot [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou running towards the viewer]] until she stops, smiles, and cue the PBS Kids logo! YMMV, since others will see it as nostalgic.
* While the Fishbowl system cue that aired after shows between 2002-2013 seems pretty tame and harmless like the rest of the system cues, it is actually a bit dark if you think about it. Dash imagines himself as a fish that's swimming in peace, only to be eaten by Dot as a fish near the end. That's right, Dash literally dies in his imagination!

* ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'':
** [[http://barney.wikia.com/wiki/File:Mrmoon.jpg The Moon]] in the Season 12 episode "The Misbegotten Moon: A Space Adventure".
** To some, the original Barney costume from the Backyard Gang videos looked pretty creepy. [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/barney/images/0/0e/CreepiestBarney.png/revision/latest?cb=20170812063018 ESPECIALLY the first design in the first three videos]], in which he was dark purple, skinny, had giant eyes, and a red mouth with a tongue.
*** [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/barney/images/c/c5/CreepyBackyardDoll.png/revision/latest?cb=20170812062949 His original plush counterpart at the time]] is also unsettling (compared to the subsequent dolls used on the show), considering it almost looks nothing like its costumed counterpart.
** The end of the Backyard Gang video "Waiting For Santa", with Santa looking at the camera and whispering almost menacingly "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
** According to several Website/YouTube comments, many children were scared by the bear in "Barney's Campfire Singalong" due to the sheer creepiness of his appearance and because he appears out of the darkness of the woods.
** The winking baseball during "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in "Three Wishes".
** The donkey at the end of "Rock With Barney". From its heart-freezing braying (which is also heard earlier in the video, scaring Baby Bop) to its creepy wink to the camera. As if that wasn't enough, it re-appears at the end of the credits and winks again.

* The Boobahs are this to some, due to their weird, alien-like appearance.

* ''Series/DonkeyHodie'':
** Some people are quick to note that Purple Panda's puppet looks scary, likely because he has different eyes compared to the rest of the puppets on the show (the black parts of his eyes have no white pupils in them like the other characters do).
*** His eyes lacking pupils is one reason Purple Panda's face looks even creepier [[https://i.redd.it/45em5cag0vu71.png when he makes eyes that look tired.]]
** In "Super Duper Sleepover", Donkey Hodie and Purple Panda see a monster in Purple Panda's room that turns out to be [[spoiler: a pile of their toys]]. This scares not just them, but their friend Stanley, and has also been reported to scare several child viewers.
** "Spooky Shadow Swamp" takes place in a dark swamp that Donkey Hodie and Purple Panda find scary. There's also a part where Donkey Hodie wears a disguise that looks more eerie than the other costumes she's donned in the series.

* ''WesternAnimation/JayJayTheJetPlane'': The planes' faces. Especially disconcerting is the fact that the faces of the younger planes ''barely'' look like those of the young "kids" they're supposed to be.
* ''WesternAnimation/KatieAndOrbie'': InUniverse, silly horror stories about monsters made of sludge and green marshmallows become this for Katie and Orbie in two separate episodes.

** Maya thinking Paco got cooked in the cafeteria.
** Abuelita having to save the twins from being trampled during a sports game.
* The puppets on ''Series/LambChopsPlayAlong'' look creepy enough to give some people nightmares.
* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'':
** Lady Elaine and her red nose.
** The original puppet for Prince Tuesday used before the character was aged up in the post-79 shows.
** The Frogg family.
** Full-body costumed characters like Bob Dog and Purple Panda were known to scare some viewers.
*** When the actor who played Mr. [=McFeely=] visited a kindergarten class, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A8bb9qHhHw the students were excited]] when it was announced that Purple Panda was coming, only for all of them to start crying in fear once he came out.
** On a related note, the appearance of the brick-red building (added from 1974-onwards, not counting the prototype version used from 1972-73) that appears in the model neighborhood at the beginning and end of the show, can be a bit unsettling, especially during the end of the credits when it's zoomed in very close.
* ''Series/TheNoddyShop'':
** Some of the puppets might be considered this. Some examples include Johnny Crawfish (due to his teeth always sticking out), Island Princess (who has creepy eyes) and the Ruby Reds (lips not attached to faces).
** One episode featured a song called "I'm Not Scared" that sounds scary on purpose to trick the viewers into thinking that the puppets are being brave when the song expresses their actual mood.
** "Thunder and Lightning" mostly takes place in the dark [[PowerOutagePlot as the result of a power outage]]. Combine this with the above-mentioned creepy puppets, and it's a combination likely to creep out some viewers.
** "The Human Touch" has a subplot about Disrupto wanting to mind-control the toys. And if that wasn't bad enough, the episode's musical number features rapidly flashing lights in a dark setting.
* ''WesternAnimation/PegPlusCat'': In "The Friday the 13th Problem", Richard's fear of the eponymous number seems to invoke this trope. The song he sings in the episode doesn't help at all, showing disturbing imagery such as skeletons, a ghost (good thing it was just a squirrel), and a cloudy skull in the clouds.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'':
** "The Plant from Bortron 7": Right after the group gets the gigantic plant back to its normal size, Mindy plants more seeds of said plant. The episode ends with more giant plants stomping around. The episode also ends with the kids screaming in terror.
** "My Three Suns": Jet trying to tag Sean and Sydney, and then ending up in a black void where he'll be it "forever", kinda gives off a NothingIsScarier vibe.

* ''WesternAnimation/SplashAndBubbles''
** [[http://www.benspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160518_083453-560x315.jpg This Splash walkaround]]
** In real-life angler fish species, the males metamorphose into a parasitic form that attaches onto a much larger female. In this show, this relationship is actually shown with Lu the football-type angler fish and her husband Bob, who amounts to little more than a tiny, talking face embedded in the side of Lu's body. To its credit, the show is very matter-of-fact about this relationship and does not portray it as anything unusual or disturbing; but it's still absolutely horrifying.

* ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}'':
** You can count on it that many children were probably freaked out by the Baby Sun's occasional squawking or loud cries. ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' put it best: "Oh, ''GOD!''".
** The bear and lion sketch, which featured uncanny puppetry and menacing music. Understandably, the sketch was [[BannedInChina banned in four countries, including the USA]], and a new version was created with silly sound effects and comedic gags like the lion meowing for some reason.
** The Teletubbies themselves can be nightmare fuel, with their unmoving faces and blank, staring eyes.
** The Magic House sketch was also rather unnerving to some, especially in the original UK broadcasts where the puppet inside the house made very weird noises and sang off-key.

** For anyone who is scared of the idea of sleep deprivation, Martha being tired in "Martha's Chair" and her and Helen being tired in "Martha Walks the Dog" can be scary.
** Though "Camp Truman" mainly averts this, several of the suggested ideas (like Milo losing his ability to ever be happy and Milo getting tired) were pretty creepy.
** Another nightmare of Martha's in "Fit vs Fat" is a bit of this, because, in it, her, Helen, Alice, T.D., Truman, and Ronald are very lazy. In fact, the kids (sans Ronald, who is slightly less lazy) are so lazy that they have great trouble lifting small objects and groan all the time.

** According to several Website/YouTube comments, many children were scared by the bear in "Barney's Campfire Singalong" due to the sheer Uncanny Valley factor of his appearance and because he appears out of the darkness of the woods.

** The Teletubbies themselves can be nightmare fuel, with their unmoving UncannyValley faces and blank, staring eyes.

** The "freebee" virus in "The Good Seed" for all the random chaos that happens because of it. Taken UpToEleven if you're a small child who just came here from ''WesternAnimation/TrappedInHyperspace''.

* While the Fishbowl system cue that aired after shows between 2002-2013 seems pretty tame and harmless like the rest of the system cues, it is actually a bit morbid if you think about it. Dash imagines himself as a fish that's swimming in peace, only to be eaten by Dot as a fish near the end. That's right, Dash literally dies in his imagination!

* The funding bumpers seen on PBS Kids shows like ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' and ''Reading Rainbow'' might have scared a few, with kids' heads [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou that stare directly at the camera]], its announcers, and its synth music.