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| 4 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks! |
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| 8 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1449065932001561100 |
| 9 | %% Image kept on page per IP thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1597010610001425500 |
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| 12 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/WatershipDown https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_watership3_031115.png]]]] |
| 13 | [[caption-width-right:350:For kids age six and up. (Right?)]] |
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| 15 | ->''"Our future society is ''desperately'' bloodthirsty. When they fight, you see people just foaming at the mouth out of excitement at the destruction. It's a kid's movie!"'' |
| 16 | -->-- '''Bayer and Snider''', ''Movie B.S.'' on ''Film/RealSteel'' |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Often times, productions that are marketed to children make us wonder if they were created for them, because of potentially explicit content, serious and mature plots or both. 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 [[SameContentDifferentRating is given a G rating but has an awful lot of potentially explicit content]]. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | This phenomenon can also occur due to ValuesDissonance. For example, formerly acceptable targets are, by definition, no longer acceptable, and RealLife tragedies can make things HarsherInHindsight, and different countries' MoralGuardians have [[MediaNotes/CensorshipSystems different standards]]. There's also the fact that, in the past, the line between "child" and "adult" wasn't always drawn at the same age as it is now, and children weren't always expected to be shielded by default from the horrible realities of the world around them. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Another reason for this trope is that a good number of children are quite fond of scary or violent things, and are often too young to understand the reasons many of these stories are considered dark. |
| 23 | Often confused with WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids, where a work is ''commonly mistaken'' as being for kids even when it is not. When played for laughs, see DemographicallyInappropriateHumour. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Another major reason for this reaction is that the core cast of the work in question are [[MatureAnimalStory animals instead of humans]]. It has been noted with many examples listed here that despite having the similar mature themes along with the presence of blood and violence, whether the cast is human or animal often solely determines whether it gets shelved to the young adult or children's section respectively in bookstores and libraries. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | %% Note for people adding examples to this trope. To be sufficient for this trope, a work has to have a ''significant'' amount of content that will make you raise your eyebrows. A couple of moments isn't an example. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | ---- |
| 30 | !!Example subpages |
| 31 | |
| 32 | [[index]] |
| 33 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids/AnimeAndManga Anime and Manga]] |
| 34 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids/{{Film}} Film]] |
| 35 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids/{{Literature}} Literature]] |
| 36 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids.LiveActionTV Live-Action TV]] |
| 37 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids.{{Music}} Music]] |
| 38 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids.VideoGames Video Games]] |
| 39 | * [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids.WesternAnimation Western Animation]] |
| 40 | [[/index]] |
| 41 | |
| 42 | !!Other examples |
| 43 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 44 | |
| 45 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 46 | * The advertising campaign for Kellogg's Fruit Wind-Ups consisted of CGI anthropomorphic fruit killing their normal-shaped but sentient brethren in extremely sadistic and cruel ways in order to make the product. This leads to things like innocent fruit desperately begging not to die; one involved the evil fruit sucking all the juice out of an orange, leaving his ''dead empty skin'' laying in the street. If anything, it's ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty'' meets ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}''. |
| 47 | * One ''Advertising/GotMilk'' ad featured two children who refuse to drink milk, because they believe milk is for babies. They tell their mother that their elderly next-door neighbor, Mr. Miller, never drinks milk. They see him going to use his wheelbarrow when suddenly his arms rip off because, having not consumed milk, his bones are weak and fragile. The children scream in horror and then frighteningly start imbibing every last drop of milk they have. This ad was enough to have ex-California Governor Gray Davis demand that the National Milk Processor Education Program yank it from broadcast. |
| 48 | * [[https://youtu.be/Ta0DlcxyY5M This Australian commercial]] for the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem comes off as very creepy in itself. Despite lacking any of the gore or gruesomeness in other examples in this folder, the dated [=3D=] models and droning robot voices are definitely a big source of nightmare fuel. The ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' castle theme playing during the taunting speech of "YOU CANNOT BEAT US" really doesn't help matters. |
| 49 | * In 1989, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society created [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSb1wHyywD4 this]] animated PIF against the whale hunting on the Faroe Islands. Despite the fact that it features whales being graphically slaughtered with lots of blood as they scream, the makers of the PIF wanted it to appear before the movie ''When the Whales Came'', which is rated U in the PIF's country of origin, the United Kingdom. |
| 50 | [[/folder]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | [[folder:AsianAnimation]] |
| 53 | * The level of violence in ''Animation/BlackCatDetective'' probably wouldn't be allowed in any modern children's show. Most graphically, in the very first episode, the protagonist shoots the ear off the main villain who is then shown holding his own severed ear, with blood all over his hand and head. In general, the graphic shooting and stabbing of {{Mooks}} is clearly seen as no big deal. Civilians and heroes can die too; for example, in one episode, a monkey child gets eaten by the villain. |
| 54 | * ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' is undeniably a children's show, but it contains some surprisingly dark scenes and pieces of lore, such as the entire story about Doctor H. missing his DisappearedDad, the episode in Season 7 where [[spoiler:a certain character sacrifices themselves]], and another episode in Season 14 where [[spoiler:the Dark Demon stabs Happy S. and turns him into his Jixie Stone form]]. The Season 7 episode in particular is notable, as it's one of the episodes that was made available on Miao Mi, an Hong Kong-based educational channel for ''preschool and kindergarten-aged children''. |
| 55 | * ''Animation/TheHauntedHouseTheSecretOfTheGhostBall'' is about two siblings and [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent a friendly goblin]]. Every episode features the trio catching various kinds of ghosts, sometimes accompanied with their two classmates as well. Many of their encounters are incredibly scary, going as far as including {{Humanoid Abomination}}s! Sprinkle in chunks of BodyHorror here and there, a batch of NightmareFuel, and a bunch of depressing backstories, and now you've got some perfect NightmareFuel in your hands. All this despite the show being aimed at children. |
| 56 | * The earlier seasons (notably season 1) of ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' is often criticized for being quite violent and stretching the boundaries of {{Slapstick}} into FamilyUnfriendlyViolence. People cite the incident where a kid caused serious harm after imitating the show. Though fans defend the show by saying that the show itself is fine and that parents should be more mindful if they're worried about it. |
| 57 | [[/folder]] |
| 58 | |
| 59 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 60 | * ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': |
| 61 | ** Creator/{{Disney}} Italy created Paperinik, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck's SuperHero alter ego... who is actually an UnscrupulousHero who sadistically torments anyone pissing Donald off but gets mistaken for an actual superhero, by characters and some writers and readers alike, because criminals are at or near the top of his shit list; whenever the writers remember his origins he's chased by the whole police force [[TheDreaded because he's just that scary]], has gadgets to spray acid (for use on locks, fortunately) and to [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wipe out memories]], stopped going around with an actual M1911 pistol only after replacing it with a multi-purpose beam weapon that includes a ''DisintegratorRay'', and, in an early story, ''tried to murder Gladstone before thousands of witnesses'' (disguised as a mere and well-deserved kick in the butt... that threw Gladstone from a tower). |
| 62 | ** The ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'' series, inspired by American superhero comics, introduced the Evronians, an HordeOfAlienLocusts out to eat our emotions (save for a few people to keep as cattle) and transform us into SlaveMooks. Also, a survivor of Xerba, a planet invaded by the Evronians, has transformed herself into a {{Physical God}}dess, out to commit genocide against the Evronians as payback for their invasion of her homeworld. |
| 63 | ** Basically the whole reason why the relatively obscure story "ComicBook/TheCallOfCRusso" is so widely known. It plays the despair-inducing and existential dread of the CosmicHorrorStory genre completely straight for a Disney comic. |
| 64 | ** ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'' reads, essentially, like an adventure novel. If the main characters had been human instead of {{Funny Animal}}s and the comic hadn't made liberal use of {{Discretion Shot}}s and BloodlessCarnage, it would have slotted in quite neatly next to ''{{ComicBook/Blueberry}}'' and ''Franchise/ModestyBlaise''. |
| 65 | * Creator/ECComics. The entire company output qualifies, even after correcting for ValuesDissonance for their being published in the 1950s. Even back then, however, MoralGuardians raised plenty of objections that their comic books were inappropriate for kids; EC strenuously resisted censorship until MediaNotes/TheComicsCode went into effect. |
| 66 | * ''[[http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Heaven%27s_Girl Heaven's Girl]]'', a comic produced by the [[{{Cult}} Children of God]]/[[IHaveManyNames The Family]] in 1987 for ''child members'' before [[http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Category:Purged_documents being]] purged, feature the '''gang rape'''[[note]]See [[http://www.xfamily.org/index.php?title=File:Heavens_Girl-pg70img.jpg&filetimestamp=20050213211726 here]].[[/note]] of the heroine, Marie Claire. Disturbingly, Marie Claire was based on David Berg[[note]]The guru.[[/note]]'s granddaughter, [[http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Merry_Jolene_Berg Merry Berg]], whom he has been [[http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Merry_Jolene_Berg#Life_in_The_Family accused of]] [[ParentalIncest raping]]. |
| 67 | * Due to a case of ValuesDissonance, Italian comics are often this, with the lone exception of ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'' (that was ''never'' for children but [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids was mistaken for this anyway]]). Examples include: |
| 68 | ** Aside for the above-mentioned Paperinik and ''Paperinik New Adventures'', Disney Italy has created ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' (with plenty of nightmarish situations), ''Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine'' (in which Mickey Mouse finds himself operating in a city dirtier than [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Gotham]]), and has a habit of showing Scrooge shooting at someone with intent to maim (with a rock salt-loaded blunderbuss) or, in the past, ''kill'' (with a buckshot-loaded double-barreled shotgun). |
| 69 | *** The Reginella Saga deals with the love story between Donald and the titular alien queen and features such lovely things as Reginella, usually a nice girl, [[JerkassBall outright kidnapping Donald and wipe his memory to keep him with her]] before events forced her to release him in the first story. The apex is achieved with the third one, where we have a furious Donald disrupting [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty Reginella's forced wedding]] with a ''shotgun'' and putting up a MookHorrorShow on ''[[OneManArmy an entire army]]''. That he then threatens to finish off if they don't melt their weapons into agricultural tools ''right now''. |
| 70 | *** ''L'Inferno di Topolino'' (''Mickey's Hell'') is a Disney version of Dante's ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Inferno]]''. Despite being massively [[LighterAndSofter lighter and softer]] than its inspiration, it includes bits like this (which, in original, has the same verse structure of the poem): |
| 71 | ---->My name is Goofy and I am a poet |
| 72 | ---->Now through Hell we'll have a walk |
| 73 | ---->Towards a dark and painful place. |
| 74 | ---->Once there we will pary Satan |
| 75 | ---->To be so gracious with us |
| 76 | ---->To make us exit this painful pass. |
| 77 | |
| 78 | ** One of the main characters of ''[[ComicBook/RatMan1989 Rat-Man]]'' is Cinzia Otherside, a blonde transsexual ''prostitute'' with a [[GagPenis 30-cm penis]] in love with the protagonist and often trying to do him. Then the various stories include one-off gags (with Cinzia having originated as one) such as WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'s mother returning to life as a FleshEatingZombie and ''eating Bambi'' (it was the storyline parodying ''Series/TheWalkingDead'')... |
| 79 | ** The satirical comic ''Jenus of Nazareth'' openly shows paedophile priests. |
| 80 | * Malaysian comics, at least some Malaysian Chinese works, have this trope due to blood, death, gore, guns, weapons, etc. being prominent in them. Ping Ton Comic, an Malaysian comic strip series, contains English swear words. |
| 81 | * The ComicBook/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 {{Creator/Marvel|Comics}} 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/CivilWar2006 fiasco, and the rest of the [[ArmedWithCanon dueling-author messes]] completely. Marvel Adventures appeals to adults who liked mainstream Creator/MarvelComics 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 [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools tropes are not bad]]. (Also, forget the 80s; Marvel Adventures: ComicBook/SpiderMan has the Blonde Phantom as a {{Recurr|ingCharacter}}er. Remember her? No? [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Ask your grandparents]].) |
| 82 | ** Interestingly, as much as DarkerAndEdgier is considered a good thing, it ''is'' quite lighter than the mainstream comics. It turns out that if you tell a good story, people will enjoy it over a poor one that has more blood, sex, and swearing. |
| 83 | * ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': |
| 84 | ** The British G1 ''ComicBook/MyLittlePony'' comics. The most well-known story ("Applejack once killed a man") involves Applejack saving ponies who are forced to be slaves and have gone blind from being in the dark so long. Applejack kills the Wizard who's forcing them to dig up gems (the comic says that she killed him by accident, but you can see her bucking him into a chasm plain as day), and [[EyeScream gems from his throne get lodged in the blind ponies' eyes]], which gives them back their vision. This is not the only SurprisinglyCreepyMoment in this comic for little girls. |
| 85 | ** ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' is promoted as an all-ages comic, but the series thus far has been a little darker than one would expect from a series where most of the covers feature cute, colorful ponies, as noted in the [[NightmareFuel/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW Nightmare Fuel section]]. |
| 86 | ** ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFiendshipIsMagic'': |
| 87 | *** The King Sombra comic ''really'' doesn't seem like something you'd find from ''Franchise/MyLittlePony''. Nothing in the comic is any darker than some Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon films like ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'', but some of the imagery and tones are rather scary and frightening for younger readers. |
| 88 | *** The ''Queen Chrysalis'' comic similarly amps up the number of horrific scenes that borderline what would be appropriate for children. |
| 89 | * ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'' is the MorePopularSpinoff of another comic book, and has a fair share of creepy stories... Starting from the very first book, featuring a ZombieApocalypse that predates ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' by ''nine years''. |
| 90 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Played strangely with ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'', which indulges in every excess contemporary comics are wont to indulge in (Doc Ock [[GrandTheftMe stealing]] Peter Parker's body, then jacking off in it?) - but the writer has gone on record as saying that he wants kids to read it. |
| 91 | * A lot of Flemish comedy comic books can be [[ValuesDissonance frightening to foreigners]]. Though in native Flanders, where MoralGuardians are treated like [[TheFundamentalist extremists]], it's pretty normal for kids to read stuff like that. |
| 92 | ** ''Plankgas en Plastronneke'' is a Flemish comic book widely known for being endorsed by the famous Flemish comedian ''Urbanus''. Did we mention that its jokes are almost all a form of ComedicSociopathy? It has more gore and gross-out than WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether and WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy combined. |
| 93 | ** ''Pitch'' is pretty tame in general, though some of the BlackComedy shots (there is a suicide joke at the beginning of the very first album) may make it off-putting for foreign viewers. |
| 94 | * ''ComicBook/CindyAndBiscuit'' manages to get this trope and WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids as well due to its [[BloodyHilarious ludicrously extreme violence]] and MoodWhiplash depictions of Cindy's depressing mundane life. It has been nominated for children's' comics awards, and according to WordOfGod '''is''' intended for children, but some early reviewers assumed that it was a DeconstructiveParody of WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld stories. |
| 95 | * ''ComicBook/TytusRomekIAtomek'' is one of the most well-liked Polish comic books, and often treated as a quintessential kids' series. However, the later installments contain some surprisingly dark and mature themes, including sexual innuendo. For instance, about half of Book 22 has Tytus accidentally turn evil due to [[AppliedPhlebotinum Phlebotinum]] and subsequently run a criminal gang whose activities are depicted quite realistically; meanwhile book 26 ("Tytus's Honeymoon") has Tytus and his wife fly a vehicle which is propelled by [[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum them having sex onboard]]. |
| 96 | * ''ComicBook/MegaRoboBros'' gets on here just barely by throwing in the occasional swear word. |
| 97 | * ''ComicBook/{{Condorito}}'' is a {{Long Runner|s}}, so he has fans of different generations, including children of 8 or 10 years. However many of his jokes have a lot of BlackComedy, a lot of violence - including deaths - used humorously, etc. In addition to that in the oldest stories they include [[ValuesDissonance all kinds of ethnic stereotypes]] that are less acceptable today. |
| 98 | * The chilean comic ''ComicBook/{{Mampato}}'' was always designed for children, and also for educational purposes, but in his stories he has no problem in showing things like [[DeliberateValuesDissonance war, racism, sexism, disproportionate punishments]] (Twenty lashes for stealing an apple!), HumanSacrifice, etc., etc. |
| 99 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' already had a lot of themes you wouldn't expect to see from a children's show, ranging from abusive families to what growing up in a war does to a child, but the comics went full in on the political themes that were only touched on in the show, spending a great deal of time exploring the realistic consequences of 100 years of war: |
| 100 | ** ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise'' explores the consequences of longtime colonization. When Zuko realizes that the vast majority of the colonies' population are second, third, fourth or more generation colonists who know no other life than what they have in the colonies and that it would be wrong to uproot them all and move them to a nation they've never been in, it brings him into conflict with Earth King Kuwei, who quite understandably sees them only as invaders who stole land rightfully belonging to the Earth Kingdom. |
| 101 | ** ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheRift'' and ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderNorthAndSouth'' both explore the darker sides of the industrialization that tends to follow wars. |
| 102 | *** In ''The Rift'', the industrialization of a small town has both caused them to build over an Air nomad holy site, but also forgotten a festival meant to appease the spirits, and the spirits in question are pissed. Aang does eventually appease them, but general Old Iron thinks that spirits have no place in this world. |
| 103 | *** In ''North and South'', Katara and Sokka return home to find their old village turned into a city thanks to the aid of the Northern Water Tribe. While this does come with significant improvements in life standard, Katara worries that it will cause the loss of the unique Southern Water Tribe culture, especially since the NWT tends to act a lot like white saviors (except not white). The story does not reach any definitive conclusion to this, but shows both sides to be in the right. On the one side, the SWT has a unique culture that deserves to be preserved. On the other, the industrialization has improved the life of the south significantly, especially for non-benders. |
| 104 | ** In ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderSmokeAndShadow'', newly minted Fire Lord Zuko struggles with how much power he should exhert to protect his people while avoiding becoming a tyrannical dictator like his father. When the children of the Fire Nation start going missing, people start blaming him for not doing enough to protect him, and the New Ozai Society terrorist organization gains traction by organizing militias to protect the people if the Fire Lord is unable to. |
| 105 | * Most of the comic book stories starring Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog. Way back in the 90s, in [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics the Archie Comics series]], Sally’s mentor Julayla dies of old age. Pretty tame, right? Nothing too bad except for how horrifying Eggman aka Robotnik looks. Fast forward over a decade later, and you have Scourge (formerly Anti-Sonic) implying that he murdered his own father and gouged out Patch’s eye. Also, we get plenty of fanservice in the later comics from characters like Bunnie, Fiona, Rouge, Sally, and the female echidnas like Julie-Su, Lara-Su, and Lien-Da. In [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW the IDW series]], many of the characters get turned into evil zombie robots due to the Metal Virus (Shadow and Vector look especially creepy), with Sonic himself getting infected and nearly succumbing to the virus. |
| 106 | ** Sonic “hooking up” with Fiona before she became evil. Said characters are 15 and 16 years old respectively. How did THIS make it past the censors?! |
| 107 | ** Some sex jokes involving Scourge, Fiona, Bunnie, and Rouge have been thrown in. They’ll likely go over a kid’s head, but there’s one involving Bunnie calling herself a “sax-cymbal”. |
| 108 | ** The Metal Virus saga in the IDW series is a top contender for the bleakest Sonic story ever. The 21-issue arc is almost nonstop misery from start to finish, and if older readers were as drained as Team Sonic was by the time of their DarkestHour, one can only imagine how younger readers must've felt. |
| 109 | *** The Metal Virus itself, a bioweapon created by Dr. Eggman, is a SpiritualSuccessor to his roboticizers in the Archie series and the old weekend morning cartoons. But whereas old-school roboticization was instantaneous, this new form of it is slow, painful, and (for a kids' comic) pretty gruesome. Those who succumb to the Metal Virus turn into zombie-like robots called "Zombots", which, with their [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]], sharp teeth, gruesome SpikesOfVillainy, and perpetually angry faces, are ''not'' a pretty sight to behold, their ability to infect with merely a small touch notwithstanding. |
| 110 | *** By far the most horrifying Zombot-ification is that of [[spoiler:Tangle the Lemur]], the IDW series' resident PluckyComicRelief. Unlike other such transformations, hers happens completely on-page and is very detailed. Her Zombot form is one of the [[EvilMakesYouUgly ugliest]], too. |
| 111 | *** Sonic manages to hold off his own Metal Virus infection by repeatedly running it off, but he nearly [[HeroicRROD exhausts himself to death]] doing so and the infection finally overcomes his speed during the Zombot arc's climax. And just before Silver cures him via the Chaos Emeralds, [[BodyHorror Zombot spikes sprout all over Sonic's body like an awful skin condition]]. Yeesh... |
| 112 | ** The tragic tale of Whisper the Wolf. Long story short, she was once part of an elite anti-Eggman mercenary squad, but one of her friends turned traitor and the others were consequently slaughtered by Eggman's robots; poor Whisper, the SoleSurvivor, became a traumatized shadow of her former self, [[TheQuietOne rarely speaking up]] and keeping no company but a small handful of Wisps. She opens up to Tangle with some hesitation, only for Tangle to fall victim to the Metal Virus and [[BreakTheCutie break Whisper's heart]] [[YankTheDogsChain all over again]]. [[FromBadToWorse To add to Whisper's dismay]], Sonic and co.'s only hope of stopping the plague is a [[EnemyMine a subsequent truce with Eggman against the Deadly Six]]; this, combined with Eggman's JokerImmunity, screws Whisper out of avenging her losses to him, although thankfully she gets compensated when Sonic and Silver destroy the Metal Virus, bringing back Tangle and the plague's other victims. |
| 113 | ** Mimic the Octopus, the traitor who sold Whisper's team out to Eggman, is an AxCrazy shapeshifter who often combines his true form's facial features with those of the people he impersonates; [[NightmareFace what results]] is ''not'' kid-friendly at all. |
| 114 | ** The Deadly Six make their IDW debut late in the Metal Virus saga and prove to be ''much'' eviler than they are in the games as they seize control of the Zombots from Eggman. They've always been violent {{Sadist}}s, but what really makes their IDW incarnations horrifying is their [[WouldHurtAChild malevolence towards children]]. For example: one of the six Zeti, Zor, outright says he wants to have a child Zombot-ified [[ForcedToWatch and make the father watch]]. |
| 115 | *** By the time the Zeti come along, Cream the Rabbit, a cute six-year-old girl and one of Sonic's nicest friends, has lost more to the Metal Virus than anyone else. When the Zeti get involved, however, Cream's [[ButtMonkey already rotten luck]] [[FromBadToWorse kicks into overdrive]]. Shortly before getting infected with the Metal Virus herself (and likely succumbing off-screen), she's physically abused by the Zeti girl Zeena, who dangles her in front of some Zombots while manhandling her (according to a recent WordOfGod, the original script had Zeena kicking Cream around [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown while she was already down]], but luckily that idea was scrapped). Later, after the Metal Virus is finally destroyed and its victims restored to normal, Cream is confronted by the leader of the Deadly Six, Zavok, who threatens to kill her out of spite for Sonic. Thank goodness the poor girl finally caught a break later on... |
| 116 | * ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesAdventures'' was created by Creator/ArchieComics as a LighterAndSofter substitute for the main ''ComicBook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' comics, which were much darker, gorier, and intended for older audiences. It started out in the vein of the silly [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon series]] that aired around the time of its initial release, but like the ''Sonic'' comics from the same company, elements of continuity, sociopolitical commentary, and violence began to creep in as the series went on, some of which really pushed the boundaries of the MediaNotes/TheComicsCode. It culminated in an infamous story arc where the Turtles face off against (and punch out!) UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler. |
| 117 | [[/folder]] |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[folder:Fanfic]] |
| 120 | * Misuse of the ratings on Website/FanfictionDotNet and Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn can [[MisAimedFandom lead to people]] [[MisAimedMarketing believing this]]. There are fanfics on the former rated K or K+ that contain things like cursing and {{lemon}}s. On the latter, the ratings have no clear guidelines, so it is common for fics that have F-bombs ''in their tags'' or explicit sexual kinks to be rated for general audiences. |
| 121 | * The final story of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'', "Black Rain", contains Franchise/{{the Slender Man|Mythos}}. In a ''kid's show.'' This is only the tip of the iceberg (for one, the opening of the episode plays out like a non-murderous version of a horror movie). |
| 122 | * Approximately half of all entries in the ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesGardenWarfare'' SharedUniverse which includes ''Fanfic/ForHimToBeBlamedForThemToFix'' are rated K or K+, with the source material being a family-friendly if not kid-friendly experience. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Without going into detail, let's just say a military war, and more specifically several particularly harrowing character arcs, are not kind to either of those principles.]] |
| 123 | * The ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' story Fanfic/{{Intercom}} has a K+ rating on Fanfiction.net, which is generally the equivalent to the original film's PG rating. In spite of that, however, this story is pretty dark (at least once Cerebus Syndrome kicks in) as it features rather mature subjects such as mental disorders and Riley deciding to [[spoiler:take anti-psychosis medication]] behind her parents' back. Luckily the latter point is alleviated, but then worse problems begin to arise... |
| 124 | * ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'' preaches that things like love and tolerance are actually worthless and only brutal force can lead to true happiness. Characters get KilledOffForReal in rather brutal ways for little kids, and there are certain sexual innuendos to be found in the entire story. Yet the author proclaims that the fanfiction is way better entertainment for kids than [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic the actual show]] it rips off of. The best example for it may be a chapter of ''My Brave Pony: Star Fleet Magic II'', in which Fluttershy is in the hospital to be operated on. A changeling slips in and tries to kill her by cutting her open and letting her bleed to death. |
| 125 | * The creator of the fanon ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob|SquarePants}}'' spinoff [[http://spongefan.wikia.com/wiki/Warriors_of_Bikini_Bottom Warriors of Bikini Bottom]] claims the show is intended for middle school age and up, but that doesn't stop it from having characters discussing their sex lives (and on occasion, even having sex), swearing in the transcripts, and having various gory fights. |
| 126 | * The first few seasons of ''Fanfic/ThePokemonSquad'' were supposedly aimed at children, but still had a fair few raunchy elements; Brock was still a pervert (albeit not as bad as he is nowadays), Barney the Dinosaur was still clearly a pedophile, there was tons of drunkenness PlayedForLaughs and not to mention [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath all the violent ways]] WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum [[TheyKilledKennyAgain died]]. The later seasons avert this trope, as it took a GenreShift for a more adult audience. |
| 127 | [[/folder]] |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[folder:Newspaper Comics]] |
| 130 | * This {{trope}} was invoked in a ''ComicStrip/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, ''Series/KnightRider'' is a kid's show!" to which Steve replies. "Can't be. Can't [[SymbolSwearing &%^#ing]] be!" |
| 131 | * ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo''. It's a whole nightmare ''world!'' Though this 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 Little Nemo, who is about nine at that point, is reading ''Literature/GulliversTravels''. |
| 132 | [[/folder]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[folder:Rides]] |
| 135 | * ''[[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles TMNT Shellraiser]]'', found at [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} Nickelodeon Universe]] at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. Considering it's themed after one of the world's biggest cartoon series, and it's under the license of children's network Nickelodeon, it was designed to be marketed specifically towards kids. Despite this, it's one of the most extreme roller coasters in the world, with it going from 0 to 62.1 mph in a span of only 2 seconds, and also holding the world record for the steepest drop on a roller coaster, having a beyond-vertical drop of ''121.5°''. |
| 136 | [[/folder]] |
| 137 | |
| 138 | [[folder:Roleplay]] |
| 139 | * An in-universe example in ''Roleplay/{{Airlocked}}''. While [[spoiler:the titular ImmoralRealityShow, disguised and marketed as fiction,]] is full of violence, murder, and innuendo (and that's not even mentioning Season 3 being HotterAndSexier by design), there are examples of merchandise geared towards all ages and multiple children in the fanbase, including one or two cosplaying toddlers. WordOfGod is that space has a wide variety of age rating systems. |
| 140 | * Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG is a fun family adventure on a family-friendly website with death, destruction, genocide, drugs, alcohol, sexism, smoking, homophobia, unstoppable cosmic horrors, child abuse, murder, betrayal, and torture, among other things. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 144 | * ''Not Parent Approved'' promotes itself as a [[MoralSubstitute "kid-friendly" version]] of ''TabletopGame/CardsAgainstHumanity'' for ages 8 and up. Besides the ubiquitous ToiletHumour and [[KidsAreCruel over-the-top mean spirit]], some cards would be considered to be too inappropriate for children, such as "Infected private parts", "My brother must be going through puberty, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything because he spends most of his time ___]]", "Training bras", [[BarbieDollAnatomy "The non-existent private parts of a Ken doll"]], and [[BallsGag "The word 'balls'"]]. |
| 145 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. In its home market of Britain, the game is (or at least was for a long time) primarily targeted at posh children and early teens. In the US, it is considered a ''very'' adult setting, with copious amounts of gore and NightmareFuel, dystopian nihilism, and heavily implied sexual themes as well (regarding the Dark Eldar and Slaanesh). Most American players are college students and adults. In fact, an announcement for [[Literature/WarhammerAdventures a series of children's books based on the setting]] was met with derision among American fans. In continental Europe, Russia, and Canada, the game is marketed equally to both groups. |
| 146 | * There is a trading card game where monsters are summoned through a process heavily implied to be ritual sacrifice, frequent references are made to hell and demons (albeit bowdlerized), including the implication that the game's discard pile ''is'' hell, per the card effects of several of those demons, along with bloody violence depicted, often on the cards themselves, and no shortage of scantily-clad women on the art (albeit censored in some markets). The game is TabletopGame/YuGiOh, and it's sold to American grade schoolers, even when it's aimed more at a teenage audience in its native Japan. |
| 147 | [[/folder]] |
| 148 | |
| 149 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 150 | * Depending on the incarnation, ''Theatre/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. |
| 151 | * "Junior" versions of musicals tend to skirt the edge of this; in addition to altering scores to match children's vocals and generally shortening them/cutting down on the number of songs to require less endurance, junior versions where the original isn't appropriate for children will often edit out some of the most objectionable. For example, the junior version of ''Theatre/LegallyBlonde'' cuts out many of the sexual references of the original, while the junior version of ''Theatre/OnceOnThisIsland'' omits [[spoiler:Ti Moune's suicide.]] Some people accept this, while others are skeptical or believe that the alterations don't go far enough. |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 155 | * [[https://www.digitiser2000.com/main-page/introducing-bonbon-land-denmarks-finest-theme-park BonBon-Land]] in Holme Olstrup, Denmark is supposed to be an average children's theme park, with roller coasters, water rides, and {{Funny Animal}}s. However, a majority of it is based on extreme ToiletHumour that sometimes cross into VulgarHumor territory, such as sculptures of a cow exposing her big bare (read: NippleAndDimed ''{{averted}}'') breasts and a seagull taking a dump into an alligator's mouth. |
| 156 | [[/folder]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 159 | %%* For years {{Franchise/Barbie}} has been accused of this (not to mention Franchise/{{Bratz}}), and we'll just leave it at that. |
| 160 | * [[WesternAnimation/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... |
| 161 | ** Similarily, these [[https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/y0maa0/my_spidey_senses_are_tingling/ Spider-]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/2rrmed/a_friend_bought_this_balloon_for_her_sons/ Man]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/klct7f/the_spiderman_balloon_my_friend_got_for_his_sons/ balloons]]. Guess that is what he means by "his spider sense is tingling". |
| 162 | * Speaking of Mike Mozart, there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgBvkHwCxJc this]] ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer''-licenced [=AquaPet=]. It's rather...interestingly shaped |
| 163 | * Franchise/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 live-action movie series. |
| 164 | * For a short period of time, there were vibrating ''Literature/HarryPotter'' broomsticks in toy stores. Which were enjoyed fondly by... well... ''all ages'', until it was brought to the companies attention that not everyone was riding the broom [[https://www.morefailat11.com/posts/160850-funny pretending to play Quidditch]]... |
| 165 | ** Mike Mozart of WebVideo/JeepersMedia had some fun pointing out the issue of this toy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvK9Prd57Q0 here]]. Watch out for his awful British accent, though. |
| 166 | * In 2004, Marvel Select released an action figure of Black Cat from Spider-Man, complete with huge, almost-exposed breasts. The age rating on the box? 7 and up. |
| 167 | * Franchise/{{LEGO}}: |
| 168 | ** The properties that Franchise/{{LEGO}} chooses to adapt for the VideoGame/{{LEGO Adaptation Game}}s and toys tend to skew towards PG-13 rated titles. ''Franchise/StarWars'' and ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' are initially PG material (with the later, darker ones being PG-13) but we also have the Burton/Schumacher ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' films (all PG-13), the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' films (likewise) and the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' series (first two are PG, but only because PG-13 didn't exist, and ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom The Temple of Doom]]'' was partially responsible for its creation). |
| 169 | ** In 2015, LEGO released a set that passed the LEGO Ideas submission and approval process... based upon ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. Merchandise for a sitcom filled to the brim with sex jokes is being sold in LEGO Stores alongside themes like ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfChima'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}''. You know, for kids! |
| 170 | ** The base version of ''VideoGame/LegoDimensions'' has ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', an adult-oriented animated satirical sitcom known for innuendo and jokes pertaining to contemporary American politics, ethnic and national stereotypes, child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, a {{Gorn}}-filled [[JustForFun/TheItchyAndScratchyShow children's cartoon]] and [[WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror annual Halloween specials]], and copious references to adult media, given that ''Simpsons'' is the first [[AnimatedShockComedy modern American adult animated television show]] to achieve mainstream popularity and [[FollowTheLeader inspired numerous other such shows]]. Expansions for ''Dimensions'' include ones for PG-13-rated ''Film/MissionImpossible'' and innuendo-laden ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}''. Agent Smith of R-rated ''Film/TheMatrix'' even appeared in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'' expansion! |
| 171 | ** A Marvel Heroes set pits Deadpool and Magneto against Wolverine. While Magneto has had his share of violence in the comics, the release of R-rated, strip-club-featuring, innuendo-and-curse-soaked ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' and the equally gory and profane (not to mention tonally even darker) ''Film/{{Logan}}'' makes this verge on HarsherInHindsight. |
| 172 | ** The 2005 Toys/{{Bionicle}} set for [[https://brickset.com/sets/8761-1/Roodaka Roodaka]] is pointed out by fans as leaning into MsFanservice, due to the set's prominent breastplates, suggested buttocks using a curved claw piece, long legs, and her HighHeelPower. In the line's story she plays the role of TheBaroness of the Visorak horde. |
| 173 | * 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: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Y99YCVV70 Meet the Ding-a-Lings!]] |
| 174 | * ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'' scribe Creator/SimonFurman complained about this {{trope}} in regards to the dark ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines''. |
| 175 | *** It should be noted ''just how much of Simon Furman's work fits into this category.'' When the writer of the [[AnyoneCanDie bloodbath]] the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comics became calls something too dark, you know you've taken DarkerAndEdgier too far. |
| 176 | *** Furman was specifically concerned about the "For Kids" part of this trope. He was very much about darker, more fatal Transformers stories, but he was explicitly writing with an older audience in mind than the cartoon series are marketed towards. |
| 177 | *** 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 has 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. It sure doesn't ''sound'' like the backstory of a kids' franchise. . . yet that's exactly what it is. |
| 178 | * Enter the cute and funny doll for kids, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM1YrSN42-0 Baby Laugh A-Lot.]] And if that doesn't give your kids nightmares, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aljgyvY-nag the doll on a low battery can fix that.]] More generally, talking dolls tend to be [[CreepyDoll creepier than their creators probably intended, especially when their batteries run down.]] |
| 179 | * The 1980s and 90s were simpler times with much more lax restrictions on what was considered "Child-friendly." To that end, ''Film/{{Aliens}},'' ''Film/{{Predator}},'' and ''Franchise/RoboCop'' got toylines. You know, the shows with, respectively, [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong face-raping alien scorpions]], an [[AliensAreBastards evil alien]] [[EvilPoacher safari hunter]] who [[FlayingAlive skins people alive,]] and a man being shot 57 times while he screams in agony on-camera. Even [[{{Gorn}} gory]] [[OurSlashersAreDifferent slasher media]] have [[MisaimedMarketing toy lines for children]]. |
| 180 | ** Then there was the kid's cartoon, toy line and [[Creator/MarvelComics Star Comics]] comic title based around the ''Franchise/PoliceAcademy'' films. While the later installments were indeed LighterAndSofter and PG-rated around the time of ''Police Academy 3: Back In Training'', the first film was VERY R-rated, and was basically a raunchy sex comedy set at the titular academy. Even with the LighterAndSofter, later installments still had their quota of adult humor[[note]]mostly in the MsFanservice character of Lieutenant Callahan and a RunningGag where the antagonists end up somehow at the "Blue Oyster" gay bar.[[/note]] |
| 181 | [[/folder]] |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 184 | * ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'': The developer's website recommends the game for ages 13 and up. It also features incest, decapitation, tyranny, genocide, sexual slavery, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking complex political decision-making.]] |
| 185 | * ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' has brief nudity. Despite this, this game is still rated a CERO A (all ages). |
| 186 | [[/folder]] |
| 187 | |
| 188 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 189 | * ''WebAnimation/GodsGang'''s use of religious/ethnic stereotypes and racial humor can make it easy to mistake for a SubvertedKidsShow [[AnimatedShockComedy adult cartoon]] at first glance. |
| 190 | * ''WebAnimation/TheRodfellows'': The show's creators intend this show to be something for kids, yet its fetish nature, like big bellies, is apparent. |
| 191 | * ''WebAnimation/StarshineCarly'' was supposed to be family friendly, but this channel had [[GoshDangItToHeck a little bit of swearing]], [[BlackComedyAnimalCruelty animal abuse]], [[EthnicScrappy stereotypes]], [[ViolenceIsDisturbing violence]], [[TheyKilledKennyAgain death]], and more. |
| 192 | [[/folder]] |
| 193 | |
| 194 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 195 | * WordOfGod has it that ''Assigned Male'' is aimed at kids. There's enough talk about genitalia to make ''any'' age uncomfortable, sex and politics are discussed, and characters swear in plain sight. All of this is simply because those things are part of life and make sense in context, but it's still a bit odd. |
| 196 | * The creator of ''Webcomic/{{Liltoon}}'' once had an on-site notice stating that his comic is suitable for readers aged 10 and up, but the "Flushing the Soul" arc seems to belie that. |
| 197 | * ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': In-universe with the Schlock Mercenary cartoon. It's marketed at kids--complete with toys and coloring books--but is still based on the violent exploits of mercenaries. |
| 198 | -->'''Tagon:''' [[SuperDeformed For as tiny as they made me look]], I sure bleed a lot.\ |
| 199 | '''Brad:''' I thought we sold the story rights to a ''family channel''. |
| 200 | * ''Webcomic/{{Sonichu}}'' is ostensibly 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). |
| 201 | * The original ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' was perfectly kid-friendly. The unofficial continuation ''Webcomic/SonicTheComicOnline'' is mostly on the same level, however, one arc is [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence infamously dark]]. Stuck in the past with no modern technology, Tekno starts to have a [[SanitySlippage mental breakdown]]. It ends with [[spoiler:beating a villain to death]]. The fan outrage was very loud due to considering it overly dark and out of character. [[spoiler:Eventually they {{retcon}}ned that Set survived the injuries, but that doesn't lessen the tone by much.]] |
| 202 | * ''WebComic/DraconiaChronicles'' has an InUniverse example, wherein a character watches an episode of the local MyLittlePhony with her girlfriend and her girlfriends kids. The episode ends with the villain getting ''beaten to death onscreen,'' to which she muses "Isn't this a little violent for a kids show?" She is promptly shooshed by the kids. |
| 203 | * ''Webcomic/AnecdoteOfError'' treats its subject matter very seriously. Said subject matter includes [[AnArmAndALeg bodily dismemberment]], FantasticRacism, [[WarIsHell a brutal war]] [[ALighterShadeOfBlack in which both sides are awful]], and [[NightmareFuel scenes of utter horror]]. The reader would be highly unlikely to come to the conclusion that children are the target audience, but the comic's creator started publishing it while still a teenager, making it this trope by default. |
| 204 | * InUniverse in ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo''; Max and his friends frequently watch a show called ''The Jimmies'', which is ostensibly for kids. However, the characters frequently discuss kid-unfriendly topics such as nihilism and drugs, have parodied rather adult shows, and at one point shilled an anti-erectile dysfuntion pill complete with [[SideEffectsInclude horrifying side effects]]. It gets to the point that Max and Cricket outright wonder if the show's messing up their development. |
| 205 | [[/folder]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | |
| 208 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 209 | * [[https://youtu.be/0mfLvaSWdyo Baby! Love Your Body]] is a (thankfully defunct) Internet series that is supposedly marketed towards children, particularly prepubescent children. The entire first episode is incredibly creepy, first starting off with the main characters listing a whole bunch of words used to describe female genitalia, including explicit words like pussy and [[CountryMatters cunt]]. Worst of all, they try to pass off those words as innocent. It gets even worse when the other characters are revealed, which are [[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing men]] who are dressed up as vaginas, and flamboyantly describe the properties of a female vagina. The ending of the episode can only be described as a nightmarish LSD trip as one of the characters enters the vagina. Fortunately, it has not gone viral, nor has it received anything but negative feedback from those that have seen it, thus pulling the plug on future episodes being made. |
| 210 | * ''Webanimation/BattleForDreamIsland'': Despite being a show targeted towards children, there is a whole lot of death (albeit bloodless). Many of the episodes deal upon subjects kids are less likely to understand. After BFB 1 had its comments removed due to COPPA (fortunately, they are back), Cary states that the series is for both kids, and older fans to enjoy. |
| 211 | * ''WebSite/{{Bogleech}}'' is, for the most part, a perfectly appropriate science education web site for general audiences. But its occasional disturbing images make it stand out from most works aimed at children; it's certainly no ''WebSite/BrainPOP''. |
| 212 | * InUniverse with ''Literature/CandleCove.'' The show was a pirate adventure with a [[VileVillainSaccharineShow very creepy bad guy]] (a skeleton wearing clothes fashioned from ''flayed skin''). It supposedly ended on everyone screaming their heads off in pants-destroying terror, villain included. |
| 213 | * Some of the AccidentalNightmareFuel-overdosed family movies featured in WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob lead him to question such an assumption. Examples include ''Red Riding Hood and The Monsters'' and ''Film/FunInBalloonLand'' (the latter in particular was described as "something a pedophile would film with captive children"). |
| 214 | * This trope is discussed in the Website/{{Cracked}} articles [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/10-great-childrens-books-for-people-who-hate-their-children/ 10 Great Books For (Traumatising) Children]] and [[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]]. |
| 215 | * Music/DoctorSteel's whole concept for "The Dr. Steel Show" was that of a kid's show that was just a little bit... warped. He also had a song, supposedly for a proposed kid's show, called "Smokey the Kid-Loving Trout" (graphic for this song on his website showed a stinking hobo-like anthropomorphic trout, complete with stogie, walking with children). |
| 216 | * WebVideo/GeminiHomeEntertainment gives us the "Games for kids" video tape that lists various games that children can play. The four listed games are Hide and Go Seek, Freeze Tag, Sardines and [[spoiler: [[ToServeMan Feed the Woods]][[note]]Children have to wait until their parents fall asleep. Then, they gather in the woods and are instructed to scream on the top of their lungs. Near the end of the tape, this message appears: "The game ends when the forest is fed."[[/note]]]]. |
| 217 | * Many English-speaking commenters have this reaction whenever Lauri, host of the WebVideo/HydraulicPressChannel, mentions cutting out certain types of content and posting it to his alternate Beyond the Press channel instead, believing it to be too intense for all of the young children who watch his main HPC channel. He's taken requests, almost all of which have come from children under the age of five, for end-of-episode clay animals, despite the fact that he swears up a storm in most videos. One wonders if the parents of those young children just tell them he's actually speaking Finnish whenever he swears. |
| 218 | * ''Podcast/KingdomSmarts'': The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' franchise's place in this trope is lampshaded by Jake with increasing frequency as a game series where you visit Disney worlds and go on adventures with Disney characters becomes increasingly dark and involves multiple existential crises. By the end of the episodes focused on ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', where events spiral into a DownerEnding, Jake declares that these are games marketed for children and shouldn't be so sad. |
| 219 | * The ''WebVideo/Local58'' installment "Show for Children" is an InUniverse example. It's a cartoon in a style reminiscent of Max Fleischer (with Cadavre from Webcomic/{{Broodhollow}})... until two-thirds of the way through, with the music disappearing and [[spoiler:and Cadavre committing suicide by looking at the sinister and realistic-looking moon]]. Followed by a FreezeFrameBonus of TV station slide image of a clown statue... turning its eyes toward the viewer. Of note, Creator/KrisStraub (who created both Local 58 and Broodhollow) put in the description of the online postings, "Not for children." |
| 220 | * ''{{Website/Neopets}}'' is a rather ''weird'' example in itself. By the mid-2000s, when the site's popularity was at its peak, it was clearly aimed primarily at young children; however, when the site [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness first started out]], it was mostly used by college/university students. Various remnants of material from that time (such as the ''Ski-Lodge Mystery'' plot) stuck around, waiting to be prime scariness for any children who happened to stumble across them. Nowadays, the kids who used the site during its heyday have grown up and many have returned out of nostalgia, while the number of younger users has decreased significantly, causing another shift ''back'' to an older audience - while the site remains very similar to how it was when its audience skewed younger, complete with [[ScunthorpeProblem infamously overactive profanity filters]] and highly restrictive forum rules banning people from mentioning other websites and "controversial topics". The current fanbase frequently requests the addition of a section of the Neoboards for older users, with less restrictive rules. |
| 221 | * Whenever he sees something that ''isn't'' kid-friendly, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic says, "You know, for kids!" This joke has been phased out and replaced with freeze-framing during a particularly disturbing scene and adding the caption "A ''Family'' Picture!" |
| 222 | * ''WebVideo/OliverHarpersRetrospectivesAndReviews'': During his ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' review, he points out how lenient the UK rating board was at first to the original ''Star Wars'' films, giving them all U (Universal) ratings despite the violence and blood. |
| 223 | * The Web series, ''WebAnimation/{{Pencilmation}}'' has quite a few moments of adult humor. |
| 224 | * The riddles on ''WebVideo/SevenSecondRiddles'' often involve murder, violence, infidelity, and suicide, leading to surprise that the channel is targeted at children and boasts a bright and colorful art style. |
| 225 | * InUniverse, the WebOriginal/MysteryFleshPitNationalPark was marketed as a tourist attraction for the whole family - this being an [[{{Kaiju}} unimaginably huge]] EldritchAbomination filled with [[OurMonstersAreWeird bizarre and dangerous parasitic organisms]] and sleeping beneath a good chunk of Texas that a MegaCorp made into a massive, [[NoOSHACompliance unsafe]] WombLevel experience. |
| 226 | * ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'', if you would believe it. On the surface, it's a happy, child-friendly Minecraft series about a [=YouTuber=] (renowned for being one of the most child-friendly Minecraft-based content creators on the platform) building and playing minigames in his [[SugarBowl happy, fun-filled world]] with his friends... and then there's [[VileVillainSaccharineShow HitTheTarget]], who uses methods such as [[spoiler:kidnapping, [[SlippingAMickey drugging]] and even outright ''[[AndIMustScream torture]] and/or attempts to sentence the protagonist to a FateWorseThanDeath'' at least ''twice'']] to achieve his less-than-savory goals. Oh, and [[spoiler:suicide]] becomes a plot point in an episode (even if it's not considered as big of a deal in a [[DeathIsCheap survival Minecraft setting]], in theory), there are plenty of fearful moments throughout the series, and [[spoiler:by [[CerebusSyndrome Episode 700]], the main protagonist is implied in more cynical interpretations to be a severely traumatized workaholic who's repressing his issues to the point that it took about ''seven years'' for anyone to notice]]. Granted, most of the horror falls into the FridgeHorror category, but the point still stands. |
| 227 | * InUniverse example in ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'': Bowser Junior's favorite show, "Doofy the Dragon", is aimed at children, but contains jokes where Doofy tries to kill himself with knives and guns and one episode involved him lighting himself on fire. Chef Pee-Pee thinks the show is a bad influence on him for these reasons and discourages Bowser Junior from doing anything he's seen on the show. |
| 228 | * Comes up InUniverse in the ''Podcast/ThrillingAdventureHour'' Beyond Belief episode "Scream a Little Scream." Sadie Doyle refers to children's' books written by one of the characters in the episode, which include life or death candy trials and a boy who was "french fried from the inside," prompting her husband Frank to ask if these books were really for children. |
| 229 | * This is so prominent on Website/{{Tumblr}} that it's become a running joke that people will [[http://tatsumari-twins.tumblr.com/post/113915777280/seventhmelody-airlesscell-what-childrens overanalyze]] ''any'' given children's media in an attempt to make it seem more "adult-friendly". |
| 230 | * "Life in the Bay" is an in-universe cartoon in ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAdventuringAvatars'' which features plenty of torture, and some of it cannot be described directly. It has an in-universe rating of Y-5. |
| 231 | * The infamous {{YouTube Kids Channel}}s, AKA Elsagate, starring characters from children's favorite TV shows and movies and attempting to pass off as [[BlatantLies "educational" videos for young children]]. Aside from being NoBudget bootlegs and [[QuirkyWork more surreal]] than a CrackFic, some go [[SubvertedKidsShow overboard on the content]] and throw in doses of VulgarHumor, FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, and NightmareFuel. |
| 232 | ** [=DaddyOFive=] and Toy Freaks are much worse examples. Both channels had videos of real children in disturbing situations and being abused, yet were targeted to children. [=DaddyOFive=] went a step further, in that the father specifically urged his eldest son to physically abuse the younger children, with the three youngest regularly suffering such abuse as being thrown to the ground, choked, beaten across the room and repeatedly psychologically abused to the point of near-nervous breakdown, activities the father would sometimes engage in himself. Fortunately, both channels have since been shut down; In the case of Toy Freaks, this was specifically thanks to the Elsagate controversy drawing attention to such content. The parents behind [=DO5=], on the other hand, have attempted to bring their channel back on several occasions, yet dedicated commentators have ensured these attempts have ended in failure. |
| 233 | ** Another thing that happens on these kids' [=YouTube=] channels is that the algorithm will sometimes mix up characters from [[AnimationAgeGhetto cartoons aimed at kids and ones aimed at adults]]. For instance, there are Finger Family videos featuring ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' characters playing the roles of the fingers, and there was a ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' Wrong Heads video that was a CrossOver with ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''. |
| 234 | ** The [=YouTube=] channel Bedtime Story has animated versions of fairy-tales for kids. [[ArtStyleDissonance Despite what you'd think]] by the cartoony animation and voice acting, there isn't much {{Disneyfication}}. For example the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXzYswik_Q adaptation]] of ''Literature/{{Donkeyskin}}'' still includes the [[ParentalIncest king trying to marry his daughter]]. |
| 235 | ** As part of [=YouTube=]'s settlement with the FTC over allegations it violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), [=YouTube=] started requiring creators to designate if their videos are "made for kids". In addition, [=YouTube=] would use its AI to detect if content was "made for kids". However, to the surprise of absolutely nobody familiar with the demonetization bot that got them sued for discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, the system started marking pretty much anything with cartoony characters as "made for kids", even if the videos are age restricted. Even stranger is that plenty of videos that are completely unrelated to children's content, yet still suitable for general audiences, were being caught up in the net, meaning things that weren't obscene but not the sort of content you'd expect children to be interested in was being recommended via the algorithm. After much backlash from creators (and complaints from parents), [=YouTube=] eased up a bit after creators began intentionally including profanity in their videos to [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating avoid being marked as "made for kids" by the algorithm]] with creators upset over losing their community abilities and parents upset for obvious reasons. Still, official pages of older shows that would no longer have a child audience remain marked [=YouTube=] Kids, such as Power Rangers (most who were fans are now in the 30-35 age demographic). Most infamous victim of this might have been "Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared", which, with the possible (very debatable) exception of the first episode, is most certainly NOT suitable for kids. |
| 236 | ** Made worse by the fact that people who joined after the COPPA agreement don't always understand what "for kids" and "not for kids" mean, assuming they mean "family friendly" and "not family friendly", so you have new creators signing up, well-intentioned as they are, mistakenly marking their content for children, so you have dark breakup songs and dry science lectures being marked as "[=YouTube=] Kids" because they aren't R-rated. |
| 237 | * ''Website/{{Snaiad}}'' is a speculative biology site, so you'd think it would be something along the lines of ''Series/TheFutureIsWild'' or ''Literature/AfterManAZoologyOfTheFuture'', right? The creator's raunchy sense of humor (including an entire family of predators known as "fuckers") seems to say otherwise. That aside, however, it's mostly a perfectly decent site for general audiences. |
| 238 | [[/folder]] |
| 239 | |
| 240 | [[folder:Other]] |
| 241 | * [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14232143 This]] al-Qaeda jihadist film, [[BlatantLies supposedly]]. |
| 242 | * Bubblegum/candy cigarettes -- and also, licorice pipes, chocolate cigars, candy cigarettes, and the infamous "Hippy Sippy". Aside from the last item, these are still sold today (although often with {{bowdlerise}}d names like "candy sticks"). 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. |
| 243 | * One of Website/FourChan's raids invoked this audience reaction. [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8061979.stm 4chan members uploaded a bunch of porn videos]] to Website/YouTube disguised as kid-friendly stuff like ''Series/LazyTown'', Music/TheJonasBrothers, and Music/MileyCyrus (back when the Jonas Brothers and Cyrus ''were'' [[ContractualPurity kid-friendly]]), so kids would watch the videos and [[HarmfulToMinors get quite a nasty shock]]. One user responded with [[MemeticMutation the now-famous phrase]], "[[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/im-twelve-years-old-and-what-is-this I'm 12 years old and what is this?]]" |
| 244 | * During the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russefeiring russefeiring]], most participants make personalized calling cards that are frequently handed out to children. This despite the fact that many of them feature jokes that are blatantly about sex or alcohol. |
| 245 | [[/folder]] |
| 246 | ---- |
| 247 | ''[[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic A faaaamily- oh who are we kidding- a PSYCHO picture!]]'' |
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