Just because a show is animated doesn’t mean it’s suitable for kids. Some cartoons are packed with mature themes, graphic violence, and explicit content that make them completely inappropriate for young audiences. Here are 17 cartoons that you should keep away from children.
1. Bojack Horseman
Bojack Horseman is a darkly comedic and satirical take on Hollywood, filled with bleak humour, deep sarcasm, and heavy themes like drug abuse. It’s not a show for kids unless you want them exposed to adult jokes and existential despair.
2. Afro Samurai
In the first few minutes of Afro Samurai, a man’s head is chopped clean off. This ultra-violent series is all about vengeance and is as far from kid-friendly as you can get.
3. Family Guy
Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane, follows the dysfunctional Griffin family. It features crude humour, excessive drinking, and adult themes, making it entirely inappropriate for children.
4. The Boondocks
The Boondocks tackles serious issues like racism, graphic violence, and foul language. It’s mature content and controversial topics are not suitable for young viewers.
5. Mr. Pickles
Mr. Pickles is a seemingly sweet dog with a penchant for mutilation and murder. This show is filled with terrifying acts of violence and gore, earning it an X-rated reputation.
6. American Dad
American Dad is rife with violence, drug references, profanity, and graphic scenes. It follows a family engaged in various unethical activities, making it a no-go for kids.
7. Big Mouth
Big Mouth centres on a teenage boy obsessed with adult films and self-pleasure. The show is full of profanity, violence, and explicit language, making it wholly inappropriate for children.
8. The Ren & Stimpy Show
The Ren & Stimpy Show is an uncensored adventure of a dog and cat duo filled with violence, murder, and profanity. Rated 18+, this show is not suitable for young audiences.
9. Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken follows a cyborg chicken and features graphic cruelty, horror, and obscene behaviour. It also contains blasphemous remarks, making it offensive to many viewers, especially Christians.
10. Smiling Friends
Smiling Friends seems like a charity group aiming to improve lives but is far from appropriate for kids. Episodes include themes of suicide, murder investigations, and toxic celebrity culture.
11. Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-Head are teen slackers obsessed with adult media and violence. The show has been linked to copycat crimes and is filled with explosions and destruction, making it unsuitable for kids.
12. Happy Tree Friends
Happy Tree Friends subverts the kiddie cartoon style with episodes that start normally but end in extreme violence. The gruesome scenes make this series anything but child-friendly.
13. Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force follows anthropomorphized fast food items in adult situations involving criminal behaviour, plastic surgery, and drunken driving. Its offensive and graphic content is geared toward adults.
14. Moral Orel
Moral Orel addresses adult themes such as abuse and substance use disorders through dark humour and satire. Its content was even deemed “too dark” by network standards at times.
15. Invincible
Invincible depicts the violent life of a young superhero and his father. The intense, graphic violence and mature themes make it far more suitable for adults than children.
16. Rick and Morty
Rick and Morty is filled with gratuitous violence, coarse language, mature themes, and regular drug and alcohol use. This cornerstone of contemporary pop culture is strictly for adults.
17. South Park
South Park features elementary-aged characters using foul language, engaging in excessive violence, and abusing narcotics. Its vulgar humour and explicit content are far from suitable for kids.
These cartoons may be animated, but their mature themes, explicit content, and graphic violence make them strictly for adult audiences. Keep these shows away from children and enjoy them for what they are: adult entertainment in animated form.
