Adult Kid Shows

There are always the go to kids cartoons like Jimmy Neutron, Spongebob, and Fairly Odd Parents. But, creeping along and slowly coming into the spotlight are kids shows for adults. Shows that have the episode to episode storyline and structure of a children's cartoon, but in the end, tackle bigger more adult themes. For example, "Adventure Time" is an excellent kids show. It has age appropriate jokes and quirky characters that develop the child's interest. At the same time though, the creators tackle the themes of loss, identity, and love throughout the scale of the shows plot. The adult themes aren't just cleverly written jokes or dialogue, they are visually present and maintain their presence through the duration of the show. For example, one of the characters, Marceline, struggles to love her father after he apparently ate her French fries. Sure, the idea of this is absurd, but during the episode that shows this conflict, we are shown visuals of Marceline's father being just a terrible dad. He puts Marceline down and yells at her, showing no respect or restraint. Later in the episode, Marceline and her Dad have an epic battle that is all a metaphor for an argument encompassing our protagonist's estrangement from her father. In the end, the two work out their issues, but remain separated from each other in later episodes. As a kid, I saw this episode as just a funny battle over French fries, while now, I see this episode as a story that shows how all of the little things (Marceline's Dad putting her down, yelling at her, arguing with her) add up and eventually lead to a destroyed relationship. This is an adult kid show. A show that hides within daytime television, waiting for its true audience to come out and watch.