6 Funniest Cartoons To Help You Unwind After A Long Day

November 24, 2016 By Toby Isaacson Leave a Comment

Cartoons come in all kinds of shapes and forms. Some are for kids’ educational purposes, some take us on adventures, and some just make us laugh until we burst something. The funniest cartoons of them all are actually a proper public menace in this regard, but they’re also a blessing. Laughter is one of the best ways to relax after any kind of stressful situation or a long day of work. So, we recommend a handy method of relieving yourself of that stress and pasting a huge grin on your face. Sit back and watch the funniest cartoons we recommend to help your cause.

Photo Courtesy of Fox

#1 The Simpsons

The Simpsons is a classic in more than one way, so it’s definitely a must-watch for anyone who wants to spice up their cartoon-watching experience with some satire. This legendary show managed to acquire a loyal following over the years, something that would explain its impressive run. If you happen to really like the series, it’s all for the best: you’ll have so many episodes to watch you’ll fill up your queue for months to come.

#2 Phineas and Ferb

This is one of Disney’s newer shows which recently ended. Phineas and Ferb is a great family watch, especially during summertime. Why? Because the story centers around two brothers who get so bored during their summer break that they start coming up with a ton of loony inventions. These inventions vary from rollercoasters to time machines, to spaceships, or to opening a car wash. You’re really guaranteed to never get bored while watching Phineas and Ferb. Did we mention the secret agent platypus?

#3 South Park

South Park is already well-established as one of the funniest cartoons of all time, so it almost needs to introduction. However, it’s on the complete opposite spectrum of the aforementioned show as it’s full of adult and inappropriate humor. But, hey, people wouldn’t love South Park so much if it weren’t for the fact that it displays a group of kids swearing like sailors and pushing the limits of decency. Just like The Simpsons, the show has a very long run, so you can safely watch it for months to come.

#4 Gravity Falls

The past few years have seen an increase in quality animations and gave us some of the funniest cartoons of all time. Gravity Falls is one of them and if you keep hearing about it everywhere you go, believe us when we say that it’s for a very good reason. The cartoon is all about the adventures of Dipper Pines and Mabel, his twin sister, during their summer vacation in the town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

#5 Tom and Jerry

Old, but gold. This is the definition of Hanna Barbera’s legendary series about the ridiculous conflict raging between the iconic cat and mouse of the show. Tom and Jerry was, at its time, one of the funniest cartoons on air and it continues to be impressive up to this day. It’s pure slapstick humor, but the fact that it has to work with actions alone and no words means that a lot more effort was put into its creation.

#6 Honorable Mentions

This list isn’t intended as a competition, mostly because all of these shows are so strongly linked together. But if you’re looking to expand your collection of funniest cartoons, you can also reach out for:

Spongebob;
Looney Tunes;
Adventure Time;
Regular Show;
Futurama;
American Dad;
The Flinstones.

Conclusion

Naturally, it’s all about taste, but all of these cartoons are unique enough to be able to cater to a variety of needs. Whether they’re for children, entire families, adults only, or whether they’re about adventures, social satire, or sea creatures, they’re the funniest cartoons of our time. They’ll get a smile out of ya.

10 Banned Cartoons Made For Children

April 20, 2016 By Vernon Gadson 1 Comment

We’ve entered an era where cartoons are slowly starting to have their social stigma removed. They’re not directed solely to children anymore, some concrete examples being South Park and Family Guy, which are, very much so, shows aimed at adults in the rightful sense. In other words, it’s never been both easier and harder to make it big in the cartoon industry.

Why the latter part? That’s because parents are paying attention to the content that their child is being exposed to more than ever, making sure that no harm, especially moral, could come out of it. And you know what? They really should because you won’t believe what the following 10 Banned Cartoons Made For Children were depicting.

#1 Pokemon

Image Courtesy of OLM.inc

While Pokemon itself wasn’t banned in its entirety (people would definitely riot), there was an episode that was, to put it euphemistically, very controversial. An episode called Electric Soldier Porygon was taken off Japanese televisions after 700 people, elderly and children alike, suddenly experiences seizures, vomiting, and loss of consciousness.

This was because of a particular scene where Pikachu creates an electric explosion, which depicted flashy transitions from the color red to blue. The episode was never broadcasted afterward, causing the show to go on hiatus for four months and authorities to take harsh precautions when they imported the cartoon to the USA.

#2 Dexter’s Laboratory

Considered to be one of the best products of Golden Era Cartoon Network, Dexter’s Laboratory was, as a whole, a show that delighted numerous children worldwide. However, creator Hanna-Barbera definitely made the poorest of choices when producing two particular episodes.

One of them, called Dial M for Monkey, was riddled with parodies of famous superheroes. Silver Spooner, the satirical version of Fantastic Four’s Silver Surfer, was basically a walking exhibition of homosexual stereotypes. It doesn’t end here, as the parody depiction of Hulk shocked everyone when he appeared on screen with a drinking problem.

The other episode, called Rude Removal, featured a pair of Dexter and DeeDee clones that offended everyone through cascades of obscene lines and swears. They were bleeped, but that clearly wasn’t good enough.

#3 Peppa Pig

Image Courtesy of eOne Family

Peppa Pig is one of the hottest cartoons of the moment for little children. Unlike some of the entries on this list, there weren’t any immoral messages that got the episode Mister Skinnylegs banned. This actually happened because it aimed to teach children that spiders aren’t that terrifying and that we shouldn’t kill them.

It was a nice message and all… unless you’re an Australian. The episode was removed from Australian televisions because it encouraged kids to get close to spiders which, in Australia, are venomous enough to actually kill you.

#4 Talespin

What could possibly go wrong with a Disney spinoff cartoon series featuring the characters from The Jungle Book? In theory, nothing. Truth to be told, everything was fine until the airing of the cartoon’s final episode, Flying Dupes.

In this episode, Baloo transports a bomb via plane to a foreign country, in hopes that the bombing would cause a war to break out, which in turn would raise the profits of bomb producers. Everything that was wrong with this episode – terrorist message, bombs on planes, genocide, and war – ultimately and unsurprisingly got this episode banned permanently.

#5 Tiny Toons

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation

If you were expecting older Bugs Bunny to be the one to get himself banned, you were wrong. The cartoon featuring younger versions of popular Looney Tunes characters caught the eye of censors when it broadcasted one particular episode.

In One Beer, the underage characters find a bottle of beer, drink it, get drunk, and then steal a car and start driving around. To end on an even more disturbing note, the characters eventually drive the vehicle off a cliff and die. We’re sure that the “don’t drink and drive” message can wait a few more years, isn’t that right?

#6 Song of the South

An animated musical film produced in 1946 by Walt Disney, Song of the South really left viewers with a bitter aftertaste because of its depiction of master-slave relationships in post-Civil War Georgia. The cartoon showcases several slaves happily singing about their duties on the plantation and managed to offend, understandably, quite a lot of people through its idyllic imagery.

#7 Gargoyles

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Television Animation

Gargoyles was a critically acclaimed cartoon series that truly confirmed the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Wanting to raise some warning flags on the matter of gun control and violence, the episode Deadly Force dealt with this issue in a highly controversial way. When Broadway shoots Elisa by accident with a gun considered to be a toy, the latter is afterward showed lying in a pool of her own blood.

The episode was initially banned, then re-aired in a censored version, and finally re-released fully and unedited in the DVD form.

#8 Betty Boop

No, it wasn’t the iconic black-and-white era character that was banned, but the episode Ha! Ha! Ha! If the title wasn’t an immediate giveaway that something fishy was going on, know that the episode featured a bunch of inanimate objects cackling hysterically as a result of a laughing gas leak – gravestones included. It wasn’t morally ambiguous or anything, but it was creepy enough to make it look like something that nightmares are made of.

#9 Ren & Stimpy

Image Courtesy of Games Animation

Ren & Stimpy was one of those cartoons aimed at children that managed to get away with inserting several controversial adult jokes – albeit, through constant fights with censors. One episode, however, Man’s Best Friend, stretched the humor beyond its limits. Depicting Ren brutally beating another character with an oar, the graphicness of this episode allegedly got the show’s writer fired.

#10 Cow & Chicken

Cow & Chicken was never a tame cartoon to begin with, featuring content that was, a lot of the time, questionable, at the very least. One particular episode, titled Buffalo Gals, drew a lot of gasps from parents and censors upon them realizing that it depicted lesbian subtext and plenty of slang terms for intercourse.

The Best Cartoon Network Shows We Used to Watch as Kids

April 8, 2016 By Theresa Carrion Leave a Comment

Whenever we look back on our childhoods, we unconsciously think of the fantastic world composed by cartoons. Thanks to cartoons, we developed our creativity and imagination; we had something to do that would also result in entertainment and some good moral lessons now and then. In that field, Cartoon Network was the king. Although it’s undeniably successful these days thanks to hit shows such as Steven Universe, The Regular Show, and Adventure Time, the old Cartoon Network was as big then as it is now. How’s that for aging the right way?

Cartoon Network shows were part of our childhood, and surely they were part of the childhood of many other millennials. So, follow us on this nostalgia trip as we recall some of the greatest productions of the channel.

Ed, Edd n Eddy

It was a controversial show that certainly many moms frowned upon. It could definitely be insanely caddish, let’s admit, but wasn’t that the whole point? Literally every character on the show had the flaw of being irreparably dumb, even the supposedly-wise Double D, at times. The adventures of this iconic trio were all centered on materialism and an uncanny dedication to having a taste of Cul-de-Sac’s hottest and most sought after candy – the Jawbreaker.

Courage the Cowardly Dog

If released today, Courage would probably be one of those shows that moms would ally against and demand it to be banned. This show was grim, bizarre, filled with dark humor, and very often traumatizing. Everyone who has seen the show reminisces on it with hollow eyes and a small shudder. But this was Courage’s selling point.

The cartoon depicts the adventures of the ironically named dog Courage as he tries to keep safe his two owners against the various horrifying supernatural phenomena hitting them. From zombies to demon summoning, to armies of eggplants, to lake spirits, and to psychotic barbers, Courage was the kids’ version of American Horror Story.

Teen Titans (The Good One)

This alliance of superheroes has been defending Earth through the entirety of many of our childhoods. After cartoon adaptations of Spider-Man, Superman, or Batman, Cartoon Network brought to the little screens a lesser known team at the time. They basically did to the world of superhero cartoons what Marvel did in its cinematic universe by bringing the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Teen Titans was the perfect balance of action, humor, and emotion, being able to toy with your feelings in any way you could think. Brilliantly animated, this show actually tells an in-depth story and many people today weep after the original after having watched the poorly satirical reboot.

The Powerpuff Girls

Sugar, spice, and everything nice… There’s no better time to remember this iconic show than now, given the fact that 2016 is the year of its revival (hopefully better executed than Teen Titans GO!). The Powerpuff Girls may be small and colorful, but they were the undeniable heroes of Townsville. They were the reason why many little girls stopped wanting to be princesses and reoriented towards being heroes instead.

Aside from all the world-saving, The Powerpuff Girls also brought up the daily struggles of children and girls, providing moral lessons than plenty of adults today could learn from.

Dexter’s Laboratory

Before Dexter was a murdering justifier, he was a science prodigy. No matter where you were, the first accords of this cartoon’s intro were as easy to distinguish as Mandark’s trademark laughing style. This was a show that constantly left us frustrated because all that Dexter wanted was to change the world through science, but his plans were constantly interrupted by his spastic sister, Didi.

The list could go on forever, but without providing more in-depth explanations, here are a few memorable titles that you definitely remember: The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Codename: Kids Next Door, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack, Hi Hi Puffy AmyYumi, Tom and Jerry, and Scooby Doo.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Top 5 Propagandistic Movies and TV Shows

December 11, 2015 By Theresa Carrion Leave a Comment

Governments have used various methods to propagate their ideas and beliefs to the people. Every now and then, a movie or a cartoon would be broadcasted on national television in an attempt to plant various ideas in the heads of viewers. However, you would expect these creations to look quite serious and clear, not like weird caricatures. The following five propagandistic movies and TV shows do not make much sense, and they most probably did not achieve their goals.

1. Picture Book 1936

Year: 1934

Country: Japan

Not even Mickey Mouse was spared from propaganda. The action takes place in 1936, as Mickey enters the scene of the cartoon on the wings of a huge bat. He brings with himself a list of demands from the Americans to Japan. A cat becomes terribly enraged and ends up setting the documents on fire and declaring war. Mickey is accompanied by bats, snakes and alligators (a suggestion at the American submarines). Japan is ultimately saved by a traditional character named Momotaro, who manages to restore peace. The cartoon was released at the time when The League of Nations and America were trying to stop the expansionist attempts of Japan. As a result, the producers wanted to represent what would happen if the Japanese would be stopped, and how they would deal with it.

2. Nimbus Libéré

Year: 1943

Country: France

At the time of this cartoon, a lot of propaganda against the West was still going on in France. The government was trying to make a negative image for the Allies, stating that they will bomb innocent people when trying to liberate the country. The cartoon shows Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Goofy and Felix the Cat flying bombers. They manage to accidentally kill a person who was listening to Allied propaganda on the radio. The radio speaker is a Jew represented in a racist way. It is a weird mix that does not manage to send a clear message: were they trying to remove the German rule or to support it by portraying the Allies as careless villains?

3. Squirrel and Hedgehog

Year: 1977

Country: North Korea

This list would not be complete without this series from North Korea. During its 32 episodes, Squirrel and Hedgehog show the cute animals living in a wonderful place named Flower Hill, a representation of the state itself. However, they have to constantly defend themselves from the vicious attacks of wolves, weasels and rats, a.k.a. America, South Korea and Japan. The series manages to create the opposite effect to the one it pursued: it compliments the enemy and insults the country. The North Koreans look feeble and weak and often have crying fits, while their enemies have a tough presence, as well as proving their loyalty and bravery.

4. Saturday’s Hunter

Year: 2009

Country: Iran

This movie presents the story of a rabbi named Hanan, who raises Benjamin, his grandson, to become a Zionist figure. His reasons for doing so involve his belief that their Jewish community will be granted immense power, compared to the one of God. The clear idea was to antagonize the viewers against the Jews, as the two main characters are often seen practicing shooting on Arab people or committing all sorts of mass murder. Surprisingly, Saturday’s Hunter was not produced by the Iranian government, but it did air on national television for all to watch.

5. Chavez In Heaven

Year: 2013

Country: Venezuela

This series of cartoons was broadcasted by national TV channel Vive, and showed president Hugo Chavez’s time in Heaven. The place looked different from time to time, either as a lush paradise or a sea of clouds. The president has talks with historical figures like Simon Bolivar and Che Guevara, but also has a short moment with Uncle Sam. The later tries to climb next to Chavez on the clouds but ends up hit by a satellite and falls back to Earth, thus being deprived of sitting with the Central and South American luminaries.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Disney’s Strangest Animated Short-films You Didn’t Know About

March 11, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

Most of us have grown up with movies like Cinderella, Aladdin, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast etc., but Disney has created much more than these big animated movies. As a matter of fact, it is responsible for some of the finest animated films ever made. But Disney wasn’t always so popular, and before they took the stage with their masterpieces, producers filled their time with short animations. Some of them featured their most popular characters, and hold up to this day, while others are simply bizarre, and very unusual to Disney’s usual flare. Here are Disney’s strangest animated short-films of all time:

1. Der Fuehrer’s Face

There was a time, when the Alpha and Omega of all things magical and cartoony, worked side-by-side with the U.S. Government to create hours upon hours of brainwashing, and manipulating propaganda. At first we had The Spirit of ’43 which encourages citizens to pay their taxes and support the war, and then there are many Nazi themed short films, like Education for Death which depict the complete absurdity of Hitler’s regime, and also manage to boost soldiers’ morale for the upcoming battles. Der Fuehrer’s Face is one of the strangest animated short-films that we want to discuss.

This animation stars none other than Donald Duck, in the role of a relunctant Nazi who has Hitler’s teaching so deeply ingrained within him, that he cannot prevent himself from using the typical salute several times per minute. The only thing that could match Donald’s fiery speed with which he salutes each of Hitler’s pictures would probably be the frequency with which the audience draws breath. He even salutes in his sleep and when he wakes up. Sure, it may be an exaggeration of the truth, but it still proves how brainwashed Germans were. In the end, he wakes up, and realizes it was nothing but a nightmare, kisses his Lady Liberty statue, and goes back to his daily life.

2. Destino

Back in 1945, Salvador Dali and Walt Disney started an incredible project together. It was called Destino, and its purpose was to invent a new animation technique inspired from Freud’s works about the subconscious and the way it can be influenced by images with a double meaning. Dali described it as a magical rendition of the problem that is life in the labyrinth of time, while Disney considers it a story about love, with a young woman as a protagonist.

The truth is that Destino talks about the tragic love story between Chronos (a personification of time), and the love that a mortal girl holds for him, in the setting of Dali’s surrealistic artwork. This animation holds a wonderful, unwritten poetry, a riveting soundtrack made by Armando Domnguez and interpreted by Dora Luz, and although it lay forgotten for almost 50 years, it was rediscovered in 1999, bu Roy E. Disney, Walt Disney’s grandson. In 2003 it was nominated for the best animated short film Oscar.

Destino is an ocular gangbang and a cranial onslaught. It’s almost too much Dali. But, nonetheless, it is beautiful.

3. The Story of Menstruation

Number three on our Strangest Disney animations list, is The Story of Menstruation. Let me just start by saying that this animation has taught me more about menstruation, and the way the female body works, than any of the special classes I received in school. Despite the fact that the baby in the opening scenes looks like a bald version of a woman with red lipstick, this short film, commissioned by Kotex is highly educational (even if it is actually a 10 minute long corporate advertisement).

While it may tell us more about what will happen with our bodies as we mature, it also discourages women to use tampons. Why? Because Kotex only manufactured pads, and Tampax was their lead competitor at the time. Disney Historian Jim Korkis also believes that The Story of Menstruation has less to do with understanding one’s body, and more to do with putting up the sandbags before the velvety tidal wave consumes everyone around us. This is definitely one of Disney’s strangest animated short-films that we ever saw.