Related
mention of anguish , death , and abuse
Summary
Animated youngster ’ television showsare often fun and cheerful , but there are many pop cartoon show for children that have tackle serious topics . Animated shows made for children are also appealing to a more mature audience , so much so that many of these often blot out a duet of jokes that only grown - ups would read . Many have also tackled more serious outcome in a twain of installment , though these are not just for their ripe viewers to enjoy , as they are mostly addressed to acquaint children to issues and topic that they might encounter as they grow up .
The key to successfully come up to serious issues in animated TV shows for children is not to overcomplicate them and present them in a way that their vernal consultation will understand them without being too shocked . Many animated kids ’ telecasting shows have plow serious offspring so well that those episodes have been praised for years and served as an exercise to other toon shows , though it must be mentioned thatmany of them were quite scandalous and even sad , but they definitely achieved their purpose .
10Animal Cruelty - The PowerPuff Girls
Season 3, episode “Gettin’ Twiggy With It”.
The Powerpuff Girlssaw the deed of conveyance character battle all types of monsters that threaten to destroy Townsville , but in season 3 , they face one rightfully barbarous menace : Mitch Michelson . Mitch was the class bully , and unfortunately , it was his routine to take the course deary hamster , Twiggy , home . bed they could n’t hope Mitch , the Powerpuff girl follow him home , where he put an entire jar of food into Twiggy ’s mouth , tied her into a remote - controlled car , tried to fry her , and strap her to a Eruca vesicaria sativa and launch it . Mitch flushed Twiggy down the throne , with Twiggy coming into middleman with radioactive waste . Mitch was ultimately punished for what he did , but that does n’t make up for everything he did to Twiggy .
9Body Image - Doug
Season 4, episode “Doug Tips The Scales”.
Doug Funnie went through many predicaments distinctive of teen , and in one episode he administer with body image issues . After visiting his grandmother , Doug gains a couple of pound and becomes very self - witting after his sis points out his free weight gain . Even worse , Doug is later on invite to Beebe ’s pool party and grows even more distressed about everyone go through him in a swimsuit . Doug then decides to exercise and pay care to his diet , but in the operation , he learns that others have consistence figure issues of their own , while some are very swallow of their bodies . In the end , Doug returns to his normal weight yet still feels insecure , but when he come at the party and sees that no one has gotten in the syndicate yet , he embraces his dead body and sets the example by jumping into the puddle .
8Toxic Relationships - Steven Universe
Season 3, episode “Alone at Sea”.
Steven Universeaddressed topics of dear , family , and healthy interpersonal relationships , and among its most memorable episode where it tackle serious issues is “ Alone at Sea ” . In it , Lapis tells Steven how she always fought with her partner , Jasper , but when Steven tells her she does n’t have to be with Jasper , Lapis tells him she misses her . Lapis even begin to pick herself for her error and visit herself “ severe ” . Jasper then appear , admitting to having been following Lapis , and beg her to get back together . fortuitously , Lapis realizes how toxic their kinship isand tells her she does n’t want to feel what she feel when they were together , terminate their unhealthy relationship .
7Disabilities - Rocket Power
Season 2, episode “Radical New Equipment”.
When theRocket Powerteam journey to Mount Baldy for some fun winter activities , they met Lizzie , a snowboarder who used special equipment as she did n’t have one leg . Lizzie was part of a grouping of athletes with disabilities , and Reggie became concerned in her story . However , during a snowboard competition , Reggie fall back on aim so Lizzie could win , which angered the latter as she want to be process moderately and not as someone with a disability . Reggie and Lizzie had another raceway , and Lizzie fairly win this sentence . Reggie wrote a special article about Lizzie for her magazine , which Lizzie approved of .
6Fear of Change - Gravity Falls
Season 2, episodes “Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future”, “Weirdmaggedon Part 1”, “Weirdmageddon 2: Escape from Reality”, “Weirdmaggedon 3: Take Back the Falls”.
The final episode ofGravity Fallssaw Mabel dealing with fright of alteration and growing up as the summer occur to an end and she face up a future that seemed overwhelming . It all started when Mabel ’s plans for her and Dipper ’s thirteenth birthday did n’t go as she hop for as her supporter would n’t be able to attend , high school did n’t seem as fun as she thought , and Dipper was offered an apprenticeship that would have required him to entrust Mabel . All this made Mabel vulnerable to Billy Cipher ’s destructive plans , and she gave him the Rift in exchange for the summertime never ending . In the final stage , with Dipper ’s help , Mabel faced her fears and accept change and grow up , and the counterpart save Gravity Falls .
5Loss of a Parent - Rugrats
Various episodes.
Rugratswas all about the adventures of Tommy , Chuckie , Phil , Lil , and Angelica , fueled by their imagery , but as the serial evolved , it initiate addressing some serious theme , especially through Chuckie . Chuckie ’s female parent passed off when he was a babe , so he grew up with his father , Chas . In the episode " Mother ’s Clarence Shepard Day Jr. " , Chas finally severalize Chuckie about his female parent after the latter finds a photo of her , and from then on , Chas is more subject to his boy about his late female parent , even visiting her grave at some point . Chuckie might have not remembered his mother , but her absence seizure had a major impact on him .
4Depression - As Told By Ginger
Season 2, episode “And She Was Gone”
As severalize By Gingersaw its character old age and thus face different issue as they raise up , and one of its most memorable episodes is “ And She Was Gone ” . In it , Ginger writes a poem for a competition , titled “ And She Was Gone ” , about a girl who wants to disappear . When her teacher , Ms. Zorski , reads the poem , she becomes implicated about Ginger possibly be dealing with economic crisis and sends her to see the school day psychologist . With her mom ’s help , Ginger realise she should n’t be afraid of her touch , and learns that verbalize about your feelings is n’t a bad thing , as she ends up seeing the bright side of attending group therapy .
3Parental Neglect - Hey Arnold!
Season 4, episode “Helga on the Couch”.
Just likeRugrats , Hey Arnold!dealt with the departure of a parent as Arnold fall behind both his parents and thus grew up with his grandparent , but arguably , Hey Arnold ’s most significant episode is “ Helga on the lounge ” . When a psychologist visits the schooling , she mark Helga ’s strong-growing behavior and suggests she visit her . Helga reluctantly attempts , and though at first she struggles to open up , she finally does and uncover how much her parents have neglected her . Her begetter , Bob , has always been obsessed with his job , while her mother , Miriam , is implied throughout the series to be an alcoholic . Both pay off more attention to Helga ’s older sister , Olga , and did n’t even take Helga to school when it rain or bamboozle when she was just a child .
It ’s also revealed that Arnold once offer her his umbrella on a rainy day when Helga had to walk alone to school , and as he was the only one who gave her tending and cared about her , she became obsessed with him . Hey Arnold ’s real villains were Helga ’s parent , and alas , they never change .
2Cancer - Peanuts
Season 1, “Why, Charlie Brown, Why?”.
The adventures of Charlie Brown , Snoopy , and friends were mostly lighthearted and fun ( though with a venereal infection of bullying against Charlie Brown ) , but by far , Peanuts ’ cloggy episode is the TV limited “ Why , Charlie Brown , Why ? ” . Charlie Brown and Linus make a young ally , Janice , who love to bring on the baseball swing and chop-chop bonds with Linus . After she starts bruising well , make fevers , and feel too threadbare , Janice is taken to the hospital , where she teach she has leukemia . Linus is lamentable and angry and confronts Lucy as she shows her ignorance about Janice ’s unwellness .
When Janice returns to school , she wears a detonator as she fall behind all her hair , drawing the tending of a hooligan , who knock her detonator off and makes sport of her , with Linus standing up for his friend . Janice return to the infirmary in the wintertime and comes back home in the spring , where she reveals that her hair is back and that she fully recovered .
1HIV/AIDS - Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Season 3, episode “A Formula for Hate”.
Captain Planet and the Planeteersmostly dealt with topics of environmentalism , but in 1992 , it address a unlike topic : HIV / AIDS . In “ A Formula For Hate”,Captain Planet and the Planeteersintroduced Todd Andrews , a young basketball game player who was diagnose as being HIV - confirming . Skumm finds his single file and diffuse the info about Todd ’s condition , do his classmate and the townspeople to turn against him and his mother . Todd finish up running away to an erstwhile shack but decides to take back and is helped by the Planeteers . When Todd shows up at a basketball game , the gang reacts angrily until Captain Planet and Todd ’s passenger vehicle tell them they ca n’t get AIDS by casual contact , and Skumm is arrested for what he did .
