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Today we're talking about the idea that entertainment aimed at kids can only be enjoyed by kids and the reason that adults often don't like kids things is because adults just don't “get” them. I contend that everyone, of all ages should be able to enjoy General or kid rated media and the true reason we don't is not because it “isn't meant for us”, it's because it's simply badly written - specifically, it's not the content that's annoying, it's the structure.
The reason why some kid's shows are so boring and awful to an adult audience is mainly because the creators are lazy with their use of tropes, cliches, plotting etc, which they do because they're underestimating their audience. They don't think their audience is worth the time and trouble to write a decent story for so they reuse plots and take shortcuts. To some extent they can get away with it because children don't have the experience to spot a lot of that but it really doesn't take long till they do and then they quickly become bored.
I contend that producing such media for kids is criminal because the media we consume as children informs us creatively and culturally as adults as we remember back on our early influences. By foisting trash on kids we're doing them a horrible disservice.
How can we judge this stuff? Well, if a show aimed at kids can be enjoyed just as easily by an adult, then it's a success. Great examples are things like Bug's Bunny, Tom and Jerry, Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls, Total Drama Island, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Cinderella, the Muppet Show, etc. These things are well written and have extra layers that can be enjoyed by different age groups simultaneously.
This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Filaments a Kerbop Story - The mysterious, dark shadowy reaches of space, glowing tendrils of a pink gassy nebula, dimly seen, distant stars, shadowy pockmarked asteroids turning lazily… a happily little junty turn plucked out on strings winds its way through the gloom, spreading cheer and light!
Topics and shownotes
Links
Featured comic:
Small Gods - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2020/sep/15/featured-comic-small-gods/
Featured music:
Filaments a Kerbop Story - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Filaments_a_KerBop_story/, by Caliway, rated E.
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean
Pitface - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PIT_FACE/
Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/
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QUACKCAST 497 - It's just kid's stuff
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Sept. 22, 2020
Banes,
comics community,
Drunk duck,
featured comic,
featured music,
Filaments a Kerbop Story,
Gunwallace,
It's just kid's stuff,
Ozoneocean,
Pitface,
QUACKCAST 497,
Small Gods,
Tantz Aerine,
Webcomics hosting
5 likes!
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Ozoneocean at 9:26PM, Sept. 25, 2020
Wow, I didn't realise there was cross pollination between Steven Universe and Adventure Time!
Amelius at 6:32AM, Sept. 25, 2020
Oh yes, SU is one of those series that only gets better as it goes but the fandom is a mess, AT was great when Rebecca Sugar was on the team but when she left to do SU, Adventure Time really loses some of the magic, it got to a point where we kinda gave up on it after a major reveal had us saying "well, that was unecessary". Sugar's husband's cartoon OK:KO Let's Be Heroes is a hilarious one worth checking out too, in the vein of high-energy cartoons with a continuous story in the background. It got cut short but still manages to have a satisfying wrap-up (though the penultimate ep wasn't great, the final one makes up for it)
Ozoneocean at 6:12PM, Sept. 24, 2020
Haha! I like hidden gems! I still have to catch up with Steven Universe and Adventure time...
Amelius at 7:38AM, Sept. 24, 2020
Oh it is a HIGH recommend from me! Both myself and Nick have very high standards and we both loved the hell out of Infinity Train, the last season is a real rollercoaster to say the least. Everyone's out there praising Raised by Wolves when this is an infinitely (pun intended) better sci-fi series.
Ozoneocean at 12:47AM, Sept. 24, 2020
Sounds good! No, I haven't seen that one yet o_o
Amelius at 12:01PM, Sept. 23, 2020
Only because it's also been chopped to hell to remove a bulk of the adult jokes, innuendo and a good portion of the violence! I think it's more a testament to their quality that they still hold up in spite of being so heavily edited. I love LT shorts, but I don't want every kids show to be something made for adults that has all the adult jokes trimmed out to make it suitable for kids! Aside from the racist stuff that was never cool, it's kind of a travesty what they did to make it "for kids". BTW speaking of good animated shows with wide appeal, have you seen Infinity Train? It's got a great synth soundtrack. It's a rare cartoon made for teens and when it goes dark, it does not pull punches. And plenty of jokes that kids won't get 'til they're older, to boot.
Ozoneocean at 10:56AM, Sept. 23, 2020
Bugs Bunny works as a kid's show though and it's a good model for how a kid's show should be.
Amelius at 10:19AM, Sept. 23, 2020
Classic Bugs Bunny wasn't aimed at children though, never was. "The Warner cartoons were aimed strictly for adults--they were never meant for children,"-- Robert McKimson.
KDog at 12:18AM, Sept. 23, 2020
Wait a minute, is that a LEGO Spaceship I see? Intrigued!
Ozoneocean at 8:55AM, Sept. 22, 2020
Thankyou for that comment Andreas! Very thoughtful and interesting. And a great compliment for Gunwallace too!
Andreas_Helixfinger at 5:19AM, Sept. 22, 2020
Good Quackcast! And indeed I think all too often writers and storytellers will underestimate the progressing intelligence of children. But there have indeed been a lot of examples of fiction that were both fun and intelligent, that kids enjoyed and are still enjoying as adults. One solid example for me was the morning cartoon "Sonic the Hedgehog SATAM" back when it ran on swedish children's television programming. It was one of those 90's cartoons that to me perfectly weaved in enviromental messanging and was a very convincing, and quite serious tough also a lot of fun, epic adventure drama, set in a robotic, industrialist dystopia with cute animal freedom fighters. On one last note, I must say that it is very fitting that Gunwallace made a theme for "Filaments a Kerbop Story" for this Quackcast, which I've read and would gladly declare one of the smartest, funniest and most fascinating Webcomics, rated E for Everyone, that I've read so far👍