When we're little kids watching cartoons on TV, we rarely ever consider the adult human beings behind those creations. As kids, we like the bright blue light, the colors, the physical comedy, and the general silliness of it all.
But revisit those same old television shows as an adult and prepare for some new, shocking discoveries.
You'll quickly realize that adults were at the helm of those shows, and not just any adults. We're talking creators with absolutely bizarre imaginations, fascination with the visually grotesque, and, at worst, problematic ethical tendencies.
Some Redditors gathered to reminisce about the weirdest ones they could call to mind.
Classic_Contract7560 asked, "What children's shows are surprisingly creepy?"
Picking and Choosing
"My dad thought Invader Zim was creepy and weird, but we had the episodes on DVD where I would watch them a lot."
"They didn't mind CatDog, but my mom always said it was disturbing that a cat and dog were attached."
-- Lady03
Formative Influences
The Secret of Nimh is one of the darkest and creepiest things ever produced for children. I still love watching it."
"It's stuff like this that I watched as a kid that made me like scary stuff as an adult."
All About Setting
"Courage the cowardly dog" -- misochunky
"I was gonna mention that one. F*** me it's actually horrifying" -- GrigorijRasputin
"First saw Courage when I was a kid living in the rural desert filled with creepy stories and such. As far as I am concerned, that show was a historical account of my childhood." -- softdoorhandle
The Long Game
"I'm sorry but flapjack and teletubbies are something different" -- oooglybooogly12
"Flapjack was from that weird era of Cartoon Network when they started making shows that would attract some Adult Swim viewers." -- eddmario
"Yes. Teletubbies is just creepy as sh!t. Especially the older ones. I see my nephew happily watching it like it's the best thing ever. And I'm sitting there disturbed." -- Not_A_Bot2020
A New Lens
"The animation on Jay Jay the Jet Plane is much more horrifying than I remember as a child." -- theSuburbanAstronaut
"JAY JAY THE JET PLANE. Just no...." -- psf919
#1 and #2
"Boobah. What the f*** even was that sh**?" -- AdolphDiddler
"Boobahs were created when a TV exec checked what demographics watch TV during a particular slot and discovered that the top two were children and people on drugs." -- SloanWarrior
Early 90s: the Wild West of Grotesque Cartoons
"Ren and Stimpy" -- SymphonyForTheDevil
"My god. When they did the close-ups. I still get nightmares. What even was the age rating for that show?" -- unbearablytolerable
"The one where Ren took off his fur to get in the bath and there was a crowd of people watching through the window messed me up pretty good. Still don't like bathrooms with windows." -- RobinMagic
Discoveries About Cheese
"Cow and Chicken" -- FultonHomes
"Their friend the devil who always had an a** crack and when their neighbouring town was in civil war and they used cheese as ammunition until they were shown that cheese is food. Brilliant show" -- Recessjoe
Yup, Totally Creepy
"Some of the episodes of Hey Arnold legitimately still give me the creeps YEARS later when I think of them." -- abigiggle_n
"Him and Gerald fighting as old men on the bus, then his dead grandfather decomposing infront of him was f***ed." -- Soulger11
"I mean, Helga has a f***ing stalker shrine of Arnold with his hair and chewed gum that 'makes her girlhood tremble'" -- shewy92
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@Sebachambe/X
@_e_tto/X
@tedcruz/X
@whatevervisions/X
@GroksHandler/X
@texan77581/X