Dark cartoon conspiracy theories...

[artmom]

There are theories regarding the possible, and sometimes very accurate, back stories and plots with cartoons and other kids shows all over the net. I admit I was really into it. It's often referred to "ruined childhoods" because these theories tend to make somewhat sense and point out some symbolisms and indications of how dark our favorites were. Rugrats is a good example. Apparently all the babies are a figment of Angelica's twisted imagination.
However, the conspiracy theories have holes and some only make sense with a few episodes of the shows. If the Rugrats babies didn't exist, then why do others acknowledge them? *Rhetorical question.
My daughter introduced this to me and, even though she is old enough to handle it, I wonder what this would mean if she was younger. Like, would I keep her from watching these shows? Would I pay more attention to kids shows?
My question to you is, what do you, or would you do, if you found out a show is depicting more than what it seems on the surface? Would you still let your kids watch?

 

[mom2many]

I've never cared, if I don't catch these theories I doubt my kids is.

 

[cybele]

I've heard a variation on the Rugrats one that Angelica is the only living child and she imagines the babies as her way of coping, Betty had a miscarriage and that's why she sees Phil and Lil as twins, because she didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl, Chuckie died along with his mother which is why Chaz is such a wreck, I can't remember the rest.

I've also read that Hey Arnold was supposed to be about Helga, a bit of a show about a girl with not a very nice life and how she tries to adapt to that and be normal, but that didn't go over well.
It makes sense when you think about it, so many of the episodes feature her more than Arnold, she has more of a back story than Arnold and more of her 'complexities' are shown than Arnolds. It's also kind of weird to have an antagonist with this huge back story about an alcoholic mother and a highly favoured sister/neglectful father as explanations for her behaviour, then just to have some funky grandparents thrown in for comedic effect for the protagonist.

Okay, I latched on to the Hey Arnold one because my husband and I developed this theory when my oldest was little, it came from one of the episodes which was about Helga dealing with her alcoholic mother and Arnold was barely featured other than in passing and we both agreed that it was really weird for the core issue to not even effect the main character. Then I read about it online and thought "Holy crap, it's not just us!"

 

[artmom]

I've heard a variation on the Rugrats one that Angelica is the only living child and she imagines the babies as her way of coping, Betty had a miscarriage and that's why she sees Phil and Lil as twins, because she didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl, Chuckie died along with his mother which is why Chaz is such a wreck, I can't remember the rest.

I've also read that Hey Arnold was supposed to be about Helga, a bit of a show about a girl with not a very nice life and how she tries to adapt to that and be normal, but that didn't go over well.
It makes sense when you think about it, so many of the episodes feature her more than Arnold, she has more of a back story than Arnold and more of her 'complexities' are shown than Arnolds. It's also kind of weird to have an antagonist with this huge back story about an alcoholic mother and a highly favoured sister/neglectful father as explanations for her behaviour, then just to have some funky grandparents thrown in for comedic effect for the protagonist.

Okay, I latched on to the Hey Arnold one because my husband and I developed this theory when my oldest was little, it came from one of the episodes which was about Helga dealing with her alcoholic mother and Arnold was barely featured other than in passing and we both agreed that it was really weird for the core issue to not even effect the main character. Then I read about it online and thought "Holy crap, it's not just us!"

That's what I heard about the Rugrats and Hey, Arnold. I used to watch Hey, Arnold but I wasn't paying that much attention.
I've always wondered how the babies in Rugrats would go everywhere without anyone noticing. I think it was that Tommy died and Stu keeps making all these toys in his memory. Angelica's mom died and her name was Cynthia. The Cynthia doll she always has with her was a gift from her mom and Angelica also still sees her. If you notice her mom barely takes any notice of Angelica and her husband looks as much like a wreck as Chaz or Stu. Funny, the mom's seem to be the only ones that seem to be put together.

There was also a confirmed theory behind My Little Pony where the main character ponies are based on 4 or 5 girls who died on the same day in the same state, I believe. The ponies represent their personalities.

 

[TabascoNatalie]

I remember youtube videos where people discuss seeing erect penises in disney cartoons.

 

[cybele]

The tower in The Little Mermaid was very obviously a penis.

 

[artmom]

I never noticed anything with Disney movies until people started pointing them out. I had a big Little Mermaid coloring poster of the old movie cover and I never noticed anything. But that was when I was 5.

 

[mom2many]

gfgh

 

[JGPS]

Anyone have any ideas on Max and Ruby? No parents ever home or referenced ever and Grandma just comes by to drop things off once in a while.

My kids never watched it much, partly because the whole dynamic of that show had a really weird vibe to me, esp between Max and Ruby themselves with Ruby obviously being protective and maternal.

 

[artmom]

Anyone have any ideas on Max and Ruby? No parents ever home or referenced ever and Grandma just comes by to drop things off once in a while.

My kids never watched it much, partly because the whole dynamic of that show had a really weird vibe to me, esp between Max and Ruby themselves with Ruby obviously being protective and maternal.

On Wikipedia it just says that the parents are never mentioned or seen. There is a family portrait in the living room but it just has them and the grandparents. There are theories ranging from Ruby running away with Man or kidnapping him, the parents being dead and just not around leaving Ruby to care for Max all the time.
I checked out this site:http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddlers_preschoolers/102218/_max_ruby_the_mystery[/url]

"In an exclusive interview with Nick Jr.[/URL], Rosemary Wells, the author of the highly acclaimed children's books the show is based on, says: "We don't see Max and Ruby's parents because I believe that kids resolve their issues and conflicts differently when they're on their own. The television series gives kids a sense about how these two siblings resolve their conflicts in a humorous and entertaining way."

So, it seems like the parents were left out on purpose to simplify the message of working together with other kids and learning about the importance of helping and becoming independent with everyone, not just because a parent says you have to.