Why does Donald Duck wear a towel when getting out of the shower, but he doesn’t actually wear pants? Why do we anamorphize Goofy more than Pluto? Why can't Chip and Dale just celebrate their love, rather than constantly hiding it behind mischief and farce?
It’s amazing how something as innocent as a children’s cartoon can seem so puzzling when re-filtered through the adult mind.
Rarely, in my youth, did I contemplate the logical or moral dilemmas constantly present in these surreal representations of reality, but it’s pretty difficult for an adult to ignore the ludicrous nature of cartoons as an adult.
For example, why would Tom and Jerry take such extreme measures in their attempts to best one another?
For all the money he seemingly wastes on Acme products, why doesn’t Wile. E. Coyote simply buy some food? For that matter, why does he feel such corporate loyalty to the Acme brand, considering the repeated inefficient nature of its products?
Perhaps the most absurd of cartoon character is Pepé Le Pew, who basically should be court ordered to maintain a legal minimal distance from any dark-furred felines.
I can see why some parents disapprove of their children watching some of these not-so-innocent animations. After all, who wants their child to think it’s OK to use a giant magnet to capture a roadrunner, only to inadvertently start sucking tanker ships and flying saucers to magnet’s desert location, ergo making a mess?
However, as much as I might be critical of the child cartoons of my childhood, I must admit that I do still thoroughly enjoy them — especially the Looney Tunes.
Who doesn’t laugh at the whacky antics of these depraved fictional characters? I often find that if I’m scanning through the cable channels and happen across a Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show marathon, I’ll end up watching the series of absurd clips for hours, mesmerized by the slapstick humour of it all.
As one might be able to tell from the multiple references in this column, my favourite Looney Tunes clips involved Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote.
Such insane determination — in a way the coyote is an admirable character, although perhaps not quite the “super genius” he claims to be when appearing in Bugs Bunny clips.
Perhaps those old fashioned children’s cartoons could be potentially inappropriate for some children watching, but I think that might be a result of the genre at one time trying to appeal to a broader population, which included children and adults alike.
Wile E., Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck — for adult viewers, their questionable antics are still funny, because of their satirical nature, subtle philosophical themes and general sense of offensive farce.
Fortunately for the modern adult, the genre of the adult-specific cartoon can satisfy a thirst for animated offence, without having to pander and potentially confuse the younger generation.
Aside from The Simpsons, there’s Family Guy, Futurama, South Park, Robot Chicken and a plethora of other non-child cartoons commonly featured on the Cartoon Network and Comedy Network.
However, perhaps I should entertain the notion that it’s important children be exposed to an element of adult humour in their cartoons. Maybe losing a modest degree of confusion and offence is undesirable for those Saturday morning programs.
One of the most important aspects about being an adult, after all, is developing a keen sense of humour and learning to appreciate both sarcasm and the absurd. The very fact the children cartoons of my youth had antisocial elements to them likely influenced the sense of humour for me and fellow members of my generation.
Maybe those cartoons are a relatively safe and innocent way to introduce children to the absurd and occasionally dangerous world of adults.
Perhaps the obsessive struggles of Wile E. Coyote or the unforgiving violence of Tom and Jerry enables children to glimpse at the aggressive and occasionally mean-spirited world that awaits them, but lets them know that world can be viewed with whimsical humour that makes the whole thing tolerable.
However, I still don’t understand why Donald doesn’t have to wear pants.
