Growing up, a lot of people would say their favorite show was a cartoon of some kind. SpongeBob has been popular for a long time, but I am willing to go as far back as Tom and Jerry, Looney Toons and Mickey Mouse. All of these characters and shows entertained us for years. After a while, some of the shows lost their punch as maturity set in, but that doesn’t mean cartoons no longer have to be a part of an adult’s life.
Cartoons are a great form of entertainment that can draw one from reality for a while into an entirely new world. But now that we no longer can withstand 30 minutes of Krabby Patties and arguments between a rabbit and duck over what season it is, it’s time we find cartoons with a more adult tone.
There are a few popular cartoons like Family Guy, The Simpsons, Futurama and South Park that many people will at least recognize.
Now as an adult, who has watched all four shows to an extreme amount, I would not recommend these cartoons for children. However, if I’m being honest, I did go behind my parents back as a child to watch all of them. A lot of the humor is violent, sexual, vulgar or simply disturbing; things a child should not listen to. But for an adult who can understand the difference between a joke and reality, these cartoons are a great way to relax.
Adult cartoons also stay up-to-date with current news. South Park just concluded its 20th season of the series, and topics such as the presidential election, living on Mars and the effects of social media were all key components. This included an episode that aired the day after the presidential election where a character parodying now President Donald Trump won the presidential election.
My favorite cartoon is a lesser-known cartoon titled Rick and Morty. The show airs on adult swim and is expected to begin its third season later this year. Rick and Morty is a sci-fi comedy, drama cartoon that tells the intergalactic, interdimensional story of super genius Rick Sanchez and his grandson, Morty, and their adventures battling aliens, fixing inventions gone wrong and attempting to deal with the cruel truths of mortality. The show’s humor goes from what could be considered childish, to intellectual, to outright gross.
The storyline is well done and the episodes connect well with each other.
Cartoons take us out of our normal lives. They let us relax from reality and make the impossible possible. It’s comforting to watch something and know that the rules don’t have to be followed. This means anything can happen at any time. Don’t be ashamed to watch cartoons as an adult. We grew up loving them, so who says we need to stop.
Dom LoVallo is the managing editor for the Bona Venture his email is lovalldv15@bonaventure.edu
