With the 90s and (early) 2000s babies starting to grow into adults, I start to more frequently hear complaints about how Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network is bringing in horrible shows or even just revamping the shows we loved as kids. The usual complaint is that they're "ruining" our beloved networks.
But let's stop for a second and ask ourselves: Are we, as adults and older teens, the target audience for cartoons? Networks aren't looking to please an 18-year-old boy with Unikitty, nor are they just dying to get a Senior in high school to binge watch Teen Titans Go on her days off of work.
Our generation isn't the target audience.
I know what you're thinking, "Well, why isn't the show I used to watch good enough for kids these days?" Honestly, think back to what we used to watch when we were younger. Even though I loved the original Teen Titans, I know just as well as you all do that it was pretty boring. It was good, but it was a little over our heads as early elementary school students.
Talk to the average eight-year-old in your area. They'll probably make about five jokes about gas within ten minutes. Their humor differs from our former sense of humor by a wide margin. The age gap and generational difference bring along with it some very visible differences.
The current target age for cartoon channels isn't attracted to what we once were. It takes some goofier animation, more immature jokes, and less realism. We, as a group, have to understand that these shows aren't being ruined, they're just trying to continue on. In all reality, if the shows we loved had stayed the same (yes, even SpongeBob), it would lose so many viewers that it would be taken off the air.
Cartoons are for children. Children who don't have jobs, responsibilities, and eight papers due by Friday. Cartoons are targeted towards kids who have time to watch cartoons.
It's time for teens and adults to stop complaining about the cartoons we don't have time to watch. The humor, animation, and simple plot aren't for us to watch. It's for the kids who are begging for shows like this.
