Cartoons That Drive Me Crazy! #BlogDare

Since I have two toddlers, I am very familiar with the cartoon world. Knowing the names of each character is a good way to get a 2-year old's attention.

There are the classic characters like Mickey Mouse or the new favorites like The Wonder Pets, but of course there are a few that I don't understand. I know, I am not the target audience, but I do have control over the remote.

I will never be a fan of Fireman Sam. Though I love many of HIT Entertainment's characters like Thomas, Pingu and Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam is one show that always causes us to reach for the remote. The accents don't bother me, but the characters do! I have never seen a more dysfunctional fire house. The firefighters seem to create about half of their own problems and the situations they get into are downright dangerous.


It plays on the Sprout Channel and when my son was younger he was terrified of it. I always knew when it came on because my son would ask me to, "change it".

I am  surprised the character Normal Price hasn't already burned down the whole town. He at least should be put under 24-hour watch. I only wish they would come up with more creative ways to create story lines than having one  character running a muck through town.

Then how about SpongeBob Square Pants? I know many parents dislike this show, and I think it is with good reason. My main problem is it always plays around other cartoon favorites. Spongebob is far too violent for young children like mine. I think it would be more appropriate for Adult Swim style cartoons at night.

The character is branded on everything! I see the toys, clothing and decorations everywhere so it is hard to avoid. Since it is so recognizable my children want to watch it, but between the lessons in laziness, cartoon violence and Spongebob's own annoying laughter ... I just can't take it!

When I taught in Japan, my junior high students loved Spongebob. I ended up getting a few episodes to use as a teaching tool for our English classes. I even found a few episodes that I enjoyed. The character of Gary, the snail, is adorable. The thing is, the audience was older so I didn't see a problem.

Has anyone else had kids just act crazy after watching Spongebob? The action is so fast with flashing images and bright colors, my son gets really wound up. I would much rather his few TV shows of the day were things like Pocoyo or Jake & the Neverland Pirates.

So what about you? Are there any cartoons that drive you batty? What is banned in your home?