Cliche's about elderly people in cartoons

no.words

New member
What are some common cliche's about old people in cartoons? Ones ive noticed are tending to ramble on aimlessly, sometimes about total nonsense (abe simpson, wilbur cobb, even professor farnsworth is guilty of this from time to time), as well as getting angry very easily (cotton hill, the crazy old jewish man from the simpsons, and once again, professor farnsworth among others). Any other ones?
 
Often oldsters in cartoons are portrayed as being very hip and gonzo, riding motorcycles, performing dangerous stunts, dating hot young people and other things you'd expect from someone at least 30 years younger.
 
I say the most commonly used one is old people depicted as being senile, deaf, narcoleptic, and constantly talk about things from their youth. Like Grandpa Simpson.
 
Not being able to drive, at all. Though with all the news stories about old ladies ramming into plate glass windows in stores, it's art imitating life.
 
Complain about sickness and medication, bad backs, etc.

Drive slowly (20 mph would be considered speeding), leave their blinker on.
 
Hell, watch the Futurama episodes "A Clone of My Own" and "Teenage Mutant Leela Hurdles", and you'll pretty much get every single old-age cliche in existence.
 
There's the cliche of the elderly person falling asleep while in the middle of telling a story.

"Back in my day, we used to... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."
 
There seems to be two types of cliche with senior citizen characters.

Either they ramble about the old days, and bore everybody. Or they act like teenagers, and are hitting on people from all ages.

Is Papi from the Fairly Odd Parents, is he a example of the cliche, or a parody of it? It seemed they went over board with his character.

And what about Uncle Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender? He is very wise, and is not out of it. He doesn't ramble about the old days, but he does give these proverbs that no one understands. And he is the most flirtases character on the show. He loves to flirt with women, especially those half his age.

Speaking of that, is it just me or is there a double standard. An old man flirting with young women is suppose to be cute and funny, but an old lady flirting iwth a young man is suppose to be gross.

One other thing, I think there is a cliche to elderly Asian characters. It seems old Asian people are protrayed a stubbern, conservative, and set in their ways, and altra serious in life.
 
Or even just plain *children* that young---seems like Grandpa must've fathered Homer at an ever-increasingly (as the years roll on) older age if he's a World War II vet (and Homer's birthdate keeps floating at circa-38 years ago, since the characters don't age...). Which gives him something in common with the Justice Society and their offspring, I guess. ;-)

Same for Grandpa Marsh on "South Park" (he's 102, yet Randy can't be older than his 40's). Guess all these cartoon grandparents must've been robbing the cradle and married younger women. ;-p

-B.
 
One you see in alot of recent action comedy shows- old person is there as a mentor, but is mocked by the young hero. Eventually the mentor gets to battle the lead villain or such and totally outclasses the young lead hero, who is reduced to gawking and/or throwing out painful slang ("Woah, those moves are tight, Gee-Bee!")
 
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