Target Demographics

F

freeze_sr

New member
I wanted to create this thread in order to further discuss a point that was made in another thread on this forum. You see, it was generally agreed upon that the general public doesn’t loathe animation as a medium, but rather, there is a high degree of reluctance when it comes to people and animated programs that target a younger demographic. The “cartoons are for kids” mentality didn’t really exist, but cartoons that were made for kids are typically treated as inferior and older people are less likely to watch them on their own. I thought that this issue might be worth discussing.

I am 21 years of age and a vast majority of my favorite television programs are animated programs that were designed for children. I may not laugh as much as I used to when I was younger, but I feel a genuine sense of entertainment and I love the characters and the stories. However, there are many people, some of which are on this forum, who believe that adults can’t find much entertainment in children’s animation. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but when people say such things, it really bothers me.

Some creators of animated programs also don’t care that much about people older than their show’s target demographic. I once posted a critique of Catscratch on Doug TenNapel’s forum and he banned me, saying that his cartoon was designed for children and that he didn’t care about what I had to say. I guess that’s the sad truth when it comes to this subject.

Regardless…

Do you believe there is anything wrong with watching an animated program that is designed for children and finding it enjoyable? How many animated programs do you watch that are meant for a younger demographic?

You’re more than welcome to share your thoughts on these issues, or generally discuss the subject of target demographics for animated programs.
 
Not at all for a few reasons:

1. You get to see many stories that wouldn't be done as well or at all in live action.

2. We all have an inner child, which a mature adult knows that you should never try to keep locked up. Being secure with said inner child shows maturity.

3. Quite a bit of kid shows are written to appeal to older viewers as well, thus a person who makes a habit to avoid children's cartoon would miss out on it.

4. To dismiss a children's cartoon for being childish is hypocritical as the same adults who dismiss it are likely to view many reality shows that have people doing embarassing or disgusting things. I ask you, does that sound anymore mature and sophisticated than Batman The Animated Series or Pinky & The Brain? I think not.
 
The only cartoons/shows I single out of my "What to Watch" list are pre-schooler shows.

Dora, Franklin, Blues Clues, all great for teaching little kids and helping them remember things easily (Heck, the only reason I was able to remember the whole water evaporates and causes rain so easily as a kid was because of Blues Clues) but I honestly can not find out why adults or even teenagers would buy Care Bear merchandise and have a debate on which is better: Dora the Explorer or Go Diego, Go!

I also don't watch a lot of anime, but that's a completely different story.
 
I myself do not see a problem in an adult watching shows meant for children. I do feel embarassed to have in deapth conversations about them outside of the internet because society doesn't think that it is alright.

I don't know why teenagers (mainly girls) think that Dora is cool. I mean the other day in one of my classes we had to design a city and a group of girls did there's in a Dora theme. Keep in mind that these are high schoolers. I can see that adults would want to buy merchandise of Care Bears, Hello Kitty, Elmo, ect. because that they are cute characters.
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with watching and enjoying animated shows intended for younger audiences. When I go back and watch Rocko or Invader Zim, I still find that I love the shows not only because they are funny and entertaining, but also because they throw a lot of stuff in there that only older/more mature people can pick up on. This just proves that cartoons are meant for everyone.

As for the number of shows for a younger demographic I watch, only about 2 or 3, but that's just because I never really have time.:sad:
 
I actually find myself enjoy many preschool shows, not that I'll tell any one to the face that any time soon. I love the simplicity of "Max and Ruby", and the whimsical comedy of "Ni-Nao, Ki-Lan". Kiddie shows, kiddie shows, RAH RAH RAH! :D
 
A few reasons why some adults would take part in a preschool program:

1. They probably have a kid or nephew/niece who watches it, and is in the room with them.
2. Like with the regular kid shows, some are written well and should an adult catch a glimpse they may like it.
3. Some people like to try different types of shows rather than sticking to one genre/medium. Expanding the horizon is another way to state it.
4. If it's based of a source material, then extreme fans will watch it for the sake of of following their favorite character/franchise like say Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
 
I'll give you that, there's not a lot of entertainment value in them for me.

My policy on the matter is, if it's made by adults, it can be enjoyed by adults. Simple as that. Besides, I got a huge kick out of seeing my work colleague's faces when I wore my Foster's T-shirt in for the first time. I wonder what they'll say when they see my new MLaaTR one? :eek:

In response to the second question, I couldn't tell you. I don't tend to keep tabs on that sort of thing.
 
Honestly, it would depend on the show. If I'm entertained, I'll watch something, regardless if it's intended for the kinder children or not. I don't watch any TV shows aimed at tiny tots like Baby Looney Tunes or Dora the Explorer, but I wouldn't rag on anyone here who does.

To date, the last "kids'" show that I used to watch was PBS's Arthur. My younger brother (not my twin Silverstar, he's actually 5 minutes older than me!) used to be really into Arthur, so the 3 of us used to watch the show together, but I haven't seen the series since he outgrew it (he's in college now). I found Arthur to be an amusing enough show, but I wasn't so into it that I would continue to watch it after my younger brother stopped.
 
The rule for me is: if I enjoy something, then I watch it, regardless of which demographic it's supposedly aimed at. Heck, I used to enjoy Ellen's Acres the 2 weeks it was on Cartoon Network.
 
Well, I consider preschool shows to be a different type of “kid show”. They’re more edutainment than entertainment, so I can understand why some adults don’t want to watch those shows in their spare time. I don’t even watch them, unless I’m with my niece and we’re watching them together. However, there are some people who refuse to watch animated programs that were designed for older children, as they’re still “kid shows”. “Kim Possible” was a “kid show”. Hell, even “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a “kid show”. I linked to a great example earlier in this thread, as that one user refused to give “Chowder” a chance because it was a “kid show”, as he didn’t really believe adults could find “kid shows” funny.

I’ve said it before, but I believe animated programs that are designed for children are often more intelligent and mature than animated programs that are designed for adults. I love “Family Guy” and “Drawn Together”, but shows like “Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends” seem so much more sophisticated.
 
Although I try to disregard the target demographic with anything in my hobbies, I do tend to be attracted more toward stuff aimed at kids, myself. In general, I'll gladly choose, say, One Piece and Chowder over Hellsing and Drawn Together. Or, outside of animation, a show like Zoey 101 over CSI; Harry Potter over a Stephen King novel.

Frankly, I don't think the whole controversy stirred up in MonkeyFunk's thread is nearly as simple as he makes it out to be. In fact, if I can say so respectfully, his entire thread's premise was quite flawed. But, I suppose I shouldn't go into that here - unfortunately, I missed the thread while it was active and it seems to have died down now.

So, back on topic, I don't have any prejudice against cartoons meant for kids, and I think Americans in general are somewhat of a mixed bag - in general, if something is meant for children, they aren't going to put the time into it or take it seriously, yet there are isolated examples (Spongebob Squarepants, Hannah Montana, Harry Potter) where, somehow, almost unexplainably, adults are able to overcome the prejudice (in some cases, as with animation, multiple prejudices) and genuinely enjoy it. Never more than there "adult" fare like CSI, but still enough so that they somehow feel secure in watching it and even recommending it to others.

So, I guess to answer more simply, for me, I see nothing wrong with watching something regardless of whom it was meant for. For most everybody else, I'm sure it matters a great deal, but only for as long as that person holds the prejudice in higher regards than the enjoyment he gets from watching the show, assuming he can be gotten to that point in the first place. Uh... that's worded really awkwardly, but hopefully you get what I mean.
 
We must remember, cartoons are made by adults. Ok having said that bit of rubbish, I am an over 30's guy who watches 90% animated shows...theres nothing else on thats any good really. However I don't watch any pre-school stuff. Most of my toon watching consist of:

Superhero toons - JLU, Spiderman, etc.
Anime - One Piece, Heat Guy J, Police Tank Z, Avatar(?)
Oldies - Popye, looney toons, woody woodpecker
and a few other varieties.

My hate for the reality television wipes out mostly everything else...I might watch a little TVLAND or A&E. Otherwise premium channels (like HBO and the lot) and local news makes up the other 10%.

Sitcoms suck right now.
 
Yeah, it seems I'm of similar agreement. The only thing is that I, personally, find myself hesitant to mention them in the same breath as stuff intended for adults or at least an older crowd.

I'll use the example of the two Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons, AOSTH and the Saturday morning cartoon, watching them recently out of both boredom and a bit of nostalgia comparison. I approached them expecting to enjoy the SatAm cartoon more due to its supposedly more darker, and thus "mature," content. Yet found myself enjoying more of the bizarre surrealism of the former, even if it is marred by corny PSA-like morality scenes, spotty plot direction, and a few badly animated episodes. I found SatAm to satisfy neither the comedy nor the drama it attempts to simutaneously strive for. The comedy in this one is much more forced and groan worthy, while the drama struggles to be interesting--sputtering to life every once in a great while, only to be reduced to sappy melodrama and corny humor for the majority of its duration.

But I digress, since they're both still kid's shows. It just seems that, for me, most of the adult oriented TV and Film material I like are live-action, while the more child oriented happen to be mostly animated.
 
Looking at his profile, Master Moron's got kid-oriented fare in his "favourite cartoons" box. So it looks like he's drawing a distinction between animation that's aimed primarily at children, and animation that's designed specifically for children.

I've never seen Chowder, so I can't comment on whether or not it's fair to put it in the latter category.
 
I really don't mean to speak for Master Moron, but in my experience with him it seems to be based entirely upon genre.

In a nutshell, he seems to think action cartoons aimed at children are a-okay, but comedies are not.

Regardless, he's the exception to the rule, at least as far as my experiences go. Most animation fans can either accept something meant for children or they can't, regardless of genre.
 
Back
Top