Man, animated parents just don't understand! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the lousiest parents in animated shows and how their poor parenting affects their children.
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00:00 "They're your kids!"
00:01 "I know and I love them, but don't you just sometimes wish they'd run away or..."
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the lousiest parents in
00:10 animated shows and how their poor parenting affects their children. We've already made
00:14 lists for both mothers and fathers, so this time we've made sure to call out both guilty
00:19 parties who are horrible together.
00:21 "You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try."
00:28 Number 20. Lynn L. Loud Sr. and Rita Loud - The Loud House
00:33 This might seem like a controversial entry since most of the time, Rita and Lynn Sr.
00:37 are shown to be loving, supportive parents, and raising 11 kids is no easy feat. However,
00:43 now and then, the cracks in their parenting become painfully clear. They hardly ever get
00:48 involved when their kids get in trouble, and at times are downright afraid of them.
00:52 "We'll ride the storm out in here."
00:54 "Did you remember the bucket?"
00:56 "Dang it."
00:57 In other cases, they'd sooner face community service than fulfill their parental responsibilities.
01:02 Undeniably, their biggest offense was joining their daughters in ostracizing their only son
01:06 under the pretense that he was bad luck, going so far as to lock him outside and sell his furniture.
01:13 What kind of example is that?
01:14 "Oh gosh, sorry son, not you. Someone could get attacked by a shark."
01:17 Number 19. Mom and Dad - Cow and Chicken
01:20 "If we can't scare your kids into some sort of long-term phobia,
01:24 then it's your money back. House calls 24 hours a day. That's it!"
01:29 Aside from raising too many genetic questions, Cow and Chicken's parents have become infamous
01:34 for never being seen from the waist up, which is a pity because now we can't put faces to the
01:39 madness. Along with being faceless, these two are often even more childish than their kids,
01:45 and are shown to be twice as insane. Zany cartoon parents are nothing new,
01:50 but it becomes a problem when their wackiness is at their kids' expense.
01:53 "Oh how darling! A cow and chicken just like my cow and chicken! The kids will be so thrilled!"
02:01 Arguably, the only one more unhinged than Mom and Dad is the red guy. Says a lot, doesn't it?
02:07 "Cow and Chicken show cancelled! Not really, gee."
02:10 Number 18. Jeremy and Pamela Manson - Danny Phantom
02:14 Jack and Maddie Fenton may have their scatterbrained moments, but at least their
02:18 love for their kids is clear. The same cannot be said for Sam's parents, unfortunately.
02:23 "I'm keeping a detailed list of anything I find objectionable, immoral, or obnoxious."
02:29 Jeremy and Pam Manson are everything that Sam isn't - bright, peppy, and snobby conformists.
02:35 Worst of all, they actively try to change their daughter's rebellious ways,
02:40 and frown upon her friendship with Danny and Tucker.
02:42 "Samantha, I forbid you from seeing this boy or any of your other troubled friends."
02:48 Fortunately for us, Sam never inherited their snootiness, and never lost sight of her true self.
02:54 Still, it's sad when your parents try to mold you into something you're not.
02:57 In Sam's case, they also don't see how their attitude is only pushing their daughter further
03:02 away. Number 17. Mindy's parents - Animaniacs
03:07 Almost every Buttons and Mindy segment follows the same formula. Little Mindy wanders out of
03:12 the backyard and gets into dangerous predicaments, and Buttons is put through the ringer to rescue
03:16 her. "Is Buttons taking good care of you? Buttons! What is this? I told you to leave the mailman
03:23 alone!" Of course, we can't blame Mindy. She's just a child. Her parents, on the other hand,
03:29 have no excuse. They leave Mindy unattended, expect a dog to be her babysitter, and have
03:35 the nerve to scold him after all he goes through to save the child thanks to their negligence.
03:40 Mindy doesn't even call them mom or dad, which isn't surprising since they're never around.
03:45 "Okay, lady, I love you, bye bye!" "No, Munga lady! Munga Munga mom!"
03:51 "Munga Munga needs therapy." Number 16. Clayton and Bliburta Puppington -
03:56 Moral Oral Oral Puppington is arguably the most innocent person in all of Moralton.
04:02 He certainly did not inherit that from his folks. "I think it's kinda strange that I don't even
04:07 remember conceiving this kid." "Please, when do you ever remember?"
04:12 Clay is the strict, controlling, and manipulative patriarch of the house.
04:16 He mentally and physically mistreats Oral and may have alcohol use disorder.
04:21 Bliburta isn't as bad as Clay, but she's still strict and negligent,
04:24 not to mention the role she played in enabling Clay's substance use disorder.
04:28 There is no love in their marriage, and along with how they affect Oral,
04:32 they neglect their youngest son, Shapey's safety.
04:35 "You shoot one thing this whole trip, count 'em, one thing, and it's two of my last bottles of
04:44 liquor!" And by that, we mean they don't even notice him getting switched with another child
04:49 for almost a whole season. We're happy to say that it's implied Oral would grow up to be a
04:53 better parent than either Clay or Bliburta. Number 15. Boris and Doris - Caillou
04:59 It's been unanimously said that Caillou is a parent's worst nightmare. His brattiness
05:05 was thankfully toned down in later seasons, but it was too little too late by then and viewers
05:10 will never forget what a tiny terror he was. Of course, the ones who truly deserve the blame
05:15 are his parents. While they love their kids, they rarely step in when Caillou is acting out.
05:29 Instead, they let him throw his temper tantrums and never really teach him how to manage his
05:34 emotions and outbursts. Worst of all, they usually just give in to whatever he wants,
05:47 or let him go without discipline when he misbehaves, which is really only harming him
05:52 in the long run. Number 14. Mom and Dad - Horrid Henry
05:57 With a name like Horrid Henry, it's pretty fair to say this kid is anything but a saint.
06:02 The thing is, he really doesn't have a reason to be very saint-like. Henry's parents are
06:06 kind of the worst. They show clear favoritism towards his perfect brother Peter, and frequently
06:18 blame Henry for things that aren't even his fault. They don't listen to what he has to say,
06:23 dish out unfair punishments, and are generally mean towards him. Unfortunately, the moments
06:29 when they do act like loving, supportive parents are too few and far between.
06:33 Number 13. Preston and Priscilla Northwest - Gravity Falls
06:45 When we first meet Pacifica Northwest, she seems like your typical spoiled rich girl who thinks
06:50 she's above all the weirdos in Gravity Falls. But in season two, we learn the true root of
06:56 this snobby behavior - her parents. Not only are they leagues snobbier than their daughter and a
07:06 bunch of liars to boot, but they also psychologically manipulate Pacifica to the point of using
07:12 Pavlovian conditioning to keep her in line. Luckily, Pacifica eventually finds some semblance
07:17 of true camaraderie in Dipper and Mabel, and realizes that just because she's a Northwest
07:22 doesn't mean she has to follow in her family's footsteps.
07:25 Number 12. Beatrice and Butterscotch Horseman - BoJack Horseman
07:36 Poor BoJack has gone down a treacherous road of depression and self-destruction.
07:41 And guess who's partially responsible for his trauma? Dear old mommy and daddy,
07:45 Beatrice and Butterscotch.
07:46 "You were born broken. That's your birthright. And now you can fill your life with projects,
07:53 your books and your movies and your little girlfriends, but it won't make you whole."
07:59 Their lives have been a turbulent roller coaster of trauma and regrets, and whatever love was
08:04 between them has dissipated - if it was ever there in the first place. Even more tragic is how they
08:09 deal with their misery - by taking it out on their son. It's hard to watch, but it does paint a
08:14 clearer picture of why BoJack is the way he is as an adult. "You're actually very lucky."
08:19 "Thank you."
08:26 Number 11. Drew and Charlotte Pickles - Rugrats
08:31 We joke about how the parents of Rugrats are all irresponsible when it comes to keeping an eye on
08:35 the babies, but at least parents like Stu and Dee Dee take the time to raise their kids when they
08:39 can. Meanwhile, Drew and Charlotte barely have any time to discipline Angelica. "Is it spoiling a
08:46 child to buy her a few new toys every day? Or to let her use my Armandi ties as jump rope?"
08:51 Charlotte is almost always on the phone or at the office, and while Drew is more active in Angelica's
08:56 life, he's a bit of a pushover. While both parents care for their daughter and do lay down the law
09:01 from time to time, Charlotte's absence and Drew's doting both leave a negative impact on Angelica,
09:07 ultimately leading to her bratty behavior. "It's too late for talk now, Angelica. We tried to
09:11 reason with you, but you wouldn't listen." "You'll be sorry!"
09:18 Number 10. Jerry and Beth Smith - Rick and Morty
09:22 These two are already a mess as a couple. Unfortunately, that plays a part in their
09:26 parenting skills as well. "You thought about getting an abortion?" "Everyone thinks about
09:30 it. Obviously, I'm the version of me that didn't do it. So, you're welcome." "Yeah."
09:34 Beth barely has a maternal bone in her body. While she does care about her kids,
09:39 she acts incredibly cold and distant from them. "Are you drunk?" "No, what are you, my wife,
09:44 coach?" "You're what?" Jerry cares very much for his children, although he's an insecure,
09:49 selfish coward who rarely, if at all, takes responsibility for his own shortcomings.
09:53 "Beth, it's him or me. Seems like you guys need some privacy."
10:01 A majority of these dysfunctions can be traced back to Beth's father, Rick,
10:05 whose toxic, sociopathic tendencies manipulate Beth, make Jerry look even more pitiful,
10:10 and trap the kids in the middle of the family's chaos.
10:14 Number 9. Nicole and Richard Watterson - The Amazing World of Gumball
10:19 Nicole and Richard have a very touching love story. However, their parenting skills leave a
10:23 lot to be desired. While Richard means well, he's dim-witted, lazy, and acts more like an
10:29 oversized child than an adult. Nicole cares very much for her family, but she can be overly
10:34 competitive, thanks to pressure from her own terrible parents, and has a violent temper
10:38 when pushed too far. "But I got straight A's." "Not here, gender." "Uh, yeah, F because I'm
10:45 female." "Being a girl is not an excuse." Neither one is a perfect role model, as they will
10:50 frequently compete with their children for who is the best or who has it worse. In fact, their kids,
10:55 especially Gumball, cause mass destruction and chaos on an almost daily basis. "How do you set
11:01 fire to a swimming pool?" "Hahaha!" So, directly or indirectly, they're responsible for all the
11:08 madness. "Who did this?" "It was him!" Number 8. Yancey Fry Sr. and Sherry Fry - Futurama
11:18 When Fry was cryogenically frozen and awoken in the future, he left behind a rather dysfunctional
11:23 family - a jealous older brother and two less than perfect parents. His dad, Yancey Sr., was a war
11:29 veteran and a conspiracy nut, usually unsupportive of Fry and generally too hard on him at times.
11:35 "You home from school, you traitor!" "I fell through the ice! Cut me some slack!" Fry's mom,
11:41 Sherry, paid more attention to her sports games than her son, even during the day he was born.
11:46 "Hey, keep it down! It's the ninth inning!" "Here's the 0-2 pitch to Great Bull. He's taking
11:51 all the way for a called strike three." What's sad is that once Fry disappeared,
11:56 these two barely even looked for him. "Maybe he can lead us to Philip!"
11:59 "To our deaths, negatory!" Despite how they treated him, they really did love him.
12:08 And if Fry could see them one more time, he'd make the most of it.
12:12 #7. Harold and Gladys - The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
12:16 Meeting Billy's parents was certainly interesting. Harold is presented as a dim-witted,
12:22 jobless man who shares his son's looks and single-digit IQ. He had a more intelligent
12:26 side in the early seasons, but his brainpower only went south from there.
12:30 "What that boy needs is focus." "So what do you propose to do about it?"
12:34 "About what?" "The focus problem."
12:36 He's also afraid of Santa Claus... and his own wife. Speaking of which, Gladys is a loving,
12:42 overprotective mother and wife. But she is completely off her rocker,
12:46 and easily resorts to violence when crossed. "When I say dinner time, I mean dinner time!"
12:53 She also has a deep hatred of Grim after one bad experience.
12:56 Sad to say, but Billy inherited the worst from these two.
13:00 #6. Stan and Francine Smith - American Dad
13:03 An extreme CIA agent and a nagging housewife. Sounds like the perfect recipe for disaster
13:10 in parenting. "Now give me your lunch!" "Stop! Get off me!" "Yeah, that's what your mom said
13:14 last night!" Stan tries to mold Steve into his ideal son, usually by berating his geeky lifestyle,
13:20 while constantly butting heads with Hayley because of their opposing political views.
13:24 "Oh hi, I'm Stan Smith! I think it's cool to trick my daughter! Who cares if it scars her for life!"
13:30 Francine started out more accepting of her children, but she tries desperately to keep
13:34 Steve as her mama's boy no matter what it takes. "I'm all you have!" "What? Well,
13:39 no girl will ever love you as much as mommy!" And would only grow to be as selfish and mean
13:44 as her husband. Together, they try to raise their kids by what's right for them, not by what's good
13:49 for Steve and Hayley. It wouldn't surprise us if their controlling attitude drove one of them away...
13:54 again. #5. Dr. Heinz and Mrs. Charlene
13:57 Dufenschmerz – Phineas and Ferb Heinz Dufenschmerz hopes to one day rule the
14:03 Tri-State area. But a lot of his evilness may stem from how poor his childhood was,
14:07 "From a tender age, my father decided that it would be me." thanks in part to his parents.
14:13 For starters, they show more favoritism towards his younger brother... and their dog. Along with
14:18 that, they never let poor Heinz do any normal kid activities, disowning him at one point,
14:22 and they didn't even show up the day he was born. Yeah, we're not sure how that works either.
14:27 "Hello boys and... oh, mmm, awkward." While it's mostly for laughs, after a
14:33 certain point, it just becomes depressing. Thankfully, he didn't inherit their neglectful
14:37 parenting, and actually tries to be a good father for his own daughter Vanessa,
14:41 whom he shares custody of with his ex-wife Charlene. #4. Stephen and Linda Stotch – South Park
14:52 Let's be real, the parents of South Park would take up more than half this list.
14:55 A majority of them are either more childish than their kids, complete idiots, or both.
15:00 So for now, we will settle for the parents that are all that and needlessly cruel. Butters' parents.
15:06 Stephen says he does what's best for his son, and yet he grounds Butters for the pettiest reasons.
15:17 Linda acts nicer to Butters, but we're always worried about just how long that'll last.
15:22 "Shh, shh, it's okay baby. Mommy will be with you very soon." The fact that they can punish their
15:27 son for literally anything doesn't help with his anxiety, but it does make it more cathartic when
15:32 he finally fights back. #3. Robert, Big Bob and Miriam Pataki – Hey Arnold
15:43 We all know Helga can be abrasive, rude, and a little dramatic, but most of the blame comes
15:48 from her home life. More specifically, her family. Miriam mostly mopes around the house,
15:53 usually in quite the state after having consumed too many smoothies. Big Bob is a self-serving,
15:59 short-tempered salesman who cares more about his beeper empire than his wife,
16:03 only giving attention to Helga when a contest is on the line. "I can't believe it. He didn't think
16:09 I could do it on my own." Both parents show favoritism towards their oldest, overachieving,
16:14 perfect daughter, Olga, so much so that they'll forget Helga's name, or that she even exists.
16:20 That kind of neglect left Helga feeling alone and unloved, until a certain football head came
16:29 around. #2. Mr. and Mrs. Turner – The Fairly Odd Parents
16:38 You ever wonder why Timmy Turner needs fairy godparents? Because his real parents are barely
16:42 ever there when he needs them. Both Mr. and Mrs. Turner are complete nitwits, with Mrs.
16:58 Turner slightly more intelligent than her husband, and the show does not even attempt to hide it.
17:10 While they say they love Timmy, the two show favoritism towards others above their own son,
17:15 and they barely try to spend time with him, unless it's inconvenient to him. Worst of all,
17:20 they leave the house every day to go somewhere stupid, handing Timmy over to the world's worst
17:25 babysitter, who physically and mentally abuses him regularly. And, they're completely oblivious,
17:30 or do not even care. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the
17:40 bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional
17:45 videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch
17:50 on notifications. #1. Peter and Lois Griffin – Family Guy
17:57 We doubt these two know anything about good old-fashioned values considering what horrible
18:01 parents they are. Lois usually tries to be a decent mother, but most of the time,
18:09 she acts uncaring and often cruel towards her own children. She'll even act better than them
18:19 despite her own misdeeds. It's no wonder Stewie has such a vendetta against her.
18:23 Peter is even worse as he mistreats his kids in all sorts of awful ways,
18:32 especially Meg. He's even admitted that he hates being around them.
18:38 While the early days have Lois and Peter trying to be good parents,
18:41 now it feels like they couldn't care less what happens to their children.
18:44 Which parents are you thankful are not your own? Let us know in the comments.
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19:04 [Music]