Avert your eyes, children! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for what hindsight has made the most shocking episodes, cameos, and segments in kids’ TV.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for what, in hindsight, has
00:11made the most shocking episodes, cameos, and segments in kids' TV.
00:1920.
00:21Lance Armstrong's Cameo – Arthur By 2008, cyclist Lance Armstrong was already
00:27the subject of rumors claiming his meteoric rise to fame was due to the use of performance-enhancing
00:34drugs.
00:35But Armstrong vehemently denied these claims and appeared to pass several tests proving
00:40his innocence.
00:41It was during this time that the athlete made an appearance on Arthur, teaching one of its
00:46characters about the importance of bike lanes.
00:58He would return in the shows following season, this time discussing his experience living
01:03with cancer and discussing the best ways one can be there for someone who has an illness.
01:13Both episodes are entirely innocuous and feature good lessons for the show's young
01:23audience.
01:24But were nonetheless buried and occasionally picked apart following Armstrong's scandal
01:31and subsequent confession.
01:3319.
01:34The Unhoused People Party – iCarly Being unhoused is no laughing matter.
01:40Even a show like Glee, which many thought mishandled other sensitive subjects, knew
01:45to treat this particular issue with sensitivity and tact.
01:52For iCarly, however, it was apparently considered a funny enough topic for a running gag.
01:57The season 3 episode, I Enrage Gibby, even features a certain party in which the main
02:03characters dress as stereotypical unhoused people.
02:07Not only is the party offensive, but it bizarrely has nothing to do with the rest of the episode.
02:14The strange side gag would become one of the show's last references to them, as Nickelodeon
02:19would put an end to the recurring joke in the following year.
02:2318.
02:24Running Zack – Saved by the Bell Sometimes good intentions can lead to poorly
02:30aged moments.
02:32In Saved by the Bell's second season, the Bayside High kids are made to present on their
02:37personal family heritages.
02:39Zack Morris doesn't take the assignment seriously and cites Native American ancestry
02:44as an excuse to do a stereotype-laden speech as his classmates laugh.
02:52His teacher threatens to fail him, endangering his spot on the track team unless he agrees
02:57to meet with a Native American man named Chief Henry.
03:00What initially appears to be a good teaching moment dives headfirst back into cringe territory
03:06when Zack arrives at school in full headdress.
03:13Although he's slightly more educated about the culture than when the episode began, that
03:18doesn't excuse this blatant display of appropriation.
03:2217.
03:23Fumbled Feminist Message – The Powerpuff Girls
03:27Children's shows can be smarter than people give them credit for, as can their target
03:32audience.
03:33But sometimes a topic is just too complex to cover in a half-hour cartoon.
03:38For The Powerpuff Girls, feminism was one of those topics.
03:55The episode, Equal Fights, attempts to criticize a specific brand of empty, man-hating feminism
04:02with its antagonist, Femme Fatale.
04:05Unfortunately, the character comes across as a straw man, and her valid critiques about
04:10representation and equality are dismissed once it's clear she's using them to get
04:14away with crime.
04:22While some adults have praised the episode's nuanced approach, we think its message simply
04:27gets too muddled for a kid's introduction to such an important topic.
04:3316.
04:34Lil Fetus – All That The Nick Sketch comedy series, All That, featured
04:38a number of child stars.
04:40Brian Hearn was one of them, acting in the show's seventh and eighth seasons, but would
04:45never entertain the same level of success as some of his castmates.
04:54In the docuseries, Quiet on Set, Hearn claims that his time on the show was filled with
04:59frequent stereotyping and on-set racism.
05:02The sketch, Lil Fetus, is brought up as an example.
05:06On screen, the sketch plays up a stereotype, while behind the scenes, Hearn was brought
05:11to tears when a crew member suggested that his skin suit should be charcoal.
05:25Even without racism involved, a pre-teen in a skin-tight bodysuit is just uncomfortable
05:30to watch.
05:3215.
05:33Alleged Animator Misconduct – The Ren & Stimpy Show
05:37Disturbing allegations of inappropriate conduct made against series creator John Crisfalucci
05:43may make many moments of The Ren & Stimpy Show hard to stomach.
05:47However, when it comes to what's actually happening on screen, Stimpy's cartoon show
05:52takes the cake for being a little too real.
06:08The episode depicts an abusive dynamic between Ren and Stimpy, with Ren demanding that Stimpy
06:13finishes a cartoon to his exact specifications, while doing none of the work himself.
06:20The writing certainly isn't out of character for Ren, but those knowledgeable about Ren
06:24and Stimpy's production know that it also seemingly mirrors the behavior of his creator
06:30and former voice actor.
06:40The showrunner had been fired less than a year prior for his unacceptable behavior.
06:4614.
06:48The Kanker Sisters' Christmas – Ed, Edd, & Eddy
06:51For far too long, the harassment of boy characters was seen as a joke, especially if their tormentors
06:58were girls.
06:59Whether it was Panini chasing after Chowder or Helga practically stalking Arnold, cartoons
07:05regularly treated these creepy dynamics as something to be laughed at.
07:10One of the worst offenders was Ed, Edd, & Eddy's Kanker Sisters.
07:23The trio pretty much exist to harass the protagonists, often kissing them against their will.
07:29The Christmas special, Ed, Edd, & Eddy's Jingle, Jingle, Jangle, has a particularly
07:34bleak ending.
07:43The sisters lock the boys in a shed with a sign reading, Do Not Open Until Next X-mas.
07:49Although it's unlikely they actually held the Eds hostage that long, help doesn't
07:54seem to be coming anytime soon.
07:5713.
07:58That's Not Soda, That's Sumo – The Amanda Show
08:02Like all that, The Amanda Show was filled with just as many uncomfortable sketches as
08:07it was genuinely funny bits.
08:18One of the stranger skits of the show was a fake commercial for Sumo, a drink consumed
08:23directly from the stomach of a sumo wrestler.
08:26The concept of young actors pretending to drink from the belly of a half-naked adult
08:31is questionable at best, and making that adult a sumo wrestler adds an unfortunate layer
08:36of racism to the mix.
08:38In the ad, Amanda and her friends ask the audience why they would drink boring old soda
08:43when they could try something new, Asian, and obese.
08:50To make matters worse, the final descriptor is paired with the stereotypical caricature
08:55of the wrestler himself.
08:57Yikes!
08:5812.
08:59An Insensitive Impression – The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron – Boy Genius
09:05In the second episode of this Nick series, Jimmy Neutron makes book gum, a tasty treat
09:10that's basically edible spark notes.
09:23Cindy is the second to try out the new invention, saying it tastes like fried chicken, before
09:28putting on an exaggerated accent and quoting Prissy from Gone with the Wind.
09:33For those who don't know, the character she's mimicking in this scene is an enslaved
09:38black woman.
09:44Not only is it baffling that the writers would choose this book out of everything available,
09:50but the quoted line arguably isn't even one of the most memorable from Gone with the
09:54Wind.
09:55Unsurprisingly, the combination of Cindy's impression and the stated flavor of the gum
10:01has been criticized in recent years for being racially insensitive.
10:0611.
10:07Logan's Teddy Cam – Zoe 101 As some of the first girls to ever attend
10:13Pacific Coast Academy, Zoe and her friends are no strangers to sexism.
10:18Still, it's unlikely any of them could have predicted this gross invasion of their privacy.
10:34In Zoe 101's third episode, the girls' chauvinistic classmate Logan gifts them a
10:40giant teddy bear as a peace offering.
10:43They accept it, suspicious of his intentions, but completely unaware that he has planted
10:48a webcam inside.
10:50He spies on them throughout the episode, even using their secret conversations to turn them
10:55against each other.
10:56Obviously the show acknowledges that Logan's actions were bad, but all he ends up losing
11:02is his job when he really should have been expelled.
11:1810.
11:21The Buffalo Gals – Cow and Chicken 1997 was a big year for LGBTQIA plus representation
11:29on American television.
11:30With Ellen becoming the first primetime series to feature a female LGBTQIA plus lead character.
11:37Unfortunately, this progressive step forward for sitcoms would be followed by a massive
11:42step back for kids' TV just one year later.
11:54This is when Buffalo Gals would air for the first and last time.
11:58The controversial Cow and Chicken episode included a literal depiction of a derogatory
12:02term for gay women, as well as several instances of shockingly blatant innuendo.
12:08It was swiftly banned at the time of release due to its inappropriate content, but nowadays
12:14its treatment of gay women would be seen as even more problematic.
12:269.
12:29Johnny's New Job – Johnny Bravo It's hard to imagine Johnny Bravo making
12:33it onto televisions at all in this day and age.
12:36Yes, the series' title character is often punished for his sexist behavior, but you
12:41simply don't see many serial womanizers in kids' shows today.
12:59But that's probably for the best, especially when you consider some of Johnny Bravo's
13:03worst moments, like this one from The Perfect Gift.
13:07In this episode, Johnny takes a job at a troubled teen hotline to earn money for a
13:12memorable Mother's Day gift.
13:14What initially seems like a wholesome premise quickly turns sour when he hits on his first
13:19caller.
13:24Not only is this unseen girl calling for a serious conversation about her mental health,
13:29but she is also a minor.
13:328.
13:33Whitewashing US History – My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic
13:38The history of the United States is complex and dark, particularly when discussing the
13:43plight of its indigenous peoples.
13:46Given this harsh reality, it should be unsurprising that My Little Pony dropped the ball when
13:51trying to translate the story of colonization into its magical world.
14:07Although the series' showrunner has noted that a Native American consultant was hired
14:11for the episode, modern fans have criticized its whitewashing of real-life events.
14:17Over a Barrel presents a world where settler ponies and indigenous buffalo have equal claim
14:23to a piece of land, and ultimately compromise in living and working together peacefully.
14:35Obviously this couldn't be further from the truth in our human world, and the episode's
14:40implications skew childhood perceptions of history.
14:447.
14:45Casey's Crop Top – Life with Derek The release of Tomb Raider inspired a lot
14:50of discussion about the portrayal of women in video games.
14:54This episode of Life with Derek tackles that subject in a surprisingly nuanced way, albeit
14:59with a parody game called Babe Raider.
15:10Casey initially hates the game on principle, but soon learns she loves playing it and even
15:15dresses like its main character.
15:17This is where things get a little dicey.
15:19Although Casey is wearing a relatively modest crop top, her step-brother calls her outfit
15:24offensive, and her friend Emily suggests that she's inviting stupid comments from boys.
15:38As Casey eventually edits her outfit, none of these criticisms are challenged, and thus
15:43the episode appears to support the body-shaming and victim-blaming hurled her way.
15:496.
15:50Drake and Josh Kiss Strangers – Drake and Josh
15:53There are many ways to celebrate good news.
15:56Kissing a stranger shouldn't be one of them.
15:59Yet in this episode, the brothers find out they won a contest and celebrate by doing
16:04just that.
16:14Both of the boys' victims seem happy to be kissed, but that doesn't change the fact
16:18that the initial act was assault.
16:21To make matters worse, the scene is punctuated with a transphobic gag wherein one of the
16:26women is revealed to have a deep voice, startling Josh and the audience.
16:35The scene is far from the first questionable moment in the series.
16:39In the previous season, the boys thought their dad was having an affair, and were happy to
16:43cover it up as long as their parents stayed together.
16:465.
16:48Puka Fish – Victorious Let's cut to the chase.
16:51Dan Schneider's shows have an obsession with feet.
16:55Whether you're watching The Amanda Show, iCarly, or even Drake and Josh, you're likely
17:00to run into a handful of jokes about the appendages each season.
17:06Victorious has some of the most egregious of these gags, with the most uncomfortable
17:11being the subplot of Cat's New Boyfriend.
17:14In this episode, Trina begins using puka fish to get rid of the dead skin on her feet.
17:19The other kids are obsessed with the smoothness and try the treatment themselves.
17:23Because the fish were purchased illegally, the teens end up in the hospital, where even
17:29the adult doctors are eager to rub their hands on their feet.
17:41Weird then, and even weirder now.
17:444.
17:45Peeping Tom Twins – The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
17:49Dylan Sprouse may have refused to tell a fat joke on Suite Life, but that didn't stop
17:53this creepy plotline from coming to fruition.
17:56In Forever Plaid, Zack and Cody are tasked with repairing a hole they made in the wall
18:01of the Tipton.
18:16They soon realize a girl's soccer team is next door and spend the rest of the episode
18:20watching them, even allowing their friends to join in on the salacious spying.
18:25The brothers obviously get in trouble for their actions, but their punishment doesn't
18:30really fit the severity of their crime.
18:32Suite Life on Deck proves the brothers didn't grow much after the incident, as they care
18:37more about seeing their female friend in revealing clothes than they do her comfort.
18:443.
18:47Dan Visits Amanda's Jacuzzi – The Amanda Show
18:51A relatively simple skit, Amanda's Jacuzzi was a talk show segment on The Amanda Show,
18:56in which a teenaged Amanda Bynes interviewed adults in her hot tub.
19:08Considering some of the things that happened behind the scenes of the show, this setup
19:12should be enough to raise eyebrows… even if all the skit's adult guests were fully
19:17clothed.
19:18The showrunner Dan Schneider inserting himself into the sketch is almost too cringy to watch.
19:30In the segment, Amanda asks for a raise and is quickly shot down.
19:34The response follows the same pattern as the other Jacuzzi interviews, but is a few degrees
19:39more uncomfortable considering Schneider's alleged hot and cold personality on set.
19:452.
19:46Soap Doubloons – Spongebob Squarepants Gary may live underwater, but that doesn't
19:52mean he enjoys taking baths.
19:54In an effort to get him into the tub, Spongebob tries to convince his pet snail that their
19:59bathroom is secretly harboring buried treasure.
20:12He holds up two bars of soap, calling them doubloons, before winking and saying, don't
20:17drop them.
20:18To a kid, this may just seem like a joke about the slippery nature of soap, but to an adult,
20:23it's a clear reference to dropping soap in prison and risking assault.
20:28Another episode of the series is far less subtle.
20:31Midlife Crustacean, which has now been pulled from most streaming platforms, shows Spongebob,
20:37Patrick, and Mr. Krabs creepily sneaking into a woman's home to steal her underwear.
21:081.
21:09The Pickle Boy – All That By this point, it's apparent that Dan Schneider
21:13got away with a lot of adult jokes in his children's shows.
21:17One example of this is the recurring Pickle Boy skit on All That.
21:35The phallic nature of the food likely flies over the heads of most kids, but is uncomfortably
21:40apparent to any adult.
21:42This is especially true for a skit featuring Ray Romano, in which Pickle Boy slides a pickle
21:48through a hole in a bathroom door, in what seems to be an allusion to an adult activity.
22:07But these skits aren't just poorly aged because of their on-screen content.
22:11Pickle Boy himself is played by All That dialogue coach, Brian Peck, who was arrested in 2003
22:18for inappropriate contact with a minor.
22:21Have you ever re-watched a scene from your favorite kid's show that aged like milk?
22:25Let us know in the comments.
22:483.
22:49The Pickle Boy – All That By
22:50This point, it's apparent that Dan Schneider
22:51got away with a lot of adult jokes in his children's shows.
22:52One example of this is the recurring Pickle Boy skit on All That.
22:53The phallic nature of the food likely flies over the heads of most kids, but is uncomfortably
22:54apparent to any adult.
22:55One example of this is the recurring Pickle Boy skit on All That.
22:56This is especially true for a skit featuring Ray Romano, in which Pickle Boy slides a pickle
22:57through a hole in a bathroom door, in what seems to be an allusion to an adult activity.
22:58One example of this is the recurring Pickle Boy skit on All That.
22:59This is especially true for a skit featuring Ray Romano, in which Pickle Boy slides a pickle
23:00through a hole in a bathroom door, in what seems to be an adult activity.