Won't somebody please think of the children?! For this list, we’ll be looking at controversial moments and plotlines from kids' shows that went too far considering the demographic they were targeting.
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00:00 Hey, I'm still checking out Japanese TV.
00:02 Isn't this that cartoon that causes seizures?
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 WTF Were They
00:10 Thinking Kid Show Moments.
00:12 I broke through to the next room!
00:14 There's a girls soccer team in there!
00:17 For this list, we'll be looking at controversial moments and plot lines from kids shows that
00:22 went too far considering the demographic they were targeting.
00:26 Do you remember seeing these as a kid?
00:28 What did you think?
00:29 Let us know in the comments below!
00:32 Number 10.
00:33 Arnold's Frozen Head - The Magic School Bus
00:35 That's the sun?
00:38 No wonder Pluto's so cold and dark.
00:40 Look how far away the sun is!
00:42 It really didn't take the Magic School Bus long to start traumatizing its young audience.
00:46 Anyone who grew up in the 90s knows the indelible image of Arnold's frozen head.
00:51 His glasses turned a deep purple to make him look like the Invisible Man.
00:55 Let's back up.
00:56 The very first episode of this educational program sees the kids going to space and learning
01:01 about various planets.
01:02 That's right Keisha!
01:04 Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
01:08 My class already studied the solar system!
01:12 While on Pluto, you know, when it was a planet, Arnold takes his helmet off and his head becomes
01:17 completely frozen.
01:19 If the image wasn't scary enough, panic immediately sets in as the kids rush Arnold back to the
01:24 bus before he dies.
01:26 Look cool, Magic School Bus!
01:28 You said it, but...
01:31 CHOO!
01:32 Number 9.
01:33 The infamous Porygon episode, Pokemon.
01:43 In this bizarre episode of Pokemon, Ash and company head inside a computer system to battle
01:48 a digital creature named Porygon.
01:50 Chances are that you've heard of this episode, but have never actually seen it.
01:54 And that's because it was banned from airing in all western countries.
02:05 One scene sees Pikachu attacking a missile with his thunderbolt, causing red and blue
02:09 lights to flash across the screen in a strobing effect.
02:13 This caused hundreds of Japanese children to have seizures.
02:16 685 according to Japan's fire defense agency.
02:21 Of those, approximately 150 were admitted to hospitals for treatment.
02:25 The episode was immediately pulled from rotation and hasn't aired on TV since.
02:38 Number 8.
02:39 Drinking Beer, Tiny Toon Adventures.
02:48 One episode of Tiny Toon Adventures sees the gang teaching young kids about alcohol.
02:53 Only they go about this in a completely WTF were they thinking manner.
02:58 Buster tells the others that they should drink a beer, and all three quickly get drunk.
03:02 They then display acts of public intoxication, steal a police car, and drive it off a mountain
03:07 to their deaths.
03:14 The episode ends with a wink to the audience as the toons take off their angel costumes
03:18 and talk about the message of the episode.
03:20 But while the message is indeed helpful, the method, with kids acting belligerent, committing
03:25 crimes, and accidentally ending their own lives, may have been a little too blunt.
03:39 Number 7.
03:40 Stokey the Bear, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.
03:52 Dudley Do-Right is a Canadian Mountie who originally appeared in segments of the Rocky
03:57 and Bullwinkle show.
03:58 One of these segments was called Stokey the Bear, an obvious parody of Smokey Bear.
04:03 A campaign introduced by the US Forest Service, Smokey Bear encouraged the prevention of wildfires.
04:09 But as his name suggests, Stokey the Bear did the exact opposite.
04:21 Under the hypnotic influence of Snidely Whiplash, Stokey starts various wildfires and even roasts
04:27 marshmallows on the raging flames.
04:30 The episode was banned for decades under the protest of the Forest Service, who objected
04:34 to their character committing arson.
04:36 Stokey the Bear wasn't seen again until 2005, when it was finally released on home
04:41 video.
04:46 Number 6.
04:47 Drake Kisses a Stranger, Drake and Josh.
04:58 In the fourth season episode, I Love Sushi, the kids win a contest to get Audrey and Walter's
05:03 living room redecorated.
05:05 This turns out to be a scam, but Drake doesn't know that at this point in the episode and
05:09 is ecstatic about winning.
05:14 Feeling overjoyed, he gets the sudden urge to kiss someone, so he waltzes up to a complete
05:18 stranger and gives her a smooch straight on the lips.
05:21 Of course, the woman loves it and ends up making out with Drake.
05:25 But the idea of someone walking up to a stranger and locking lips with them is just all sorts
05:29 of wrong.
05:38 Number 5.
05:39 Deadly Force, Gargoyles.
05:49 For a kids show, Gargoyles had some pretty intense moments and mature themes.
05:54 But one scene in the episode Deadly Force was just too much for the TV censors.
05:58 The episode is all about gun safety, like we said, mature themes, and it shows Broadway
06:03 accidentally shooting Elisa.
06:16 In the unedited version, blood can be seen pooling on the ground while Elisa lies unconscious.
06:22 The visual won't give Reservoir Dogs a run for its money, but for a Disney show, it's
06:27 pretty darned intense.
06:28 And the violent imagery proved too scary for many, and the blood was digitally removed
06:32 in all future airings of the episode.
06:42 Number 4.
06:43 Peeping, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
06:49 This sitcom pushed a few boundaries in its deck, like having the two main characters
06:54 become actual peeping toms.
06:56 In the second season episode Forever Plaid, Zack and Cody spy on a girl's soccer team
07:02 through a hole in the wall.
07:03 Liking what they see, they then invite their friends to peep as well, and every kid makes
07:08 their own hole.
07:16 But wait, there's more.
07:17 The adult Arwen then sees the boys peeping and decides to look through the hole himself.
07:22 However, the girls find this grown man peeping on them and poke him in the eye.
07:27 We don't know how this episode made it to air, considering the general storyline and
07:31 how it turns otherwise likable characters into deviants.
07:42 Number 3.
07:43 Dark Harvest, Invader Zim.
07:51 Well the episode is appropriately titled.
07:53 It is dark and it does contain a harvest.
07:55 A harvest of what you may ask?
07:57 You may not want to know.
07:59 Fearing that the school nurse will discover he's an alien, Zim begins stealing human
08:03 organs and replacing them with humorous objects.
08:12 The plan works, and the school nurse compliments Zim on his plentiful human internals.
08:18 We don't even know where to start with this.
08:20 Even worse, it may have inspired the murder of a woman named Pamela Vitale.
08:24 Vitale was killed by teenager Scott Duleski, and the prosecution alleged that Duleski and
08:29 his gruesome M.O. were inspired by the episode.
08:38 Number 2.
08:39 Age Difference, Hannah Montana.
08:46 The third season of this iconic show opens in a, shall we say, uncomfortable manner.
08:51 Miley discovers that Lily and Jackson like each other, and initially attempts to keep
08:55 them apart before succumbing to their mutual attraction.
08:58 This isn't really a problem in show, but it raises some eyebrows once the actors are
09:02 taken into account.
09:03 When the episode aired in November 2008, Emily Osment was only 16, while Jason Earles was
09:09 31.
09:10 For him to like you back, he would have to have taste, depth, and intelligence.
09:17 It was always hard to buy Earles as a teenager, but his age became disturbingly pronounced
09:22 in this episode.
09:23 Lily and Jackson never get physical on screen, and we eventually learn that the whole episode
09:27 was a dream.
09:28 But that doesn't prevent the storyline from being super weird.
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09:57 Number 1.
09:58 Squidward's Depression - SpongeBob SquarePants
10:06 This show has been so overtaken by meme culture that it's hard to remember that it's for
10:11 kids.
10:12 Season 8's "Are You Happy Now?" is all about Squidward, and it makes for some truly
10:16 upsetting viewing.
10:17 SpongeBob tries showing Squidward a good time, but the attempts backfire and only make him
10:22 more dejected.
10:28 Squidward becomes clinically depressed and shuts himself in his house.
10:32 Viewers are then treated to various comedic fake-outs that make it look like Squidward
10:36 is ending his own life.
10:38 Watching the beloved grump string up a rope is probably not every kid's idea of a good
10:42 time.
10:43 Unsurprisingly, Nickelodeon has since pulled the episode.
10:49 Maybe this will help.
10:58 the show.
10:58 [music]