Parents generally trust that content marketed as child-friendly truly is. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Throughout the history of children’s television, many programs have included explicit content that isn’t meant for younger audiences. While parents and media organizations have called out these productions, sexual content in children’s media persists and seems to be escalating. Here are 10 of the most explicit children’s TV shows ever aired.
10 Adventure Time
The animated TV show Adventure Time has always been a source of surprisingly adult humor. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the show centers on the adventures of Finn, a boy, and his magical dog Jake, in the Land of Ooo. Broadcast on Cartoon Network from 2010 to 2018, the show often sparked controversy among parents because of its jokes. Controversial moments included Jake and Lady Rainicorn running naked through cabbage fields, Jake implying a foot fetish, and Finn being suggestively invited into a bouncy castle to watch Princess Bubblegum. These adult moments in a show marketed to children understandably concerned many parents.
9 Good Luck Charlie
Good Luck Charlie had a simple, traditional premise: too many kids, overtired parents, and wholesome family moments. However, sprinkled in were jokes that only adults would catch. In the episode “Teddy on Ice,” parents Amy and Bob discover that their toddler daughter, Charlie, is using curse words. Although we don’t actually hear Charlie curse, the implication is strong enough for a children’s program. In other episodes, like “Snow Show Part One” and “Take Mel out to the Ballgame,” characters stripped in front of the camera. Fans have picked up on many more of these moments during and after the show’s run. Despite this, Good Luck Charlie ran from 2010 to 2014, producing 97 episodes and a TV movie. Today, it remains a Disney classic, with many of its adult jokes largely forgotten.
8 Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo, an animated series on Cartoon Network, chronicled the life of Johnny Bravo, an overconfident playboy. From its first episode in 1997 to its finale in 2004, the show was full of adult references, despite airing on a children’s network. Many of the sexual references included extremes like a virgin sacrifice and Bravo’s consistent disrespect of women’s personal space. The show’s creators admitted they weren’t overly concerned with the adult content, believing that nobody was really paying attention.
7 6Teen
This animated TV show about six sixteen-year-olds hanging out at the mall focused on common teenage experiences, like part-time jobs and dating. The stories were meant to be told from a child-friendly perspective, but often pushed boundaries. The Halloween special “Dude of the Living Dead” centered on a peephole in a lingerie store changing room. Another episode, “Over Exposed,” featured characters accidentally and purposely seeing each other naked. These plotlines, airing on children’s television, naturally attracted criticism, leading to the show’s cancellation in 2010.
6 Total Drama Island
This Canadian animated TV show featuring teenagers on an island doing extreme challenges had no shortage of inappropriate moments. Censored nudity was common, despite the fact that the animations were of 16-year-old characters. Actions the teens were forced to do, like eating bull testicles, attracted controversy and were even censored in the United States, where they were changed to bull meatballs. Later seasons toned down the nudity and extreme actions, but the first season was particularly explicit.
5 The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was one of Disney’s most successful shows of the early 2000s. The show centered on two brothers living in a luxury hotel with their mother. While most of their exploits were child-friendly, many crossed the line. For example, in the episode “Forever Plaid,” the 14-year-old boys drilled holes into the wall to spy on a high school girls’ soccer team as they changed. Another episode featured a joke where 16-year-old London began to strip naked when told to “strip and make the bed.” These sexual jokes were largely ignored, and the show avoided controversy throughout its three-season run and its spin-off series, Suite Life on Deck.
4 Spongebob Squarepants
A show on the air as long as Spongebob Squarepants is almost guaranteed to generate controversy. Some controversies included a virus-themed episode and an episode that conservative groups claimed promoted homosexuality. The most justified controversy surrounds the various adult jokes in the series. In one episode, Spongebob told Patrick that his genius was showing, and Patrick covered his private area, implying he thought Spongebob meant penis. In another episode, Spongebob quickly changed the TV channel when Gary walked in, claiming he was looking for sports, despite watching intently just moments before. This implied he was watching fish-themed pornography. Despite these moments, Spongebob remains a popular kids’ show.
3 Jessie
Disney’s Jessie, about a small-town girl who moves to New York to become an actress and winds up as a nanny for a wealthy family, didn’t just have occasional adult jokes; it seemed to rely on them, despite being a show for children. The adult humor included a scene where underage Luke, asked if he had an off switch after making suggestive comments, challenges the adult Jessie to “find it.” In another episode, when they discover the family’s pet lizard is pregnant, 10-year-old Ravi remarks that it must have been more than friends with another lizard, heavily implying sexual relations. These moments angered parental organizations, who demanded the show’s cancellation. However, Jessie continued for 98 episodes and produced a spinoff series, Bunked.
2 ICarly
After accusations of abuse and sexual deviancy were leveled against Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider, his productions were analyzed more critically. His alleged deviancy was said to be an attraction to underage girls’ feet. Some content in his shows seemed to confirm this, with gags centered on girls’ feet. His most famous show, ICarly, received more scrutiny after star Jennette McCurdy expressed embarrassment over her acting career under Schneider. Many scenes in ICarly featured underage actresses’ bare feet being massaged, licked, and filmed closely. Controversy continued when Noah Munck, who played Gibby, discussed his experiences with Schneider on a podcast, stating that he didn’t notice anything amiss as a 15-year-old, but from an adult perspective, “there was a lot wrong.”
1 Sam and Cat
This short-lived ICarly spin-off revealed Dan Schneider’s depravity most clearly. In addition to foot scenes and allegations of on-set mistreatment, the show’s Twitter account caused significant harm. In 2013, Schneider’s account requested that young fans send photos of their feet with #SamandCatSaturday to be retweeted. This request broke a cardinal rule of internet safety, and Schneider’s actions were met with dismay. While most inappropriate kids shows last only 20 minutes with reversible damage, Sam and Cat had negative effects on its young audience that could last a lifetime.
What do you think about these shows? Leave a comment below!
