SpongeBob Is Bad For You
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced today that SpongeBob Squarepants is not good for young children to watch. They said it is too fast paced. Have they ever seen a kid? Kids are fast paced. I actually think the show is pretty good for kids and is way better than most cartoons out there. It is well written and funny and has positive upbeat messages. I think this study was probably put out there because it is a bunch of cranky old people who still cannot set their VCR clocks.
Favorite cartoon for you?
Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry, baby. I'm old school cool.
ReplyDeleteAlso loved (LOVED!!!) Jem & the Holograms, GI Joe, Transformers, Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, He-Man, and She-Ra.
Roadrunner.
ReplyDeleteLooney Tunes, The Tick, Pinky and the Brain, and yes, Spongebob!
ReplyDeleteI actually love Spongebob. Thought it was the most stupid thing in creation until I had kids and sat down to watch with them. Wish we had something this dang fun when I was little.
ReplyDeleteI used to love Spiderman and his Amazing Friends in the 80's.
ReplyDeleteLove Spongebob!
Every modern cartoon seems to be written and made by basement dwelling nerds with ADHD. Gives me a headache. Give me Looney Tunes please.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite was the Banana Splits show. And Cecil and Beany.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard this on the news this morning I laughed and thought yeah, my son who is good in math and science sure became brain dead from Spongebob.
Word. I owe my knowledge of classical music and WW2 and post-WW2 era trivia to Looney Tunes.
ReplyDeleteBatman: The Animated Series for the win! I still love it.
ReplyDeleteI have three little kids, and I've gotta agree with the AAP on this one - I hate Spongebob. My kids know we change the channel if it comes on. I find it to be stupid and obnoxious. It might be better than the cartoons we grew up watching (there was really nothing redeeming about the Littles or Rubic the Amazing Cube, I guess), but most kids' shows today have a more educational slant and are less annoying (to me, anyway - to each his/her own).
ReplyDeleteActually, the study tested some 4-year olds who had either 1)watched the slower paced "Caillou", 2)watched Spongebob or 3)simply colored pictures. After 9 minutes, the kids took a test; those that watched Spongebob did by far the worst. Researchers speculate that fast paced programming can cause short-term attention and learning problems.
ReplyDeleteWhew. That is from an AP article.
And I loved Speed Racer. He was my first crush. And I hatehatehated that bitch Trixie, tryin' to steal my man, lol.
The classic Tom & Jerry was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteLater on started crushing on GIJoe and the Gargoyles. Does anyone remember those? That was back when you got home from school, incredible cartoons were playing on most channels, no Jerry Springer for my generation. Thank God, for I had a true childhood!
The Jetsons ruled! And I was also quite partial to the Flintstones.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and to add, like many of the other posters I grew up on Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, The Flintstones, etc. They definitely don't make them like they used to - some of these shows are cute these days and I guess its great that they try to have an educational bent, but it's some pretty bad stuff on TV for kids these days...
ReplyDeleteHey! My first comment didn't post! I was saying that Caillou vs SpongeBob isn't even a fair comparison. Also not mentioned is that SpongeBob is actually created for children 7 years or older while Caillou is definitely marketed for 4 year olds.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd take SB over Caillou any day - Caillou is an annoying, whiny brat, lol.
When I was a kid growing up in Sweden, we had Tom&Jerry on Tuesdays and Disney on Christmas Eve. And I'm not even that fucking old (or so I like to tell myself)!
ReplyDeleteIt might also have had something to do with the fact that my mom really didn't like cartoons as she believed they were for dumb people, and she also thought they were too violent. There was one Swedish cartoon/ comic book that she didn't mind me enjoying, and that was "Bamse" - the story of a bear, who wears blue overalls and whenever he drinks his grandmothers "thunder honey", he becomes the strongest bear in the world - but, he doesn't like to fight, so he only uses his strength for good *L*. he has three (?) kids, two sons, and a girl named Maja (yes), and she is the only other person who also gets strong from the honey even though she gets a terrible stomach ache afterwards. He hangs out with a bunny who is afraid of everything, and a turtle who has this alarm clock that tells him what to do. If it rings "naptime", he must take a nap, if it rings "snacktime", he must stop whatever he's doing - no matter what kind of adventure they're in the middle of - and have a snack. And there is also a mean wolf.
Yeah. It's no wonder I turned out ind of strange, really.
Im taking this one with a grain of salt. The article I read said testing right after watching spongebob lead to lower scores. It had no comment about long term effects. How many kids take real tests right after watching cartoons? Either way, I grew up on Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes. SpongeBob is my personal favorite of the modern day cartoon and I have no qualms about letting my kids watch it. I don't honestly find it that fast paced in general.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the article said it gave similar tests to children who had just watched Caillou and they were not adversely affected. I beg to differ. If any parent has watched that show and NOT wanted to shoot the tv, I need to talk to them. That show makes me want to punch things.
I used to work at the American Academy of Pediatrics, and I can vouch that they won't publish an opinion unless and until it has been exhaustively researched. They are really, really good, and never speak (officially) off the cuff. Momster cites some good evidence above.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have never seen SpongeBob, is what I was going to say.
ReplyDeleteRight now it would be King of the Hill, but that of course is geared towards adults. As a kid it was Bugs Bunny ;>. I almost missed the bus countless times because Ray Rayner would show Bugs cartoons towards the end of his show
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loathe SpongeBob. I'd prefer something about emotionless fat chinchillas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSGBVzeBUbk
ReplyDeleteThe old school 'toons, before the PC crowd got ahold of them.
ReplyDeleteA close second would be the "Tiny Toons" ... with a major shout out to Pinky & the Brain.
NARF!
I love SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, and the rest of the gang. There lots of good lessons for kids and it's funny as hell.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with The Flintstones and was in awe the first time I saw it on a color TV.
Peabody's Improbable History segments in Rocky & Bullwinkle. (What can I say, I was a child geek.)
ReplyDeleteAnything Daffy Duck. He's deththththpicable.
ReplyDeleteThat is because Sponge Bob was not meant for kids but rather stoner college students.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't a cartoon, but it was a Saturday morning kids show: HR Pufnstuff. I am actually quite surprised now (after watching it on DVD recently) that is managed to get on TV and aimed at kids. There was a talking tree smoking pot for goodness sake. I must have been about 5 when I first saw it, and while I didn't really know what it meant, I had a crush on Jimmy. And I also identified more with Witchiepoo, than the Mayor of Living Island.
ReplyDeleteBasil, thanks for the reminder. Puff N Stuff was awesome. I sang the theme song at top volume every time it came on.
ReplyDeleteDid you watch Lidsville too?
First of all, I am 28, a college student who makes the deans list every semester and I STILL include cartoons as part of my entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI watch:
Family Guy
South Park
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Squidbillies
Futurama
and I own 3 seasons of Spongebob
I think that some of Spongebobs most basic messages include greeting everyday with a smile and enthusiasm, doing whatever you do to the best of your ability, and to be understanding and kind to every thing and every one you meet.
I'm no kid but I think those lessons are applicable to us all and its good to be reminded of them.
I get so pissed when parents say they dont let their kids watch spongebob. Its stupid. Yes, there are more educational shows but so fucking what? I think nowadays there is too much of a push to constantly inundate your kids with learning 24/7. The brain needs time to just chill and absord what its learned and rest. Sitting your kids in front of something that is bright and moving and funny and has good postive messages sounds like good parenting to me. Some of these parents need to calm down and get off their high horse. Your parenting children here- not curing AIDS
When SpongeBob first started (and before I knew his name) I was passing thru my living room. My nephew had SB on & I asked, " Why is a piece of cheese under the sea?" He looked at me like I was nuts and explained what SB was. I explained a "real" natural sponge does not look like that.
ReplyDeleteI liked Scooby, Clue Club and the OLD Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Don't tell that to my little one. SpongeBob is her favorite show of all time (so far).
ReplyDeleteMy baby niece discovered SB recently. She's only 7 months old. Kid's got good taste already. ;)
My favorite cartoon was Scooby Doo. They have a new reboot on Cartoon Network that's just as good as the original old series.
ReplyDeleteDog's doing something right...he's been around for 42 years. (He's a year older than me! ;) )
As for more recent cartoons, I like Phineas and Ferb, Adventure Time, and Regular Show.
Not a cartoon, but Yo gabba Gabba is the best kids-like show right now. Not annoying, but may also have been created for/by stoner adults.
ReplyDeleteIt's trippy. and no one one is shouting. Why all of the shouting, Dora and Spongebob? Why?
Current fave adult cartoon is the regular Show. Awesome.
I agree with some of the others, I would rather shoot myself than watch Caillou. My kids were not allowed to watch Caillou (yes he is a whiney, indulged brat), but can watch SpongeBob all they want. They are all (4 of them) straight A students.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite SpongeBob story was when a friend took their young kids to Hawaii and their son asked if they would see SpongeBob!
My favorites are Arthur and Doug.
i was going to say what momster said. first off - spongebob is not appropriate for 4 year olds. period regardless of short attention span issue.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my 7 year olds have been watching it for about a year. not my favorite by far, but its not horrible. its geared for 6 to 12 year olds and i think its fine for that group.
Also, might be interesting to note that while i love most pbs and nick JR shows, Calliou, that whiny bastard, has always been banned in this house hold. whine whine, fucking whine. GAH!
I love Spongebob! Better than the Disney movies with perverted pictures, innuendos.
ReplyDeleteMe encanta la Bob Esponja. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteMr. Krabs is my favorite. He is like my idol--a super-cheap restaurant owner. I hope to be much like him one day, once I have paid my waitressing dues.
I used to watch it with my nephews. I never saw anything seriously wrong with it. I am super sensitive about this b/c my mom used to overly regulate what i would watch as a kid (she banned me from watching She-Ra, for example).
ReplyDeleteI liked Inspector Gadget, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Jem & The Holograms, Muppet Babies, My Little Pony...just off the top of my head. I loved cartoons.
Today my favorite is Family Guy. I can't wait for the new Flintstones series, as it was my favorite back in the old days.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter went through a Spongebob phase, and she is just perfect! I don't find it super fast paced, they follow a story from beginning to end, it's not like those Japanese kids shows that were causing seizures! And while they may say 'stupid', Spongebob himself is really good natured.
ReplyDeleteCalliou is such a whiner that "Don't go all Calliou" is an accepted phrase to stop whining at my work.
I would be called a "bad parent" in some circles, because my 7 yo preferred SpongeBob over Dora and PBS Kids.
ReplyDeleteI hated Dora. Every time that kid screamed, I wanted to scream back at the TV.
I banned Calliou from my house too. And Barney. And most of those shows with brain dead main characters geared towards little kids.
The Steve era Blue's Clues was always on, though. All my kids loved that show.
One more thing. Does anyone else love Patrick as much as I do? "Chum is Fum." How can you not belly laugh at that?
ReplyDelete