Parent groups who protest television have a point. Shit gets so crazy out there in the wild west of TV that not even children’s programming is safe from the dirty mind of an adult illustrator. Take, for instance, every other minute of Nickelodeon’s Rocko’s Modern Life. But we didn’t realize this as kids. References to oral sex were mere popsicle jokes that didn’t land with us.
Looking back on it now, we’re creeped the hell out. Cartoons run amuck with sexual innuendos that you don’t even learn during high school sex-ed. Thank you, all you bored perverted animators, for tainting our childhood. These are the 25 5 creepiest sexual innuendo moments in kids cartoons.
17. The Girls Were Mistakenly Conceived on The Powerpuff Girls
Episode: “Super Friends” (Season 4,Episode 4)
Considering Craig McCracken also wrote some episodes for Dexter’s Laboratory, it makes sense that McCracken, the creator of The Powerpuff Girls, put some sexual allusions in this show. One that immediately comes to mind is in “Super Friends,” where the Powerpuff Girls bring a friend to their home. The sisters introduce their friend to the professor, and proceed to tell her how an “accident” made by the professor resulted in their being. The professor laughs it off but then becomes quiet when the friend says, “Don’t worry, professor. I was a mistake, too.” It’s the look on the professor’s face that twists the line. But on another note, it’s such a bummer that this girl has been called a mistake. Not cool, anonymous, fictional parents. Not cool.
13. Edd Needs to Clean Up on Ed, Edd n Eddy
Episode: “Eeny Meeny Miney Ed” (Season 2,Episode 1)
Sometimes an innuendo doesn’t need to occur during an interaction between characters. Sometimes it can appear as a sticky note in a bathroom. In this episode, if one looks closely enough at the sticky notes scattered in in Edd’s bathroom, they’ll see one note that says, “Don’t touch yourself.” We all know what that means and if you don’t, the Divinyls made an entire song dedicated to it. Looks like Edd doesn’t clean up after himself when he’s quenching his sexual urges, and now the entire world knows.
10. Dot Looks for Fingerprints on Animaniacs
Episode: “Hercule Yakko” (Season 1,Episode 25)
Animaniacs ran rampant with innuendos, but this moment was especially memorable. Yakko asks Dot to look for fingerprints. She complies and moments later calls out, “I found prints!” The scene cuts to Dot holding musician Prince, which leads to Yakko saying, “No, no, no. Fingerprints!” Oddly, Dot responds, “I don’t think so,” before throwing the musician out of a window. No Dot, he didn’t mean “finger Prince.”
4. Rocko Becomes a Phone Sex Operator on Rocko’s Modern Life
Episode: “Canned” (Season 1, Episode 8)
If any show deserves a back-to-backs spot on this list, it’s Rocko’s Modern Life. You’ve probably seen this moment a million times: Upon getting fired from his job at the comic book store, Rocko takes up an assortment of jobs, including being a phone sex operator. To an adult, all of the hints are there: the advice paper that says, “Be hot, be naughty, be courteous,” and what Rocko is saying to his customer (turns out to be Mrs. Bighead), makes it very obvious that phone sex is happening. Too bad Mrs. Bighead didn’t get her fix, though.
1. Stimpy and Sven Hang Out in a Closet on Ren and Stimpy
Episode: “Sven Hoek” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Of course an episode from Ren and Stimpy is at the top of our list. The moment comes towards the second half of the episode, when Stimpy and Ren’s cousin, Sven, are hanging out in a closet. As they’re about to engage in an activity, Stimpy looks at the camera and says, “Hey, this is private.” Sven slams the closet door and you can only hear what the two are doing. It’s hard not to imagine what’s going on, considering Stimpy says, “I’m a sword swallower,” implying that Stimpy is performing fellatio on Sven. Nothing like unsolicited sex ed for kids.
