With such delights as Beavis and Butt-Head, the Simpsons, and South Park to keep the laughs coming, animated cartoon series and movies are miles further ahead in entertainment value than some mainstream content.
Birth of Adult Cartoons
The first animated adult cartoon series written specifically for grown-ups was ’Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.’ Roasting was the second episode of The Simpsons, as the first introductory episode was binned due to poor production quality. While The Simpsons is adult animation, the content resonates more with young men who continue to watch way into adulthood and beyond.
The Simpsons is groundbreaking, if not a little cringeworthy. Whether you love it or hate it, you can not deny its success. Soon the Simpsons moved into other adult areas too. We had Simpsons playing cards for a game of poker, T-Shirts and Simpsons slot machines. Nowadays, animation is a crucial feature in the appeal of new online casino games. Adult animation and the birth of online casinos happened around the same time. You can see the relationship evolving between the two as both use eye-catching animation and brightly colored graphics to appeal to adults.
Beavis and Butt-head’s Enduring Legacy
What can be said about two socially awkward, heavy metal-loving delinquents? Apart from Butt-head’s: Yeah, why? Mike Judge created this series in 1994, riding on The Simpson’s success wave. The problem with B&BH is that they play their part so well that everyone knows young men like them. The animation is as awkward as the characters, but maybe that’s the point.
The series ran on MTV from 1993 to 1997, with over 200 ridiculous episodes. The movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America screened to not much acclaim in 1996. B&BH was binned because MTV considered it no longer the demographic they required. Surprisingly, MTV gave these dim male characters another shot in 2011 with 22 episodes, but the series fell flat as Butt-heads across the globe fell out of love with the gauche humor.
There’s nothing like flogging a dead horse for content, so Paramount+ resurrected B&BH in 2022 for the new movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe and two brand-new seasons. The film panned at the box office while the series rumbles on.
South Park Rocks
It may look like South Park fans are elitists who don’t love the early 90s’ contribution to adult animation, but that’s wrong! Most Simpsons and B&BH aficionados love the earlier animated shows but have matured from slapstick into irony. Thanks to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, for this corker. South Park debuted at the back end of 1997, learning from the mistakes of The Simpsons and Beavis & Butt-head.
South Park is funny and appeals to a wide range of adults; as a result, it is one of Comedy Central’s longest-running programs. The characters are equally ridiculous, but they are relatable to an audience who has only just gotten used to the visual juxtaposition of a seemingly immature visual and extremely adult content.
