Like most from the archives, this article is at least six years old, so some of the references are rather dated. It’s another reminder that comments and additional examples are always highly encouraged.
Contributed by K.M. L.
There are, I have noticed, 3 distinct target age groups (excluding adult cartoons, which are their own genre) that almost all cartoons fit into. There’s the preschool group (e.g. Caillou, from Cinar); school-age, the definite majority (which is just about everything on Nickelodeon); and teen/ young adult cartoons (Daria and The New Ripley’s Believe It Or Not). The preschool-age cartoons’ animation is colorful, bright, and simple enough for kids to understand. Plots aren’t complex at all; rather, they are entertaining and they are good for holding the short extension span of this age group. Characters are friendly, and rarely do we find a villain. After all, no kid under 4 will watch something that gives them nightmares.
In the drama category we find the introduction of villains, as in Batman Beyond. Usually this type of cartoon involves a superhero, a mad villain, and his minions. The animation is sharp and the colors are dark for night and not much brighter for day. In some shows in this group there is also a love interest for the hero, although that’s pretty rare. Well, most 9-year old boys aren’t interested in seeing if the hero gets the girl! (At least, not those I know…) Episodes should be viewed in order, as the plots become more complex in this type of cartoon. One could almost say that these subgroups split the school-age cartoons into two age groups- kindergarten through third grade, and third grade through sixth.
By sixth grade, we get into the young adult cartoons. Here, more than ever, characters are created with the audience in mind. A fine example of this is Daria. These type of cartoons take on a more anime-like appearance, with pointed chins and almond eyes for female characters and strong jaws and similar eyes to the girls for male characters. Plots are at their most emotional, focusing on issues important to typical teens (boyfriends, family, friends, school). Some involve a group of friends working to achieve a common goal, like Scooby-Doo, where the goal was to solve mysteries.
Almost all cartoons can be fit into one of these three categories, and some fit into two. There are the rule-breakers, the rare shows, and the foreigners. Still, they all fit into this somewhere. And if it doesn’t fit, it’s probably an adult show.
