45 Adult Jokes From Cartoons We Didn’t Catch As Kids That Have Us Wanting To Rewatch Them All
Oftentimes, creators love to incorporate adult humor or jokes in cartoons. Although cartoons are primarily made for children, sometimes it’s difficult to resist sneaking a peek. Perhaps you remember when you were younger, your parents or caregivers laughing during a particular scene in a movie or a cartoon that you didn’t find funny at all. However, later, when you rewatch it or find a meme somewhere online, you realize what was so hilarious back then. These are usually not obvious: a subtle, quick remark, a bit of dark humor, or a reference to a popular magazine for adults is enough. Maybe some can call them immature, but, we have to admit, a lot of those jokes are funny. In this article, we’ve compiled 45 adult jokes from cartoons we think you might enjoy. If you’re interested, keep scrolling!
Rugrats – Dirty Movies
Watching movies and TV shows with your friends and family can be fun! You gather your friends or family, prepare some popcorn, mix some drinks, and enjoy! Of course, it’s important to make sure everyone agrees to watch the same thing, especially if there are kids in the room. Someone needs to tell grandpa that:
How did anyone in their right mind think this was okay to go live, on television, in a kid’s show?! We are dumbfounded but also kind of entertained. This dirty old man got himself an adult movie he’ll watch when children go to bed. Vixens, huh? Silly grandpa.
Freakazoid! – LGBTQA+ Approved!
We support all relationships, all the people, no matter their gender, sexuality, race, nationality, etc. People are people, wherever they come from, whatever their preferences, and let’s always remember that. Unfortunately, this isn’t always an openly stated opinion in kids’ shows, which is why the meme below will forever be funny.
This grumpy police officer states how his likeness of meat prevents him from having a wife and children. We wonder, what meat is he talking about? We are sure that children had no idea why eating chicken meant no children or family.
Justice League Unlimited – Not So Fast
We’ve all watched or read about DC Comics characters. Batman, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman were all, at one point or the other, a part of our childhood. They are iconic, witty, and strong. They are superheroes, after all. Today we have a meme about Flash.
Flash is the fastest man alive; however, that’s not always a good thing. Sure, he can run fast or read at superhuman speeds, but he shouldn’t be doing everything in this manner if you know what we mean. This joke definitely passed over our heads when we were younger.
Johnny Bravo – Blindfolded Games
Hit the piñata is a well-known party game where children put on a blindfold and take turns to whack a candy-stuffed paper-mâché figurine. Eventually, one strike will knock it open, and an abundance of candies falls out. Sometimes, the adults will get a chance to join in, just like in this scene from Johnny Bravo.
Adults, on the other hand, use blindfolds for different purposes (that we will not name here). We are bewildered that someone decided that this scene was a good idea, airing it on Cartoon Network and letting it find its way into the brains of a bunch of 8-year-olds. Creepy, yet funny.
The Powerpuff Girls – Oopsie!
The Powerpuff Girls are iconic! They are cute and tiny, but also vicious. And they played an important role in our childhoods, giving us the much-needed girl hero representation we all loved. However, there were not as innocent as we remember. We’ve found a scene we want to show you!
The Powerpuff Girls were a scientific experiment and a direct product of an accident the Professor had in his lab. However, neither the Professor nor the girls expected that their playmat was an accident, too. However, she wasn’t the result of a scientific experiment, if you get our drift.
Silly Symphony: Three Little Pigs – Three Little Cannibals
If you are not familiar with the story of Three Little Pigs, you are probably living under a rock. If you are reading this article, then you’ve got internet access and therefore, we expect you to research Three Little Pigs and come back when you’re ready. Okay?! Ready? Let’s proceed.
These two images are rather disturbing. The three pig brothers memorialize images of their father’s remains, rather than an image of him. In the first image there is ham and in the second some sausages. Does this imply that he didn’t go out peacefully? And why do they not seem to mind these grim reminders?
SpongeBob SquarePants – When One Head is Smarter Than the Other
SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most iconic and influential TV shows ever. It’s watchable both for children and adults; an extremely ambiguous show with purposefully vague humor. The scene below is not as unclear and open-ended as their jokes usually are.
There is an expression “your genius is showing” to say that someone is doing a great job at thinking of a solution or analyzing a problem. Poor Patrick thought that showing his genius meant being indecent and completely misunderstood his friend.
What’s New, Scooby-Doo? – Of Age
When we are still minors, we can’t wait to be of legal age to buy alcohol, drive a car, or partake in romantic relationships with someone who is not the same age as us. Of course, once we’ve reached adulthood, with each passing year, we would long to go back in time and be young again.
In this episode of What’s New, Scooby-Doo?, Velma’s older cousin Marcy (the blonde girl) was flirting with Fred and mentioned how now, since she turned 18, she is able to legally…vote, of course. Not get involved in a romantic relationship with Fred. Clearly.
The Powerpuff Girls – Threatened Masculinity Equals…?
We’ve already stated how iconic and pivotal the PowerPuff Girls were for the representation of girls, and girl power in the cartoon industry. They’ve shown that girls, even though they are young or small, don’t need a big, muscular superhero to save them.
We find this quote to be both entertaining and cheeky, but above all, bold. If there is something the PowerPuff Girls love more than empowering their fellow females, then it is to dunk on insecure men trying to assert their dominance.
The Fairly Odd Parents – Depressed Or Something Else?
Teenagers are challenging, and we say this about our past selves, too! Moody, insecure, everchanging, in search of their voices and their identity. It’s a tough process, growing up, isn’t it? That’s why some fall into depression easily, while others find their escape not in tears but in…fantasizing.
Besides the blatant parody of Dr. Phil, Dr. Bill is educating preoccupied parents about their children’s odd behavior. Timmy is either just an emotional boy crying in his room, or he is doing other stuff. Either way, nothing to worry about…
Shrek – Big Castle – Small _____ ?
Shrek movies were one of our favorites growing up! They were so funny and entertaining, yet kind of gross at the same time. They were raunchy, raw, and filthy, and we LOVED that! The princess was a mess, the prince was a mess, the donkey, the dragon – everyone was a mess!
Here’s another joke like the PowerPuff Girls’ dig at masculinity and a certain thing shrinking. It is an often-told joke that men have a tendency to compensate for small you-know-whats with excessive materialistic goods. Is that what happened to Lord Farquaad? Of course, he’s just compensating for his short stature. What did you think we were talking about?!
Animaniacs – The Bird
Animaniacs was a popular show in the ’90s. The three little Warner siblings were charismatic and appealing, but also a bit confusing. We could never tell what hybrid species they were. Some say they are half-dog half-cat, but the official statement is that they are not a representation of any real-life animal at all.
Take a look at this meme. Maybe jokes like these are the reason Animaniacs got canceled. The bird is another term for the middle finger, and the cartoon creators implemented it into the show, even getting a bit meta and referencing the fact that the show is supposed to be family-friendly.
Rocko’s Modern Life – Dr. Who?
Rocko’s Modern Life is a show that had lots of inappropriate, adult humor in it. While watching this episode as kids, we didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, only a doctor with a weird name. Upon further review, when we got older, it became clear…
Dr. Bendova is an entirely inappropriate name for a cartoon character, don’t you agree? Well, it surely is giggle-worthy, we’ll give it that. When we think about it, the name sounds almost exotic if you don’t understand the double meaning. We’ll allow it!
Teen Titans – Size Matters!
We’ve talked about the Justice League earlier in the article. Now we have other DC characters we would like to present. And, well, their raunchy humor, too. Teen Titans was an American TV show based on the eponymous young superhero group. But young doesn’t mean innocent.
This was just another goofy show until, well, you can see for yourself. Beast Boy is obviously not happy with how he was portrayed as a toy. Especially the part below the belt that boys are usually highly aware of and concerned about.
Ratatouille – Familiarizing With the Vegetables
Ratatouille is, besides being a famous French dish, also a movie that follows Alfredo and Remy in their neverending restaurant adventure. If you didn’t know, Remy is a rat, by the way. A chef rat. He’s amazing, though! Now, this meme is not about Remy, but Alfredo.
This interaction boggles our minds to this day! What did this chef mean when he said “one can get too familiar with vegetables?” Do we even want to know? Alfredo seemed bummed out and hurt, as he left the kitchen. Hopefully, both Alfredo and Chef Skinner forgot about that incident quickly.
Animaniacs – No Relation!
Most of us know the story of Noah and his ark. It’s a story from the Bible about a man that preserved mankind and the animal kingdom by picking one male and one female out of each animal and putting them on his ark during the great flood.
This Noah was evaluating two bunnies in this scene, and when they stated their names…you can see what happened. There was a weird moment when the character broke the fourth wall and made a clearly adult joke about relatives and intimacy that an innocent child wouldn’t understand.
Rugrats – Camping Trip
Rugrats is an inspiration, honestly! There are so many brilliant moments, we didn’t know which ones to include and which ones to save for another day. Here we have an episode in which the joke was, again, reasonably subtle that only an adult paying attention would catch.
According to Stu Pickles, the DeVilles are not an option for a babysitter because Betty is out of town, and Howard has gone camping with his “male bonding” group, whereas his hand gesture tells you all you need to know. Cheeky!
Hey Arnold! – Woodstock Memories
Woodstock was one of the greatest festivals ever to be held! It was not only a rock music festival but also a hippie movement, where large groups of people helped one another with food, clothes, shelter, with no inhibitions at all.
However, not only were people were living in peace, but they were also living in anarchy. It is said that three babies were born at the festival, and we can only guess how many were conceived due to all the drugs passed around. Grandpa is clearly having flashbacks to partaking in some of those illicit substances.
Dexter’s Laboratory – You Earn Your Dollar, Candi!
In one of the episodes, Dexter fires his sister Dee Dee and employs a new girl/woman to be his assistant and replace his annoying sister. Candi is cute and attractive, one might say, but also not qualified for the job in any way. You can see for yourself:
When Dexter asks her to dance for him, she says that would be 50 bucks extra.; her refusal to dance for free implies that she is an exotic dancer. However, to children, this would be just one of those odd, and a little bit confusing jokes they’d chuckle at.
Animaniacs – (Ani)Maniacs
Do you feel like sometimes, some jokes just go too far? We don’t get that feeling often, but when we do, we cringe, we feel uncomfortable and we try to forget all about it. However, we think we will remember the next picture for a very long time.
First of all, this is a kid’s show! Second of all, it wasn’t necessary even for adults to see this! The play on words is funny; it’s smart and witty, but extremely inadequate for this particular situation. It’s kind of disturbing — no wonder the show got discontinued.
Johnny Bravo – Virgin Shaming
Long ago people would give sacrifices to ancient gods of Greece, Rome, Egypt, etc. The sacrifice was, more often than not, animals. However, from time to time, we hear a story, a myth, or a legend that indicates human sacrifice, with the common thread that it was always a virgin.
Perhaps it was the purity associated with virginity that made them candidates for sacrifice. Johnny Bravo is well-known, usually for his charm, looks, and demeanor. He acts tough, and some consider him handsome. As such, he must defend his macho front and argue that he is, in fact, not a virgin!
The Amazing World of Gumball – I Like My Women Like I Like My Fruit
The Amazing World of Gumball is a great show, and this next picture we are about to show you is a scene that only gets funnier each time you watch it. If you haven’t seen it yet, we wholeheartedly recommend it; you won’t be able to stop giggling.
When Gumball bursts into the room and sees Banana Joe, the world seems to end. Both of them are stunned, unable to move or justify themselves. What Banana Joe was doing is obvious, starting from the look on his face to the box of tissues on the table. Priceless.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! – Mountains = Women
Scooby-Doo was, and still is, a very popular series. Four friends and a dog going on adventures together, adventures that include the supernatural, the ethereal, the magical. Sounds fun, right?! But what about the misogynistic commentary? That definitely slipped past our radar as kids.
A clear sign that a man isn’t pro-equality is when you hear things like “Women are annoying,” “They talk non-stop,” “They always have something to say,” and so on. These types of comments can be funny, particularly if you know it’s out of character for the person to say. But if repeated too often, they can be insulting.
Doug – The Birds and the Bees Talk
Though Doug was a show we never really watched as children, we grew to like it as we were older. In the first episode of the third season, Roger’s cat Stinky had a litter of three kittens, which came as a surprise to everyone since they thought Stinky was a boy.
According to this picture, we can conclude Roger was not only confused about the cat’s gender but also about something else. We have a feeling that his mom is about to give him the birds and the bees talk. Life is about to get even more interesting.
The Fairly Odd Parents – Tell Us You Don’t Want a Kid Without Telling Us You Don’t Want a Kid
The Fairly Odd Parents was already mentioned before. This show is odd, that’s given, but also quite entertaining at times. There are heaps of adult humor that no child would be able to comprehend. Take a look at this meme we’ve found from the show:
This joke is golden. We all know that raising a child is a major responsibility, and parents sometimes need to stop their dreams and ambitions to bring up a family and educate their children. Hopefully, Timmy’s Dad doesn’t hold too much resentment for choosing to focus on his family rather than his dreams.
SpongeBob SquarePants – Adult Movie Enthusiast
Yup, SpongeBob‘s back at it again. It truly is a show that is equally catered to adults and children. We deeply enjoy the shenanigans he and his friend Patrick get into. It’s funny, a bit risque and unconventional, but nonetheless fun!
Here, our good old friend SpongeBob was caught watching an inappropriate TV program, when his pet entered the room. At times, Gary seemed to have more brain cells than SpongeBob or Patrick. That’s not the point, though. Why they put this into a show that kids watch too, is the real question.
Rugrats – Cord Or Something Else?
The differences between boys and girls are something we all start to notice once we hit a certain age. Children get curious, and they might even want to learn what makes them so different from the opposite gender. This snapshot from Rugrats shows that comparative curiosity perfectly.
The baby above we assume is a girl, whereas the one at the bottom is presumably a boy. After birth, they are inspecting their bodies and differences, and the boy realizes he has something extra in comparison to the girl. To their innocent minds, it’s just an umbilical cord. Well, sort of…
Cow and Chicken – Wait, What?!
Cow and Chicken was a show towards which your likeness grows with time. Its eccentric art style, grotesque jokes, and surreal premise leave a lot of free room for silly innuendos, adult jokes, and hilarious play on words that flew over our heads as children.
In this episode, Cow is looking for a part-time job in order to pay for some toys he wants. During his job hunt, Cow comes across Dr. Junk, professor of milk, and states how it would be an honor to squirt for him. What an interesting choice of words there, scriptwriters!
Zootopia – Utopia
Zootopia is one of those rare animated movies that we could watch multiple times, and with each rewatch, we come across more and more adult jokes to highlight and discuss. In our latest rewatch, we noticed this scene where officer Judy mentioned rabbits’ well-known ability to reproduce quickly.
Judy caught Nick completely by surprise with her remark, followed by an innocent facial expression. Not only is this a movie for children, but they, time and time again, proved to us that adult jokes almost work better in those circumstances because they are unexpected.
The Flintstones – Three Heads Think Better Than One, or Something Like That
As we dive deeper into this article, we realize there is no children’s show we know of that is free of innuendos. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. A hidden joke can’t hurt a kid; it just makes them confused, whereas adults are living their best lives watching and laughing.
The Flintstones was one of the classic shows of our childhood. Now, revisiting this scene made us giggle and also, kind of uncomfortable. An extra head won’t make them just taller, but also a three-headed monster. If you don’t understand the joke, you are too young.
Tarzan – Jane and the Blackboard
We all know and love the story of Tarzan, a man who was raised in the jungles of Africa by a troop of gorillas. And, according to some Disney conspiracy theories, he’s the brother of Elsa and Anna. That is, if you believe that their parents’ boat didn’t get lost at sea, but in fact washed up near Africa.
Jane was taken aback by Tarzan; he was weird yet intriguing. While telling her father about her first encounter with him, she seemed to have gotten caught up in the moment. If you look at her face closely, you’ll see she is lost in her imagination. Completely inappropriate for a kid’s cartoon.
Justice League Unlimited – Batman’s DNA
You either love him, or you hate him — Batman is a superhero of his own. He is not your conventional good guy in a magical suit. He has dimension; he is morally gray and represents a darker side of being good. But no matter how dark the Dark Knight gets, this next snippet is golden.
When reading the first part of the meme, it is a little bit confusing what DNA evidence they’re referring to; however, in the following photo, our doubts have been crushed. What Amanda Waller was referring to is Bruce’s blood from all the fights he got into around town, not what your brain was thinking.
Doug – Lava You!
Doug is an awkward character. He is clumsy and shy, but at times he has some brilliant moments that will make children confused and adults entertained. He has a crush on Patti Mayonaise, and when he’s around her, he gets flustered and all the more silly.
In this episode, he is showing off his science project — a volcano that shoots up lava. To explain his experiment to Patti he says, “the reason the lava keeps shooting up into the air is because…I love you!” Real smooth, Doug. We are not sure this is how you get a girl to like you, though.
Beauty And The Beast – Beauty and the Man
If you were a fan of Disney princesses back in the day, you surely know Belle and could recognize her yellow dress and red rose from a mile away. She is the Beauty that fell in love with the Beast, who is not a beast after all, but a man. So like the others…
Here, the Beast is having a crisis with his romance and has come to Cogsworth for advice. Now, this clock is not like any other; he’s witty, sarcastic, and snobby. How else do men repent for their wrongdoings than with flowers, chocolates, and empty promises?
Rocko’s Modern Life – Ouch!
Nickelodeon also had its fair share of inappropriate adult scenes and jokes in cartoons. Not all these jokes are as sophisticated as the Pixar ones, which, by the way, took us a couple of rewatches to realize. This one is much blunter. Take a look.
In this episode of Rocko’s Modern Life, Rocko is picking some berries in the forest. When he tries to pick up a berry that’s hanging low on the bush, a bear jumps out of the bush, cries, and holds itself in pain. Oopsie, not a berry Rocko; better luck next time.
Madagascar – Sugar Honey Ice Tea
If you’ve never watched the animated movie Madagascar or Penguins of Madagascar, you are missing out, friend! We urge you to watch it, cause it’s hilarious not only for the younger population but especially for adults. Need proof? We have an example for you:
Zebras and lions are natural enemies, meaning that Alex and Marty have a complicated relationship. Nonetheless, pay attention to the Sugar Honey Ice Tea in the last frame. Pay attention to those words. Here is another hint, look at the capitalized letters. See any acronyms?
Dexter’s Laboratories – Trophy Wife
Dexter’s Laboratories was already talked about briefly today, and if you’ve seen the joke we mentioned before, this one wouldn’t surprise you too much. This snapshot is from the episode “Nuclear Confusion,” where Dee Dee was leaving clues for Dexter.
This picture gave us a good round of laughter, however, it’s not as blunt as it seems. Dee Dee was leaving the third clue for Dexter at Neighbor Lady’s house. She stole his nuclear core and he was on the hunt to get it back. Great play on words though, surely made us chuckle.
Hercules – IX-I-I What’s Your Emergency?
Hercules is an amazing Disney movie, though it doesn’t get much or enough love for some reason. It has great characters, mythology, a fun and entertaining plot, and songs. What is there not to love?! Watching the gods quarrel; ah, music for our ears.
Now, this is not a naughty or 18+ joke we’ve got here. You might think to yourself: “Finally, something nice for a change!” and we can’t disagree, honestly. As a kid, we were not familiar with Roman numerals, but now, we can understand the reference. Call IX-I-I, there has been an emergency!
Shrek 2 – Illegal Drugs
As we stated before, Shrek is one of the best things that happened to mankind and the animated film industry. It’s hilarious and often makes ironic jokes about society. We have a meme from the second installment in the franchise, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.
In this scene, knights were pepper-spraying Shrek and found some catnip in Puss’ possession, although he claims it is not his after all. Wouldn’t everyone react like this if caught, though? It’s bizarre, but oh so good, how they replaced police with knights and local criminals with a mighty cat.
Ratatouille – Tiny Little Helper
Alfredo Linguini and Remy were an inseparable duo. Remy cooked and prepared delicious dishes, and Alfredo gave Remy the means to do so. After all, no one would let a rat cook in their kitchen. There is this scene where Linguini is trying to come clean and reveal who is the real chef in the relationship.
He has this “tiny…uh, little…” and all the while, he is stuttering on his words. Colette is impatient enough already, and as he stumbles, she casts her eyes to a particular region on Linguini’s body, something we call south of the Equator. If you get the chance, rewatch this scene online. It’s hilarious.
Toy Story – A Rod Hooks Things
Toy Story is one of the best Pixar movies ever made. While Andy’s story may have come to a close, we’re so excited for the upcoming Lightyear prequel! What makes this movie so interesting is that you can watch it time and time again and always notice new details.
At first, you might think the toys in this photo are the concoctions of a mischievous boy’s mind. However, upon further inspection and taking a moment to think about it, you can conclude that if a rod is used to hook things, then this toy is a _____?
Ed, Edd, and Eddy – Another Note on the Wall
Ed, Edd, and Eddy was not necessarily a children’s show per se. It was about three boys trying to navigate through the waters of adolescence, and having that in mind, the show was full of child-inappropriate jokes and risqué humor that we grew to love.
When we watched this all those years ago, we completely missed this one. These are those kinds of moments where, if you blink, it’s gone. However, take a close look at all the notes. There are a few helpful reminders on the wall: Walk, don’t run, Lock door, and Don’t touch yourself. Alright. Noted.
Rugrats – Boppin His Boppo
This is the final Rugrats meme we have for you, but it might be one of the best ones from Rugrats universe so far. While watching this iconic moment, parents would laugh their bottoms off, whereas children would stare in confusion. Let’s see.
Chuckie is obsessed with his inflatable clown doll Boppo, but his friends are worried. He is not leaving his room and is only interested in “Bopping his Boppo,” as Phil puts it. He noted to Tommy that “a kid his age should not be stuck in his room all day, but rather playing with his friends outside.”
Tiny Toons Adventures – Playduck
Sometimes these adult jokes from our childhood fly over our heads, and we don’t even give them a second thought at the time. We are mainly focused on the obvious, the action, and the jokes we do understand. Only after revisiting it a decade later do we realize…
In this episode of Tiny Toons Adventures, Daffy Duck reads a Playduck magazine. This is obviously a spin-off of a real-life magazine that contains, well, not ducks to be completely honest. You get the picture. Bugs Bunny scoffs and seems disappointed, but later, we know he looked, too.
Hercules – That Oedipus Thing
We are drama enthusiasts! Reading comedies, tragedies and tragi-comedies can be extremely useful and cleansing. Now, in these forms of art, there are often some questionable elements. Take Oedipus Rex as an example, wherein the eponymous character fell in love with his mother and took his father’s life.
We certainly hope that children somehow got distracted during this moment in Hercules since this scene alone can raise many questions. Adults would understand, but how could they explain it to their youngsters? You went too far this time, Disney.