Don’t Let The Creators Of The Simpsons Hear You Call It A ‘Cartoon’
In recent years, the idea that cartoons are only meant for children has faded a bit, with hit shows like “Family Guy” and “Rick and Morty” proving that sometimes animation is absolutely not meant for children. But for the show that paved the way for those adult animated series, “The Simpsons,” that stigma was a hurdle that had to be overcome for the show to be greenlit.
“There was ‘The Flintstones’ and ‘The Jetsons,’ but that was a long time ago,” said animator Carol Wyatt in an “Icons Unearthed” interview. “It was kind of amazing that we were going to be competing against ‘Roseanne,’ ‘60 Minutes,’ that was unheard of.”
But even as the creators of an adult cartoon themselves, some on the team on “The Simpsons” still despise the label of “cartoon” for their series.
An animated series
“The Simpsons” started out as a surprisingly grounded series, with the family struggling with things like financial problems and everyday issues that other sitcoms tended to ignore. As the show went on, those realistic issues went out the window in favor of wackier and funnier plots, leading to creator Groening even saying that “Futurama,” a show that takes place a millennium in the future and features many alien characters, is a more “real” show than “The Simpsons.”
But early on in the show’s lifespan, when its feet were still firmly planted on Earth, the show’s team had a real desire for it to be taken seriously. This included an avoidance of the term “cartoon.” “I don’t call it a cartoon, I call it an animated show,” said director Wes Archer in the “Icons Unearthed” video. “Common usage of ‘cartoon’ signifies something for a younger audience, or else something wacky.” “I consider it an animated series because it was supposed to be like a sitcom,” added Carol Wyatt. While this whole argument is based on the frivolous semantics of labeling, I think it’s quite interesting that some of the pioneers of the adult cartoon genre are still afraid to use the word “cartoon” themselves, even all these years later. With the level of success “The Simpsons” continues to achieve, you’d think the use of a word like “cartoon” wouldn’t faze people anymore, but I suppose those stigmas are hard to unlearn.
But early on in the show’s lifespan, when its feet were still firmly planted on Earth, the show’s team had a real desire for it to be taken seriously. This included an avoidance of the term “cartoon.”
“I don’t call it a cartoon, I call it an animated show,” said director Wes Archer in the “Icons Unearthed” video. “Common usage of ‘cartoon’ signifies something for a younger audience, or else something wacky.”
“I consider it an animated series because it was supposed to be like a sitcom,” added Carol Wyatt.
While this whole argument is based on the frivolous semantics of labeling, I think it’s quite interesting that some of the pioneers of the adult cartoon genre are still afraid to use the word “cartoon” themselves, even all these years later. With the level of success “The Simpsons” continues to achieve, you’d think the use of a word like “cartoon” wouldn’t faze people anymore, but I suppose those stigmas are hard to unlearn.
