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I’m not sure where exactly the conventional idea of “cute cartoons” comes from exactly. It’s an idea that’s been strangely fascinating to me for the past couple years, so I’ve been trying to learn more about it’s origins.

I’m finding that the classic 1980s examples aren’t really what I expected. My Little Pony is actually a bit darker than some would think, with dangerous and imposing villains. Care Bears, on the other hand, seems more focused on slapstick and parody (the Nelvana series anyway). Maybe there’s something about Generation 3 ponies I don’t know about.

Nowadays I suspect that this type of cuteness is an amalgamation of 1970s commercialized psychedelia, Disney stereotypes, Lisa Frank, magical girl anime, and those sparkly pixel art .gifs that deviantArt seemed so crazy about.

Of course, usually examples of it subvert expectations a little bit- but where do those expectations come from? We seem to have wound up with this chimera of loud, obnoxious and garishly colored pop art, Willy Wonka and Candyland, EDM, and vaguely 8-bit-inspired aesthetics. I can’t really find an unironic example that has the whole list of traits: rainbows, flowers, too much sugar, singing and dancing animals, smiling inanimate objects, toys, and relentless cheeriness.

Mind you, I really enjoy Unikitty, but I can’t help but wonder why it’s the way it is.

Y’know what I hate about cartoon reboots? It causes a generation gap.

You just know there’s some younger folks out there who have no knowledge, much less appreciation, for any of the shows that are currently being rebooted- DuckTales, The Powerpuff Girls, and to a lesser extent, Looney Tunes. (I actually like Wabbit.) Scooby-Doo makes less of a difference, since it’s been rebooted umpteen times already and it didn’t really matter. Without this context, it’s entirely possible for a child who doesn’t know any better to learn to like the inferior reboot. The result is some kid who’s always going to argue with their parents which version is better.

This is why an unfaithful, disrespectful reboot is a bad thing, especially when coupled with careless parents who don’t bother to share with them what they grew up with. “Reboot” should be considered an ugly, taboo word when it comes to animation. Sure, several franchises like My Little Pony and Care Bears have been rebooted with success, but those are shows that didn’t use to have beloved, iconic characters that fans adored and related to into adulthood.

The key difference with Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, and the fifth season of Samurai Jack is that they aren’t reboots, but continuations by the original show creators (as will be the upcoming SWAT Kats Revolution). It actually matters very much to let what made the original great live on, because it matters to the people who watched it in the first place. It doesn’t make sense to disregard these people who are still very much alive, who can still tune in to watch new shows. Cartoons should bring people together, not tear them apart.

(I hope and pray that because Spielberg is involved in the new Animaniacs series, he still has respect and admiration for classic cartoons and wants to bring that spirit back again.)