People Break Down The Darkest Moments In Kids Shows That Completely Threw Them Off-Guard
Isn't this G rated?

There is a very good reason why parents should be vigilant with everything their children watch. You never know what hidden mysteries are easter egged in the stories. I remember "The Little Mermaid" scandal about the.... phallic nature of one of the castle towers. Shocking. Remember adults are creating these shows. And every once and awhile something a little more.... PG rated gets slipped in.
Redditor u/Animeking1108 wanted to discuss the several times children's entertainment has been a bit on the edge by asking.... What dark moment in a kid show threw you off-guard?Puffed
The episode of the Power Puff Girls where they go into the future and the entire world was taken over by Him. It was just so dark and creepy, and the tone was completely different from the rest of the show. The episode was called Speed Demon.
Alexander...
Pinocchio the Disney version, I haven't watched it in over 20 years. There is a scene after the boys have turned into donkeys. The guy grabs one of the donkeys and asks its name. "My name's Oliver and I want my mother!" "This one can still talk! It's not ready yet!" Then he throws it into the back of the pen and the poor thing whimpers and cowers into the corner. That scene messed me up man.
Edit: The donkey/boy was named Alexander and I also fixed some grammar.
To Hell
That Hey Arnold episode where they got stuck on the train to the steal mill and the kids were sure they were going to Hell. After all the coincidences are explained and the episode pretty much ends the ghost train to Hell makes an appearance in an outro song sung by the ghost conductor.
The Innards....
There was an episode of Cat-Dog where they went inside out? Or one of them inverted or something so you could see their insides? Freaked me out as a kid.
ZIM
Plenty of moments from Invader Zim, but the one that always seems to stand out is the one where Zim systematically hunts down the kids at his school to steal their organs, so that he'd appear more "human."
Thing is, Zim is a dumba** and has no concept of which organs a human should have, or how many, so he just takes whatever he feels like and ends up a bloated mass of alien flesh filled with multiple human hearts, livers, spleens, etc. It's messed up.
Unholy Matrimony
Remember the 'Hey Arnold' episode about the Ghost Bride?! Holy cow that one was creepy as hell.
Gerald tells a story about a bride who wanted to get married to the love of her life more than anything. But on her wedding day the groom never showed up because it turned out he ran off to marry her sister. So later that night she put on her wedding dress and grabbed an axe from the shed.
She walked into the newlyweds bedroom and hacked them both to death. When the police got there she was sitting in a rocking chair still holding the axe and humming The Wedding March. She killed herself by jumping out the window. 😳
The Treehouse....
This might not have been dark, but it was downright scary to 2-6 year old me. Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends was a little kiddie show on Treehouse. About a lady spider and her kids in a garden like area. Some people might remember the James Charles looking spider who was the villain.
There were times when it zoomed in on his face with reddish black backlighting for him plotting something, (again my memory is blurred of this) this scared the cookies of me every time he went on screen. Damn guy looked like those skull spiders from ocarina of time and crappy late 90s early 2000s 3d animation clowns.
Oh Chucky....
The scene from Rugrats in Paris when all the kids are dancing with their mommies and Chucky just stands and cries in the corner. Broke my heart. 💔
T & J
Watching Tom & Jerry as a kid. One episode where Tom's love life turns into crap while Jerry makes fun of him because his love life is great. Right at the end Tom is sitting on train tracks looking like crap and Jerry sees his girlfriend drive by in a car with another mouse. Jerry then joins Tom on the track. Tom scoots over and you hear a train whistle and a bright light from behind. This was on a kids show back in the day!
Slender....
One particular Courage the Cowardly Dog episode with that Senderman looking figure.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
No one's life is going to be perfect, and we cannot be happy 100% of the time.
But there are things we can do to make our lives, and others', better, and those things are not necessarily all that complicated.
Redditor shadow_2116 asked:
"What are some unwritten life rules everyone must know?"
Stay Humble
"If you don't understand something someone is telling you, say so instead of pulling an 'opinion' on the topic out of your a**. There is no shame in not knowing or understanding something."
"Refusing to admit you don't know and by extension refusing to learn something new because your ego is hurt is gravely misguided, however."
- devilish-WiFi
Stop Comparing
"In the song 'Grand Illusion' by Styx, there is a line: 'Don’t be fooled by the radio, tv, or the magazine. Shows you photographs of how your life should be, compared to someone else’s fantasy.'"
"So, I guess, the idea that you might not feel like you're living your best life when you compare it with what you're told is supposed to be your best life."
" Also along this line, 'Don’t compare your day-to-day life to someone else’s highlights.' Like, don’t compare your life to what bits you see of someone on social media."
A Golden Rule for Kids
"If a toddler hands you a toy phone, you answer it."
- IRErover
"Family" Isn't a Reason
"Just because someone is family, doesn't mean they're a good person."
"It's so wild how people call you a bad person for avoiding your family despite knowing nothing about their family."
"Like, 'It doesn't matter what they did, you were in the wrong because they're family,' makes zero sense to me, but other people look at me like I'm the lost one.
- Lo-Fi_Kuzco
Avoid Gossip
"Not everybody is your friend, so be careful who you vent to. Many people only want juicy gossip and don’t give a s**t about you or your problems."
"A good sign of this is when your friend brings you dirt or juicy stuff about someone else that likely was said in confidence or probably shouldn't have been communicated out."
"If they do that, your info is equally being dished out."
"Putting folks on informational diets is the way to go until you gain a supreme level of mutual trust."
- OneObi
Exceed Expectations
"Under promise and over deliver. People will think you are a genius."
- ballistic-jelly
Don't Ask the Question You Don't Want the Answer To
"Don’t ask for somebody else’s opinion and get mad when they tell it to you."
- CatacombsRave
Compliments Make a Difference
"It never hurts to compliment somebody on the quality of their work, their hobbies, and whatever field are most important to their self-esteem. It always goes a long way."
- High-Time-Cymbaline
Friendship Reality Check
"Your best friend may not consider you to be their best friend."
- swatguy06
Be Able to Walk Away
"Never let anyone take or disturb your peace. Learn to walk away from toxic people!"
- SwissCake_98
No Sudden Reactions
"Your feelings are valid, but your reactions may not be."
"If you ever find yourself feeling very angry at somebody, and want to give them a piece of your mind either over text, email, or phone, listen to this advice. It’s some of the best I have ever learned."
"Write down what you would want to say first, either in a word document or email or whatever, save it, but DO NOT send it. Then, wait at least 12 hours or overnight and revisit what you wrote."
"After having a cool-off period and some time to gain some clarity, 90% of the time you would have regretted having sent the original message and are usually in a much better place to respond so as to not burn any bridges that you meant to keep."
"I’ve always heard of this as having 'restraint of pen and tongue' and is one of the clearest signs of maturity."
- Googleclimber
Elevator Etiquette
"Before you enter and elevator, LET OTHER PEOPLE OUT FIRST, GODD**NIT!"
- IcyHotRyan
Don't Make It Worse
"If someone does something unintentionally embarrassing or awkward, you pretend it didn't happen, and if they look at you, you just smile and look away."
- WolfThick
A Few Golden Tips
"Admit when you've done something wrong."
"Trust your gut."
"Nobody thinks as much about you as yourself."
"Be kind. Don't be an a**hole."
"If you need help and it is available, ask for it, take it."
"Just because you apologize doesn't mean the other party has to forgive and forget."
- _space_platypus_
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
"Life actually sucks a lot of the time. If you expect to be happy all the time, you will be sorely disappointed and lost. Instead, work up resilience to the hard times and take your time to enjoy the good times."
"It can take so long to learn this, because no one really talks about it, and for some weird reason the only accepted default state is 'happy.'"
"Another factor is how that's basically what you are until 15 years old. Until your basic reptile adult 'survival responsibility' kicks in, we're oblivious and happy most of the time. Then suddenly, the baseline changes, and almost no one is prepared for it, and the only reasonable conclusion is that you're mentally ill and depressed."
"That's why I take every opportunity I get to talk about how much life sucks so that people can enjoy it more with less fantastical expectations, lol (laughing out loud)."
- manofredgables
There are so many good pieces of advice here, but perhaps the most wonderful thing is that it doesn't take a lot to make someone's day a little better, including your own.
Life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community is easy...said nobody ever.
History has shown that society has never been accepting of marginalized people, particularly in the gay community.
The coming out experience often includes people responding to the revelation with questions like "why would anyone would choose to live a life of constant ridicule?"
While being gay is–once and for all–not a choice, cynics got one part right with the notion that gay people are subject to harassment and bullying for being different.
Curious to hear of the struggles that come with being othered, Redditor shiraah asked:
"Gay people of reddit, whats the hardest part about being gay?"
Listen to their voices. They need to be heard.
We Are Strangers In A Strange Land
"It makes you feel like a foreigner in your own land. Society is set up for heteronormatity and being gay means that you never fully fit in."
"Sure western society has accepted us a bit more in the last decade, but we still aren't really, 'normal.'"
"Straight people will casually drop things about their boyfriend, or fiance in public without a second thought. But I have to read the room before talking about that."
"Most doctors act weird at first when you talk to them about sexual health. They all seem to assume I have undiagnosed HIV or something."
"Gay men seem to develop at a different rate, so in many ways, our only true, 'peers' are other gay men. But since we are only 3% of the population, it can be really hard to find a circle."
"On top of that, 30ish percent of the US population still hates us. You never know when you are in the presence of an unsafe person."
"Interacting with children is actually terrifying because at any point in time, the parents can accuse you of grooming. This is especially true with teenagers. I really wish the older gay community could mentor teenage gay boys. But there is simply no safe way to discuss sexuality with them. We have to just blanket exclude everyone under 18 for the safety of the community."
"I see boys on Reddit all the time, freaking out at the realization that they are gay. But I can't console them. Its not safe. I actually have several events scheduled in my calendar that say, 'x reddiitor is now 18, follow up and make sure he understands sexual health.'"
– thedrakeequator
I Just Want To Hold Their Hand
"always being on edge/on guard when ur out with ur partner in public. not sure if you can hold their hand or kiss them or show any kind of affection. it’s sucks, i just wanna hold their hand walking thru the park but it’s a 50/50 chance if it’s gonna be fine or if someone’s gonna do something to us"
– fvcking-hell
These Redditors shared their experiences involving friends who were supposed "allies."
The Late-To-The-Party-Ally
"I grew up in a smaller town. I’m bi, so a little of this, a little of that. I had some gay porn between my mattress and box spring. Some 'friends' and my ex gf found it while I was at work. That sh*t spread like f'king wildfire. My ex gf and her new bf had a blast outing me to anybody who would listen. This was all about 15 years ago and it haunts me to this day. When I texted her and begged her to stop, she responded with 'HAHAHAHAHAHA!' and we never spoke again."
"Now that it’s 'cool' and 'progressive' to support LGBTQ+ rights, she’s 'aN aLl' and 'sUpPoRtS lOvE' 2,000 miles away from our hometown.
"F'k you, Candace."
– A_Soft_Fart
"When I was in high school, still in the closet, I had a super close male friend. Never any romantic feelings there, we were both just awkward kids who got each other. One day he was over at my house and we were play wrestling, and I remember thinking 'if I come out, we are never going to be able to do this again.'”
"A few months later, I came out to a girl in our friend group. I specifically asked for her advice and emotional support coming out to him, because I knew he had conservative parents and it was going to be a difficult conversation. You know where this is going. She told him I had a crush on him, then started telling anybody who would listen. He never talked to me again, fell in with a weird crowd, and now he’s a MAGA republican."
"I came home from school that day and had to immediately come out to my Catholic parents, worried that they would hear it from someone else. That whole experience was terrible, I won’t bore you with the details."
"Then a few months ago I see this girl post about the importance of being an ally. I have never in my life wanted so badly to throw a massive social media tantrum."
– chicksonfox
The hard part is over after coming out. But then, new challenges arise.
Loneliness
"It’s lonely. Especially if you’re not an extrovert or ‘mainstream’ gay person."
– Triairius
Isolation From Within
"This and hating the whole hookups culture hurt the most. I read too many things about gay guys always hooking up and only looking for hookups, so I just kinda end up excluding myself from the gay community. Then being in heavily religious states causes me to feel excluded in the straight communities I’ve been in because either they talk about gays being 'sinful' or talk about girls and I just stand there and nod."
– ArtyomV2
Guessing Game
"Trying to gauge if someone is gay or not before asking them out."
– PadThai517
Fearing A Negative Response
"I've never asked out a guy because I have this fear that a straight guy will take offense and punch me. I know it's unlikely, but it sticks in the back of my mind."
"Edit- just want to say that I greatly appreciate the positive comments, I'm overwhelmed and hope I'm lucky enough to hit on some of you straight guys someday :)"
– SwiftCase
As a gay, cisgender male, I'm always coming out to people I meet for the first time, either through a mutual friend or at a family function.
I don't mind opening up to people about my self-identity.
However, it can be tedious, constantly feeling the need to explain who I am to certain individuals who grew up in a hetereonormative environment as a preface to getting acquainted.
Rather than demanding gay people conform to the concept of a "normal" society, the change should be coming from society to normalize acceptance and compassion toward LGBTQ+-identifying people.
There have been significant strides for progress, but the fact that we're still having a conversation about the hardships of being gay reveals we still have a ways to go.
Patience is indeed a virtue.
Some people are lucky in that virtually nothing gets on their nerves, and even if something does, they can control their temper and deal with it calmly.
Others, however, are not blessed with the gift of patience, and even the littlest things will completely and utterly set them off.
However, no matter where we stand on the patient level, we all have some things that truly get under our skin, and try as we might, find our temper going completely out of control.
Often resulting in groans from bystanders, who have trouble understanding if the reaction was merited.
"What's something that makes you irrationally angry?"
Seriously, Why The Rush?!?
"People who overtake you but then slow down when they are in front of you."- isason
"People rushing me when I’m trying to get ready."- emma_flies
No One Likes A Repeat Journey
"You know when you drop something small on the floor and you bend down to pick it up but you miss and you come up a couple inches because you anticipated that you would actually successfully grab it then you realize you don’t have it so you bend down again and miss one or two more times?"
"It kinda ends up being quite the core workout."
"Man that drives me nuts."-JaceUpMySleeve
Honestly, Understandable
"Being shouted at, takes every last bit of self-control to not punch them."- Or4ngut4n
Especially If It's Irrational...
"Kids screaming and crying."- CapG_13
Nothing Exacerbates A Tick Like A...Tick!
"Repetitive noises."
"If a window is open and the wind keeps moving the curtain repetitively, peeping sounds, tapping."
"It drives me insane and I have to stop it or I can’t focus on anything else."- OkMaintenance6282
False Advertising!
"When it says 'tear here' and it doesn’t."- FishingHigh
We Can Hear You!
"People yelling and talking loud when there is literally no reason to."- Kalishnikova56
"Random loud noises or unnecessarily loud music/movies."
"I'm not sure why but it's always triggered me."- SirBobRoss69
Equally Awful To Look At
"The sound of people chewing with their mouths open."- FoobarMontoya
Just Unnecessary
"Condescending people."- skittlez_lmao
Totally Defeats The Purpose
"People wearing masks with their nose out."
"Motherf*cker, do you know basic human anatomy?"
"Might as well rip that f*cking thing off your face for all the good it's doing."- ZenEvadoni
Hey, You Never Know...
"Every time I’m in a hurry at the gas station I grab my drink, my snack and rush to the front only to find an old man or lady undecided on the vast collection of lotto tickets and scratch offs."
“Hmmmm how much is#27?'"
"'I guess I’ll take #12, oh how much is it, never mind'."
"Then they will pull out 50 old tickets and start cashing them when one wins a dollar or 2."
"Hmmmmmmmm let me put that towards 7 seconds when my uncle #99'."
" Meanwhile, I'm ready to go full Thanos and just start purging our world of lotto players."
"I’m sorry if a close member of your family plays the lotto you deserve better."
"I f*cking hate lotto players."- Flawless_100x
Slow And Steady Does Not Always Win
"People who do 40 on the on-ramp to the highway."
"How do expect to merge safely into highway traffic going 20-30 mph slower than everyone else!"- cheesusismygod
We all have the little things that get to us.
And the best thing we can do is take a deep breath and try to move on.
As there are much more practical things we can direct our anger at.
More often than not, what keeps us tuning into a TV show week after week, or in one lengthy binge, are the characters.
Indeed, who wasn't filled with joy to get that iconic side-eye from Fleabag, being serenaded by Friends' Phoebe Buffay, or wish that Grey's Anatomy's Meredith Grey come to their rescue one day?
Not all characters are so innately loveable, however.
Indeed, sometimes we watch a show in spite of the presence of certain characters, and that's only if they aren't so unbearably annoying that watching their show seems an unbearable chore.
And we're not talking about villains or antagonists here.
Indeed, these are the main, sometimes title characters, who are often the biggest liability of their respective series.
"Who is the most annoying character in the history of television?"
Can't She Keep Her Hands To Herself?!?
"Didi from 'Dexter’s Laboratory'."- SeaworthinessHairy12
Shameless-ly Annoying
"Debbie Gallagher."- asialovesye
[Insert Tasteless Mafia Joke]
"Janice Soprano."- CALiSpeed2·
More Like Scrappy Don't!
"Scrappy Doo."- Libra_Zebra
Her Presence Was Anything but Glee-ful
"Rachel Berry from 'Glee'."- Substantial_Wish_182
How To Make An Infamously Annoying Character Even More Annoying?
"Jakovasaur."- daddios_amigos
Reality Can Be Far More Unpleasant Than Fiction...
"Any Kardashian."- User avatarlevel 1z____ro
Just Keep On Walking...
"Lori Grimes ('Walking Dead')."- LaReinaTormenta
To Think He Was Meant To Make A One-Off Appearance...
"Urkel."- mikeyeah17
His Name Says It All...
"Buzz Killington."- Boston_Strong_CQB241
Those Curls Didn't Fool Anyone...
"Nellie Olson."- Elliebell1024
Seriously, Who Would Cheat on Aiden With Big?!?!?!
"Carrie Bradshaw!"- DarkDaysintheSunCity
No One Wants House Calls From Them...
"Dr Phil or Dr Oz."- JacksEmptyWallet
Some shows have writing strong enough to make you overlook characters who border on insufferable.
Other times, one can't help but scratch their heads at the popularity of certain shows with their utterly repelling main characters.
Seriously, did anyone find Rachel Berry remotely likable?