They're often billed as "family-friendly."
But sometimes, television shows designed for young audiences contain some really dark and
twisted stuff.
With plots involving depression, abandonment, and all kinds of real-world horrors, it's
amazing that some of these episodes ever made it on the air.
Here are some of the worst offenders.
The Fairly Odd Parents - It's a Wishful Life
From the opening moments of this episode, things go downhill fast.
Timmy, the main character, keeps trying to do good deeds, but nobody appreciates his
efforts, even his loved ones.
Understandably upset, he wishes that he'd never been born — a wish that his fairy
godparent Wanda reluctantly grants.
In a parody of It's a Wonderful Life — you know, the beloved Christmas movie about offing
yourself...
"So you still think killing yourself would make everyone feel happier, right?"
"Well, I dunno, I guess you're right."
...Timmy sees what the world would be like without him.
However, unlike the movie, Timmy discovers that everyone he knows is much happier if
he's not around.
Even more troubling, Timmy is later shown the hellish place where all the kids who wished
they were never born go, implying that this sort of thing happens on a regular basis.
Later, Jorgen von Strangle explains that the whole thing was a setup, aimed at teaching
a lesson — The lesson that you can't even trust your fairy godparents, especially if
you're going through a tough time in your life.
Boy Meets World - Cult Fiction
ABC's coming-of-age sitcom Boy Meets World didn't shy away from difficult subjects, but
one episode tops them all: season four's "Cult Fiction."
Thanks to his turbulent home life, Shawn frequently struggles with loneliness and abandonment
issues, and that makes him a perfect mark for a local cult that targets troubled kids.
Before long, he's hopelessly brainwashed by the cult's leader, Mr. Mack.
Later, Shawn's teacher Mr. Turner, who served as a sort of surrogate father to him, is involved
in a bad motorcycle wreck and is hospitalized.
Unable to cope with the situation, Shawn brings Mr. Mack to the hospital with him, where Cory's
father and Principal Feeny have a confrontation with the cult leader:
"Now you brought Shawn down, thanks, now why don't you just take a hike back to Conland."
"Now do you see how judgemental these people are ---"
"No, no, listen!"
Meanwhile, Cory and Topanga bring Shawn to Mr. Turner's room and force him to confront
the reality of their teacher's condition head-on, leading to an emotional monologue where Shawn
talks directly to God:
"Don't blow me off, John.
Don't blow me off, God!
I've never asked you for anything and I never wanted to come to you like this."
Rugrats - Angelica's Worst Nightmare
If you grew up watching Rugrats, you might not have been aware of the heavy themes.
But as an adult, you'll soon notice some really tragic backstories that go unnoticed by the
babies.
The darkest episode, though, is "Angelica's Worst Nightmare."
Angelica Pickles enjoys her status as a spoiled only child, so when her mother announces that
she's pregnant, Angelica's fragile ego is thrown into a tailspin.
Her parents ignore her while discussing the pregnancy, and Angelica begins to worry that
they won't have time for her.
In a nightmare, Angelica's baby brother has arrived, and her parents have forgotten who
she is, forcing her to live in the laundry room and eat table scraps.
After taking everything she loves, the gigantic baby chases Angelica out of the house before
catching her and starting to eat the car — which causes her to wake up, screaming.
Later, Angelica's parents tell her that they aren't going to have a baby after all, and
while she feigns disappointment, Angelica is secretly pleased about the sad news.
The Powerpuff Girls - Twisted Sister
In The Powerpuff Girls episode "Twisted Sister," the trio of cute cartoon superheroes find
themselves overwhelmed with school, chores, and constantly saving the day.
They decide to create a fourth Powerpuff Girl to help share the load.
But instead of following the Professor's original formula of sugar, spice, and everything nice,
the girls use artificial sweetener, dirt, and things like crayons, lizards, and boxing
gloves — along with the secret ingredient, Chemical X.
The result is a gigantic, misshapen, and not very bright new Powerpuff Girl that they name
Bunny.
Unfortunately, Bunny mixes things up — throwing police officers in jail while letting the
criminals run free.
When her sisters arrive, they angrily tell Bunny that she's bad and can't be a Powerpuff
Girl.
Heartbroken, Bunny flies away to sob her heart out on a lonely cliffside, but returns when
her sisters are in danger to defeat all the bad guys, excited that she's finally been
"good."
Unfortunately, this effort was too much for Bunny's unstable body, and she explodes.
A piece of her dress flutters to the ground, and the girls cry as they realize how awful
they were.
Even the narrator of the show can barely handle it.
"It's so sad, I can't take it."
Tom & Jerry - Blue Cat Blues
In stark contrast to the typical slapstick antics found in the classic cartoon Tom & Jerry,
the 1956 feature "Blue Cat Blues" has an extremely tragic — and traumatizing — plot.
Tom falls in love with a beautiful white cat.
But although she returns his affections at first, she eventually leaves Tom for a rich
neighborhood cat named Butch.
Jerry tells Tom to move on with his life, but Tom can't let go, and eventually literally
sells himself into slavery to buy her a car:
"It cost him an arm and a leg, but he willingly sold himself into slavery… for love."
— which promptly gets destroyed by Butch's fancy coupe.
Heartbroken and hopelessly in debt, Tom turns to the bottle — the milk bottle, that is
— and decides to sit down on the train tracks and end it all once the two cats get married.
Jerry, at a loss on how to cheer up his friend, consoles himself that at least his own girlfriend
wouldn't do that to him.
Just then, Jerry sees his own girlfriend drive by with a different mouse, with a "Just Married"
sign on the back of their car, too.
Realizing that life now holds nothing for him either, Jerry joins Tom on the track,
and the screen fades to black as the sound of a train whistle approaches.
The end.
Thomas the Tank Engine (The Sad Story of Henry)
Most episodes of the popular children's series Thomas the Tank Engine are rather cheerful
affairs, usually with Thomas or one of the other engines learning a valuable lesson after
being stubborn or childish in some way.
In "The Sad Story of Henry," a similar setup leads to a decidedly dark turn.
The green engine Henry is afraid the rain will ruin his bright and shiny paint, so he
takes refuge inside a tunnel, and then refuses to leave it, even after the rain stops.
When logical reasoning, firm orders, and even brute force fail to budge the silly steam
engine, railway manager and father figure Sir Topham Hatt finally gives up.
Workers pull up the rails to the tunnel and lay bricks over the entrance, trapping Henry
inside.
The other engines cheekily whistle at Henry as they pass, and he becomes extremely lonely
and miserable, and the soot from their smoke ruins his shiny paint.
As the sad green engine contemplates his unknown fate, even the narrator, Ringo Starr, gets
in on Henry's public humiliation.
"But I think he deserved his punishment… don't you?"
That's right, kids: if you misbehave, then it's completely normal for your parents to
lock you in your room and not let you out.
And if you've been really naughty, they might never come back.
And then a former Beatle will say you deserved everything you got.
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