So allow me to elaborate just a bit on this cuz it always sticks out in my mind that people(adults) tend to write it off as dumb kids fart jokes made into a book, but thats not the case. CU is revolutionary because it’s the only kids media I have ever seen that employs that form of comedy in a way that actually respects kids senses of humor, instead of just talking down to them.
So most movies and tv shows that use potty humor do it becuase they fully believe that kids DONT have a sense of humor. That kids can’t handle/comprehend actual well written jokes, so they have to dumb it down and throw in a fart or two(or three or four…) so that they will pay attention. This form of potty humor automatically assumes that all kids are dumb, and that the only way to get them to enjoy something is to fill it with non-jokes that kids will ‘understand’.
But CU is different. CU understands kids in a way that almost every other children’s media outlet doesn’t. CU can employ that humor becuase it doesn’t use them as a replacement for actual jokes. For real, sit down with a CU book and tally up all the jokes. Sure, there’s more than a handful of potty jokes, but there’s also a surplus of actually funny well written jokes that still get a laugh out of me to this day.
Like CU is hilarious, honest to god. It has brilliant situational humor, fun slapstick, dry wit, actual irony, satire, you name it and CU does it and does it well. It refuses to talk down to kids, it’s respects thier intelligence without sacrificing a single ounce of comedy. Sure, kids love dumb fart jokes, but most meds just uses it as a filler becuase they can’t be bothered to try. Think back to old kids shows, Spongebob for an example. Old Spongbob has some brilliant comedy writing, top notch. Go back and I swear adults can still enjoy watching it becuase humor is humor and when it’s done right you don’t grow out of it!! CU has all that an more!!!
Not to mention the satire of using ‘lesser’ humor as a hung middle finger to stuck-up adults who try to police what kids consume to the point of sanitizing everything. Think The Little Prince, the same principle is as work there. Adults forget. Adults are too literal, too boring, too trapped in their shallow mindsets to actually see the world and enjoy even the dumbest of jokes, and they, we, miss some amazing, life changing stuff.
CU is something else you guys, honestly it’s one of the most brilliant series or kids I’ve ever seen. It’s revolutionary in its understanding of children and it’s way of embracing potty humor is fucking revolutionary. It stuck with me and even now it’s a source of immense inspiration that helps me believe I can do what I want to do without sacrificing the fun in life. CU told me that even a distracted, misunderstood, queer, dyslexic, ADHD riddled kid who had dreams of being an artist could do just that! That I didn’t have to listen to the stuffy adults who wanted me to sit down and pay attention to the boring facts of life. That the ones who told me that I had to change to be ‘right’ were wrong. That there is so much more out there. That what makes me different could make me amazing.
What’s essential is invisible to the eye. And even the silliest, most low-brow jokes can be worthwhile. Humans are gross! Life is gross and it would do us a lot of good to embrace that and let kids be who they are without forcing them to change. To remember that kids are smart, and deserve respect, especially in the humor department.
Captain Underpants is amazing guys. It really, really is.
annaxmalina
dededos
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
prguitarman
