10 Times Kids’ Cartoons Had No Business Being So Depressingly Real

Kids’ cartoons are supposed to be all happy and make you forget about all your problems right? But that’s not always the case! Sometimes few episodes of our favorite kids’ cartoons were so deep and real that it low-key depressed us! It is also commendable how they could make these comedic tales deliver such emotional stories that could make us cry a river.

These kids’ cartoons successfully left a huge impact on our lives which could have been equivalent to the one which could have been by a movie. There are so many kids’ shows that have won us over with these kinds of episodes! Here are some kids’ cartoons we bet made you cry!

1. Alvin and the Chipmunks – Cookie Chomper

In this particular episode, the Chipmunks come across a stray cat. They decide to adopt him and shower the stray with loads of love. It was all cute and loving to watch but then something shocking happens. The cat is run over by a car and is killed on the spot. Yikes. The kitten meets an untimely end but then all this happens in front of them. Why!!!!

2. Pokemon – Pikachu’s Goodbye

Ash and Pikachu have a fantastic journey together and have seen everything together. But when Ash met a gang of wild Pikachus, he thought it was best to let Pikachu free and be with his own kind. It was an emotional goodbye and we all cried ugly. “If you love someone, let them go free”, this is literally what we had witnessed. Watching this episode got a lump in our throats for sure.

3. Spongebob SquarePants – Gary Come Home

Gary; Spongebob’s pet snail was neglected by him for a week and then he runs away. This entire episode focused on everyone helping Spongebob to find Gary and even cheer him up. Those who have lost their pets as kids found it hard to watch the episode. So many feels!

4. Duckman – The Once and Future Duck

The protagonist goes through an identity crisis as he is worried that he will no longer be respected by his kids or wife. A future version of himself visits him and helps him out. It was an out of box story since this show always focused on cynical stories.

5.  Rugrats – Mother’s Day

When the cartoon started airing, we didn’t meet Chuckie’s mom. Which meant something had happened. And it had; his mom died but she left a poem for her son. If you didn’t cry hearing that poem, you are a monster.

6. Peanuts – Why Charlie Brown, Why?

This was a brutal episode. Charlie Brown and Linus end up becoming friends with a girl who was diagnosed with cancer. But then she was bullied by a kid who makes fun of her for being bald. That’s a great message to kids tbh and something we didn’t expect from kids’ cartoons.

7. Hey Arnold – Helga On The Couch

Helga is sent to therapy (a big movie for kids’ cartoons) and she opens up about her past. That’s when we learn about her father who neglects her and her alcoholic mum. Both her parents are biased towards her sister and she has been left alone since preschool. And that explains her behavior. And many people with siblings face this in real life.

8. Recess – Weekend at Muriel

We all hated Ms.Finster at some point. So it was hard for Spinelli to spend the weekend at her place when her parents left her under Ms.Finster’s care. But then they both start to bond and develop a great connection. But then towards the end of the weekend, she reminds Spinelli that the school will start and things will go back to how they were. This cartoon nicely explained the student-teacher relationship.

9. CatDog – The Great Parent Mystery

The duo (if we can refer to them like that) set on an adventure to find out about their parents, but they can’t find them. But then they come across their adopted parent (and is a strange creature). It had raised CatDog when a tornado separated them from their family.

10. Arthur – The Ballad of Buster Baxter

This episode touched many who have lived through this. It was another big step to portray it in kids’ cartoons. Buster’s parents are divorced and he returns after spending summer with his father. He didn’t meet his friends all summer but upon returning, he felt like they moved on without him. It also had a song about his sad summer. It was quite an emotional experience for all who watched especially those who could relate.