>>tl;dr how did we turn into such pussies?

When we lost a war.
NEXT QUESTION!

Wider audience. Cartoons used to be shown in a reel with the news before movies or serials.

Soccer moms, moralfags and political correctness.

When there was no more money in making cartoons using movie-theater-quality budgets.

>>8615147
>>moralfags

Also the wide standing thought that adults who still watch cartoons should watch more adult programing (read: formulaic sitcoms, copycat crime dramas, and unreality tv)

I guess Adult Swim is on the way to correct that, If only their line-up weren't always so shitty.

I dream of the day when an American animation studio has the balls to tackle more adult themes and genres for animation.

and give Satoshi Kon a run for his money.

>>8615162
censorship didn't start in the nineties.

When television was invented.

There's still plenty of Western Animation that doesn't pander to kids. Simpsons has been running for 20 fucking years. King of the Hill has been on longer than most sitcoms and dramas. They couldn't keep Family Guy cancelled... though bless them for trying.

Even shows that are meant for kids often include enough moments that adults can enjoy as well.

Hell, I'll go out on a limb and say that there's more anime on for kids than there is western animation on for kids. Though it's probably pretty close.

>>8615192

Maybe not entirely. But that's when they sure started to get carried away with it. Towards the end. 1999 or so.

>>8615207

Yeah, how come the only cartoons with more adult themes are comedies?

>>8615207
big budget western animations are still generally produced for kids.

compare this to ghibli, madhouse, etc.

>>8615228

pffff

you know comic artists weren't allowed to draw even one line of cleavage for a long time, right? Censorship is censorship. It's always been there, especially in media that appeals to younger audiences. You're just saying that because 1999 is when you had enough time under your belt to say "Back in My Day..."

;_; I'm the only person who likes jynx

The early-mid 20th century America was a lot less censored to children as far as cartoons. Things like smoking and comic violence were fine. Kids (boys) were expected to play things like Cowboys and Indians, cappin' eachother with fake guns, and the like. Even overtones of sexuality were fine, as far as things like Pepe le Pew and the many "sexy" girls thrown into Looney Tunes and other cartoons, usually to draw the main character into a trap of some sort.

The difference is, those were overtly comical presentations. Cartoons, especially in recent years, have followed a trend toward realism in a lot of ways, and the more realistic a cartoon is portrayed, the less comfortable censors get about sexuality and violence.

I remembered someone mentioned that Joseph Barbara fired the whole crew of a show (I think it was Real adventures Johnny Quest) because it was too adult and make kids feel squeamish.

Hanna-Barbera is partly responsible for the kids only demographic, i mean considering the volume of animation they churn out at their peak.