 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Cow and Chicken
- Boomerang
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
If Ren & Stimpy starred in Monty Python...
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this animated comedy offers both extreme cartoon slapstick violence (none of which has any lasting consequences) and absurd, sophisticated humor. A familiarity with -- and understanding of -- some fairly adult cultural and literary references, a healthy dose of cynicism, and a firm grasp of irony are necessary to redeem what would otherwise be just another ugly little cartoon.
What's the story?
COW AND CHICKEN is one of the original Cartoon Network series. Cow and a chicken (both voiced by Charles Adler) are sister and brother who have human parents, and are constantly tormented by a devilish looking creature called Red Guy (also voice by Adler). Red Guy invariably fools their parents, leaving him free to torment them in a number of ways, such as operate on them or force them to star in his circus.
Is it any good?
Like Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls, Cow and Chicken is really meant for teenage and young adult viewing. The show draws on a long line of earlier humor for its references, including Monty Python, Looney Tunes, and Charlie Brown. Much of it won't be funny if you don't have a reasonably long history of TV viewing -- and since the show as a whole doesn't make any sense, if it's not funny, there's not much point.
Of course, there are always the physical gags, which tend to take the usual cartoon tropes -- like eating fire or jumping into a glass of water from a diving platform -- one step further (missing the glass and saying "I hurt myself" or swallowing the flame and screaming, only to complain of a bitten tongue). Cow and Chicken was created in the same spirit that led to The Onion and eventually South Park. It's a meta-mockery: smart humor for people who also like to see cartoon characters drawn with a huge emphasis placed on their butts.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the show's humor, which stands up to dissection pretty well. Why is it funny that the Red Guy tries to dive into a glass of water and misses? (Because every other cartoon character ends up squashed in the water.) We never see the parents except from the waist down, and occasionally it becomes clear that they actually have no top halves -- what cartoon tradition is this mocking? Speaking of mocking, would you really want everyone to mock everything this thoroughly all the time? The show is very much a product of the late '90s, when this kind of humor was new and rapidly becoming the norm. Are kids today quite this cynical in their humor?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 11 years old
January 14, 2011
AGE
hilarious
hilarious!!!
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Kid, 10 years old
May 2, 2011
AGE
is this ok for young kids?
this show is like Ren and Stimpy,but milder. i only saw 1 episode,and there was A LOT of cartoon violence.the animals get pushed off cliffs,get hit on head, surgery without any need.and no consequences.and there is no funny humor!!i l really like ''cartoon network'' shows, but this one made me sad.
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AGE
What the...?
OK... i'm sure this not a little kids show, they have buttocks leared at pooty humor, and absolutely graphic violence, but It can be fuuny, but not for under 10 or 11
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AGE
Boon's rating
What the heck!
they call this a kids show, but trust me, it is not. in one episode, a guy says godd--n it in one episode. also there are hints that some characters can be (how can i put this) lesbian? anyway, this is a bad show. even worse than ren and stimpy. i don't know why they rated this show TV-Y7, but it is not for little kids. i do wish they made more ren and stimpy rip-offs, good times. also watch, ren and stimpy, and the mr. meaty show. both should be rated TV-14.
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AGE
This is IDIOTIC! It's so-so. My kid watched it when she was 4 and nothing was offensive, until now. characters do stupid things, people in this cartoon look ugly.
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AGE
Boring...Seriously Boring...
There's not really much to say about it. Cow and Chicken did what every other kid's show tried to do in the 90's: Copy Ren & Stimpy. It's alright, I suppose. I just never got into it...
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AGE
Pretty OK
tho i think this show is funny and i like it mostly, i think theres some issues with language, theres no real bad cuss words but cow gets called obese, huge cow, fat and even her parents bully her for her weight cuz she's a cow, cow doesnt mind it in the shows but it doesnt send out nice msg to kids it think,
but the show is fine for more mature kids who know that ur not suppose to say stuff like that to real ppl
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AGE
Bunny and Rainbow
This is a quarky classic that contributed to Cartoon Network's Golden Age when I was little. If Cartoon Network makes another season, I would definitely watch it. I really want the old shows to come back, because Cartoon Network is not the same, good old channel we once knew and loved.
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AGE
Very inappropriate, not for children under 9.
This is a Ren & Stimpy ripoff cartoon to watch, except that there is plenty of buttocks shown in plenty episodes. This is not actually responsible for children under 9, because this cartoon does have bad behaviour that nobody gets punished somewhat.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 8, 2011
AGE
The Best Show Ever!
This show is awesome! It's clearly more appropriate than that Regular Show!
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| Topics: | book characters, horses and farm animals |
| TV rating: | TV-Y7 |
| Network: | Boomerang |
| Cast: | Charles Adler, Dan Castellaneta, Dee Bradley Baker |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
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