Parents' Guide to Robot Chicken

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Common Sense Media Review

By Lucy Maher , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Quirky animated series is too edgy for young kids.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 14+

Based on 42 parent reviews

Parents say the show is largely inappropriate for younger audiences due to excessive violence, sexual content, and strong language, with most reviewers agreeing it should be reserved for older teens or adults. While some find it humorous and nostalgic, there are significant concerns about its impact on children, leading many to recommend keeping it away from anyone under 14 or 18.

  • inappropriate content
  • for older teens
  • mixed reviews
  • dark humor
  • parental concerns
Summarized with AI

age 14+

Based on 211 kid reviews

What's the Story?

Part of the Cartoon Network's late-night "Adult Swim" line-up, ROBOT CHICKEN entertains viewers with stop-motion animation segments that appear totally random but are tied together in the end. Created by Seth Green (Austin Powers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Matthew Senreich, each episode takes viewers on a fast-paced ride through dozens of scenes populated by action figures, many of which date from the '70s and '80s (He-Man, G.I. Joe, Smurfs, Transformers, etc.).The rapid-fire, irreverent sketches poke fun at popular TV shows, movies, music, and celebrities.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 42 ):
Kids say ( 211 ):

Much of the show's humor comes from seeing familiar toys placed in incongruous situations (Skeletor in a carpool, Voltron in a break-dancing contest). As a result, the viewers most likely to enjoy the show are pop culture-savvy types who grew up playing with the toys in question. That said, if parents can get past the series' completely random humor, goofy absurdity, and frequent, random acts of cartoon violence, there's nothing about Robot Chicken that older teens won't find elsewhere.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what makes this show (and cartoons in general) funny. Why is it funny to see old toys put into incongruous situations?

  • Why does cartoon violence make us laugh, when the same thing happening in real life would be terrifying?

  • Why are cartoons, as a whole, so entertaining for kids? Do they enjoy the dialogue or the animation more? How can you tell when a particular cartoon isn't meant for younger viewers?

TV Details

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What to Watch Next

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