Yeah, I had those parents, the ones who would watch maybe five minutes of a show with me and my younger sisters and then declare we weren’t allowed to watch that show anymore. My sisters and I were banned from so many shows that the joke still continues today. So here’s my list of ten shows my dad banned me from, in no particular order.
Except for the first spot, because that’s a doozy.
10: The Powerpuff Girls
We were banned from this one for a stupid reason—literally. We were watching it at my aunt’s house with our cousins when my dad wandered downstairs (where we were) and heard Buttercup say “stupid” one too many times for his liking. I can’t remember how many times that was, but I’ll err on the side of caution and say that she said it once. To this day, I vaguely remember any details about the show, though I’m very open to watching it all from the beginning.
9: iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat
I grouped these three shows together because they’re here for the same reason and all take place within a shared universe. My dad has never been one for shows with more out-there plotlines, and he definitely didn’t like the attitudes of some of the main characters (specifically Sam and Jade, though I suppose you could’ve guessed that). He promised that my sisters and I could watch it once my youngest sister turned seven (making me 11), but he kept shifting around what he said. I’ve caught up on both iCarly and Victorious since, though, and I’ve even watched very long video essays on the shows, which I highly recommend.
8: Shake It Up!
Simple reason: my dad didn’t like how the parents were talked to. That’s really all I have to say about it; I haven’t watched Shake It Up! since I was banned from it when I was in late elementary, probably fourth or fifth grade.
7: Winx Club
To be honest, I can’t remember why my dad banned us from this. I think it had something to do with how the parents were talked to one episode? It couldn’t have been what the characters were wearing, because he was perfectly fine with me watching Totally Spies! with their skintight outfits. Anyway, I still haven’t seen Winx Club in any capacity, so it’s another show that’s going on my watch list.
6: Phineas and Ferb
My dad always thought this show was stupid. I used to agree, since I didn’t grow up with it, but after seeing so many funny screencaps with Doof and Perry, I decided to start watching it myself. I’m not very far in, but I do regret not watching this when I was younger now. The humor is right up my alley.
5: The Amazing World of Gumball
See above reason. My dad did not have a high tolerance for things he found “stupid.”
4: Spongebob Squarepants
Given the trend of some cartoons on this list, this should come as no shock. Because, surprise surprise, my dad thought this show was “too stupid,” I’ve only ever seen one full episode, and that was senior year of high school because one of my friends and I were bored one day after school. (Hi, Dillon!) Honestly, though, I’m not that disappointed on missing out on this one.
3: Hannah Montana
If I remember correctly, this was the only other Disney original show I was banned from, alongside Shake It Up! and not including Phineas and Ferb. I think it was for the same reason, too; he really didn’t like shows where it looked like the parents were disrespected in any way, or the kids had too much of an attitude in other ways. At least my sisters and I were able to watch all the other Disney shows, though.
2: Jessie
I take it back. My dad hated this show.
1: Pokemon
I have so many fun stories about being banned from Pokemon, because it’s happened on more than one occasion. It’s also the banning that stuck the least, since I’m quite obviously still a Pokemon fan, games, anime, manga and all.
The first time I was banned was before the Unova seasons of the anime came out, but that banning was only for the anime, since I’d gotten Black and Black 2. I remember literally sneaking into the living room to watch the episodes that Dawn appeared in, since she had been one of my favorites of Ash’s traveling companions. The excuse this time was that Pokemon was giving me attitude problems. Okay, I said then, but now I’m wondering: my youngest sister was watching Caillou back then… And I’m sure we’ve all heard the rumors of that show making kids have attitudes.
I don’t remember exactly when the second time was, but it was definitely around middle school. The ban now included the games, and since I didn’t have a 3DS system anyway, there was no way for me to play X and Y. Apart from me reading and rereading the manga volumes I had (1, 2, 4, 13 and 14), I didn’t really have much to do with Pokemon other than replaying the games that I had. This was the time my older cousin, who had gotten me into Pokemon when I was five and he was nine, was permanently banned from Pokemon since he was “too old” for it. That was what my dad told me, as well.
There were one or two other times in there that Pokemon was banned and then unbanned, either for giving me an “attitude” or because I was “too old” for it. Well, here I am, at the ripe age of 19, still a giant fan. I have to say, though, it was especially fun when my grandma told me in middle elementary that I wasn’t allowed to watch Pokemon when she was watching me and my sisters because it was “too violent,” only for her to turn on NCIS. Fun times.
Anyway, this is a pretty good compilation of the shows my sisters and I were banned from as kids. I hope you all enjoyed!