Meta cartoons: the famous cartoons within our favourite cartoons.
It has become a classic television trope to create a fictional show that is popular with the characters in our favourite fictional shows. Usually used as a satire or commentary on our own television addictions- which is placed in front of us as we consume even more television. It is all very meta, and we can’t help but eat it up. Cartoons have been making fun of themselves using shows within the shows since the early days of cartoons. Now, we will recap ten of the best meta cartoons in adult animation.
Itchy and Scratchy
Easily the most recognisable cartoon within a cartoon is the Simpsons kid’s favourite, Itchy and Scratchy. The overly violent program aimed at children has been a staple for Simpsons writers to comment on brainless cartoon programming. The satire of Tom and Jerry is an animation within the variety show, The Krusty the Clown Show. An ongoing program within the Simpsons which also got its start on a variety show. How meta is that?
Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let’s Find Out!
HSAC! WDTK? DTKT?? LFO! was a game show created by BoJack Horseman supporting character J.D. Salinger. BoJack himself has appeared on the trivia show, hosted by Mr. Peanutbutter, to face off against Daniel Radcliffe. Unfortunately, Salinger ended the program after one season feeling that “he told the story he wanted to tell,” whatever that means.
Powdered Toast Man
Resident superhero of The Ren and Stimpy Show, Powdered Toast Man, was created as a mascot for breakfast cereal, Powdered Toast, the breakfast treat that ‘tastes just like sawdust’. As far as heroes go, Powdered Toast Man is… unconventional, using his super flatulence to improve the flavour of the breakfast cereal and to lift him off into backwards flight.
Los Dias y Las Noches de Monsignor Martinez
This Spanish action show was a favourite for all the characters on King of the Hill, especially the Hill family who would watch Monsignor Martinez every evening. Martinez was a Catholic priest and also a mercenary who would often shoot up the church with a machine gun. The show was only ever seen in Spanish but, you could catch the gist because it would mock action television clichés. There was even a point where Fox was in talks of developing this show as a spin-off but, nothing came of it, for obvious reasons.
Ball Fondlers
The hit action TV show across many dimensions in Rick and Morty is a clear satire on the A-Team. Rick has been sure to share his favourite series with his grandchildren, even crossing to another dimension to catch a big budget blockbuster film version. There doesn’t seem to be any plot behind Ball Fondlers; it is primarily guns, explosions, and more action! Which for Rick and Morty, is the greatest show ever.
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy
Spongebob Squarepants is as big of a geek as the rest of us, being heavily involved in the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy fandom. The superhero show is a mock on the classic Batman TV show, complete with the titular characters being shown as senior citizens in the modern era. Despite their old age, the ageing heroes have been known to help Sponge Bob on his adventures more than once.
Everyone Loves Hypnotoad
Most of the shows on this list make fun of how television turns us into mindless drones. Futurama took it a step further when incorporating Hypnotoad. The show consists of a toad with pulsating eyes that hypnotises the audience into watching. Many characters have been drawn in, not able to look away. A full Hypnotoad episode was added as a bonus to the Futurama film DVD release, and consists of 22-minutes of Hypnotoad, a few ads, and a conclusion telling the audience to wake up remembering nothing and feeling refreshed.
Gumbel 2 Gumbel Beach Justice
Gumbel 2 Gumbel, the fictional action-drama from Family Guy, is based on two real-life brothers and NBC sportscasters. In the fictional show, Gumbel and Gumbel fight crime and solve mysteries and has often inspired Peter Griffin to take action in his community. Why is the show based off of real world sports commentators? We have no idea.
Russell Crowe Fightin’ Around the World
The clear choice of shows from South Park would have been the controversial Canadian series, Terrance and Phillip. However, Russel Crowe Fightin’ Around the World is a memorable addition to this meta cartoon list. Not only does Russel Crowe go around the world starting unnecessary fights with random people, but he also sings songs with his sidekick tugboat, Tugger. If there were any show on this list we would actually watch, it would have to be this one.
Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery
Invader Zim was a brilliant cartoon involving an alien living amongst us on Earth. Mysterious Mysteries, a satire on paranormal investigation shows almost blew the story on Zim. The long-running fictional show had started to become desperate and had to forego its UFO investigations for pieces on unusually fat babies and Pigfoot.