Top 20 Cartoon Parents You'll Be Glad Aren't Yours
#20: Lynn L. Loud, Sr. & Rita Loud
“The Loud House” (2016-) This might seem like a controversial entry since most of the time, Rita and Lynn Sr. are shown to be loving, supportive parents and raising 11 kids is no easy feat. However, now and then, the cracks in their parenting become painfully clear. They hardly ever get involved when their kids get into trouble, and at times are downright afraid of them. In other cases, they’d sooner face community service than fulfill their parental responsibilities. Undeniably their biggest offense was joining their daughters in ostracizing their only son under the pretense that he was bad luck, going so far as to lock him outside and sell his furniture. What kind of example is that?!
#19: Mom & Dad
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“Cow and Chicken” (1997-99) Aside from raising too many genetic questions, Cow and Chicken’s parents have become infamous for never being seen from the waist up, which is a pity because now we can’t put faces to the madness. Along with being faceless, these two are often even more childish than their kids and are shown to be twice as insane. Zany cartoon parents are nothing new, but it becomes a problem when their wackiness is at their kids’ expense. Arguably, the only one more unhinged than Mom and Dad is the Red Guy… Says a lot, doesn’t it?
#18: Jeremy & Pamela Manson
“Danny Phantom” (2004-07) Jack and Maddie Fenton may have their scatterbrained moments, but at least their love for their kids is clear… The same can’t be said for Sam’s parents, unfortunately. Jeremy and Pam Manson are everything that Sam isn’t – bright, peppy, and snobby conformists. Worst of all, they actively try to change their daughter’s rebellious ways and frown upon her friendship with Danny and Tucker. Fortunately for us, Sam never inherited their snootiness and never lost sight of her true self. Still, it’s sad when your parents try to mold you into something you’re not. In Sam’s case, they’re also blind to how their attitude is only pushing their daughter further away.
#17: Mindy’s Parents
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“Animaniacs” (1993-98) Almost every “Buttons and Mindy” segment follows the same formula – little Mindy wanders out of the backyard and gets into dangerous predicaments, and Buttons is put through the wringer to rescue her. Of course, we can’t blame Mindy, she’s just a child. Her parents, on the other hand, have no excuse. They leave Mindy unattended, expect a DOG to be her babysitter, and have the nerve to scold him after all he goes through to save the child thanks to THEIR negligence. Mindy doesn’t even call them “Mom” or “Dad,” which isn’t surprising since they’re never around.
#16: Clayton & Bloberta Puppington
“Moral Orel” (2005-12) Orel Puppington is arguably the most innocent person in all of Moralton… he certainly didn’t inherit that from his folks. Clay is the strict, controlling, and manipulative patriarch of the house; he mentally and physically mistreats Orel and is highly dependent on alcohol. Bloberta isn’t as bad as Clay, but she’s still strict and negligent, not to mention the role she played in enabling Clay’s substance use disorder. There is no love in their marriage, and along with how they affect Orel, they neglect their youngest son Shapey’s safety. And by that, we mean they don’t even notice him getting switched with another child for almost a whole season. We’re happy to say that it’s implied Orel would grow up to be a better parent than either Clay or Bloberta.
#15: Boris & Doris
“Caillou” (1997-2010) It’s been unanimously said that Caillou is a parent’s worst nightmare. His brattiness was thankfully toned down in later seasons, but it was too little too late by then, and viewers will never forget what a tiny terror he was. Of course, the ones who truly deserve the blame are his parents. While they love their kids, they rarely step in when Caillou is acting out. Instead, they let him throw his temper tantrums, and never really teach him how to manage his emotions and outbursts. Worst of all, they usually just give in to whatever he wants or let him go without discipline when he misbehaves, which is really only harming him in the long run.
#14: Mum & Dad
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“Horrid Henry” (2006-19) With a name like Horrid Henry, it’s pretty fair to say that this kid is anything but a saint. The thing is, he really doesn’t have a reason to be very saint-like. Henry’s parents are kind of the worst. They show clear favoritism towards his “perfect” brother, Peter, and frequently blame Henry for things that aren’t even his fault. They don’t listen to what he has to say, dish out unfair punishments, and are generally mean towards him. Unfortunately, the moments where they DO act like loving, supporting parents are too far and few between.
#13: Preston & Priscilla Northwest
“Gravity Falls” (2012-16) When we first meet Pacifica Northwest, she seems like your typical spoiled rich girl who thinks she’s above all the “weirdos” in “Gravity Falls”. But in season two, we learn the true root of this snobby behavior: her parents. Not only are they leagues snobbier than their daughter and a bunch of liars to boot, but they also psychologically manipulate Pacifica to the point of using Pavlovian conditioning to keep her in line. Luckily, Pacifica eventually finds some semblance of true camaraderie in Dipper and Mabel, and realizes that, just because she’s a Northwest, doesn’t mean she has to follow in her family’s footsteps.
#12: Beatrice & Butterscotch Horseman
“BoJack Horseman” (2014-20) Poor Bojack has gone down a treacherous road of depression and self-destruction, and guess who’s partially responsible for his trauma? Dear old Mommy and Daddy, Beatrice and Butterscotch. Their lives have been a turbulent roller coaster of trauma and regrets, and whatever love was between has dissipated – if it was ever there in the first place. Even more tragic is how they deal with their misery: by taking it out on their son. It’s hard to watch, but it does paint a clearer picture of why BoJack is the way he is as an adult.
#11: Drew & Charlotte Pickles
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“Rugrats” (1991-2004) We joke about how the parents of “Rugrats” are all irresponsible when it comes to keeping an eye on the babies. But at least parents like Stu and Didi take the time to raise their kids when they can. Meanwhile, Drew and Charlotte barely have any time to discipline Angelica. Charlotte is almost always on the phone or at the office and, while Drew is more active in Angelica’s life, he’s a bit of a pushover. While both parents care for their daughter and DO lay down the law from time to time, Charlotte’s absence and Drew’s doting both leave a negative impact on Angelica, ultimately leading to her bratty behavior.
#10: Jerry & Beth Smith
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“Rick and Morty” (2013-) These two are already a mess as a couple. Unfortunately, that plays a part in their parenting skills as well. Beth barely has a maternal bone in her body. While she does care about her kids, she acts incredibly cold and distant from them. Jerry cares very much for his children, although he’s an insecure, selfish coward who rarely –if at all- takes responsibility for his own shortcomings. A majority of these dysfunctions can be traced back to Beth’s father, Rick –whose toxic, sociopathic tendencies manipulate Beth, make Jerry look even MORE pitiful, and trap the kids in the middle of the family’s chaos.
#9: Nicole & Richard Watterson
“The Amazing World of Gumball” (2011-) Nicole and Richard have a very touching love story… however, their parenting skills leave a lot to be desired. While Richard means well, he’s dimwitted, lazy, and acts more like an oversized child than an adult. Nicole cares very much for her family, but she can be overly competitive –thanks to pressure from her OWN terrible parents – and has a violent temper when pushed too far. Neither one is a perfect role model, as they’ll frequently compete with their children for who is the best or who has it worse. In fact, their kids – especially Gumball – cause mass destruction and chaos on an almost-daily basis. So directly or indirectly, THEY’RE responsible for all the madness.
#8: Yancy Fry, Sr. & Sherri Fry
“Futurama” (1999-2003; 2008-13; 2023-) When Fry was cryogenically frozen and awoken in the future, he left behind a rather dysfunctional family – a jealous older brother, and two less-than-perfect parents. His dad, Yancy Senior, was a war veteran and a conspiracy nut – usually unsupportive of Fry, and generally too hard on him at times. Fry’s mom, Sherri, paid more attention to her sports games than her son… even during the day he was born. What’s sad is that once Fry disappeared… these two barely even looked for him. Despite how they treated him, they really DID love him, and if Fry could see them one more time, he’d make the most of it.
#7: Harold & Gladys
“The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” (2001-08) Meeting Billy’s parents was certainly interesting. Harold is presented as a dimwitted, jobless man who shares his son’s looks and single-digit IQ. He had a more intelligent side in the early seasons, but his brain power only went south from there. He’s also afraid of Santa Claus… and his own wife. Speaking of which, Gladys is a loving, overprotective mother and wife… but she is completely off her rocker, and easily resorts to violence when crossed. She also has a deep hatred of Grim after one bad experience. Sad to say, but Billy inherited the worst from these two.
#6: Stan & Francine Smith
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“American Dad!” (2005-) An extreme CIA Agent and a nagging housewife –sounds like the perfect recipe for disaster in parenting. Stan tries to mold Steve into his ideal son –usually by berating his geeky lifestyle- while constantly butting heads with Hayley because of their opposing political views. Francine started out more accepting of her children, but she tries desperately to keep Steve as her momma’s boy no matter what it takes… and would only grow to be as selfish and mean as her husband. Together, they try to raise their kids by what’s right for THEM, not by what’s good for Steve and Hayley. It wouldn’t surprise us if their controlling attitude drove one of them away… again.
#5: Mr. & Mrs. Doofenshmirtz
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“Phineas and Ferb” (2007-15) Heinz Doofenshmirtz hopes to one day rule the Tri-State Area… but a lot of his evilness MAY stem from how poor his childhood was –thanks in part to his parents. For starters, they show more favoritism towards his younger brother – and their dog. Along with that, they never let poor Heinz do any normal kid activities, disowning him at one point, and they didn’t even show up the day he was born – yeah, we’re not sure how that works either. While it’s mostly for laughs, after a certain point, it just becomes depressing. Thankfully, he didn’t inherit their neglectful parenting, and actually TRIES to be a good father for his own daughter, Vanessa, whom he shares custody of with his ex-wife, Charlene.
#4: Stephen & Linda Stotch
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“South Park” (1997-) Let’s be real, the parents of South Park would take up more than HALF this list –a majority of them are either more childish than their kids, complete idiots, or both. So for now, we’ll settle for the parents that are all that, AND needlessly cruel – Butters’ parents. Stephen says he does what’s best for his son… and yet he grounds Butters for the pettiest reasons. Linda acts nicer to Butters, but we’re always worried about just how long that’ll last. The fact that they can punish their son for literally anything doesn’t help with his anxiety… but it DOES make it more cathartic when he finally fights back.
#3: Robert “Big Bob” & Miriam Pataki
“Hey Arnold!” (1996-2004) We all know Helga can be abrasive, rude, and a little dramatic, but most of the blame comes from her home life – more specifically, her family. Miriam mostly mopes around the house, usually in quite the state state after having consumed too many “smoothies.” Big Bob is a self-serving, short-tempered salesman who cares more about his beeper empire than his wife – only giving attention to Helga when a contest is on the line. Both parents show favoritism towards their oldest, overachieving, “perfect” daughter, Olga – so much so that they’ll forget Helga’s name… or that she even exists. That kind of neglect left Helga feeling alone and unloved… until a certain football head came around.
#2: Mr. & Mrs. Turner
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“The Fairly OddParents” (2001-) You ever wonder why Timmy Turner needs fairy godparents? Because his REAL parents are barely ever there when he needs them. Both Mr. and Mrs. Turner are complete nitwits –with Mrs. Turner slightly more intelligent than her husband – and the show doesn’t even attempt to hide it. While they say they love Timmy, the two show favoritism towards others ABOVE their own son, and they barely try to spend time with him – unless it’s inconvenient to him. Worst of all, they leave the house every day to go somewhere stupid, handing Timmy over to the world’s worst babysitter – who physically and mentally abuses him regularly, and they’re completely oblivious… or don’t even care.
#1: Peter & Lois Griffin
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“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-) We doubt these two know anything about “good old-fashioned values” considering what horrible parents they are. Lois usually tries to be a decent mother… but most of the time, she acts uncaring – and often cruel – towards her own children. She’ll even act better than them despite her OWN misdeeds – it’s no wonder Stewie has such a vendetta against her. Peter is even worse as he mistreats his kids in all sorts of awful ways, especially Meg. He’s even admitted that he hates being around them. While the early days have Lois and Peter TRYING to be good parents, now it feels like they couldn’t care less what happens to their children.
