Top 10 WTF Kids Show Moments

“The Magic School Bus” (1994-97)

It really didn’t take “The Magic School Bus” long to start traumatizing its young audience! Anyone who grew up in the ‘90s knows the indelible image of Arnold’s frozen head, his glasses turned a deep purple to make him look like The Invisible Man. Let’s back up. The very first episode of this educational program sees the kids going to space and learning about various planets. While on Pluto (you know, when it was a planet), Arnold takes his helmet off and his head becomes completely frozen. If the image wasn’t scary enough, panic immediately sets in as the kids rush Arnold back to the bus before he dies! Not cool, “Magic School Bus.”

“Pokémon” (1997-)

In this bizarre episode of “Pokémon,” Ash and company head inside a computer system to battle a digital creature named Porygon. Chances are that you’ve heard of this episode but have never actually seen it, and that’s because it was banned from airing in all Western countries. One scene sees Pikachu attacking a missile with his Thunderbolt, causing red and blue lights to flash across the screen in a strobing effect. This caused hundreds of Japanese children to have seizures - 685 according to Japan's Fire Defense Agency. Of those, approximately 150 were admitted to hospitals for treatment. The episode was immediately pulled from rotation and hasn’t aired on TV since.

“Tiny Toon Adventures” (1990-92)

One episode of “Tiny Toon Adventures” sees the gang teaching young kids about alcohol. Only, they go about this in a completely “WTF were they thinking?” manner. Buster tells the others that they should drink a beer, and all three quickly get drunk. They then display acts of public intoxication, steal a police car, and drive it off a mountain to their deaths. The episode ends with a wink to the audience, as the Toons take off their angel costumes and talk about the message of the episode. But while the message is indeed helpful, the method - with kids acting belligerent, committing crimes, and accidentally ending their own lives - may have been a little too blunt.

“The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends” (1959-64)

Dudley Do-Right is a Canadian Mountie who originally appeared in segments of “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.” One of these segments was called “Stokey the Bear,” an obvious parody of Smokey Bear. A campaign introduced by the U.S. Forest Service, Smokey Bear encouraged the prevention of wildfires. But as his name suggests, Stokey the Bear did the exact opposite. Under the hypnotic influence of Snidely Whiplash, Stokey starts various wildfires and even roasts marshmallows on the raging flames. The episode was banned for decades under the protest of the Forest Service, who objected to their character committing arson. “Stokey the Bear” wasn’t seen again until 2005, when it was finally released on home video.

“Drake & Josh” (2004-07)

In the fourth season episode “I Love Sushi,” the kids win a contest to get Audrey and Walter’s living room redecorated. This turns out to be a scam, but Drake doesn’t know that at this point in the episode and is ecstatic about winning. Feeling overjoyed, he gets the sudden urge to kiss someone, so he waltzes up to a complete stranger and gives her a smooch straight on the lips. Of course, the woman loves it and ends up making out with Drake. But the idea of someone walking up to a stranger and locking lips with them is just all sorts of wrong.

“Gargoyles” (1994-97)

For a kids' show, “Gargoyles” had some pretty intense moments and mature themes. But one scene in the episode “Deadly Force” was just too much for the TV censors. The episode is all about gun safety (like we said, mature themes), and it shows Broadway accidentally shooting Elisa. In the unedited version, blood can be seen pooling on the ground while Elisa lies unconscious. The visual won’t give “Reservoir Dogs” a run for its money, but for a Disney show, it’s pretty darned intense. The violent imagery proved too scary for many, and the blood was digitally removed in all future airings of the episode.

“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005-08)

This sitcom pushed a few boundaries in its day - like having the two main characters become actual Peeping Toms. In the second season episode “Forever Plaid,” Zack and Cody spy on a girl’s soccer team through a hole in the wall. Liking what they see, they then invite their friends to peep as well, and every kid makes their own hole. But wait, there’s more! The adult Arwin then sees the boys peeping and decides to look through the hole himself. However, the girls find this grown man peeping on them and poke him in the eye. We don’t know how this episode made it to air, considering the general storyline and how it turns otherwise likable characters into deviants.

“Invader Zim” (2001-06)

Well, the episode is appropriately titled. It is dark, and it does contain a harvest. A harvest of what you may ask? You may not want to know. Fearing that the school nurse will discover he’s an alien, Zim begins stealing human organs and replacing them with humorous objects. The plan works, and the school nurse compliments Zim on his “plentiful” human internals. We don’t even know where to start with this. Even worse, it may have inspired the murder of a woman named Pamela Vitale. Vitale was killed by teenager Scott Dyleski, and the prosecution alleged that Dyleski - and his gruesome MO - were inspired by the episode.

“Hannah Montana” (2006-11)

The third season of this iconic show opens in a, shall we say, uncomfortable manner. Miley discovers that Lilly and Jackson like each other and initially attempts to keep them apart before seceding to their mutual attraction. This isn’t really a problem in-show, but it raises some eyebrows once the actors are taken into account. When the episode aired in November 2008, Emily Osment was only 16 while Jason Earles was 31. It was always hard to buy Earles as a teenager, but his age became disturbingly pronounced in this episode. Lilly and Jackson never get physical on screen, and we eventually learn that the whole episode was a dream, but that doesn’t prevent the storyline from being super weird.

“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)

This show has been so overtaken by meme culture that it’s hard to remember that it’s for kids. Season 8’s “Are You Happy Now?” is all about Squidward, and it makes for some truly upsetting viewing. SpongeBob tries showing Squidward a good time, but the attempts backfire and only make him more dejected. Squidward becomes clinically depressed and shuts himself in his house. Viewers are then treated to various comedic fake-outs that make it look like Squidward is ending his own life. Watching the beloved grump string up a rope is probably not every kid’s idea of a good time. Unsurprisingly, Nickelodeon has since pulled the episode.