The Odd Trend of R-Rated Movies Turned into Cartoon Series

[CMWaters]

OK, this has made me wonder for a while...

Why the hell, back in the 80s and early 90s, were there a bunch of cartoon shows that were based off of R-Rated movies?

Of the top of my head, we had:
-Robocop (2 times)
-Rambo
-Conan the Adventurer (Though the theme was awesome in its own way)
-Highlander
-Toxic Crusaders (based on Toxic Avengers)

There may have been more, but those are the ones that stuck out to me. Guess you could argue "Tales from the Crypt" as well, but those were comics first.

So why was this such a popular thing to have happen? I mean, how many kids actually saw the movies these shows were based off of?

...and why didn't they go further? I'm sure they could have found a way to make shows out of:
-Aliens (they had a toy line, after all!)
-The Terminator (see previous)
-Friday the 13th
-Nightmare on Elm Street

...the last two could be trickier but there's a way, I'm sure.

[Deleted]

Don't forget about Beetlejuice and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

I think characters like Robocop, kids see commercials for them on TV and think they're cool, they obviously want to see the movies but if they're R rated then most parents won't let them. So it was pretty smart from executives to cash in on the popularity of these characters with cartoons that the kids can watch, and they can merchandise the crap out of.

[Joe Neglia]

Beetlejuice was only PG13 (just one "F" in it) and Tomatoes was PG.

Police Academy was another, though to be fair, only the first film in that series was R. By the time of the cartoon, the sequels were PG.

[CMWaters]

Sept 13, 2013 11:46:46 GMT -5 @aaronmaiden said:

Don't forget about Beetlejuice and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

Both Beetlejuice and Return of the Killer Tomatoes (which the cartoon was more based off of than the original movie) were rated PG, actually.

I think characters like Robocop, kids see commercials for them on TV and think they're cool, they obviously want to see the movies but if they're R rated then most parents won't let them. So it was pretty smart from executives to cash in on the popularity of these characters with cartoons that the kids can watch, and they can merchandise the crap out of.

Fair enough assessment, but that doesn't explain how "The Toxic Avenger" got a cartoon.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Sept 13, 2013 12:01:26 GMT -5 CMWaters said:

Sept 13, 2013 11:46:46 GMT -5 @aaronmaiden said:

Don't forget about Beetlejuice and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

Both Beetlejuice and Return of the Killer Tomatoes (which the cartoon was more based off of than the original movie) were rated PG, actually.

I think characters like Robocop, kids see commercials for them on TV and think they're cool, they obviously want to see the movies but if they're R rated then most parents won't let them. So it was pretty smart from executives to cash in on the popularity of these characters with cartoons that the kids can watch, and they can merchandise the crap out of.

Fair enough assessment, but that doesn't explain how "The Toxic Avenger" got a cartoon.

God loves us?

[blackmegaman]

It still amuses me that they took "Rambo" the story about a Vietnam Vet with a severe case of PTSD , and decided that it was bases enough for children's cartoon.

[Bravo Echo November]

Aliens almost had a series.

alienanthology.wikia.com/wiki/Operation:_Aliens

[Goldenbane]

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that some of these movies probably should have been PG-13 (a rating I don't believe existed at the time...or was brand new at the very least).

Also, I assume Toxic Crusaders was made to do that whole "Captain Planet" type of thing...and besides, Toxy looks like a pretty friendly character despite how ugly he is.

[BorneAgain]

Show Pitch:

A Clockwork Orange, The Animated Series, featuring mischievous prankster Alex and his wacky friends as they try to survive the madcap world of futuristic Britain, get the drop on that jerk Billy Boy, and avoid the every watchful eye of the bumbling Mr. Deltoid.

[CMWaters]

Sept 13, 2013 12:57:59 GMT -5 BorneAgain said:

Show Pitch:

A Clockwork Orange, The Animated Series, featuring mischievous prankster Alex and his wacky friends as they try to survive the madcap world of futuristic Britain, get the drop on that jerk Billy Boy, and avoid the every watchful eye of the bumbling Mr. Deltoid.

Make the main theme a remix of "Singing In The Rain" and we'll greenlight it!

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

I honestly had no idea there was a Robocop cartoon. I caught the live-action show every once in a while when it was broadcast here but that one seemed to target an adult audience.

Sept 13, 2013 12:54:05 GMT -5 Goldenbane said:

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that some of these movies probably should have been PG-13 (a rating I don't believe existed at the time...or was brand new at the very least).

Oh most them would definitely NOT get away with a PG-13 rating, Robocop, Rambo, Conan and especially Toxic Avenger would be at least rated R.




Also, the world needs a Saturday Morning Hellraiser cartoon.


Couldn't be worse than the sequels other than Hellbound and Inferno.

[Young Game]

Sept 13, 2013 12:57:59 GMT -5 BorneAgain said:

Show Pitch:

A Clockwork Orange, The Animated Series, featuring mischievous prankster Alex and his wacky friends as they try to survive the madcap world of futuristic Britain, get the drop on that jerk Billy Boy, and avoid the every watchful eye of the bumbling Mr. Deltoid.

Sponsored by In-N-Out Burger.

[CMWaters]

Sept 13, 2013 13:06:12 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

I honestly had no idea there was a Robocop cartoon. I caught the live-action show every once in a while when it was broadcast here but that one seemed to target an adult audience.

There were actually two.

The first one, "Robocop: The Animated Series"...seemed not too far from the main movie (though SERIOUSLY toned down)


Then there was "Robocop: Alpha Commando"...which I think was originally going to be an Inspector Gadget remake before they got Robocop slapped onto it.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

To be fair, some of those concepts like Robocop and Conan could have originally been modified for a younger audience without compromising the basic idea too much (for Robo, Murphy simply could be injured in a stray explosion before being rebuilt).

[CMWaters]

Sept 13, 2013 12:45:30 GMT -5 Bravo Echo November said:

Aliens almost had a series.

alienanthology.wikia.com/wiki/Operation:_Aliens

I really hope that an actual pilot was made and somehow leaks out to the public.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Sept 13, 2013 13:33:00 GMT -5 Clash, Never a Meter Maid said:

To be fair, some of those concepts like Robocop and Conan could have originally been modified for a younger audience without compromising the basic idea too much (for Robo, Murphy simply could be injured in a stray explosion before being rebuilt).

It's not that different from the beginning of the cartoon COPS, where the lead cop is in a car crash, buried under a wall, and rebuilt as a cyborg super cop. As a kid that was BRUTAL but I loved it.

[Grennel]

I want Saturday morning Salo - poo eating included.

[CMWaters]

Sept 13, 2013 15:22:27 GMT -5 Grennel said:

I want Saturday morning Salo - poo eating included.

Mega Babies is probably as close as we're going to get to that.

[Red Impact]

Because kids don't care about movie ratings if there are really cool toys involved.

[CMWaters]

Sept 13, 2013 15:51:02 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

Because kids don't care about movie ratings if there are really cool toys involved.

Explain the Highlander cartoon then.

I could be wrong, but I don't think ANY toys came out for that.

Just an Atari Jaguar CD game.