Tell Us Now: The Dumbest Reasons Your Parents Banned TV Shows And Movies

Okay, maybe they were right to ban Watership Down...
Tell Us Now: The Dumbest Reasons Your Parents Banned TV Shows And Movies

We asked Cracked fans on YouTube about the weirdest media their parents banned when they were kids. It turns out, parents' biggest fears in the 80's were hippies and wisecracking spikey haired li'l scamps. Frankly, we can't quite blame them. Has anyone ever earnestly advised you to eat your own shorts? How would that even work. Our undergarments aren't just dirty, they're made of inedible, fibrous fabric materials.  C'mon man.

To be fair, if you start actually imitating Ed, Edd n' Eddy, you probably should take a TV break and go play outside for a while. When we're parents, we know there will be no Simpsons past season 5 and no Nickelodeon episodes after Angry Beavers.  We're an ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark’ and ‘Rugrats’ house, by gar!

Check out some of the tame movies that were considered taboo below. And check out our deep dive into movies that turned out to be straight-up propaganda.

Ed, Edd n Eddy CRACKED Grhate White said they were cut off from the Eds cause I started acting too dumb. Mother banned it.
Back to the Future Part II JOHN GRACKED Careless Dreamer said they were forced to miss out on Marty's mom's boobs, and Biff trying to lift her skirt.
Transformers CRACKED James H. wins the award for Cruelest Uncle: My uncle was a minister and he convinced my pop that they were 'satanic.' I think he did it just to troll me because I loved them so much. I had to wait until my adult life to continue my collection.
The Simpsons CRACKED SirAngusSteele's parents thought shorts were meant to be worn, not eaten: I know there are some racy moments every couple of seasons, but it's generally pretty wholesome.
Watership Down CRACKED Mitchellfw learned that, just because something is animated, that don't mean it's for kids: They were afraid it would upset me... which it did in my teens when I finally saw it.
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo CRACKED Amber O's mom said Rob Schneider was a worse influence than Arnold: Watched it at a friend's house and my mom blew up. Funnily enough, she was fine with me watching the original Terminator the same day.
Transformers GRACKED Pen and Reel's mom was just protecting them from the hippie scourge: My mom heard about Energon Crystals and thought it sounded like 'new age magic' and was a bad influence.
The Wizard of Oz METRO-COLDWYN-MAYER'S TECHNICOLOR TRIUMPH! GRACKED Marshall F. says My dad thought it was part of a Communist brainwashing plot, and wouldn't let us watch it.
Revenge of the Sith GRACKED Kat L. honestly didn't miss much: My mom considered Anakin's dip in lava too bloody and violent for me.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit CRACKED SirAngusSteele's parents saved them a barrel full of trauma: We were allowed to watch it when we were too little to figure out what was happening, then not allowed once we were almost old enough to understand.
The Santa Clause Scott Calvin must become Santo GRACKED Rock N' roll didn't see Tim Allen's magnum opus until they were 15: my parents were worried it would make me think murder is rewarding.
Barney CRACKED Calvin M. overanalyzed his parents' political agenda: My parents didn't forbid anything except for Barney the dinosaur. I thought there was some grown up political reason, but it turns out they just thought it was annoying as all hell.
Lord of the Rings GRACKED Jonathan A. says My parents didn't ban any movies, they just made me read the book first. That stopped me from watching a lot of stuff. Hannah B. commiserates: My dad refused to take me to see Return of the King because I hadn't read it yet.
Mulan CRACKED BlinkersAndkibbles their parents were staunchly anti-transvestism: five-year-old me wanted to be her for that Halloween, and boy were they against cross dressing. I have done SO twice for Halloween as an adult and rocked it though.
Ninja Scroll CRACKED says their parents took anime MOKIe23: more seriously after I rented Ninja Scroll from Blockbuster when I was 10. My dad just poured himself a large whiskey and was angrily telling my mum that is was violent and pornographic. Caught him watching it again before returning it.
SpongeBob SquarePants CRACKED Dani L. explains that she banned the sponge because kids should be old enough to understand that, while stupid can occasionally be funny, it was not something to aspire to. My basic rule of thumb was that they would be allowed to watch it when they were old enough to get stoned with their friends.
Harry Potter CRACKED LF says witchcraft is da devil: Bio dad banned Harry Potter until he switched churches and then suddenly it wasn't sinful anymore. Chris counters that Harry Potter should be banned because it's a lame series with uninteresting characters, not witchcraft.
SpongeBob SquarePants CRACKED Sara V. found a brilliant loophole: My parents were afraid I'd pick up bad habits. Joke's on them cause I managed to pick up bad habits anyway!
Ferris Bueller's Day Off CRACKED Erin M's mom thought Matthew Broderick was faciltating truancy: when he started giving tips on faking sick, my mom made me go to bed! I was 7 at the time but even then I thought 'these tricks won't work if you already know them!
Everything except Full House GRACKED Malka M. lived with some confusing media rules: I wasn't allowed to watch any shows or movies with real people (with the exception of Full House) until I was 10... not even children's shows.
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