15 Dark Jokes Hidden in Nickelodeon Shows

Sadly, kids aren’t experienced enough to create entire TV shows for themselves. Usually networks give the adults the green light to make them, and that comes with their adult take on the world. They know that life isn’t all gumdrops and roses. It can get dark from time to time, and little nuggets of that darkness can find its way onto the screen. 

We may not have picked up on it as kids, but maybe we got a little nostalgic, or had kids of our own, and stumbled upon a cloudy theme just under the surface. Nickelodeon — a network synonymous with great kids shows and cartoons for all ages — was no stranger to the dark side. Themes like kidnapping, suicide, and BDSM (and inter-species seduction and adultery, thanks Rocko's Modern Life for that visual by the way) are a few of these 15 dark jokes hidden in Nickelodeon shows.