Group E has to create the Side Exhibition by the end of Lesson 4.
The Knowing Child and Children’s Media
Anne Higonnet in “Knowing Childhood” states, “The world children look out toward is more divided and more diverse than the sheltered world of Romanitc childhood.” (Higonnet 212) The Romantic child is thought to be innocent. The innocent child is viewed as simple and incapable of understanding adult feelings and thoughts. Maurice Sendak “had little faith in the ability of adults to meet the emotional and intellectual complexities of children, because adults (he believed) want children to be simple.” (Gallery 103 Main Exhibition) Children today, especially due to the prominence of media in children’s lives, are exposed to many more ideas and ways of being. The producers of media often work to entertain not only children but also the adults who are watching the media with their children. Adult references are inserted into “children’s media”, references meant to entertain adults with the idea that children are innocent or simple and would not understand the adult references. However, the knowing child of today often does understand the adult references. The knowing child incorporates these adult references into their worldview.
- Knowing ChildHigonnet, Anne. Knowing Child. Pictures of Innocence. New York. Thames and Hudson. 1998. 0500280487. pp. 193-225.
Adult Humor in Aladdin and the Knowing Child
In 1992, the Walt Disney Company released their then-brand new movie, Aladdin. This story tells the tale of a poor boy who lives on the street with his monkey, Apu, before finding a genie bottle and earning three wishes. As he makes his wishes– or tricks the genie into giving them at times– Aladdin and Genie become friends, working together to win over Jasmine for Aladdin while also stopping the evil vizier, Jafar.
When the viewer is introduced to Aladdin early in the film, it is clear that Aladdin is smart and lives by his wits as he steals bread and outruns the palace guards chasing him all while singing a song about himself. During this song, he dives through a balcony window where three girls and an older woman join in singing. To the adult viewer, it’s clear that the girls are living in a brothel and the older woman is their madam. The way that they interact with Aladdin, acting sexy and rubbing their hands over him, makes it clear. Add the fact that the older woman glares down at the penniless teenager then hits him with a broom and there can be no doubt. This would certainly go over the heads of the innocent children who view the film. However, the knowing child will likely see the mildly sexual exchange between the girls and Aladdin. In Anne Higonnet’s “Knowing Childhood” (from Pictures of Innocence), Higonnet discusses the changing childhood seen in the late-twentieth century. She briefly describes Maisie, a character from a Henry James 1887 novel, who is “ahead of her time” and understood “adults’ motives and foibles” (207). Maisie, she writes, is who many late-twentieth century children are. (207). This means that, even as Disney was publishing a movie with more adult content, more and more late-twentieth century children were also moving from innocent to knowing. Was there any way Disney employees could have known this at the time?
Adult Humor in Shrek 2 and the Knowing Child
“There are major allusions to corrupt actions from law enforcement during the K.N.I.G.H.T.S. sequence. Shrek is being pepper milled while he is being held down, which is a visual reference to contemporary pepper spray. While Donkey is being arrested by the guards, he accuses them of police brutality. Guards confiscate a dime bag of catnip from Puss’ belt, which he denies owning. The situation mimics US police officers arresting someone for possessing marijuana, an illegal substance.” [Source – Adult Humor | WikiShrek | Fandom]
The knowing child may have already witnessed or had their own experiences with law enforcement. This would support Higonnet’s claim that “What children know about adults is not always pleasant.” (p. 22)
Adult Humor in The Little Mermaid and the Knowing Child
Higonnet talks about how “Knowing children like to alter their appearances” (p. 25). Ariel cannot be with the Prince as a mermaid, so she asks Ursula to change her. Ariel is a teenage girl receiving “two conflicing messages [of] childhood innocence and adult sexuality” (Higonnet, p. 4). One of the lyrics in Ursula’s song aludes to the adult sexuality that some people see in Sally Mann’s photographs.
- You’ll have your looks, your pretty face. And don’t underestimate the importance of body language, ha!
Pixar’s Little Nemo Film Appeals to Both Adults and Children
Many Pixar films are created to appeal to both the adult and the child. As such, the films are infused with adult humor and situations that may go unnoticed by young children. In this scene, Nemo and Dory encounter a shark named Bruce. Bruce is a menacing character, reminiscent of a mobster. Children watching the film will notice his sharp teeth and the way in which he snarls at Nemo and Dory. Bruce introduces himself, and then laughs diabolically at them and says, “Why trust a shark?” Then in a very quiet voice, asks them if they’d like to go to come to “a little get together.” This “get together” turns out to be a meeting of sharks who are trying not to eat other fish for food. The meeting is analogous to AA meetings. The sharks recite the pledge and discuss how long they have gone without eating food. As the scene continues, the sharks remind each other of the steps to becoming a “nice shark.” At one point, when Bruce realizes the friends he brought (Nemo and Dory) are food, he pursues them, and his shark friends try to do an “intervention.” Children may find this scene funny, and maybe just a little scary, since the sharks seems to have “lost” some of the friends they were supposed to bring, but there may be little recognition of its similarity to an AA meeting. However, a knowing child would understand that these meetings are held for people struggling with alcohol addiction.
The Knowing Child
Much of what a Knowing Child knows is a result of their environment and what they have encountered in their lives. There have always been children who are less “innocent” as a result of their environment. Today children are growing up in an environment where more is accessible to more children, largely because of the prominence of media and social media. When adult content, humor, or references are interspersed in media meant for children, today’s Knowing Child understands more because they have been exposed to more. These references for adults become additional knowledge that the child absorbs from their environment as they create their personal perspectives and worldviews.
I like this concept for a side exhibition! It is interesting that films and TV cater to an adult audience at the same time as a child audience. It makes sense since adults are typically the ones paying for the experience. I remember watching Spongebob as a kid and my mom always said she enjoyed watching it with us. When I have re-watched episodes more recently as an adult, I have laughed realizing how many jokes were there for her demographic, not mine. In “The Relentlessness of Modern Parenting,” Claire Miller references how parents of today switched from putting on the TV guilt-free so they can have an adult conversation or make a phone call to the TV being something parents should watch with children for supervision purposes. In my opinion, this applies to Youtube and anything internet-based, as well. Even though it’s stressful for parents to have such a demand on their attention, children absorb so much content that touches on adult themes, even when it is marketed as for kids. Great exhibit!
I really enjoyed the content included in your side exhibit. I hadn’t thought about these specific Disney / Pixar movies in quite sometime so it was interesting to view them in a new light. Watching these clips not only as an adult but after this weeks reading really allowed me to see the subtle hints at adult content sprinkled into movies targeted for children. It almost makes me wonder if the creators are purposefully adding in these adult subtleties OR if it just happens as they are adults attempting to create content for children? Furthermore, I am curious as to how many children would pick up on the subtleties included through the films? Do children already exposed to similar content understand or because it is placed in a children’s movie are they not expecting to see certain adult content?
I really enjoyed reading this side exhibit! You guys did a great job! There are tons of references out there whether it be classic or modern media that have a ridiculous amount of “adult humor” and innuendos. This quote resonates with me the most, “However, the knowing child of today often does understand the adult references.” I have seen all of the movies that you have refenced, except Aladdin. I like that you brought up the awareness that many Pixar films appeal to both audiences. I have never realized that, but now that you mention it, I am going through the Pixar movies that I have seen and they all appeal to both audiences. The irony of it all is that they classify these movies as “family” movies and I am sure it is because it appeals to both audiences. Households do not hesitate to watch a movie when it is classified as a “family” movie. I often think that “children’s” movies are better to watch with a couple possible adult humor here and there because the audience is meant to be for children. The “family” movies tend to be the genre of movie that have a lot of adult humor in them as it is to appeal to both audiences. It is always interesting watching a classic or modern movie with my younger relatives who are in between the grades of elementary school to middle school because I know the innuendo is coming, but I always look at them and watch their body language or facial expressions to see if they caught the inuendo. More often than not, they do some type of squirm at that part because their intuition warns them that what they just heard or saw isn’t 100% “kid friendly”. When I was a teenager I definitely was missing these adult humors and inuendo’s. However, teenagers today, 100% pick up on the adult humor and inuendo’s. It is interesting how movies do not change their content and audience appeals, but the generations change and are able to pick up on these things earlier and earlier.
“The producers of media often work to entertain not only children but also the adults who are watching the media with their children.” Yes, absolutely!
This is especially evident in the new show Bluey. It is as watchable for adults as it is for children and it offers lots of material that can be debated by adult viewers!
Thank you Group E for this side expedition. I smiled reading it, remembering how frequently I was grateful for the adult humor thrown into movies and shows. Disney is especially good at this. I was always convinced this is what made Disney so successful. I agree, today’s knowing child is exposed to so much through both media and social media. It seems the innocent child is a thing of the past. Nice job!
I agree I really enjoyed this exhibition. It is becoming more and more common to throw in adult humor into children movies and tv shows.
I loved seeing the similarities between your side exhibit and Group B, who also chose to discuss the Knowing/Innocent child and its portrayal in media! While their approach was depictions of the knowing child, your group discussed more the use of adult humor/topics in media. I also thought it was interesting to see how your group chose cartoons and more PG-rated media, while the other group chose more mature (PG-13?) media. It goes to show how “childhood” is extremely vast and ought to be very well defined in each discussion regarding it. For instance, one could be writing about childhood media and discuss anything from Bluey, which is meant for Littles (preschool age) to Ferris Buellers Day Off, as the other group did, which is also technically a childhood movie, but not one anyone of sound mind would put a preschooler in front of.
Hi Group E! Your approach of sharing these specific examples of adult references in children’s media is very effective, and it’s thought provoking to consider a knowing child’s understanding of these references. I’m glad you include Higonnet’s discussion about Henry James’s novel What Maisie Knew (207). I find Higonnet’s description “the story of a child who understood rather more about adults’ motives and foibles than their belief in her innocence allowed them to guess” (207) an insightful moment of synthesis.
It’s great to see how you zero in on these moments that go by fairly quickly to name what you see at work, especially when we’re caught up in the flow of the images and music. I don’t know about y’all, but I felt terrified watching the clip of Ursula’s song “Poor Unfortunate Souls”! It’s no wonder Ariel closes her eyes when she signs the contract. And those teeth in the shark scene from Finding Nemo! Those of you who have taken The Art of the Picturebook can appreciate that Molly Bang’s Picture This comes to mind.
Thanks for your illuminating exhibit!
First off, I would like to say how much I enjoyed reading through your post this week. I think this topic is something that we don’t automatically think of as we watch film or tv strictly because as children we don’t understand the true meaning of the jokes, and then as we rewatch we pick up on the jokes and assume they were made with the parents of children in mind. After reading this week’s material and taking a deep dive into film thanks to your group’s post, I see now that those jokes were not only meant for the adult to understand but also for the knowing child.
If we consider the jokes of the Shrek franchise, over half of them went right over our heads as children, yet when we inevitably rewatch them as adults (or even teenagers) we understand all of the jokes. I think the biggest one I remember trying to understand when I was younger was the joke about Lord Farquad’s large castle and Shrek said, “Do you think he’s maybe compensating for something?” As a child I had assumed it meant height but with age came more knowledge and the real context of the joke. It’s honestly crazy how often these types of jokes appear in content targeted at kids! Thanks for a great post 🙂
I liked this exhibit. The adult humor is becoming more common in children’s movies. My nieces and nephews don’t get the adult humor it goes right over their head. They only see colors, action, and funny behavior. Children and adults see things differently majority of the time and thats partly based on experiences in life. Most children wouldn’t understand the “catnip” part in Shrek when Puss is arrested unless they have experienced in one form or another in their “circle”. Their circle could be family, friends conversations, social media, television, or movies.