What do a sponge, a wad of meat, a crew living in an aquatic facility, a bunch of foul-mouthed fourth graders and a talking baby all have in common?
This is a tricky one. Give up?
They're all characters on adult cartoons -- a genre that has exploded in popularity in the past three years and is a favorite among college students.
Many University students recently voiced their opinions about the world of adult cartoons, some even qualifying "Spongebob Squarepants" as a member of the genre.
"'Spongebob' is very good at targeting adults as well as children, and it deals with adult issues like corporate competition," first-year College student Stephen Thompson said.
But some students said "Spongebob Squarepants" is less innovative than previous adult cartoons. Many University students listed "The Simpsons" as one of their favorite cartoons because it pokes fun at society and splices adult humor with child and family issues.
"'The Simpsons' is off the wall, often witty, sometimes offensive, but always funny," first-year College student Connor Ahern said.
Now, however, with the recent growing popularity of the nighttime lineup of shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, many more cartoons are grasping the attention of viewers of all ages.
Many students said they enjoy such shows as "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," "Futurama," "South Park" and "Sealab 2021."
"Family Guy" originally aired on Fox in April of 1999, according to Fox's official "Family Guy" Web site. After three short-lived seasons, the show was cancelled due to poor viewer ratings. In 2001, however, Cartoon Network was looking for adult cartoons to air on its new Adult Swim television spot, so "Family Guy" now appears nightly at 11 p.m.
Many students said they were overjoyed by the return of the show, so much so that the earlier poor viewer ratings have been reversed. According to Cartoon Network, "Family Guy" is its all-time most viewed show, and many fans, including University students, have purchased DVDs.
"Almost every first year has a 'Family Guy' DVD," Ahern said.
The show's humor is well-appreciated by its fans.
"It's [expletive] awesome," first-year Engineering student Yoshi Nagasaki said.
Thompson, Nagasaki's friend, elaborated, "It makes no excuses for its humor. It has no trouble prolonging uncomfortable situations, instead of going for a quick joke -- which it also does sometimes. Plus no other show will allow a genius talking baby to have a sexy party."
"Family Guy" isn't the only show like this, however. Another favorite among students is "South Park."
"It rips on everybody," First-year College student Andrew Siegel said. "The creators are geniuses. Everything they talk about has some meaning in today's culture."
Despite a wide range of topics, the common theme linking all episodes is the mocking of American society, family values, education and life in general, according to first-year Engineering student Chris Tipton.
"It uses animation to be satirical, and it points out the flaws of society," Tipton said.
First-year Engineering student Joe Nedy agreed.
"Cartoons that refer to the world we know, that make social commentaries and inside jokes that require you to live on earth -- that is adult cartoon," Nedy said.
Other cartoons, however, are popular despite not following this common formula. For example, Adult Swim's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" revolves around living, walking and talking fast-food -- a soda cup, a pack of French fries and a "meat-wad." The title of the show is similarly unexplainable. The creators themselves even said they are baffled by it, according to the show's official Web site.
"First of all, they're not teens," it states. "Secondly, there's no water involved. The whole Hunger Force thing? That's probably misleading too. In short, if you have to ask what 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' is about, it is probably not a show for you. The rest of us will go on thrilling to the adventures of Frylock, Meatwad and Master Shake as they, you know ... hang out."
Students said it was difficult to explain how three random food items make them laugh.
"It's just so random," Siegel said. "I mean, come on, a talking meatball is just funny."
Other students were similarly entertained by the unusual characters.
"Almost everyone I know can do a meat-wad impression," Ahern said.
Another popular adult cartoon on Adult Swim is "Sealab 2021," which is really just a dubbed-over and edited version of the 1972 pro-environment show, "Sealab 2020." On the show's Season One DVD release, the creators explained that they found old footage and randomly decided to make everyone in the show insane.
Ironically, Cartoon Network bought their idea even though the creators had been fired a few years earlier.
Now a nightly feature on Adult Swim, "Sealab 2021," like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," uses random humor and irony to draw laughs.
"Family Guy," "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Sealab 2021" are only a small sample of many adult cartoons on the market. New cartoons come out regularly. Some, however, just aren't funny according to some students.
Tipton was critical of Spike TV's "Stripperella," which was launched over a year ago when TNN became Spike TV: "The first network for men."
"It was too adult-oriented to be funny," he said. "The show was like, 'Hey, look, we can draw big boobs and then censor it on TV.'"
Tipton also said he does not like being encouraged to watch cartoons.
"I wish people would leave me alone about watching Sealab 2200, or whatever it's called," he said.
Others just simply dislike certain cartoons. Nedy said he despises "Spongebob Squarepants."
"It tries to turn annoying into funny," he said.
And Siegel said he doesn't like "The Brak Show," which also airs on Adult Swim. "The Brak Show" spawned from a much older cartoon that many adults enjoyed in the early '90s: "Space Ghost Coast to Coast."
In any case, few can deny the extraordinary growth in popularity of cartoons -- and more specifically those for adults -- in the past few years. How addicted students as viewers become in the years to follow remains to be seen.
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