Warner Bros.

31 Cartoon Conspiracy Fan Theories

Ah, cartoons.

They were usually watched on a relaxing Saturday morning with our favorite pjs and a bowl of sugary cereal.

Life was simple. Life was good. And then, we grew up and discovered these 10+ cartoon conspiracy theories from fans.

Caution: these may destroy your childhood.

TW: This article contains depictions or discussions of sensitive topics and may be triggering to some readers.

The Smurfs are "white supremacists."

IMDb

The internet is wild, y'all.

This theory was given life due to the fact that the Smurfs wear white pointed hats while Papa Smurf wears a red one (like the KKK leader).

Fans even believe that Papa Smurf made the Smurfs do the Hitler salute in this clip.

Angelica from The Rugrats is the only one who can talk to the babies because they're part of her imagination.

IMDb

She was always a little crazy in the show, but fans think that she was actually crazy since her parents neglected her a lot.

Also, there's a theory that adult Angelica became addicted to drugs, so yeah, there's that.

Ash Ketchum was in a coma most of Pokémon.

IMDb

If you ever wondered why Ash never aged, this wild theory might provide some answers.

They believe that his Pokémon adventures are simply the result of a coma after a bad bike accident.

Bender in Futurama is crazy because of an electrical failure.

IMDb

Real fans know that the Bender we saw in the pilot is very different than the one we saw the rest of the time.

They believe that when Bender got shocked by an old light fitting, it caused him to reboot to a mode relevant to his surroundings. This just so happened to be around criminals.

The Jetsons and The Flintstones are part of the same society.

Same society is a stretch, though, since this theory claims that the people of Bedrock "rejected the day to day electronic assistance to live like their long-dead ancestors did."

Scooby-Doo And Mystery Inc. can't age because they're ghosts.

IMDb

They go hunting after ghosts, but what if they're ghosts? That's why they haven't aged.

Woah, it's like the The Sixth Sense up in here.

The Mystery Inc. kids from Scooby-Doo are avoiding being drafted into the war by driving to Canada.

This theory makes sense when you really think about it. These four teens and their dog travel around in a van with no particular destination.

When you add in the fact that the show premiered around the time of the Vietnam war in 1969, it makes you pause.

Garfield is dying of starvation and imagining Jon and Odie.

IMDb

You'll want to hold your cat tight after hearing this.

Here's the scene, according to this theory: "Garfield woke up in a condemned and abandoned house. He calls out for Odie and Jon, but there is no answer. He then wills the illusion back on himself, and continues his delusions about his 'family'."

In Pinky and The Brain, the Brain is no genius.

IMDb

It took a real genius to think this theory up.

They believe that Pinky is actually the smart one since The Brain's plans to take over the world never pan out.

By these calculations, this would mean that The Brain is actually Pinky's lab rat.

Whoa.

Nemo doesn't exist in Finding Nemo. He's just a fragment of Marlin's imagination to help him cope with his wife's death.

It certainly doesn't help matters that “Nemo” in Latin translates to “no one.”

If this theory is true, this means that the movie shows Marlin going through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, despair, and then, finally, acceptance.

Saddest. Movie. Ever.

Dexter accidentally killed his family in Dexter’s Laboratory and then made himself a new one.

IMDb

Yet another cartoon turned dark!

The theory is as such: "What if Dee Dee played with one of his experiments and killed them all? Dexter survived, but blamed himself for their deaths and did his best to recreate them."

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Postman Pat has fathered all the kids in town.

Postman Pat sure was busy.

This fan theory comes from the fact that many of the kids have ginger hair. Plus, Pat is the only adult with red hair in Greendale.

All the characters in Winnie the Pooh represent different psychological issues.

Someone get the characters of Winnie the Pooh emergency therapy sessions, stat.

This theory was given even more life after the Canadian Medical Association diagnosed all of the characters.

For example, Eeyore as depression, Pooh as OCD, Piglet as anxiety disorder, and Christoper Robin represents schizophrenia.

Charlie Brown is dying of cancer.

IMDb

Poor Charlie.

"My personal explanation for why Charlie Brown in Peanuts is bald is he's dying of cancer and dreaming up everything. In the strip nothing ever works out for him and his life is a disaster, but he's simply channeling his sadness into his dreams," wrote this theorist.

The SpongeBob Squarepants characters are the result of nuclear testing.

Fans found similarities between Bikini Bottom and Bikini Atoll, an actual island that had 23 nuclear bombs donated during the Cold War.

Because of this, they believe that the strange creatures in SpongeBob are actually the result of nuclear testing since they live under Bikini Atoll.

The Simpsons are all geniuses

Disney

And Lisa is the only one who accepts it. When Homer takes the crayon out of his brain he becomes smart, Marge was an A+ student and those pranks Bart commits don't seem easy to pull off.

Why do they squash their genius? To be happier.

Aladdin only had one wish fulfilled

Disney

Think about it. What was his first wish? For Genie to make him a Prince.

And what happened at the end of the movie? He married a princess and became one.

Simba causes the drought

Disney

How? Why? Well think about it. The clouds (which carry the rain) are made up of kings who have come and gone.

When Simba leaves, the clouds follow him, moving the rain.

The point of Doofus Rick

Adult Swim

Why would the Ricks bring Doofus Rick along to do anything? He's a lightning rod for their insults.

If he wasn't there, they would have no one to take their frustrations out on, and nothing would get done.

Why Garfield hates Mondays

This is probably the sweetest fan theory you'll read, but do you ever wonder why Garfield hates Mondays? He doesn't work, he's a cat.

But you know who does work? Jon.

Garfield can't bring himself to say it: but he misses Jon on Monday.

Why Flash is such a fast driver

Disney

Flash is such a fast driver because of the very fact that he's a sloth.

He moves so slow, that his foot takes too much time to hit the brakes. So he's always going fast.

Andy's parents are divorcing

Pixar

For starters, you never see the dad around.

When she picks up Buzz's box, you see she has no wedding ring. Then they move to a smaller house.

And finally: Andy seems really attached to these masculine toys.

One reason Carl was mean to Russell

Pixar

Some have a theory that one reason Carl is mean to Russell is because Carl grew up in a time when there was a mistrust of Asian-Americans.

So he's a racist.

The second reason Carl is annoyed by Russell

Pixar

The same theory claims he may have been mean to Russell because he couldn't have kids with Ellie, so he spent decades convincing himself that he didn't want them.

The fly from Emperor's New Groove

Giphy

Remember that fly that gets killed by the spider in Emporer's New Groove (the one that screams, "help me! help me!")?

Well, notice how the only animals that can talk in that movie are the ones that were once human?

This means that the spider ate a human.

Fiona is a cannibal

Dreamworks

What did she eat all those years in the tower?

What did the dragon feed her? Probably all the knights that tried to come up and save her!

Madame Foster and Frankie

Cartoon Network

Ever notice how Frankie and Madame Foster wear the same clothes?

She always wanted to be younger so she could do chores. So she imagined a younger version of herself to help around the house.

The Bat signal

WB

There is a theory going around that the bat signal isn't for Batman at all. It's to deter criminals.

Say the Bat signal goes on right before you're going to do a crime. You're not going to do it if Batman's around (not that it stops them anyway).

Why Wolverine wears bright yellow

Disney

Notice how he only really wears his suit when he's with the X-Men?

The theory is that he wears bright yellow to draw fire away from the young X-Men. It actually makes sense because he's often very attached to the younger members.

The reason Rick and Mr. Poopybutthole break the fourth wall

Adult Swim

We all know that Rick and his pal Mr. Poopybutthole like to break the fourth wall, but do you ever wonder why?

Possibly because interdimensional cable has lead them to realize they are on a TV show.

Tai Lung was not denied his destiny

Paramount Pictures

The villain of Kung Fu Panda was not denied the scroll. He was supposed to accept the denying of the scroll with humility, and if he did he would have become the dragon warrior.

But, he did not.