Why SVTFOE Appeals To An Older Audiance and It’s Benefits

caliroll 07/28/18

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This is the first essay in the Hannah’s Weird Thoughts essay collection. Hope you like it!

:star: Greetings! Today I present to you why SVTFOE appeals to audiences older then the targeted demographic that Disney aims for. I’ve divided my reasons and findings into categories. Let’s get started! :star:

FANDOM OVERALL

Recently SVTFOE has been gaining traction for older audiences and has been featured in “adult” (or not children or Disney) stores such as Hot Topic and BoxLunch. Also, from what I’ve seen there are many, many adult fans on Tumblr, Instagram, DeviantArt, and (shudders) Wattpad. Why is that? I’ve listed a few reasons why there is more of an adult population in the fandom and some pros and cons of that.

:star: Cartoons Are Getting More And More Popular :star:

In modern day and age, cartoons are popping and blowing up everywhere to the point where some aren’t even greenlit and they already have a fanbase. Cartoons and mini series’ like Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall, and Gravity Falls really paved the way for many cartoonists, including Daron Nefcy and the creators of The Owl House, Infinity Train, and many other cartoons. Since cartoons are getting more popular, they get more Comic Con s, merchandise, and other public events and items, which makes it very hard to miss a Gravity Falls item or an Adventure Time item while shopping, even if you’re not a cartoon fan. Because of these very popular kids cartoons (I’m leaving you out, Rick and Morty) and their publicity, there is a bigger chance that adults will see a show like SVTFOE trending on Twitter and check it out.

:star: Nostalgia :star:

One think that is very popular among adults in a Buzzfeed overtaking world is nostalgia, and a lot of popular cartoons now have a lot of it, especially in cartoons like SVTFOE and Gravity Falls. They have childhood nostalgia, which basically means it reminds them of how they used to act when they were children. For example, Gravity Falls has moments and characters that they could’ve related to when they were kids (Mable’s first kiss, sibling love, etc.). Another type of nostalgia that SVTFOE has is TV nostalgia. What’s that? Ever think that SVTFOE is very similar to Sailor Moon? You’ve probably have thought or heard that. Most of the adults that watch SVTFOE now watched Sailor Moon when they were children, so that could also have some nostalgia attached to that.

:star: Humor And Themes :star:

Ever hear a funny but more, adult we shall say, joke in SVTFOE? Yes? Well since there are many more secret jokes that fly over kids heads in cartoons, and they aren’t as wholesome as they used to be, a lot of adults find them more entertaining. Another thing is themes. I’m not particularly talking about smexy smex (I don’t want to get this take down), more of the dark and twisted stuff that is very popular. Gravity Falls is a great example. Ever seen Northwest Mansion Mystery? That is definitely horror movie material, but yet it is in a kids show aimed 6-14 (How did the blood scene get through the censors?). That’s because, in order to get more adult audiences, or simply because it fits the theme, they slip in more adult jokes and themes so the adults can find it interesting and entertaining. It can fully backfire and get the show cancelled, like Invader Zim, or it can semi-backfire and snag yourself the number 7 spot on Top 10 Most Hated Disney Animated Shows by WatchMojo like Gravity Falls.

:star: ”It’s never to old to be young.” -Snow White :star:

:star: Pros And Cons :star:

I’ve created a list of a few pros and cons of having an adult audience. I got the bigger ones out of the way first.

:star: Pros :star: