There's an old adage that claims you are what you eat. And while the phrase is literally accurate, it has often been employed metaphorically as the perfect description of how human beings reflect whatever they consume. Not to get all hippy-dippy, but energy flows where attention goes. If you spend your time reading books and watching well-researched documentaries, you may often find yourself effortlessly regurgitating the information at social functions(and hopefully, that's all you end up regurgitating). The inverse is also true. If you spend your time watching Jerry Springer and trashy reality shows, they become the backbone of your discourse.
Consequently, parents can be incredibly discerning about the media their children consume, as it could potentially form the bedrock of their personality. Granted, some parents take the concept too far and begin projecting malicious intent on the most innocuous forms of media. However, according to recent studies, all of the 90s and early 2000s parents that claimed Spongebob Squarepants and Pokemon would rot the minds of children across America were dead wrong.
From Comicbook:
As reported by BNG, the group pulled together data to find what kids programs can help kids educationally whether we know it or not. The group looked at an unknown number of TV series suitable for children ages 14 and under. The series ranged from present hits to those from the '90s, and BNG analyzed how many unique words they use. In fact, the report ranked shows based on unique vocabulary per 1000 words, and it turns out SpongeBob SquarePants edged out a win.
The Nickelodeon animated hit has 213 unique words per 1000 while Stuck In the Middle came in second with 212. The Dragon Prince and Gudetama brought home a win for Netflix by taking home third and fourth place. 7th Heaven, The Middle, and Anne carried the list forward before Pokemonscored eighth place with 158 unique words. And to wrap up the top ten picks, The Owl House and The New Addams Family were listed.
As you can see, plenty of animated titles made this list, and that is because animation continues to dominate the kid's television sphere. Of course, the medium has diversified in the West following the rise of anime from Japan. More and more adult animated series beyond comedies are coming to light, but animation still has a firm hold on children. So of course, SpongeBob found its way to the top of this list. And as kids' programming evolves in the coming years, you can expect more lessons to make their way into episodes whether or not we realize it.
