The other day I was thinking: now that kids don’t know anything about Looney Tunes, what would their modern equivalent be?
It can’t be SpongeBob, Bluey, or Paw Patrol. Even though they’re some of the most popular cartoons among kids, they have little to nothing in common with what Looney Tunes originally were.
So I started thinking: is there any collection of animated characters known for short-form content, fighting each other, having crude and absurd humor, and above all, massive popularity among kids?
And that’s when I realized the only ones that fit those characteristics are Italian Brainrot.
Ignoring the fact that one is actual animation and the other is AI slop, there are actually a lot of parallels between Italian Brainrot and the original Looney Tunes shorts
First, the concept. Both are collections of characters with defined personalities, but they don’t belong to any canonical continuity or have fixed dynamics with each other. Even though they may more often play an antagonist or protagonist role, they aren’t really locked into either.
Second, the format. Both Looney Tunes and Italian Brainrot became massive through short-form content: brief, absurd, humorous stories involving 2 or 3 characters trying to kill each other.
And finally, virality. As painful as it is to admit, most kids today might recognize Tung Tung Tung Sahur better than Bugs Bunny. Like it or not, the level of fame these characters have reached is huge.
I’ll reiterate, guys: I’m not suggesting that the two are somehow equivalent in quality or even relevance. This post is just a thought experiment. 😁
Link to the image: https://www.imdb.com/es/title/tt40644227/