The Strange Case of Spin-Off Babies

[@dreamyjellies]

*Copyright update* - Around the 20 minute mark there's a trimmed section that got cut due to a copyright claim for Smosh Babies. The point I was making was that it's hard to tell who the target audience for Smosh Babies is given the clashing tones of mature and immature. That's all

[@seandolan1198]

I think you should re upload the video for better quality. That'll make me better and brighten up my day. Just a suggestion.

[@honeyswann]

Disappointed in Smosh for that tbh

[@gracekim25]

Dang it’s awful that it cut off your sentence like that😬

[@asaonyt]

@@honeyswann pretty sure it was their legal team who did it without asking.

[@webwalker]

@@seandolan1198lmao who r u

[@BubblesZest]

I find it funny that Rugrats is pretty much the definitive Muppet Babies inspired show, but that aspect went largely unnoticed because it wasn't a spin-off.

[@dabatman5187]

Rugrats actually went backwards and Teenified them

[@asrieldreemurr8059]

@@dabatman5187 What else can you do about a show about babies?

[@ZsNOTCute]

@@asrieldreemurr8059 sperm

[@mhollis1989]

@@asrieldreemurr8059 Show their parents as young people?

[@eripena7895]

@@mhollis1989they had a handful of episodes that did just that.

[@packardcaribien]

A Pup Named Scooby Doo was clever that, since the gang were in their late teens in the original 60s show, they themed the kid version with 1950s style animation and music. That and 50s nostalgia was real big in the 80s.

[@benmalsky9834]

I think what also separated A Pup Named Scooby-Doo was the more Tex Avery-style humor. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think any other Scooby-Doo went for that really broad and surreal humor that defines the works of Tex Avery and Bob Clampett in particular.

[@andrewollmann304]

Bob Ruegger, one of the people who later worked on Animaniacs, is the reason why that cartoony humor was there.

[@TheEmilyxx99]

I loved it tho! It was cute and fun and less spooky for younger kids

[@stannosaurus]

I watched that show religiously because they had rentable DVDs at the library.

[@FlopsoTheClown]

i swear smosh babies absolutely tormented me when i was like 9 it would always come into my recommended and i knew i wouldnt enjoy it but i had such morbid curiosity i felt like i absolutely had to watch

[@chaochow393]

Rip your innocence 🙏😔 I never heard of it until this video, and after that short segment, I now want to throw up...

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@chaochow393with full context it wasn’t actually that bad I watched every episode it was quite endearing this specific person is overly harsh and exaggerating

[@LJCG777]

Brainwashed​@@madnessarcade7447

[@shiruotakuno28]

Babyified shows are shockingly common, but what's even MORE common is the "baby episode" where one or more character gets transformed into a baby for the duration of the episode. Nearly every kid's cartoon from the 90's and 2000's had at least one. It thankfully dropped off in the 2010's, but it was a VERY weird trend nonetheless.

[@Miki-gz4jy]

Don't forget the babysitting episode where the characters have to babysit some random ass character we never have seen before's baby and the baby is always a hell spawn that causes the episodes problem or they lose the baby and have to travel everywhere just to find the baby 😵‍💫

[@abirdbrain9109]

wasn’t there a whole season of wizards of waverly place where max was transgender?? what even was that lol

[@M33PSTER]

Steven Universe has a baby transformation episode 😆 so it’s still here somewhat, but it has died down for sure

[@AstronomicalJelly]

@@M33PSTERbut in that case it kinda made sense with the lore of SU, with what steven's appearance being affected by his mindset. usually the trope is just comes kinda out of nowhere in media

[@blackphoenix9000]

The latest I saw wasn’t an episode, per se, but instead a plot point of a movie. It was Precure All Stars Memories, and it basically had a villain hunting down the Precure to steal their powers, personalites, and memories for himself, turning the Cures back into infants in the process.

[@2dents513]

I see Bratz babies are more as chibi versions of the characters than actual babies. It makes more sense for that since they still act like teens, with the occasional child/baby like quirk.

[@hauntedwafflecake]

That's what I was thinking too. A lot of these franchises would benefit from learning about chibi/sd culture, cause it seems like that's more what they were actually going for rather than actual baby/kid versions.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

They wore diapers and stuff. It was really weird.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

@@OtakuUnitedStudio I guess the bratz babies are actually more like cute chibi forms (or even toddlers) than babies, because toddlers have more hair and are a bit older than babies but are still small.

[@mattwolf7698]

​@@hauntedwafflecakeThat was from the early 2000's though, anime being sorta popular in the US was still a very new thing and I'm sure the exects running the companies that made that stuff didn't understand anime.

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

@@SlapstickGenius23 There's no specific definition for when a child stops being a baby, and some people include toddlers in their definition of baby. They were supposed to be the Bratz characters as babies. They had diapers and bottles. They all had the same short pigtails. They had baby-like proportions and baby accessories. But they also had a bizarre air of flirtiness about them.

[@rhys4668]

I think babyification is so popular because people LOVE to see a small, cute version of their favorite characters. I have never watched muppet babies but I personally am so obsessed with baby Kermit it makes me a little teary.

[@maem7462]

I’ve seen a few episodes of the newer Muppet Babies while hanging out with younger family and it so really cute. I think it does a good job at making them feel like babies and also still feel like the same characters that you know and love. It’s a surprisingly good version of babyfication

[@prettypic444]

sounds like baby fred flintsone was already making that sweet Winston cigarette money...

[@GaybrohamStinkton]

Chewable vitamins

[@WolfofFrost]

Winston tastes good like a *zippo lighter noises* cigarette should...

[@therearenocowshere]

I love that you used Clifford's Puppy Days as an example right out of the gate because no lie that was my FAVORITE show when I was a literal baby myself. And no one ever talks about it but it was so so much fun and I loved that they kept true to the timeline and instead of baby-fying the cast of characters of regular Clifford he had all different friends at his apartment complex before they moved because that's how the Clifford canon is.

[@maem7462]

I remember a little bit of Clifford’s Puppy Days. I remember enjoying it when I would watch but I didn’t watch it very often. I don’t have much memories about that

[@pauluna4769]

I remember that I didn't liked regular Clifford but I really liked the puppy days and I was like 10 in that time 😊

[@thanatoast]

Looney Tunes lore is wild. Is Baby Looney Tunes a prequel to The Looney Tunes show, which is a prequel to Loonatics Unleashed? No one knows apparently. Are these all separate timelines? Had the show been actually good, would we have gotten Baby Loonatics Unleashed????? Warner Brothers, you have 24 hours to respond.

[@AnyaForger-hu7hh]

I remember watching baby looney tunes as a kid 😂

[@gracekim25]

Loonatics unleashed was pretty creative 🤷‍♀️ I do remember baby looney tunes 😅

[@benmalsky9834]

It’s all just cartoons, you don’t have to think about it so hard.

[@fangirldreamer748]

@@benmalsky9834booo booo

[@ClowncoreisCool]

Dream Jelly, look at me, you don't have to keep torturing yourself by making videos on weird (sometimes uncanny) baby stuff.

[@dreamyjellies]

You don't understand, the Babysitting Mama baby whispers video ideas to me at night and I have to do what he says

[@NataliasClips]

​@@dreamyjelliesyou suffer from this too? I also have the cooking Mama baby but he forces me to play Hello Kitty mobile games instead :(

[@BlackJack-cb8hl]

You guys experience that to I thought it was just psychosis

[@MoodyMickey]

​@@dreamyjelliesbabysitting mama baby talks to you too!

[@chaochow393]

@@dreamyjellies Babysitting Mama Baby is the boss-level sleep paralysis demon

[@jodl07]

The reason for why the babies and adults coexist in the DS game Mario and Luigi: partners in time is due to time travel. I really like the way the baby Mario and Luigi interact with their adult selves and how it adds to the game mechanic

[@FirstNameLastName-oz5ij]

Partners in Time is both underrated and over-hated at the same time. It's a really charming and fun game, and the babies were so cute that I honestly missed them in later M&L games tbh lol

[@Simon_Q]

The only mystery is the existence of baby rosalina

[@CuantumQ]

​@@Simon_QI mean. Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are implied to be narrative sequels slightly? But the starbit festivals are supposed to be 100 years apart from eachother. Though, you could read them as two different tellings of the same story, AUs of one another. But it's still somewhat implied that 2 takes place after the original. So there is likely some time shenanigans between the games happening if we want to take it seriously

[@num488]

​@@CuantumQ Galaxy 1 ended with everything getting a reset; remember the "Welcome new Galaxy!" line? Galaxy 2 is basically a retelling/follow up. No actual time traveling involved, but with the simpler story given Miyamoto's grievances towards 1... just one of those things.

[@CuantumQ]

@@num488 yes, Galaxy 1 ends with everything getting reset. However, Mario and everyone survived the reset. And in Galaxy 2, it's implied that it's still remembered, but Peach says the star festival is still every 100 years. It could be that they used astronomy to determine that in the new universe that the star bit festival would still happen every 100 years, but the reset shifted where they were in the cycle from after the festival to not long before it again I guess

[@cookiemocher388]

If they wanted to do a baby version of totel drama, maybe they could've parodied reality shows like dance moms or something

[@GreenEyedDazzler]

Or you know… just not do any of that 😂

[@moniflow]

That would've been SO much better. TD itself is a parody of some kind of camp challenge show and so is its 'spin off', the Ridonculous Race (world race or something). A dance moms baby version would've been perfect.

[@jonal5126]

GWEN HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING!!!

[@chocomelo454]

​@@jonal5126YOU DESERVE NOTHING ELSE!!!!

[@cam_like_ham]

The funny thing about Muppet Babies is that they originated from a fantasy sequence in the film The Muppets Take Manhattan. The designs struck such a chord with audiences that the powers at be went full-throttle on spinning them into their own franchise. Considering it was the 80s and peak "everything is to sell toys," I think it was a decent investment.

[@kemaso_]

I already felt uncomfortable at the bratz babies but the smosh babies stuff is effing disgusting.

[@chocomelo454]

I did too but thats because one time i watched one of thr movies where theyre yk babies and my dad walked in and had me turn it off bc it was too inappropriate for my age (tbf i was like 3 maybe 4) and i still dont know what he meant to this day and hes probably long since forgotten it happened or that the movie existed bc its probably been taken off Netflix and both me and my sister are old enough to where he doesnt have to filter through stuff as hard. I mean he still does kinda but nowadays the filter is mostly "is it rated R" for me and "is it for adults and rated R" for my sister

[@MusicFromAnotherTime]

Oh god, is Little Bill just a babyfication of Bill Cosby? I don't know why this came to mind, but the implications are terrifying.

[@larissabrglum3856]

Oh nooooooooo

[@kiittykiiwii]

I looked it up, and indeed it is :(

[@anactualtree652]

@@kiittykiiwii*screams*

[@juan-ij1le]

What are the implications

[@anactualtree652]

@@juan-ij1le That Bill Cosby baby-fied himself to seem more appealing to most people, when he was an awful person all the while

[@joeykeilholz925]

this affected pokemon a lot. there were so many baby pokemon in gen 2 and even more of them were cut and later recovered in the leaked spaceworld stuff. even then they knew it was becoming a fad of sorts.

[@donhuea447]

the pokemon one is one of the few that kind of makes sense to me though. real animals aren't born fully grown, and they often go through some pretty drastic changes before reaching maturity. it makes sense that something like a jynx or a snorlax would hatch as a smoochum or a munchlax and then grow into its final stage, and it makes the whole evolutionary line feel a little more like an actual species that could exist in the wild. it also lets the evolved form get access to egg moves, which is nice for buffing less used mons sometimes. tbh the only thing that makes this whole thing fall apart is the weird incense mechanic they added in gen 4. i would've rather they just retconned the baby mons as part of the evolutionary tree

[@Anko3342]

All Grown Up is the pinnacle of humor and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. This show does not deserve all the hate it previously got.

[@TurbopropPuppy]

i LOVED All Grown Up, people are just mean

[@ncubedsquared]

I agree! I know they toned down Angelica's mean-spirited behavior a bit, but I think it adds more depth to her character than "spoiled brat who thinks she's the most important person ever."

[@invadertech141]

I laughed when Angelica broke her leg in the og series lmao

[@YusriRilke]

The greatest idea ever "Shillow"

[@retrospector04]

@@TurbopropPuppy SAME HERE

[@lucidity8060]

So glad someone talked about this trend. Never really got why every studio wanted to turn their existing cartoons into babies and it still kinda stumps me to this day.

[@AstronomicalJelly]

babies = cute = marketable

[@benmalsky9834]

Well it depends on the media itself. Muppet Babies for instance I think is a legitimately great show no matter the “babyfication” label.

[@sketchnotes2246]

Idk if this counts with the existence of Baby Looney Tunes, but I always admired Tiny Toon Adventures for doing the kid/baby-fication concept in a new way. Yes, the cast is meant to parallel their Looney Tunes counterparts, but they each have their own distinct personalities, too! Elmyra is a perfect example of this. She's not a one to one copy of Elmer Fudd, but you can still tell that's the character she's meant to parallel.

[@bluetimesskyrii]

Look into the making of TTA if you want to, the show was gonna lean harder into that babified Looney Tunes concept! I’m glad they didn’t though lol.

[@gracekim25]

I don’t think Tiny toons is part of this genre since they’re a original cast being taught by the original

[@benmalsky9834]

I tend to see Tiny Toon Adventures lumped together in the babyfication genre, and that always bugs me since I’m always tempted to go “Um, actually they’re not younger versions of the toons, they’re their students who just happen to resemble them and share a lot of the same personality traits”.

[@sketchnotes2246]

@@benmalsky9834 Fair point. I see it as technically belonging to this genre, but doing it in a new and unique way that others didn't. But if you think it deserves to be it's own thing I respect that too.

[@benmalsky9834]

@@sketchnotes2246 I think the whole “no relation” running gag with Buster and Babs can apply to just about every character that has their screen time with the classic toons.

[@juniperjabber]

using a crumpled up label on the tv stand as the footage credit is so clever!

[@celestiastra13]

OMG I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE

[@GrampaSheevie]

I was just thinking about the scooby doo one of these. It's funny because it's clearly trying to be a non-dark version of scooby doo, but scooby doo was already a non-dark version of murder mysteries.

[@livelollobotomy]

there’s something SO special about looking through dream jelly’s content and just going “wow i am literally the target audience” it’s so nice to be seen

[@kr0tyara]

There is a Russian cartoon called Smeshariki (KikoRiki or GoGoRiki in different dubs), which followed this babyfication trend. They made a spin-off called Malyshariki (BabyRiki). The key difference is that they didn't just make characters babies, they turned this series into an actual educational cartoon for actual babies (0-3 years old), teaching them everything from shapes and colours to interacting with disabled people. It's also filled with catchy songs and has a really cute minimalistic art style! Compared to many examples from this video, it feels like not a cheap cash-grab, but a really neat educational project for small children.

[@waynerazorblade]

i fucking loved kikoriki as a kid but i never knew about that

[@CreoTan]

I think Smosh babies was trying to be South Park but with Smosh humor--no parody, just "haha cartoon kids doing adult stuff but also kid stuff"

[@gl1tchygreml1n]

Yeah I was about to say the same thing, it's just trying to do what South Park did with the same concept, but not understanding why it works for South Park

[@slaneyinfamous]

never realized a pup named scooby doo’s redesigns give the characters more 1950s styles, which makes sense given when it would theoretically “take place”

[@BackPalSA]

I really want to compliment that use of the Arthur scene transition effect and sounds! It was great.

[@strabababerry]

15:00 I'm gonna guess that the reason they included the 6teen character in the Total Dramarama is bc they wanted the voice actor for Chris included but Chris is at least 5 years older than the cast and they didn't need two caretakers?

[@iblitz95]

That is... utterly bizarre, but you might be on to something.

[@elaynadiedinside]

cant wait for the 2nd channel: baby dream jelly

[@cyrusoconnor2274]

BABE WAKE UP DREAM JELLY POSTED

[@Jam.Yippeee]

YESSS

[@etchatails]

Yup

[@cicerothenekoknightplaysall]

Fuck yeah

[@Blueberry_pi314]

IM AWAKEEEEEEE XD

[@KyleRDent]

You mean baby

[@extrasavoirfaire2882]

I have said for years that A Pup Named Scooby-Doo is actually the best iteration of the franchise. It upped the zany, cartoonish, hijinks into comparatively absurd levels and was extremely self-aware in its presentation. The fact that they keep using once an episode jokes like "Red Herring" and "Velma said 'Jinkies'" so consistently actually makes these jokes loop around back into being funny. Granted, it is not narratively dense or anything, but the interpretation of the mystery gang there fits very well into what they were going for, I feel.

[@aquaticgecko9871]

Those muppet babies plushies... we had the same ones at my grandmas house. I also never watched the show, yet knew of it because of those little guys. Apparently this was a common occurrence.

[@MoodyMickey]

My family definitely had baby Fozzy bear and baby Miss Piggy. I don't remember ever watching the show tho lol

[@IncorrectHB]

My first introduction to babyfication was also Bratz Kidz and Babiez. I didnt know they were teens until later so i think its why its the only babyfication example im fine with. I really wish that more shows would go in the direction of All Grown Up. Like there is so much more interesting stuff to do with a teen/young adult than a baby

[@ellacorcoran9045]

Before I saw this video come up, the last page I looked at TV Tropes was "Spin-off Babies". It's like I knew it.

[@FriskDrinksBrisk]

mine was the media-specific nightmare fuel page for Gilligan's Island

[@Purpie_Slurpie]

There also seems to be a running trend in doll franchises where the "baby" versions are overtly sexualized, particularly in really weird and gross ways. It makes me uncomfortable

[@spiderman2pizzatheme965]

or entire doll lines like the L.O.L. dolls... ick

[@Purpie_Slurpie]

@@spiderman2pizzatheme965 and poopsies slime surprise.. nightmarish

[@JinglemansDog]

@@Purpie_Slurpie watcha gonna do with all that poop?

[@Alexandraadftxr7052]

​@@JinglemansDog No

[@Purpie_Slurpie]

@@JinglemansDog how dare you make me remember that lmao

[@tiamorton1927]

Ya know, I remember Dora did the same thing that Rugrats did! Does anyone remember when she was a teen in highschool or middle school or something?

[@SlapstickGenius23]

Dora and friends into the city is just a rather alright spinoff (it predicted the original’s soft reboot, where Dora actually is ten!) which must’ve been done much better if not for the sludge of poor quality merch.

[@Blueberry_pi314]

There’s a “newer” looney tunes show called ‘bugs bunny builders’ but the tunes characters are toddlers(?) and they are construction workers (hmm…) :D

[@SlapstickGenius23]

My Theory is that the stars of bugs bunny builders are more than just teens in a cartoonier chibi style, they are also older than what they were in baby looney tunes.

[@retropixel1272]

Smosh Babies triggered my Fight or Flight response.

[@peepytime]

You really took me back when you mentioned Bratz Babyz. I kind of loved those as a kid and I think I had a few. I had completely forgotten about them, and I now realize that LOL surprise dolls remind me of them.

[@involith]

theyre both made by the same company, mga! also if you for whatever reason want one in ur life again, they currently have repros of the babyz fr sale alongside their general bratz revival! (

[@a-b0t633]

I'm super creeped out at how sexy they made the Bratz Babyz. Why are they so curvy and wearing panties? Such an unsettling combination.

[@PartyDude_19]

I do give We Baby Bears some credit for doing something completely different from the original show and justifying its own existence instead of just being We Bare Bears but, they are younger. We Baby Bears not only has a very different style of animation but is also more fantasy themed as opposed to the original show which is a very slice of life style show.

[@charliepuppy.]

Its cute like Kirby

[@moonlight_is_a_weirdo]

I love how accesory baby is a running joke on this channel

[@lokieda0513]

My favorite episode of a Pup named Scooby-Doo is "A snail ate my mail!" Fred ends up acusing Red Herring of sliming all of Coolsville lol

[@chaochow393]

I always thought the frequency of this trend was kinda crazy. I'm glad the legendary Detective Jelly is here to investigate this phenomenon. 🔎👀

[@Molly-r2r]

pretty sure baby Mario and Luigi are time- travelling, past versions of the Mario brothers in canon. At least they are in Mario and Luigi partners in time.

[@L00z3rB01]

Me: is sick Dream jelly: **posts** Me: **watch** Me: **feels better** Thank you, jream Delly

[@Cant_LetItGo]

Jream😭✋

[@NewSonyWonderHappyMadisonFan]

The only good "spin-off babies" shows were the original Muppet Babies, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, and the original Tiny Toon Adventures. Edit: Also Tom and Jerry Kids came out in the 90s, not the 80s. And the Muppet Babies reboot was on Disney Junior and was released a year before Disney+ was a thing.

[@giselletorres4156]

I really love the art and colorful animation of We Baby Bears but I do prefer the simpler laid-back style of the Baby Bears episodes from the OG series.

[@Wohlfe]

Pup Named Scooby Doo was GOATed, it established solid back stories for the characters.

[@KiiboHasControversialOpinionss]

We baby bears was great, love that franchise

[@squid3946]

Does anyone remember the Kim Possible computer game where you start as baby Kim and grow up more in each level?

[@dreamyjellies]

I loved that game!!

[@misspinkpunkykat]

Clifford's Puppy Days was made because the VA for grown up Clifford had passed away.

[@ncubedsquared]

Yeah. tbh, they should have cast his son (who voiced Dipper from Gravity Falls) as Clifford in the 2019 reboot. Such a wasted opportunity...

[@Jobroski47]

Smosh baby makes me uncomfortable ._. just everything

[@ktktktktktktkt]

I feel like most baby spin-offs aren't the result of a babyfication ray but more like a prequel.

[@kittenwave]

I think spin-off babies were the precursor to “minionfication” which made very PG characters that all ages could be the target demographic for, from toddlers to boomers on facebook. I think the concept is a super easy greenlight from executives so it helped producers and studios keep jobs while making some money depending on the success rate. I think this concept also extends to the “girl-power” trend which took successful franchises and made spinoffs that were more for a girl target demographic.

[@wrem6132]

all roads lead back to dream jelly babies

[@Nirmiti.]

I actually think the babyfication can be a good idea. It can be a great way for fans to learn about how they became who we know and love today.

[@twitchyteeth]

to be fair to mlp, there have been baby ponies since generation one, including baby versions of main characters (the most prominent example being baby moondancer, who appeared in the escape from catrina tv special). but admittedly, the g3 babies were pretty egregious. i was the target age when they were released, and i remember being afraid of their massive eyes. anyways, thanks for reminding me about bratz babiez. in hindsight those were, in fact, super weird.

[@ElyseExplosion]

Muppet Babies was inspired by a scene in The Muppets Take Manhattan where they show a video clip of the Muppets as babies, which apparently tested really well with kids, so it almost sort of makes sense in context. It was, sadly, the idea that launched a thousand ships.

[@SquiddypopESB]

I'm surprised you didn't bring up Kamp Koral, It's such a good example of this.

[@thebakednachos]

I loved Baby Looney Tunes so much I'm so sorry Dream Jelly 😭

[@AlexaSmith]

the muppet babies reboot is pretty solid as far as reboots go. plus it gave gonzo a dress so i have to love it for that

[@BinglesP]

My mom HATES baby spinoffs with a passion. She also includes shows like Teen Titans GO! because, even if they aren't necessarily aged down, they "shrink them down"/"make them chibi"(in her words) to make them cuter and more marketable. Certainly helps that, like me, she loves classic Cartoon Network(and SpongeBob + Gravity Falls, in terms of the other cartoon channels), and still watches them with me for fun sometimes(especially Ed Edd n' Eddy since a couple years ago). She has always found them obnoxious, and she's especially salty that it's still a thing.

[@avastoyboxandarcade]

I had one of those baby MLP dolls! I had no clue what happened to my Rainbow Dash.

[@chaochow393]

Broo, same except I had some toy where Rainbow Dash had a mom that pushed her in a shopping cart but she also was Rainbow Dash?? It was kinda weird, lore wise

[@tricksterdotexe]

This was my special interest as a very, very young child. Thank for covering this!!!

[@noisy_killjoy]

Need a baby twilight right now

[@lolothesilly]

with the smosh babiez thing, i think (or hope) it was meant for adults who are nostalgic for 80s-00s baby spinoffs

[@jessking7737]

Sitting here with my 8 week old baby. she agrees with many of your points, especially the fact they sit around doing nothing all day. Now I guess I can say I baby-fied myself! soft plushies will be available soon.

[@gayforbrae5693]

you know how all the slime and foot jokes from nikelodeon were just dan schneiders kink this is just the abdl version of that isnt it

[@NataliasClips]

BAE WAKE UP DREAM JELLY IS TALKING ABOUT BABIES AGAIN

[@HeyItsNovalee]

I honestly think smosh babies should be considered more along the lines of something like South Park instead of all these other babyfied shows. I definitely don’t think it was meant for kids, it was meant for older audiences, and the fact that they’re babies was supposed to be like ironically funny

[@wonderlandian13]

you did NOT have to remind me of total dramarama… 🙏

[@rynbliss]

oh my god i completely forgot about bratz kidz sleepover adventure... so many memories suddenly rushing back

[@plushietoon]

Ah yes, a fixation I had growing up: Making characters into babies. I grew up with Baby Looney Tunes occupying my sick days, which were plenty, though I also have Rugrats and A Pup Named Scooby Doo. I do think younger characters can be fascinating and cute and that’s been a life long thing. But I have seen some argue that one cannot do much with child/baby characters because kids are developing their personalities, can’t get jobs or act much on their own. There’s also my personal realization that not everyone wants to deal with the “messier” side of kids. Though Total Drama Rama and Smosh Babies play up the grossness of babyhood. Many shows play into being fiction and give the babies some ability to do the same things as older characters can do. But generally it seems a chunk of shows are about making children versions of characters who just act more childlike but many can do what their regular counterparts can do or a lite version of such. Again, this and child characters in general is just a fascination I have, so thank you for covering this. Sorry for the ramble.

[@johnroberts524]

A Pup Named Scooby Doo is still one of the best Scooby shows. I also really liked the Baby Looney Tunes and Clifford Puppy Days when I was little Also fun fact! They did a flash back to Velma’s 5th birthday in What’s New Scooby Doo and they used the designs from A Pup Named Scooby Doo with a color change for the outfits

[@onihaiena6152]

from what i've seen of We Baby Bears and how different its direction is from the original show it spun off from, i feel like part of the angle some of these aged-down spinoffs usually have is they're seemingly a lot more fantastical in the plots than the main series despite the premise of the show itself and even with the more off-the-wall episodes and characters like Charlie (the sasquatch) and Nom Nom (snooty influencer koala), We Bare Bears always felt more like a slice of life show with some fantastical elements. you still saw the bears trying to assimilate into human life, make human connections, putting fantastic characters in grounded situations. even in the baby bear episodes the premises seemed a little more down-to-earth like being stuck at a shipping warehouse. meanwhile when the baby bears got their own show we see them in much more fantastical situations like strange fantasy towns and character introductions that lean more into folks like Charlie than more human characters like Chloe (the bears' college-going friend) or Ranger Tabes

[@ncubedsquared]

17:43 The one with Miranda Sings in it has definitely aged like milk. Also, a snail ate my mail!

[@jennyfox2612]

I have a feeling the whole babification thing is just the western entertainment industry to justify marketing Chibi version of characters.

[@bwuh9427]

today is a good day...strange spin off babies....

[@cryforhelp7270]

I was a little kid when I watched Smosh Babies. I watched Pubertina and Oishi Highschool Battle as well... And I have no idea what I initially thought of any of these either. Now it's just weird. Unrelated, but, Oishi Highschool Battle is a poor parody of Anime >:) Other than that- I did catch the kid Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes show. I enjoyed both :) from what I remember. And Bratz will never not be iconic in any form. Edit: Also, All Grown Up was great. I wish there was more :(

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

I'm guessing Jude is babified in Total Dramarama so they can keep Chris's voice actor in the show.

[@charliepuppy.]

Yeah something like that but its because thats his fave character

[@anonymous-rq2lh]

something that fascinates me is a very specific genre of spinoff babies where the events of the series blatantly contradict canon, implying that the spinoff is set in an alternate timeline. it makes me wonder what happens when those spinoff babies grow up, and how they would differ from their adult canon counterparts

[@Craigyyyyy]

always remember this trend as kid glad to see someone finally talked about it

[@Curttehmurt]

As a huge fan of A Pup Named Scooby Doo I'd argue that it differs from other Scooby series by being more zany, less grounded and often very meta

[@MegaLpso]

Am I the only one that's creeped out by what they put the Bratz babies in.

[@littlesparkkitten]

To be so real the target audience for age regressed character shows is me. It's me. I love them. Idk why, I just think it's really really cute. A Pup Named Scooby Doo was the only Scooby Doo I watched, I loved Baby Looney Tunes, Clifford's Puppy Days is the best Clifford ever and I will accept no criticism, I would d*e for baby Dino, etc. It's me they're made for me./lh Edit: Oh my gosh you unearthed a memory/positive The newborn Pinkiepie doll was my best friend in the world and I refused to leave her alone anywhere. She needed to be fed regularly and put to sleep in a crib for naps and before my bedtime (because duh she's a baby and I'm not so I stay up later) - it was a whole thing and I loved her so much. So I've been the audience for my entire life. I am also proverbially RUNNING to see the We Baby Bears thing you talked about bc I have never heard of it and I need it in my life.

[@JomasterTheSecond]

Muppet Babies was by far the biggest and most important cultural, social and economical turning point of the 20th century.

[@getsouped]

a pup named scooby doo is still one of my fav shows! i used to watch it all the time as a kid (my parents got me a dvd collection of a few episodes that i would watch on repeat), and im in a discord server where we occasionally hang out on vc and watch a pup named scooby doo! i always forget that its part of the babyfied media trend because i view it as a completely separate thing from other scooby doo media LMAO

[@_CrimsonRose_]

Me and my sister made a joke "babyfication" when we were kids with the pokemon cartoon XY, which we named Pokemon ABC, in which ash and the other characters were little kids going to preschool and teaching team rocket about sharing.

[@MetalMarioandfriends]

Lol Nope Charles Martenets voice was not pitched up for Baby Mario and Baby Luigi it's his own voice he's very good at doing a Baby voice

[@bigkirb7066]

Snail ate my mail!

[@soltandvinegar]

Pup Named Scooby-Doo has to be the best example of this, since they actually changed the formula up a little. It had its own feel to it. Like the running gag with Red Herring.

[@IsMonic]

I don't necessarily like the "characters into babies" concept myself, but I can definitely understand liking niche things, so I can't bring myself to hate it either. In the end, to me, while it's interesting that it caught on, it's just an inoffensive genre of spin-off. Plus, while artstyle changes are sometimes jarring at first, they can also be a nice change of pace and it's cool to give them a chance and let them grow on you (this isn't exclusive to baby spin-offs, either). The only notable experience I have with this phenomenon is Total DramaRama. I am a Total Drama fan who loves all the main seasons + Ridonculous Race, but I'll never watch it. Still, it was well done in the way that, even though it reuses some characters, it's still its own separate thing and doesn't affect the main series, so it doesn't make me like the franchise any less. I also know a bunch of cool people who like it (mostly from having temporarily joined the TD subreddit a few years ago), so I think it's a net positive and I'm glad it exists; it's simply just not for me.

[@wren5685]

You post the flossing in total dramarama without posting the full clip, where chef immediately yells at Cody saying that by the time this episode airs, flossing will be lame and he's making the show look dated lol

[@ned__h]

Why do the bratz babyz have fun faces of makeup, like at least the originals were teenagers 😭😭😭

[@KhanaHatake]

Bratz Babyz is always so weird to me because why are these 2 year olds so sexualized?? A full beat of makeup, hourglass figures, mini skirts, crop tops, and these sultry-ass poses?? As an adult I think the chunky vinyl dolls are cute as heck in a very Melanie Martinez "I'm a sexy widdle baby" kind of way, but it's WILD to me that parents would ever buy these for actual children.

[@Anna-zt3jc]

tbh the same argument could be made for the og brats, considering theyre supposed to be like 15 .. but as a doll collector an opinion like that would get me crucified in those circles lol

[@chaochow393]

Yeah, I thought the same thing when LOL Dolls hit the market. Most of them I've seen are pretty normal, like a baby wearing a cute Hollywood inspired dress or whatever. But then there's the one's that were dressed similarly to the Bratz babies, and it made me side eye a bit, like aren't they supposed to be babies? Why are they dressing like teens and young adults? Why not make a doll that is the appropriate age instead?

[@nonome8206]

What? I thought SMOSH babies was an Oneyplays joke.

[@DvnCodes_]

ayeeeee 16 and total drama island, always knew they were connected. AMAZING VIDEO! Can't wait for the next one

[@VivaLaAlice]

Also remember Bratz Big Babyz and also the fact that Bratz Babyz also got reproductions made recently so you can buy the dolls all over again. You also have Lil Bratz which are just Bratz but small and I assumed they were the kids until Kidz were released. I had 80+ Bratz but my mum had such distain for Bratz Babyz she only let me have two of those because she thought they were awful 😭

[@butterfly22432]

WAKE UP BABE NEW DREAM JELLY UPLOAD

[@Blueberry_pi314]

*WAKES UP* IM PREPARED @_@

[@Markimark151]

I found Muppet Babies, baby looney tunes, baby Mario, and even Disney babies to be very appropriate for baby adaptions, because they’re meant to be cute characters for parents to show to their young children! But Total Dramarama and Smosh babies are obviously creepy for kids and even too for adults, because Smosh is inappropriate humor that seems predatory in the cartoon, and jokes that make no sense, it’s too disturbing for its setting!

[@termitesc.aardwolf3644]

Baby spinoffs are very hit or mess. Sure, you've got bangers like Muppet Babies and a Pup Named Scooby Doo and Tom & Jerry Kids has one of the greatest cartoons theme songs in history but most baby spinoff shows tend to be flops. We Baby Bears is all right if overshadowed by other Cartoon Network shows

[@CZsWorld]

Can't wait for Saw Babies.