The Homer Simpson-esque stereotype has been a persistent trope in cartoons since programming aimed directly at children and adolescents began. Young viewers are exposed to the incapable and incompetent "hapless father" archetype on a regular basis, causing both boys and girls to expect the bare minimum of fathers while mothers hold the responsibility for all domestic and parenting work. Cartoons rely heavily on toxic stereotypes for ratings, when in fact, healthy representations of fathers are just as successful in maintaining viewership.
Eleven essays, written by scholars from around the world, investigate the topic of fatherhood as it is represented in children's animated television shows. Main themes that emerge include absent and negligent fathers, single fathers, generational shifts within families, and raising the standard of fathering by creating secure bonds between father and child. The authors uncover problematic fathers, imperfect yet redemptive fathers, and fathers who embody idealized parenting traits through some of our most beloved animated dads. This collection demonstrates the impact that media representations of father figures have on young viewers and argues for better role models.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Lorin Shahinian and Leslie Salas
Part I: Absent and Negligent Fathers
Professor Von Drake as the Absent, Emotionally Unavailable Father Figure: Why
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Gets It Wrong
Sarah Ghoshal
O Captain! Why Captain? A Study of Haddock as Father Figure in the Tintin
Television Series
Debnita Chakravarti
Part II: Single Fathers
My Little Other: Fatherhood Is Symbiotic
Samuel Oatley
The Most Fatherly Duck in the World: Scrooge McDuck as Symbolic Father in
Disneys DuckTales Reboot
CJ Yow
Part III: Generational Shifts
Fairly Not-Parents: Attachment and the Perpetual Child in The Fairly
OddParents
James M. Curtis
Not so bad a dad after all: Phineas & Ferbs Supervillain and Super
Vanessa Osborne
Defeating the Father Lord: Iroh and Ozai as Paternal Duality in Avatar: The
Last Airbender
Colleen Etman
Part IV: Raising the Standard
The Normal and the Natural: Nigel Thornberry as Father Figure
Dibyajyoti Lahiri
Silence Underscores Responsible Fatherhood in Ulysses
Juan Urdįniz Escolano
Batman: The Journey from Hero to Father Figure
Hollie Fitzmaurice
From Flipping Burgers to Flipping Fatherhood: Bob Belcher
Lorin Shahinian
Conclusion
Lorin Shahinian and Leslie Salas
About the Contributors
Index
Lorin Shahinian teaches composition courses at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, while also having a role at the universitys writing center. Leslie Salas has served as a writing, communications, and humanities instructor at various institutions of higher education for over a decade.
