Childhood fears: 7 scary cartoons and TV shows that spoil your mood

In the 90s and 2000s, television was not as safe as it is now, and parents could not always control what their children watched. Not only bloody news and serials about the murders could be seen, but also episodes from seemingly harmless but shocking children’s cartoons and television programs. We remember the moments that became nightmares for an entire generation of children.

Screensaver of the television company “Vid”

Probably, every child’s heart sank when the scary musical screensaver of the TV company “Vid” appeared on the screen. Adults were wondering who was depicted in the logo: an old woman or Boris Yeltsin? But they were all wrong. Initially, the company’s founder, Vlad Listyev, designed a completely different screen protector. His wife, Albina Nazimova, who worked at the Museum of Oriental Art, suggested taking as a painting a ceramic mask depicting the ancient Chinese philosopher Guo Xiang smiling with a three-legged frog on his head. However, the mask had to be modified using computer graphics as the museum prohibited using the original to create the logo.

Not a single trace of the former joy remained: the astonished audience believed that the mask was removed from a dead person, and the funeral music of the composer Vladimir Ratskevich reinforced this impression. It was said that epilepsy patients started having seizures when they accidentally saw the screen saver. However, in 2018 they decided to change the logo. Needless to say, several generations of children have acquired this phobia.

Robot rabbit and werewolf rabbit “Okay, wait a minute!”

No comments here. Everyone has watched this cartoon in their childhood. Their appearance was accompanied not only by eerie music, but also by a strange change in drawing style.

Cartoon “Potets”

“Dad, can you tell us what Potets is?” We are sure that this issue worries many people. It turned out that this was cold sweat on the deceased’s forehead. The plot is based on a text by Alexander Vvedensky, in which there is a premonition of his father’s imminent death. The story itself describes the cycle of life and death. Quite a strange creation for children, isn’t it? Today, animation is divided into adults and children, but in 1992, kids were watching everything.

Cartoon “Caliph Stork”

This psychedelic cartoon gave many children goosebumps. Could it be otherwise? The plot is based on a dark tale by Wilhelm Hauff. Little viewers thought the evil wizard was the scariest.

Number Sign and Nine from Sesame Street

The television show “Sesame Street” was very popular with children. Zeliboba, the courtyard’s somewhat clumsy, blue guardian spirit with a mouth reminiscent of a dog, was especially cute. His image was created specifically for Russian audiences by puppeteer Ed Christie. That’s right, the domestic version featured characters from the American Muppet Show. The scariest seemed to be Count Dracula von Znak, who taught children arithmetic. Another moment of fear involves the toothy number Nine.

Klepa from the children’s program “ABVGDeyka”

Among the most copied on Halloween today are the images of Pennywise and the Joker. But we remember how scared you were of the clown Klepa from the TV series “ABVGDeyka”. The kind character played by Vitaly Dovgan did not make everyone laugh, but mainly because of the make-up.

The sun child and the vacuum cleaner from the TV series “Teletubbies”

In the 2000s, the TV show “Teletubbies” caused a lot of controversy at home not only in Russia, but also in England. Teletubbies are plush aliens with antennas on their heads and televisions in their bellies. They communicate, play, laugh and eat belly cream. But when the wind blows, one of them illuminates the screen on which one of the training programs appears. Although the locations and characters seem quite cute, there are also some scary moments in this strange universe. For example, a vacuum cleaner named Nu-Nu suddenly appears and eats everything around. Some viewers also admitted that they were scared by the head of a laughing baby playing with the sun as a child.

At some point, information was leaked to the press that the creators had conceived the show under the influence of drugs, which caused a wave of negativity among parents. Additionally, psychologists said that Teletubbies’ faces are frozen masks and that it is important for young children to learn to recognize emotions. Other information about the fact that the series is generally aimed at children with Down syndrome. So adults assumed the show would make fools of their children. It is unknown whether this is true or not, but Netflix has announced its intention to bring the series back.