If you haven’t heard some of the bizarre, possibly childhood-ruining conspiracy theories about your favorite cartoons, I suggest we get thee over to Flavorwire‘s list as soon as possible. As if one wasn’t enough, they now have two.
To help visualize what a cartoon conspiracies may look like, allow me to refer to illustrator Andrew Kolb, who has taken the liberty of sketching two theories floating out there.
He describes the first:
It’s suggested that the Flintstones and the Jetsons not only take place in the same universe, but at the same time! Set in a near future, the Jetsons live their automated lives high in the sky but what exactly are they living above?
The answer is ‘The Town of Bedrock’ and all of the other civilizations who chose to go the Amish route and lead a simpler lifestyle despite what the rest of the world might be doing.
The Flintstones exist in a near future where genetically created animals are made in the image of the past (though not accurately as shown some of the species are fairly wacky). Also, much of the technology of both worlds (record players, vacuums, etc.) function similarly but with very different materials…it’s because they’re running in tandem.
So remember that movie where the two families meet? Well it wasn’t time travel so much as it was TELEPORTATION! The Jetsons simply beamed to the planet’s surface and were as baffled at the simplified technology as I would be when presented with a butter churn.
And now the second:
It’s stated that Bikini Bottom lies directly below Bikini Atoll. For those of you who (like me) need some catching up on ‘Bikini Atoll’, it was a nuclear testing site for the US government waaaaaaaaay back in the day.
So it’s pretty much confirmed that Bikini Bottom is the result of over a decade of nuclear testing (both above and below water). Now the question of how Mr. Krabs fathered a whale doesn’t seem quite so difficult to answer.
And while I rarely need my cartoons to be justified or explained, I’m comfortable with the idea that all this radiation allows for fire and water to behave differently on the ocean floor.