7 Messed Up Television Fan Theories That Every Child Of The 90s Will Appreciate
By Daniel Hayes
1. Only Angelica Exists
This theory goes that spoiled and bratty Angelica is the only one that exists and that the babies are all imaginary playmates she made up since her mother is never around and she has no close relationship with her father. What’s more, as the theory goes, the babies are imaginary representations of brothers and sisters of hers who were alive at one time but died shortly after being born. Angelica’s isolation is expressed in a very disturbing way. Instead of imagining her brothers and sisters alive and being kind to them she is instead cruel and bossy, lording her power over them as the sole surviving child of the family.
2. Courage The Cowardly Dog Is Just A Normal Dog
This fan theory goes that Courage is a 100% normal dog who simply ever isn’t taken on a walk and so he believes he lives in the middle of nowhere and has no idea what the world around him actually looks like. As a result, all the villains we see on the show are just Courage’s perceptions of what’s going on around him from his own limited and inexperienced point of view. This also explains why Courage is the only one who’s afraid of everything while his owners don’t seem to notice or care.
3. Aladdin Isn’t What It Seems
Remember the salesman at the beginning of the movie that looks ever so slightly like the Genie himself? Well, this theory goes that Aladdin isn’t about the adventures of Aladdin at all or a treatise on friendship. The whole movie, all of it, is just one sales pitch that the salesman is telling to get you to buy the lamp from him which is, in all probability, just a normal lamp.
4. Arnold Has A Chronic Condition
Arnold’s oddly shaped head isn’t just artistic license. In this theory, Arnold has hydrocephalus which causes the sufferer to have an abnormally large head. Since Arnold is an orphan living with his grandparents there’s some question about whether his condition caused complications during his birth and that perhaps, maybe, his father, crushed by grief at the death of his wife either fled, deserting Arnold, or took his own life.
5. Samurai Jack And Powerpuff Girls Take Place In The Same Universe
There are several theories about SJ and PPG but this one is the most compelling based on the given evidence. The theory is that, yes, they take place in the same universe but that SJ takes place far in the future after the world (or just Townsville) has suffered a catastrophic accident or a devastating World War. SJ lives in a culture that’s seeking to dig its way out of the rubble, emulating feudal Japan as a source of inspiration. The above fan composite from the two TV shows makes it pretty clear that there’s a strong case to be made.
6. ‘That 70s Show’ Is A ‘Happy Days’ Sequel
This theory is especially disturbing. Keeping in mind that “Happy Days” took place in the 50s, this theory states that Richie and Ralph go off to the Korean War while Fonzie stays stateside. Dejected and Fonz-less upon returning from the war, Richie (who is actually Red) gives full reign to his temper, becoming a bitter and cynical man incapable of remaining friends with his fellow veteran, Ralph, and always on the verge of exploding with rage.
Backing up this theory is that both shows take place in Wisconsin.
7. Spongebob Is A Nuclear Nightmare
This theory says that Bikini Bottom also goes by another name and that name is the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, notorious test site for U.S. nukes in the 1940s and 1950s. The repeated exposure to radiation has mutated the underwater denizens of the atoll so completely that they have not only gained sentience but their mutated forms have come to resemble cartoons.