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Loss of Innocence
Why does it seem to be a part of growing up that leads people to shed their love of "childish" things? Media such as animation and puppetry do not seem to be valid means of entertainment anymore to the average adult. What happens during the development of people to cause this travesty? It is an issue that has plagued me since I entered middle school, the idea that everything I have ever loved is now something to be cast away because it is no longer right for someone my age to be consuming. The idea that playing Pokemon or watching a Disney movie is no longer socially correct and will only insight ridicule by peers. Can someone please help me find some answers?
Comments
[Edit] Read Catcher in the Rye.
As far as animation and puppetry and things like that, it's probably largely related to the fact that those media have traditionally catered mostly to kids, and that's the idea that most people are stuck on.
Most important thing is to just do what you want to do, and not care what people think about it.
Also as you age you'll fall into and out of different hobbies and entertainment as you get bored with one or find an old hobby. This is normal. I can't tell you how often I drift away from a hobby like reading comic books, only to find myself a few years later hooked into them again.
One is that when you are young, you are shielded from the truth. Even if you are a really lucky kid, and nobody lies to you, they still conceal much of reality from you. You don't learn about sex, violence, war, crime, or many of the other horrors of the world. You also only learn smaller details of things you are told. For example, they will tell you that Columbus discovered America, but they won't tell you the real deal.
As you grow up, you start to learn the truth, and it's not good. In early life you are taught only good things, so when they fill in the gaps later, it's mostly bad things. Thus, you have this innocence early in life that goes away.
What you are talking about is a cultural thing. There is a cultural perception that certain forms of artwork are childish. That's separate from losing your innocence. There's nothing inherent about animation, comic books, puppetry, video games, etc. that make them only appropriate entertainment for children. It's simply that they are perceived this way by our culture. You only have to look at other cultures to see that these forms of artwork are enjoyed by all ages.
There is one connection between these two ideas, however. If someone has been shielded from reality, they likely have much different taste than someone who has been exposed. For people like us, something like Teletubbies or Barney the Dinosaur are intolerable. For a very young child who lives in a world of bright colors and such, things like that fit in just fine.
/joking
In addition to the culture problems that Scott brought up, keep in mind that much of the work created in the mediums you mention are inteded for children. When shows cater to "adults" (like South Park, Futurama, etc.) then adults watch them.
Many people hold on to childish activities or interests, but they can't hold on to every single childhood interest. If someone was a huge baseball fan when they were little, but only somewhat into cartoons, then they will probably hold onto the one interest and let the others go as they have developed new interests and have more demands on their time.
I remember reading somewhere that as people age, fast moving bright colors and high pitched sounds become less appealing. That might be something to do with it.
Although, Kim Possible is teh win, story or no.