Highlights

• Nickelodeon's SpongeBob Squarepants isn't so innocent - adult jokes in episodes can surprisingly ruin childhood nostalgia.
• Dan Schneider's shows included a lot of risqué humor that's only now being questioned in hindsight.
• Nickelodeon's past humor is filled with innuendos that went right over the heads of kids, and can no longer be ignored by parents.

Nickelodeon might be a channel catered towards kids, but every so often (or, VERY often), they've managed to sneak in some jokes that adults can get and snicker at. As kids, we would never have thought of the characters saying these things as anything but innocent. As adults though, it basically ruined our childhoods.

Both live-action and animated shows have offered innuendos, and they weren't always done so tastily. Whether you know some of these jokes or not, be prepared to laugh or have your childhood ruined by recalling the time you watched the episode of said show for the first time.

Here are 18 of the most inappropriate things once ignored on Nickelodeon shows.

Updated April 2024: With the release of "Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV", Nickelodeon, more than ever, is under fire for actions that occurred at the network that ranged from questionable to completely abhorrent. The victims in all situations were children and many of the same personnel, including Dan Schneider, were directly involved. Given the cartoons and the TV shows on the Nickelodeon channel were filled with humor that was way more adult-based rather than being kid-friendly, it's clear that the moral compass at Nickelodeon was askew when it came to what kids were exposed to.

18 What Is He Teaching You, Zoey?

Zoey 101 took an innocent tutoring session and turned it into something sexual

In the Zoey 101 episode, Zoey's Tutor, Zoey wants to have someone tutor her in a science class. Surprisingly, Logan is extremely smart.

When Zoey tries to explain to Chase about Logan teaching her so much, Chase gets grossed out. Chase obviously took it the wrong way since he assumed they were dating.

17 Not Referencing Grades In "Victorious"

For the viewing audience, Jade's comment was far TOO mature

If you are familiar with any show created by Dan Schneider, then there are some adult jokes that are incredibly funny, yet subtle as well... but some are clearly not.

In Victorious, Andre asks the question, "How does a person go from an A to a D?" Then Jade responds with, "I had a D in eighth grade."

It probably takes some time for a 13-year-old to get the joke, but to adults it was pretty funny (at the time). Today though, with all that's been revealed about Dan Shnieder's often inappropriate behavior, we'd think twice about laughing at the not-so-subtle joke,

16 Wrong Head, Patrick

SpongBob may have been referring to brains, but the way "genius" was said sounded like a part of male anatomy instead

Even SpongeBob isn't safe from dirty jokes.

For this entry, it can be interpreted in two ways. As usual, SpongeBob would tell Patrick his genius is showing, but it almost sounds like a word associated with the male anatomy.

The other way is Patrick covering himself when SpongeBob was referring to his head.

See for yourself here.

15 Alone Time For Grandpa

Grandpa literally told the toddlers from Rugrats that he was going to watch adult-themed movies when they went to bed

There is a chance that the Rugrats forgot that Grandpa Pickles had a conversation like this with them since they were only toddlers. Even though Grandpa Pickles has a right to watch an adult film, it is weirdly funny to tell the toddlers this. At least they had Reptar movies to watch in the meantime.

14 A Nifty Reference

iCarly took 50 Shades of Gray and turned it into a book for Gibby to read on the show

iCarly certainly has a lot of jokes adults can get into and that brings a lot of laughter. This sneaky reference was very bold for the writers to put in and have Guppy, Gibby's younger brother, read the book.

If you do not know how Nifty Shades of Beige came to be, better do some research and cringe and laugh at the same time.

13 Hugh Neutron's Enlightened Moment

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius turned a meal into an uncomfortable situation

This joke was the definition of TMI.

When Hugh, Jimmy Neutron's dad, mentioned that he sat on a banana when he was seven, that probably left adults cautiously laughing. It changed his life and, honestly, we wonder what would happen if that hadn't happened.

12 Timmy's Alone Time

The Fairly Odd Parents made parents cringe when it referenced Timmy experiencing desires during puberty

The Fairly Odd Parents does manage to have some jokes that seem rather innocent but really aren't In this particular entry, Timmy claims to his parents that he will take the paper towels with him to his room alone.

We are basically his parents right now when it comes to expressions.

11 A Dog Gave What?

The Amanda Show introduced STDs to young audiences via Penelope Taynt

The Amanda Show is a classic that parodies SNL, and it does a decent job alongside All That!.

When Penelope, Amanda's number one fan, borrows a bloodhound to track her scent, the dog finds dancing lobsters.

Then Penelope says, "I ask for Amanda, and you give me crabs?!"

10 Sorry Ma'am, Indeed

Drake & Josh took things too far when squishing tomatoes was compared to touching a woman

Josh is honestly very respectful. While he is making salsa, he follows instructions from his stereo and pays attention accordingly.

When the man said to treat the tomatoes as if they were a fine woman, Josh was quick to put down the tomatoes and apologize. It was unnecessary, but hilarious for adults at the same time (maybe not for kids, though).

9 No Thanks, Sign

Hey Arnold! has more than just the sign wrong with this scene, as is apparent by the structure of the grandfather's head

Hey Arnold! is a fun cartoon with a great cast of characters, and of course, there are some subtle innuendos/jokes that sneaked their way in.

From the picture above, it is easy to see Arnold's grandfather standing at the exact spot where it is just gross but undeniably funny for an adult.

8 Whatcha Watching There, SpongeBob?

SpongeBob was watching sealife that looked phallic, but changed the channel after Gary walked in

Who could ever think that SpongeBob would not be so innocent?

A famous scene from SpongeBob SquarePants depicts him watching something grownups might watch in their free time. When Gary comes in, SpongeBob quickly changes the channel and claims he's watching football.

7 That Time Of The Month

Squidward and Mr. Krabs essentially discuss a woman's period on SpongeBob SquarePants

Now, this is a more subtle joke from SpongeBob SquarePants. Women will be able to get this once they pass a certain age. And strangely, Squidward of all characters says the joke.

It is strange that a blimp is floating underwater, but that just adds to the joke.

6 Interesting Quinnvention

One invention on Zoey 101 involving protecting delicate areas was a joke taken too far

Quinn from Zoey 101 has always made crazy inventions and that's what makes her so quirky. One of her inventions involves being in a car crash, and she has a way to have a cushion to protect herself... where her undergarment is.

5 Helga's Confession

Hey Arnold! took what could be a sweet crush from a young girl and turned it into an adult-themed scene

This is a classic adult joke from Nickelodeon's vault.

Helga gives Arnold a hard time and bullies him, but she secretly loves him. Claiming that he makes her girlhood tremble is a big indicator that she has stronger feelings for him.

4 That's Some Reading Material

Rocko's Modern Life referenced nothing other than Playboy, during a scene with Slippy on the show

Rocko's Modern Life has garnered a cult following and has a staple in Nickelodeon history despite being a 1990s cartoon. Jokes in the 1990s were crude and subtle, and fans enjoyed that in this classic cartoon.

Here we have Slippy reading a magazine that references a controversial one in real life.

3 Misleading At Its Finest

The title of the skit from The Fairly Odd Parents is very inappropriate for younger audiences

The Fairly Odd Parents does have some subtle jokes that kids won't get. However, it is amazing how an episode title is just one letter off from being a term ONLY an adult would know. It also doesn't help that Mr. Crocker is shown as a visual example, making the joke even more inappropriate.

2 Which Apartment Number?

iCarly essentially put images of male genitalia on the walls of the set that kids acted in and young audiences watched

Now, apartment numbers are one thing, but the technical producer Freddie Benson happens to live in apartment 8D. It does look like a face, but when the equals sign is added, it looks more inappropriate than it needs to be.

1 Super Clever, Writers

The name of the area where SpongeBob SquarePants lives in conjunction with the name of the Krabby Patty is a slang term that only older audiences understand

So, the location in SpongeBob SquarePants is called Bikini Bottom, as everyone already knows. What is also interesting is that the Krabby Patty is located there. If the names don't add up, it refers to someone wearing a bikini bottom going through some "personal issues."