Every day my almost-six-year-old grills me on the physics of cartoons

[Orrex]

And he's never satisfied with the answer that "it's just a cartoon, they can make SpongeBob do whatever they want."


I admit that it's been sort of fun for the past two year, but I'm starting to run out of answers.

[TZ]

1. LOL!

Orrex you have a young Einstein in the making! When he starts talking about Spongebob's relativity to time you are in big trouble!!;)

[HopeHoops]

2. That reminds me of a Road Runner cartoon.

I know they all violate physics, but one in particular came to mind:

Coyote is chasing Road Runner (as usual) and Road Runner runs off of a pointed cliff into the air and stops. Coyote skids to a stop just before the edge and holds up a sign that reads, "That defies the law of gravity."

Road Runner holds up a sign that says, "I never studied law."

The cliff breaks off behind Coyote and he and the rock fall into the canyon. Road Runner just takes off back onto the cliff.

[Adams Wulff]

3. You need help. I'm here to help.

The Cartoon Laws of Physics:

http://remarque.org/~doug/cartoon-physics.html

[Orrex]

4. I appreciate the effort, but it won't work.

He's looking for real answers, and they have to be consistent from one cartoon to the next.

He's a crafty little devil, that's for sure.

[EastTennesseeDem]

5. I used to be the exact same way.

I would be so proud of myself when I found a "goof" (as IMDb calls them) in a cartoon until I gradually realized that I was being a little stupid.

[Skittles]

6. your kid is Little Man Tate

and you are Jody Foster

[Orrex]

7. Wow. That means I'm totally hot.

Not that I had any doubt, of course...