Ligr77:
I've noticed that in western animation, there is a surprising amount of fetish content. Not that I have a problem with it, but I am curious about the "how" and the "why" of it.
I wouldn't say it's exclusive to Western animation. But you are right. There are several threads on this very site talking about how a cartoon awakened certain fetishes inside of them.
There's not a lot of peer-reviewed data on the matter, but I know that a lot of cartoonists try to push boundaries all the time. They also throw in adult themes and jokes for the adults stuck watching the cartoon with their children.
So, in a simplistic way of putting it, these fetishes exist because horny adults put them in. That said, not everything was meant to be fetish fuel.
For example, nearly every cartoon growing up in the '00s had an obligatory episode on obesity. This was due to a significant push to combat childhood obesity. The powers that be felt that if children could have their favorite shows address these issues. I feel like this backfired for some of us.
