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By Chealsea Gachagua
Growing up, I had never understood the idea of a “love-hate relationship” until I had watched the show Teen Titans Go! When it first aired, I had such high hopes after loving the original show Teen Titans as a kid. The original Teen Titans had set such a high bar of what every preteen superhero show should be: filled with drama, high stakes, and thoughtful storytelling — but after watching an episode, this new version felt like a childish, watered-down parody. Every episode seemed to be nothing but corny puns, repetitive songs, and endless butt jokes. The characters I used to admire suddenly felt like caricatures of themselves. I didn’t understand why anyone would watch it, and I certainly didn’t plan to.\
And yet, somehow, I did. Out of curiosity, boredom, or perhaps nostalgia, I ended up watching a handful of episodes. And, to my own surprise, I started noticing valuable lessons beneath the silly songs and slapstick moments. Some episodes explored surprisingly meaningful concepts like economics, ethics, and problem-solving.
One episode that really stuck with me was an episode called Mummy Money about a pyramid scheme. At first, I laughed at the absurdity — Robin convincing everyone to buy useless products, the Titans getting caught up in endless recruitment, and the exaggerated chaos that followed. But as I watched, I realized I was actually learning about the dangers of exploitative business models, the risks of greed, and how easy it can be to get swept up in a system. It was absurdly funny, but it also taught me a basic lesson about skepticism and responsibility that I don’t remember ever learning in school.
Another two episodes: Two Bumblee Bees and a Wasp and Finally a Lesson, stood out for the way they discussed mortgages and equity in a surprisingly palatable manner for the target age demographic of the show. In Two Bumblee Bees and a Wasp the episode begins with Robin reminding the Titans that it is payday and urging them to spend wisely. Beast Boy refuses, claiming money is the root of all evil, and rips up a dollar. He then creates his own currency (bees…yes, like honey bees) which quickly takes over Jump City as the new form of money. Beast Boy becomes a “bee‑llionaire,” hoarding wealth and turning his room into a hive-office. The situation spirals out of control until the bees turn on him, leading to a hospital visit and a massive bill. Through bee puns and over-the-top chaos the episode skillfully introduces a younger audience to basic financial concepts such as the value of money, the consequences of greed, taking financial risks, and finally the ideas of loans, payments, and interest. This episode was when I could start to feel my preconceived judgement of Teen Titans Go being just a shallow, “cash grab” reboot begin to change.
The episode Finally a Lesson goes even further by directly teaching what a mortgage is, how taxes work, and why credit scores matter. The Titans navigate a scenario where they must borrow money, make payments, and manage their resources responsibly, and the show explains these concepts in simple, exaggerated, and very visual ways that are easy for kids to follow. By combining humor, songs, and ridiculous situations, the episode turns complicated financial lessons into something engaging and memorable.
Even smaller, seemingly insignificant episodes held lessons if I looked for them. Songs about teamwork disguised as silly musical numbers reminded me that collaboration matters. Episodes about competition, rivalry, and miscommunication highlighted how poor planning and ego can derail a group.
It is strange to admit, but the show worked in ways I didn’t anticipate. I went in thinking it was all lowbrow humor, and in many ways, it still is. The songs are ridiculous, the jokes are often cringeworthy, and the pacing is chaotic. But the unexpected lessons it taught me made it more valuable than I would have guessed. Watching the show felt like digging through a pile of junk. Frustrating at first, but sometimes rewarding after finding a hidden treasure at the bottom.
After each new episode I watched, I found myself slowly buying into the campiness of the show. It made me wonder how much children’s media I had previously dismissed as pointless. In an unexpected way, Teen Titans Go! taught me that you can learn a lesson from almost anything, no matter how absurd or insignificant it seems AND that learning doesn’t always have to be serious, structured, or obvious. Now that my younger brother has finally graduated from Paw Patrol and Bubble Guppies, I feel confident recommending Teen Titans Go! to him, because he might just learn a thing or two along the way. A lot of the time, the lessons come wrapped in a silly song, a chaotic joke, or a ridiculous plot, but if you’re paying attention, it can stick with you longer than you think.
Chealsea is a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville in the class of 2029.