Before his Netflix series OddBalls premiered and his books were published, Robert James Rallison spent all his time animating stories about his life. The Odd 1s Out YouTube channel shares Rallison's life experiences, opinions, and even the history of animation through his cartoon avatar and narrator. Rallison, who goes by James, is a relatable and engaging storyteller, transforming even mundane life events into fun and captivating stories.
Some of his most popular stories told in The Odd 1s Out are about James' time as a "Sooubway" worker. He changed the name of the store so that he wouldn't get in trouble with YouTube's community standards and avoid any lawsuits from Subway. James also shares how he got into animation and which movies and shows built his dream as an animator.
The channel can often be inspiring for kids who love art to hear about the process of making it a career. There are some jokes and references that younger kids might not fully comprehend, making this channel best suited for ages 12+.
Explaining The Odd 1s Out 12+ age rating
While it can be difficult to find ratings for YouTube channels, The Odd 1s Out does have a 12+ rating from Natterhub, a website dedicated to teaching online safety to children. They rated it this way because of some cartoon violence and jokes that younger kids may not understand. The jokes are not inappropriate, just ones that require a bit more life experience.
Sex & Nudity: There isn't any sexual content in James' videos. His animated character is a white blob, similar to the Pillsbury Doughboy, so while he is often not clothed, it doesn't show any nudity. All other characters are clothed to differentiate them from the main character.
Language: There are some soft curse words, such as "damn" and "hell," in the earlier videos, but they are used infrequently. The more recent videos are clean.
Violence & Gore: Some videos include cartoon violence, like getting punched in the face or getting smushed by a piano. There may be some animated blood in these scenes, but it is minor. Some characters might have scars or wounds as part of their design.
Alcohol & Drugs: A few videos reference alcohol or drug use, mainly when discussing other people James knew. Alcohol or drugs are given as the reason someone was acting in the way that they did. One character who appears in a few of James' "Sooubway" videos as his coworker is implied to use marijuana.
Verdict: Technically appropriate for all, but better serves older kids
Through James' stories, the audience learns lessons on life and relationships. The videos can also foster a love for animation and an interest in art classes for kids because James is so passionate about his job. Teens and adults can relate to his crazy experiences with coworkers and customers from his early days in the food industry. The animation is very well done, showing James's hard work and dedication to his craft. That said, some of the humor might land better with tweens as the youngest demographic.
Similar to shows like Spongebob Squarepants, The Odd 1s Out can technically be viewed by a wide audience, but certain references won't make sense to young children. Whether you, as the parent, deem those references as inappropriate is your prerogative, but most would agree that The Odd 1s Out is family-friendly. It just sometimes needs the understanding of being the oddball in social situations.
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