when i was a kid, it was so normal for characters in kids' media to be captured or kidnapped that i included it as a pirmary concern in my hypothetical presidential campaign in 2nd grade. along with that came a unique phenomenon: the ï wanna go home" song, where characters will bemoan their current situation while trapped in a cage.
nowadays it feels like adults are more present in storytelling for children than they were before. the most popular kids' franchises, from pre-K shows like Bluey to ones geared to older teens like Hilda, now feature the parents as a close part of the action. characters are getting kidnapped and captured less than ever. maybe that's good? maybe that's bad? i'm not sure. i just wanted to use this webpage to collect and document examples of something that used to be incredibly pervasive, and is now kinda rare.
significant examples