While I like the show (and the thought of a mother protecting her son as show in "The Accordion Lesson" is one to grow on), the very thought of stealing toys from even cousins isn't a message to grow on (that I can agree with you on, if anything). Neither is the thought of even cousins forcing one of their own to play with their things ("A Doll's House") nor irking their loved ones (also "A Doll's House") nor constant cruelty to someone you don't like, even at school (if any act by Conrad and Vernon is anything to come by) nor parents ignoring their young one, even at the risk of getting married to someone a bit too stalkerish and sounding too old for them ("Until Undeath Do Us Apart") nor acting like someone with murderous, malicious intentions is a family member when it's clear as day they want someone in their family to be gone ("Robot Ned") nor letting someone arrest you, then give you a unfair trial for having someone else's report card by mistake nor having parents be disappointed in you for being under arrest for petty reasons or force you to not wear glasses when you need them just for failing a test ("Bad Report Card") nor having pigs (the source of food we eat) telling you off and telling you to "play nice like the other food groups" and still planning to eat you (while yes, chicken and corn are healthy, a hot dog is bad for your body) ("Canadian Bacon") while having one dream letting sapient produce try to devour you or worse, getting shaken by a cowboy (while cowboys did eat meat, they also eat beans, coffee and dried fruit according to Google; had to look it up) ("Steamed Vegetables") or have a family ignore you while something is getting out of hand at home while planes are trying to shoot it ("House of Games") or win against someone else and still have your own teeth pulled out ("Tooth or Consequences") nor having your own school turn against you for something beyond your control and bullies exploiting you for laughs ("Dapper Dan") nor being more concerned about a free mint than a loved one's sanity and safety or driving them insane ("Along for the Ride") nor riding along with someone you don't know, even on a amusement park's ride ("Show Me the Infidel") nor acting like turning into a girl can make them more evil and controlling ("Girl Trouble") nor have your own loved ones go after your head in a large trout's body ("Willie Trout") nor have a dentist put you inside your own mouth and getting rubbed by taste buds ("The Dentist") nor having a doctor ditch you after a medical operation is done as any sane doctor would at least put their patient back together after a procedure ("Lucky Abe") nor having trashed for different interests ("Monster Ned") nor playing pranks on someone else back as revenge or having parents mistake you for a vermin or stranger and kick you out without even recognizing them ("Ned's Life as a Dog") nor disappearing from your parents' sight ("Abduction") nor having your head chopped off by neglectful, mean camp counselors who only exist to give everyone the creeps ("Headless Lester") nor having a crush on someone against their will and making sure they had have a miserable life ("My How You've Grown") nor ignoring one's son to date a evil queen and having ants crush your feelings ("Ants") nor being told by cranky bus drivers to sit with almost identical crabby small kids ("Magic Bus") nor let someone with little knowledge and wanting to test you in the worst way possible and having parents embarass you on purpose and use you for target practice ("Testing....Testing...."). And what's indeed more toxic is the thought of telling someone to act "like a man". What if there are other people who don't want to act masculine? I wonder if such messages are what made Nightmare Ned get the boot....at least Gravity Falls doesn't make its protagonists feel bad and torment them 24/7 while giving the win to various villains. It's why I set off to make sure that Nightmare Ned gets resurrected as my dream project The Imagination of Nick, Eduard and Buddy (if I do time-travel) if I get the Shakespeares' permission and enlist McCracken, Tartakovsky and Renzetti's help, that is. And while I don't respect Russia's recent assault on Ukraine and a certain president behind it, at least I don't aim to give my OC Eduard stereotypical Russian traits. And I plan to give his adoptive parents (who share the same voice actors as Ned's own actors) more positive qualities beyond just loving parents. I'm not ungrateful, but with my own dream project, I don't want to alienate whatever audience I have in mind with confusing messages.
"Uh excuse me my good man. Was it my eyes playing tricks on me, or did you just come out of the girls room?" His voice is awesome. Reminds me of Skeet from Jimmy Neutron.
This episode would have been wonderful to see as a kid for many. However, I understand why the show failed. Ned feels haughty and too shouty. Also the first glance made me think of so many other shows like Arthur.
