Age matters?

This study explores how age influences the perception and appreciation of humour, particularly in cartoon formats aimed at children and adults. Although humour has been extensively studied through various theoretical lenses-such as incongruity, superiority, and relief theories-its developmental aspects remain underexplored. To address this, the study examines cartoons created by the same illustrators for two Turkish magazines: Penguen (targeted at adults) and Süper Penguen (targeted at children). A total of 264 cartoons were analysed based on three dimensions: the humour mechanism identified, the character representations, and thematic elements. In addition, a survey involving 20 participants (10 adults and 10 children) was conducted to evaluate perceived funniness and target audience accuracy. Findings indicate that incongruity-based humour dominates in both magazines, and animal characters are more prevalent in children’s cartoons. Notably, 48% of adults and only 34% of children correctly identified child-targeted cartoons, while some children’s cartoons received the highest funniness ratings from adults. These results challenge assumptions about “childish” humour and suggest that age is not a reliable predictor of humour appreciation. We argue that cartoons operate within a visual and symbolic language that transcends age when freed from content-based biases. By examining both textual elements and audience reception, this study contributes to humour research by demonstrating how shared cultural codes and cognitive development intersect in comedic perception across generations. At the same time, the study should be regarded as exploratory, given the small and homogeneous sample size, and its findings interpreted as indicative trends rather than generalisable results. Nevertheless, by comparing cartoons created by the same illustrators for different audiences, the study offers a novel contribution. These insights also connect to current debates on the social and educational functions of humour, underlining its potential to transcend generational boundaries.