Symbolism/Metaphor Theory
There's a lot of theories out there about children's shows, like the Angelica Pickles is a schizophrenic theory, so I thought I'd make one of mine own. The show: Cow and Chicken (1995, 1997-1999)
Cow and Chicken (and their parents):
In a world where most people are humans, Cow and Chicken are depicted as an actual cow and a chicken, something that none of the other humans ever seem to wonder about. Even the theme song's lyrics contain, "Momma had a chicken, Momma had a cow! Dad was proud. He didn't care how." to show us how accepted both characters feel in their society, which has led me to believe their representation as animals is only symbolic and they are actually human children.
In the episode "Buffalo Gals"", a motorcycle team comprised of women who are obvious lesbian stereotypes state about the character Chicken, "Chicken?! We hate chicken!" because of the way that can mean male genitalia. In that instance, Chicken is seen as only a body part.
Maybe, Chicken only sees himself as male genitalia because someone molested him and because of the gender roles enforced by his parents.He is also small and thin, while his sister is depicted as overly fed, despite both of them being fed the same portions. So she may just consider herself fat.
His dad is always in pants and brown shoes a man would wear to an office, styled like it's the 50s, and talks about activities that "bring out the man in him", while actually being quite cowardly, like in the "Buffalo Gals" episode when he begs the mom to not let the Buffalo Gals get him and, according to the Cow and Chicken Wikipedia, he sometimes refers to himself as a woman and once advised, "Start your day off like a man, just like Momma!" He also stated his mother passed along a clock to him that he said was passed down to all the girls in his family which he then gave to Cow. So, despite his effort to be seen as manly, we can see that he feels inadequate at times, partially because his mother (and, possibly, father) never viewed him as a real man, since he couldn't fit society's gender constraints.
Also, as suggested by the lyrics from the theme song, the mother had to get Cow and Chicken from different means other than their father. Maybe a sperm bank? The kids seem to think their dad is fine with this, however maybe being sterile had made him feel like less of a man, although he loved his children.
The mom is also depicted in 50s clothes, like a housewife; a gender constraint that may have affected her daughter. The mom is even thought of as stronger by the dad, but, to fit gender constraints, she poses as a living doll, a "perfect" house wife. Cow, like many other girls, may see herself as a cow, because she thinks she is fat. She also may feel that she cannot fit gender expectations and that she is an outsider, like when she was so willing to join the Buffalo Gals. She almost may see herself as cow, because both cows and women can make milk, and she was molested when someone grabbed her breast, as crude as that comparison is.
Maybe, the parents, just as hurt by families who emotionally abused them with the idea of gender roles, turned to drugs or alcohol to cope, which would explain why they are seen only as halves. They aren't completely there for their kids. They are also seen at a kid's eye level.
The Red Guy (or Red Guys): The Red guy may be multiple people, since sometimes different Red Guys are seen as working together or existing. He looks like our western perception of the devil and even was in the unaired pilot. Maybe, this is a representation of how he or multiple adults, always authority figures children are supposed to be able to trust, can be harmful to children.
Something of concern is that, like in the episode "101 Uses For Cow And Chicken" he shows signs of being stereotypically gay, like when he buys women's clothes. However, this may mean he is dangerous like real world homophobes who have so much self hatred they try to "change" other lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. In the "Buffalo Gals" episode he is depicted as a scout leader, reminiscent of the Boy Scout, a still currently homophobic institution.
Since he may be multiple people or just multiple ideas of human demons children may face, he may be a representation of pedophilia or a pedophile who has already touched the kids and someone or something they can never escape. In the same episode I just talked about, he sees a price tag on Chicken's bottom and is happy to buy him and Cow, who also has a price tag on her bottom.
Analysis of the last two episodes:
The Cow And Chicken Blues: Something I noticed in Cow and Chicken is that they don't meet a lot of non-white people in their all white environment. This may go along with the fifties gender roles the parents try to enforce. Their world is racist and they are cut off from learning nonwhite people and other minorities can be good unless they choose to venture off into the world themselves.
In this episode they meet up with B.B. King, a black man. He is viewed as this mysterious figure, but turns out to be helpful to the children. He sings a song, reveals the Red Guy is bad and points out he doesn't wear pants, and even has the help of a stereotypically gay alligator (possibly symbolic of the way society doesn't trust people who are gay). This might just be a metaphor that two officers, one black and the other gay and of any race, finally catch the Red Guy, a pedophile, and finally set Cow and Chicken free.
The Ballad of Cow and Chicken: In this episode their teacher sings about them as if they are bad, but we get to see that they are good. Their friends worry about them, while their teacher, someone who should have protected them, blames them.
Cow and Chicken are noticeably absent at their school, perhaps because, staying with my officers theory, they have been taken away from their unfit parents and given a foster home. Their teacher is actually saying that she thinks Cow and Chicken are liars, like some teachers unfortunately might, and that is why everyone in the auditorium walks out angrily.
In the end, the Red Guy is seen seated in the audience, as a symbol of danger still present to the rest of the students she will fail to protect.
Also, in the cartoon that plays in her song, a lamb is seen helping Cow and Chicken and defeating the Red Guy. Jesus does say, in Matthew 18:6 (New Revised Standard Version), “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea." Also, Jesus is referred to as the "Lamb of God" in John 1:29, Revelation 6:16, Revelation 12:11, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 21:27, Revelation 22:3.