Cartoons are a cornerstone of any memorable childhood and even younger maturity, many people being molded by the reveals we consumed in our childhood. Whether or not it was geared completely for teenagers or not, the world of animation can have an immense impression on individuals. Which means that cartoons, very similar to some other type of media, can fire up a slew of various feelings, each constructive and unfavorable. These are only a few notable examples of cartoons that, for one cause or one other, garnered real-life controversy.
10. The Simpsons – Apu Controversy (2017)
The Simpsons have by no means been strangers to controversy, usually bearing on political and social topics that sparked some intense reactions. Nevertheless, their largest controversy arrived in 2017, sparked by a documentary spearheaded by comic Hari Kondabolu. The Hassle with Apu, written by Kondabolu and directed by Michael Melamedoff, presents the argument that Apu has harm the notion of Indian individuals inside popular culture.
Kondabolu maintained that whereas the character is kind of humorous and likable, he perpetuates dangerous stereotypes and has impressed racially motivated bullying. His largest demerit towards the character had so much to do along with his voice actor, Hank Azaria, a Sephardic Jewish man. The documentary even goes so far as to explain Azaria’s efficiency as a type of brownface, an offensive observe utilized by 1900s minstrel reveals in the US.
Following the documentary’s launch, the backlash towards Apu reached a fever pitch, resulting in the character being quietly retired. Whereas the character nonetheless seems within the background with the remainder of Springfield’s silent denizens, he not receives any devoted consideration. This additionally resulted in the remainder of Springfield’s individuals of coloration – like Carl Carlson and Dr. Hibbert – being recast with African American voice actors. The present referenced the debacle within the Season 29 episode, No Good Learn Goes Unpunished. A dialogue between Marge and Lisa relating to a fictitious e book’s problematic content material finally switches to a fourth wall-break reference to Apu’s erasure.
9. South Park – Muhammad Depiction (2001)
Because it arrived within the Nineteen Nineties, South Park and controversy have gone collectively like peanut butter and chocolate. Merely put, within the eyes of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, nothing is off limits, with all the things from faith to HIV to abortion to social justice receiving a comedic dissection in some unspecified time in the future.
One of many present’s largest controversies occurred throughout its fifth season again in 2001, particularly within the Tremendous Finest Mates episode from season 5. The episode sees the boys take care of a brand new cult often called Blaintology, run by real-life magician David Blaine. The state of affairs leads Stan to show to Jesus Christ for assist who, needing help, brings within the Tremendous Finest Mates for assist. The tremendous staff is a Justice League-style tremendous staff comprised of Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Laozi, and a humorous parody of Aquaman often called Sea Man. Nevertheless, amongst the ensemble can be Muhammad the prophet of the Muslim religion, who’s given fireplace powers for comedic impact.
A number of years after this episode’s airdate, the response to depictions of Muhammad solely elevated in depth, leading to immense pushback towards South Park and its creators. The present opted to deal with this pushback in future episodes, first poking enjoyable at it within the two-part Cartoon Wars episode of their tenth season. There have been additionally the present’s two hundredth and 201st episodes wherein a censored Muhammad performed a serious function throughout each episodes’ occasions.
8. Household Man – Down Syndrome Joke (2010)
Whether or not you find it irresistible dearly or just can’t stand it, there isn’t any denying the pop-cultural impression of Household Man. The brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, impressed by the likes of The Simpsons and different sitcoms, has left a mark on our collective consciousness. From its irreverent humor to its outlandish cutaway gags, the present has established its identification and struck a chord with hundreds of thousands.
Nevertheless, any present that’s rolled the cube as a lot as Household Man has, is finally going to tick off the improper individuals. Living proof, the controversy that was sparked by a one-off character featured within the season 8 episode titled Additional Massive Medium. Within the episode’s b-plot, Chris scores a date along with his crush, a woman from his college named Ellen. As we finally be taught, Ellen has Down Syndrome which the present takes many jabs at throughout Stewie’s efficiency of a tune titled Down Syndrome Lady.
This alone could be seen negatively however issues have been compounded when Ellen notes that her mom is the previous Governor of Alaska, a not-so-subtle jab at Sarah Palin. Evidently, Palin and her household weren’t thrilled after seeing this animated mockery in prime time. Palin’s daughter Bristol even took to Fb to criticize the episode’s remedy of the genetic dysfunction as her brother, Trig, has Down Syndrome. Whereas the results on the present itself have been minimal, it does go to point out what can occur while you offend somebody in a really public and highly effective place.
7. The Boondocks – BET Criticism (2006)
In relation to having your finger on the heart beat, The Boondocks by no means failed to make use of its biting satire to deal with a number of social and political matters. Aaron McGruder’s collection struck a chord with many, whether or not it was throughout its days as a syndicated sketch or its four-season run on Cartoon Community’s Grownup Swim block. From critiquing stables of black tradition like rap music and soul meals to even tackling Barack Obama’s rise to prominence within the late 2000s, there was little The Boondocks wouldn’t cowl.
Nevertheless, one in every of their extra controversial outings was when McGruder and his staff opted to deal with Black Leisure Tv, AKA BET. Even way back to the collection’ unaired pilot episode, the community was a goal of ridicule, criticized for its perpetuation of dangerous black stereotypes. Within the episode The Uncle Ruckus Actuality Present, BET is proven to be run on the behest of a cartoonishly evil villain seeking to make the black inhabitants dumber. Nowhere is that this higher illustrated than when BET gives a actuality present to Uncle Ruckus, the collection’ resident Uncle Tom. The entire episode is a scathing but hysterical takedown of the community, resulting in real-life pushback from these inside BET. A lot in order that this episode, in addition to one other season 2 episode, The Starvation Strike, weren’t aired on Grownup Swim.
6. SpongeBob SquarePants – SpongeBob as a ‘Homosexual Icon’ (2020)
Few fashionable cartoons have had a cultural impression on the identical stage as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. Constructed simply as a lot for adults because it was for younger children, the present has been a mainstay of kids’s programming because it arrived in 1999. Nevertheless, for a cartoon that’s attained acclaim as widespread as potential, it’s to be anticipated it might garner some controversy in some unspecified time in the future.
The Krusty Krab’s resident fry cook dinner received thrust right into a socio-political highlight again in 2020 when Nickelodeon was working a marketing campaign for that 12 months’s Delight Month. The social media marketing campaign showcased varied characters from throughout the community’s programming who have been part of the LGBTQ+ group. This included the likes of Korra from The Legend of Korra who was confirmed to be a lesbian within the collection finale. Nevertheless, this rainbow-adorned lineup additionally included SpongeBob, inflicting ample confusion amongst on-line commentators who noticed this as affirmation of his sexuality.
SpongeBob’s sexual orientation has been the topic of humor and dialogue on-line for years, usually citing sometimes flirty interactions along with his neighbor Squidward. Because the marketing campaign obtained retweets and feedback by the hundreds, many mainstream information sources have been fast to choose up the story. Quickly sufficient the web discourse surrounding everybody’s favourite yellow sponge turned ugly, with numerous bigoted commentators lambasting the choice on-line.
5. The Powerpuff Women: “See Me, Really feel Me, Gnomey” (2002)
Regardless of its sugary exterior, Craig McCracken’s The Powerpuff Women was one of many extra subversive and inventive cartoons to emerge from the late ’90s. Balancing kid-friendly designs with ugly, and regularly bodily, violence, the collection shortly gained an impressively widespread attraction to each girls and boys. This eclectic mix of coronary heart, allure, and brutal violence turned the present right into a merchandising juggernaut, producing numerous toys, t-shirts, and even an airplane courtesy of Delta Airways again in 2000.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply that the Powerpuff Women weren’t protected from controversy, someway managing to have one in every of their episodes banned from tv. See Me, Really feel Me, Gnomey, the 18th episode of the fifth season, was a relatively distinctive episode, telling its story largely via the usage of rock opera-style songs. The episode sees Blossom, Butters, and Bubblecup overwhelmed by the villains of Townsville and searching for a strategy to deliver harmonious peace to all. This results in a singing Gnome, voiced by Jess Harnell, granting the lady’s want in change for them giving up their superpowers. The Gnome quickly has Townsville underneath his spell, certainly promising the women their desired peaceable existence but in addition robbing everybody of their free will
These concepts of cults, free will-versus-harmony, and even the episode’s religious-leaning imagery led to the episode being banned in the US and different international locations as properly.
4. Pokemon – Epilepsy Incident (1997)
Within the Nineteen Nineties, few franchises blew the lid off popular culture fairly like Pokémon, making a phenomenon that’s lasted til as we speak and continues to be going robust. From the unique video video games to the buying and selling card sport to the manga to the assorted animated reveals and films, there are few mediums Pokémon hasn’t touched.
Nevertheless, there was a time when Pokémon’s future on American airwaves was almost unsure, all because of one episode. Electrical Soldier Porygon noticed Ash and the gang sucked into our on-line world to take care of one in every of Crew Rocket’s evil schemes. This journey groups the gang up with a digital Pokemon named Porygon who helps them traverse the digital world. Alongside the best way, their escapades result in an explosion which causes a frantic strobe impact that lasts for an prolonged few seconds. This strobe impact, upon the episode’s authentic airdate again in December 1997, ended up inflicting over 600 of the present’s younger viewers to expertise seizures.
This resulted in a slew of hospitalizations and a tidal wave of unhealthy press for the Pokemon model itself. The incident resulted within the anime collection occurring hiatus for 4 months and the episode itself being yanked from public circulation for years.
3. Rick and Morty – McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce Riots (2017)
Fandoms actually are the perfect of occasions and the worst of occasions, no matter no matter its inhabitants are obsessive about, be it a e book collection or a long-running anime. Nevertheless, if one have been to hunt out a first-rate instance of a fandom that fully misplaced the plot, you’d should look no additional than Rick & Morty. The irreverent and visually distinctive animated collection, created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, struck a chord with Grownup Swim followers after its debut in 2013. With its blunt humorousness and memorable characters, the present shortly took on a lifetime of its personal, for higher and for worse.
The worst arrived initially of the present’s third season when Rick referenced a discontinued McDonald’s dipping condiment often called Szechuan Sauce. Made as a tie-in for the Disney film Mulan, the sauce was solely round for a quick time earlier than becoming a member of the likes of the McDLT and Arch Deluxe in quick meals obscurity. Nevertheless, following the reference, followers of the present took to the interwebs to demand McDonald’s deliver again the sauce. In a shocking twist, McDonald’s granted followers’ needs, bringing again Szechuan sauce, albeit in restricted amount, in late 2017.
Nevertheless, it appears McDonald’s didn’t fairly anticipate simply how fashionable the sauce’s resurgence could be, resulting in a slew of upset followers who found the sauce had already offered out. This led to fights, outbursts, and clips of socially oblivious followers going viral, turning Rick & Morty followers into in a single day pariahs.
2. Arthur – Identical-Intercourse Marriage Episode (2019)
As youngsters’s animation has advanced, the varieties of matters and topic issues deemed applicable to speak about have advanced as needed. This implies extra reveals keen to dedicate episodes to the likes of race, drug use, psychological well being points, and even sexuality as properly. It’s an essential endeavor to reveal youngsters to evolving norms and ensure they’ve all the knowledge they should kind their views.
Nevertheless, regardless of how far society could come, there’ll at all times be individuals who see the dialogue of sexual minorities as offensive or dangerous. A chief instance of those unlucky backlashes happened in 2019 when the long-running Arthur animated collection tackled homosexual marriage. The episode sees Arthur’s instructor, Mr. Ratburn tie the knot with Patrick, an area chocolatier who works within the neighborhood. The entire thing may be very humorous and charming, showcasing a stunning portrayal of a same-sex couple that younger children can perceive.
Sadly, the episode was not with out its detractors, with two PBS associates in Alabama and Arkansas opting to not air the episode in any respect. Moreover, a fundamentalist group, One Million Mothers, began a petition that garnered no less than 13,000 signatures calling for the episode to be faraway from additional airings which it by no means was.
1. Beavis & Butthead – Hyperlink to actual deaths (Nineteen Nineties)
Within the Nineteen Nineties, grownup animation was within the midst of a real increase interval, particularly within the wake of reveals like The Simpsons. Throughout tv, the panorama was quickly awash with numerous collection seeking to push the envelope by way of type and humor. Nowhere is that this revolution higher exemplified than via the escapades of Mike Decide’s Beavis & Butthead. The cornerstone of MTV’s Liquid Tv block definitely left a large mark on many with the buffoonish duo shortly becking mascots of the last decade. Nevertheless, because the collection’ presence on prime-time tv grew, so did their attain and, in flip, the quantity of impressionable eyes watching them.
Most infamously, the present was marked as the reason for an unlucky real-life loss of life that occurred in 1993. Austin Messner, a 5-year-old boy dwelling in Moraine, Ohio, set fireplace to his household’s cell house which claimed the lifetime of his youthful sister, Jessica. Austin’s mom later claimed he was impressed to do that after watching Beavis and Butthead taking part in with fireplace in a then-recent episode. This led to any fireplace imagery being lower from episodes and the present itself being slapped with a disclaimer, in addition to being bumped to a late-night time slot.
In a while, nonetheless, it was revealed that the household’s cell house didn’t even have cable, thus making the mom’s declare extremely doubtful. Over 30 years later, the entire incident nonetheless stands out as probably the most noteworthy occasion of a cartoon sparking real-life controversy.
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