00:00Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're looking at episodes, moments, and features of children's
00:12TV that were censored for one reason or another.
00:2010.
00:21Fez Symbol – Gravity Falls
00:32Grunkle Stan wears an iconic fez, which originally had a yellow crescent symbol on the front.
00:38This is called a Shriner's Fez, and creator Alex Hirsch described the symbol as being
00:43a random amalgamation of what white dudes in the 30s thought Middle Eastern culture
00:48looked like.
00:49It was a simplified version, and wasn't supposed to have any meaning.
00:58However, about halfway through the first season, executives were worried the Shriners would
01:02take legal action.
01:10The logo was then changed, but plenty of other censorship occurred in other countries, such
01:15as the word buttfaces being altered in Southeast Asia.
01:209.
01:21Little Accidents – Pingu
01:22Pingu is an adorable stop-motion, animated 5-year-old penguin.
01:33In the episode Little Accidents, he struggles to find a bathroom after consuming too much
01:37liquid and by the time he does, the toilet ends up being too high for him.
01:41You can guess what happens next.
01:43Animated or not, the uncensored urinating was considered inappropriate for children's
01:47television and censorship measures were implemented in many places around the world.
01:59The BBC shortened the scene and it's banned from broadcast or home video, with the only
02:04exceptions being in the UK and Canada.
02:078.
02:08LGBT Sailor Moon – Sailor Moon
02:13This is a shoujo manga, detailing the adventures of Yusagi Tsukino, also known as Sailor Moon.
02:20The original media features a variety of LGBTQIA plus characters, however they were almost
02:25entirely censored in the English dub.
02:33Zoacite was originally a gay man with feminine traits, but in the dub they swapped his gender.
02:39The biggest change was Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune's relationship.
02:50They were heavily implied to be lovers in the original Japanese version, but in the
02:54international version, they retconned this entirely.
02:57Instead, they were said to be cousins as an explanation for why they were so close.
03:067.
03:13Mr. Ratburn's Marriage – Arthur
03:15Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone is an Arthur episode so controversial, it wasn't
03:27aired at all in the states of Alabama and Arkansas.
03:31This is due to its depiction of a gay wedding between Arthur's teacher Mr. Ratburn and Patrick
03:36the Chocolatier.
03:45The episode received overwhelming praise, but some less inclusive groups, such as the
03:49Protestant Fundamentalist group One Million Moms, called for it to be banned entirely.
03:54While it's an incredibly impactful moment in children's TV, we do wonder why Mr. Ratburn
03:59decided to invite an entire class of third graders to his wedding.
04:02Then again, he did teach them for 26 years or so.
04:186.
04:22The Mad Doctor – Mickey Mouse
04:24This is one of only a handful of Disney animations to enter the public domain early because Disney
04:30actually didn't care to renew its copyright.
04:32Yeah, it's that bad.
04:42We follow Mickey Mouse as he tries to rescue his dog Pluto from an evil doctor who wants
04:46to turn Pluto into a monster.
04:48Specifically, he would like to put Pluto's head onto a chicken's body so that he can
04:52see if the resulting eggs will hatch puppies.
04:58Unsurprisingly, this disturbing plot and unsettling imagery was deemed too frightening for the
05:05target audience.
05:06It's one of the most notable examples of early censorship, and the first time a Disney production
05:11was criticized for dark themes.
05:195.
05:22One Beer – Tiny Toon Adventures
05:25It's easy to see how this episode was controversial, since its storyline centers entirely around
05:30underage drinking.
05:31It begins with Plucky and Hampton spotting a beer bottle in the refrigerator, and Buster
05:36peer-pressuring them into drinking it.
05:44It was intended to highlight the negative side of alcohol, with the Tiny Toons becoming
05:48intoxicated and acting erratically.
05:51The writers probably should have stopped before the whole joyride-in-a-police-car scene, but
05:56it actually gets much worse.
06:04The episode ends with them driving off of Death Mountain and, you guessed it, literally
06:09passing away.
06:10The whole message about drinking being uncool was kind of undermined about how humorously
06:15it was portrayed, and the episode was ultimately pulled.
06:214.
06:27Panty Raid – SpongeBob SquarePants
06:30SpongeBob SquarePants has been censored many a time, but the Panty Raid episode has to
06:34be the most notable example.
06:35SpongeBob and Patrick spend the episode helping Mr. Krabs feel young again.
06:48None of their efforts work until Patrick mentions the Panty Raid, which is exactly what it sounds
06:53like.
06:54The trio breaks into a woman's home and begins ransacking her undergarments.
07:03It turns out to be Mr. Krabs' mother's home who catches them in the act.
07:07As you might expect, this episode is either censored or outright banned in most countries
07:11for its obvious overtones of harassment.
07:143.
07:16Hot Salad Water – Teen Titans Go!
07:25It makes no sense how this episode was ever greenlit, with such an absurdly offensive
07:30plot.
07:38It focuses on Robin trying to save his friends from British mind control, caused by drinking
07:43hot salad water, Robin's term for tea.
07:46Robin also recounts an extremely inaccurate history of America, and sings a song about
07:51how much better the USA is than the UK.
07:58Eventually, Robin has to fight off the Queen, who is on a mission to recolonize America.
08:05It features exaggerated British stereotypes and was predictably met with backlash.
08:11Humor around cultural differences is tricky and should generally be avoided, especially
08:15in children's TV.
08:182.
08:21The Legend of Minireyu – Pokemon This was the earliest Pokemon episode cut
08:31from the English dub, since it has loads of guns.
08:34Ash and his friends arrive at the Kanto Safari Zone, and the Safari Warden immediately pulls
08:40a gun on them.
08:41Unfortunately, the threats only increase as the episode goes on.
08:53Team Rocket is also equipped with firearms here, but the episode's worst offense has
08:57to be Meowth dressing up as Adolf Hitler.
09:00At least no viewers ended up in the hospital, unlike the episode Electric Soldier Porygon,
09:04which had intense flashing lights that hospitalized more than 600 children.
09:301.
09:31Dad Baby – Bluey This widely acclaimed program has one controversial
09:35episode about pregnancy.
09:42During their game of Dad Baby, Bandit pretends to give birth to Bingo.
09:45The episode was never aired on Disney+, and although no official reason was given, we
09:49can guess it was the depiction of childbirth that ultimately resulted in the decision.
09:53Some parents expressed concern that the storyline might lead their children to ask questions
09:57about pregnancy and birth before they felt ready to address them.
10:01However, many continue to dispute these criticisms, arguing it's harmless fun and an imaginative
10:13episode.
10:14In any case, the episode is up on the official Bluey YouTube channel, if you're interested.
10:27Did you think any of these sentences were unjustified?
10:30Let us know in the comment section.
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