From controversial episodes to unexpected content, kids' shows have faced their fair share of censorship. Join us as we explore the most notable instances where children's television crossed the line, leading to altered scenes, pulled episodes, and even outright bans in some countries.
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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.