Random Kids' Shows That Proved Surprisingly Controversial (14 items)

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  (#1) Teletubbies

  • Toyah Willcox, Eric Sykes, Penelope Keith, Pui Fan Lee, Rolf Saxon, Sandra Dickinson, Dave Thompson, Tim Whitnall, Simon Shelton, Nikky Smedley, Mark Heenehan, Jessica Smith, John Simmit

  The popular British TV show Teletubbies became controversial for one, big purple reason: Tinky Winky. Reverend Jerry Falwell was convinced that the creature's choice of bag, his color, and his triangular antenna - the latter two, in his words, symbolizing "gay pride" - weren't things that should be on television. "As a Christian I feel that role modeling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children," he said.

  The BBC responded: "As far as we are concerned Tinky Winky is simply a sweet, technological baby with a magic bag."
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  (#2) Bob the Builder

  • Chris Evans, Richard Briers, Greg Proops, June Whitfield, Neil Morrissey, Colin McFarlane, Rupert Degas, Lorelei King, Kate Harbour, Rob Rackstraw, Vincent Marzello, Alan Marriott, David Menkin, Emma Tate, Lachele Carl

  Parents were shocked by a scene in the 1999 Bob The Builder Christmas special, where the cheery handyman loses his cool wrestling with a sheet of wallpaper and allegedly can be heard muttering the F-word. Despite the show's makers insisting that actor Neil Morrissey kept things clean during the recording, the episode - released on VHS only - was withdrawn to be on the safe side. This statement was issued on behalf of Bob and his friends:

  We received a small number of complaints just after its release in 1999. To avoid any further confusion the decision was made to re-master the tape. He was definitely not swearing - his words were muffled because he was stuck to a piece of wallpaper at the time.
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  (#3) Sesame Street

  • Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney

  Jim Henson's other beloved puppet-based TV show has been a magnet for scandals over the years. An episode featuring Katy Perry playing dress-up with Elmo got the show into trouble when some adult viewers felt her outfit displayed too much of her womanhood.

  In response to negative feedback, producers decided to pull the segment from TV:

  In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers.
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  (#4) SpongeBob SquarePants

  • Tom Kenny, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke

  Since his debut in 1999, this humble undersea fry cook has taken a lot of heat. When SpongeBob SquarePants appeared in a 2005 video alongside other cartoon characters promoting tolerance, one conservative group interpreted it as a "pro-homosexual video" that was "potentially brainwashing kids." The Ukrainian National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality came to a similar conclusion about the show in 2012, accusing Patrick Star of being "a real threat to children." 

  In addition to pushing the "gay agenda," the cartoon has also been accused on separate occasions of furthering both liberal and conservative agendas. And in 2009, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood got riled up about a Burger King ad that remixed "Baby Got Back" to "Square Butts" in honor of SpongeBob. The advocacy group said it "objectified women."
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  (#5) Pokémon

  • Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart

  The most notorious case of the Pokemon anime getting into trouble is 1997's "Electric Soldier Porygon" episode. Red and blue flashes during one explosive scene caused hundreds of children in Japan to be hospitalized after suffering seizures, and the episode was swiftly pulled from rotation. Lesser known, however, is how many subsequent episodes of the show have been permanently or temporarily banned.

  "The Tower Of Terror," which first aired in the US in 1998, was pulled from the air until 2002 following 9/11 because of its title. The dubbed version of "Beauty And The Beach" was heavily edited because of its adult content. "The Legend of Dratini" aired in almost no other countries except Japan because Ash and the gang are held at gunpoint. "Holiday Hi-Jynx" hasn't been re-aired since 2000 because Jynx's depiction was deemed to be a negative stereotype of African-Americans, and an episode of Sun & Moon where Ash darkens his face was skipped over for similar reasons.
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  (#6) Steven Universe

  • Zach Callison, Estelle, Michaela Dietz, Deedee Magno Hall

  Steven Universe's inclusion of queer relationships has earned it a lot of praise. However, in 2016, Cartoon Network's UK branch decided to remove a scene in which two female characters share an intimate moment. Fans were quick to point out the hypocrisy in the decision, given that two characters of the opposite sex kiss in the same episode, but the network stood by its decision:

  The US broadcast system requires that shows are marked with a rating - in this case, PG (parental guidance necessary). In the UK we have to ensure everything on air is suitable for kids of any age at any time. We do feel that the slightly edited version is more comfortable for local kids and their parents... Be assured that as a channel and network we celebrate diversity - evident across many of our shows and characters.
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  (#7) Kid Nation

  • Laurel McGoff

  In 2007, rumors began to surface that Kid Nation - the CBS reality show in which a group of kids is tasked with setting up their own (relatively) adult-free community - wasn't exactly a holiday camp for those that signed up. It started with the leaking of the waivers that participants' parents had to sign, which included language absolving producers of any instances of "minor serious bodily injury, illness or death," and even, "emotional distress, illness, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and pregnancy." Bear in mind that some of these kids were as young as 8 years old.

  On-screen instances of contestants downing bleach from soda bottles while unsupervised and being labeled as "Upper Class," "Merchant Class," "Cooks," or "Laborers" like medieval villagers may have also contributed to the show's cancellation.       
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  (#8) Peppa Pig

  • John Sparkes, Morwenna Banks, Alice May

  A seemingly innocuous 2012 episode of Peppa Pig telling viewers that "spiders are very, very small and they can't hurt you" didn't go over very well in Australia. In that country, spiders come in far bigger and deadlier forms. This made Peppa's message of goodwill towards them come across as irresponsible.

  Nick Jr.'s Australian arm was initially resistant to banning the episode, stating that the friendly and cartoonish way the troublesome spider was shown meant that it "lessens any impact of scariness or danger." But after continual complaints, the network eventually bowed to the pressure and removed the episode from its rotation in the country. 
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  (#9) Doctor Who

  • Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, Bruno Langley, Noel Clarke, Karen Gillan, James Corden, Jenna Coleman, Matt Lucas, Pearl Mackie, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole

  In 2011, the Chinese government's State Administration for Radio, Film & Television released a statement disavowing any stories that "casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation."

  This meant everything from Back To The Future to the doctor in the "bigger-on-the-inside" police box was under threat of being scrubbed from Chinese screens. However, this didn't stop private companies in the country from taking an interest in Doctor Who. In 2017, the BBC began working with a major Chinese media group to bring the celebrated British show to TV channels and on-demand streaming services there.
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  (#10) Captain Pugwash

  • Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman

  A long-running urban legend about this nautical-themed show is that it was canceled because of some suggestive character names, whipping up a storm about something that never happened. It's easy to see why people got the wrong idea with names like Master Mate and Pirate Willy.

  Creator John Ryan was, according to his daughter, "traumatized" when these claims were made by British tabloids in the '70s. Inaccurate reporting of additional fake names like "Seaman Staines" and "Roger the Cabin Boy" led Ryan to sue two publications for libel. He won his suit in 1991 and donated the money to lifeboat charities. 
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  (#11) Gargoyles

  • Keith David, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Jeff Bennett

  Gargoyles is well-known for being one of Disney's darkest animated shows, but one episode pushed the envelope a little too far. In "Deadly Force," Broadway gets hold of Elisa's police-issued firearm. Feeling inspired after watching a gun-slinging Western, he accidentally shoots Elisa while play-acting and the scene ends with him staring in horror at her limp body surrounded by blood.

  The decisive topic of gun safety in the US and the graphic nature of Elisa's injury led to the episode being temporarily pulled from TV. It has since returned to air with the first re-edit removing the pool of blood and the second version using a close-up of Elisa's face, cropping out her body altogether.   
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  (#12) Tiny Toon Adventures

  • Charles Adler, John Kassir, Tress MacNeille

  Only one episode of Tiny Toon Adventures, the Looney Tunes baby-sized spin-off, has ever been banned. The problematic segment, titled, "One Beer," was part of the "Elephant Issues" episode and was created as a PSA about the dangers of drunk driving. In it, Buster convinces Hamton and Plucky to try some beer, leading to drunken shenanigans right away.

  This culminates in them taking a police car for a joyride up Death Mountain, and if the name wasn't enough of a giveaway, they ignore signs reading "Danger Road Out Ahead" and "Now Leaving Reality," and plunge to their untimely demise. Because of the subject matter, the episode was never shown again until 2013 - 22 years after its original airing in 1991. 
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  (#13) Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends

  • Mel Blanc

  A group of "Golden Era" Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies episodes got MGM into hot water in the early '90s. Originally released as a 10-volume VHS set, the collection of vintage shorts included 1944s "Bugs Nips the Nips," in which Bugs Bunny give Japanese soldiers offensive nicknames, while the soldiers themselves are depicted as negative racial stereotypes.

  It was reported in 1995 to the Japanese American Citizens League. MGM responded to criticism of the episodes' re-release, stating they'd expected "individual cartoons would be taken in the context of the time in which they were produced." The collection was withdrawn from sale.
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  (#14) 'Winnie The Pooh' Bore Too Close A Resemblance To A Chinese President

  The cute, cuddly, pants-less bear of the Hundred Acre Wood has been the target of censorship in China in 2017 since some citizens think Winnie the Pooh resembles their president. Memes comparing images of President Xi Jinping to the cartoon bear didn't go over well with the leader.

  This resulted in a Community Party crackdown on sharing any Pooh-related images. In 2018, the film Christopher Robin wasn't included on the sanctioned list of 34 international films that are allowed to be released in the country per year, suggesting there are still some issues about the honey-loving hero.  

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