Ok, this has been something I have been noticing over a period of time, but ha just now come to recently make me wonder, and laugh:
You know Fosters home for Imaginary friends? Well, there is an episode where bloo and Mac get stuck on the roof, ok? (I used to watch, dont make fun of me XP) Well, they can't get down, so bloo decides they will rappel down. THey are thinking then bloo says, "I know, SHEETS"
Now, this would not be condsidered anything, except Mac then says, "BLOO!?!" In disgust.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Interesting, because this is on cartoon network.
What was he trying to mean? You fill in the obvious blank.
Now, this is what caused me to make this post.
Monster house, a PG movie for kids, right?
A couple of days ago, or a week or something, they showed this movie on Cartoon network. There's a scene in the movie where they all go into the Monster house, and then Chowder, the fat kid, shoots the ball little thing, and a scene breaks out.
Afterwords, he says "I thought if i shot the heart it would die" The chick says "That wasn't the heart" Well what was it then he says? "Well if thats the tongue, and that's the throat, then that must be the Uvula, it controls the gag reflex"
"Oh, so it's a girl house."
That last line was cut out of cartoon network.
Why?
Deepthroat.
That is the only solution i can come down to, because, well, everyone has a gag reflex.
So what, they think kids would get the wrong idea? Because kids really know of deepthroat….
Actually, i didnt see it as this until it was cut out of Cartoon network.
This insinuates that's what they were talking about.
Deepthroat.
Say it to yourself over and over again, because that being cut out is what this hits me as.
Is this really why they cut it out?
And talk about hidden messages you see in kid shows as well.
I have no problem with any of this, i actually find it quite hilarious, but with all the mom's bitching out there, it's funny that things like this get away with it……and it is awesome.
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Comic Talk and General Discussion *
Hidden messages in kid related things
Some "kids" cartoons are made to appeal to older people too. Those are really good shows when done well. Not just silly or vulgar innuendo but jokes that only apply to people with grown up life experiences.
Off the top of my head, some of the "kids" cartoons that include grown up humor are Fairly Oddparents, SpongeBob, Rugrats, Billy and Mandy. There are more, of course; many of the most successful kids' shows are like that. Take a look at them sometime. Not just "grown up potty humor" but references to classical literature or working a 9 to 5 or all the other things that are included which adults will appreciate but will fly over the heads of most of the children who are the shows' supposed target audience.
(The vulva is technically the whole section between a woman's legs. The external genital organs. – Cartoon Network is weird though. They censor some movie trailers too. I can almost see why sometimes, but most of it is just silly, like changing the color of blood or even removing the word "kill" from a line.)
oh no usedbooks! I was going to make a joke about an old, old wooden ship! then you went and told em what a vulva is. and as for this, animation widens it's audience by appealing to a more adult audience aswell, check out all the cultural references in "the magic roundabout" (original series).
Here's plenty of naughty jokes that got passed the censoring board.
There's also allot of loony toons that are banned from being shown today or are aired, heavily edited because they dwell into topics or use jokes that are considered bad for you. True some of them are racist but there's a sex joke there and here.
I love how they always use the word fanny in american cartoons which means something very different in England.Actually, the u.S.A. was the only place in the world where "fanny" meant arse. :)
All other English speaking places had the old meaning- vagina. ;)
It's funny the way words are and can be used. It used to be that because "ass" didn't really mean anything but "donkey" outside of the U.S. it could be happily used any any way, in any form, in entertainment for the youngest children to make any sort of joke you wanted with it. That was since changed…
———————
Speaking of silly hidden jokes; A P.G. Wodehouse Jeeves story (Joy in the morning I think it was), has a massive sexual innuendo as central joke… I'll use spoiler tags.
[spoiler]One of the plots the story revolves around is that one of Bertie Wooster's uncles wants to get an important deal going between his shipping company and that of an American bussinessman.
Berti's uncle's shipping company is called "the Pink funnel line", the American's is called "the clam line". The objective is to merge the Pink Funnel line with the Clam Line…
Later on the deal is done at a fancy dress party, the American goes as Sinbad or something and Bertie expects to see a very hairy "bearded Clam", but is a little disappointed when his beard is a bit wimpy.[/spoiler]
None of that was just hinted at once, it's quite liberal in the text. I never expected that sort of thing Frim P.G. Wodehouse, but it's funny to see it there :)
I love how they always use the word fanny in american cartoons which means something very different in England.Actually, the u.S.A. was the only place in the world where "fanny" meant arse. :)
All other English speaking places had the old meaning- vagina. ;)
It means arse in Canada too. I always snicker when people say something about a fanny-pack, though.
Here's plenty of naughty jokes that got passed the censoring board.
There's also allot of loony toons that are banned from being shown today or are aired, heavily edited because they dwell into topics or use jokes that are considered bad for you. True some of them are racist but there's a sex joke there and here.
"I found Prince"
"No, fingerprints"
"… I don't think so"
"Do you know how to congugate?"
"Me? I've never even kissed a girl"
"Give me the bird"
"I'd love to, but the censors won't let me"
I remember watching that show and never catching any of that. Now this has renewed my love. I'm gonna go see if I can buy some DVDs of it.
Getting back on topic, I remember this old Bugs Bunny cartoon that wasn't rude in a sexual sense, but it was pretty bad. They had this black version of Elma Fudd with really oversized lips, a stupid face and a voice that was really drawn out, like he was trying to remember how to pronounce each word. They had Bugs distracting him with water melon, holding up a sign saying 'Not a rabbit' and the guy would believe it really wasn't Bugs, etc.
As for adult humour, any one remember the second Shrek movie? Pinnochio cross dressing, Puss being caught with a suspicious bag, Shrek and Fiona making a few risque hints at the beginning.
And if you look back at the old episodes of the Simpsons when it was seen as a kids cartoon… I mean today, they aren't even subtle about it, they just come right out and say it.
In Animanics (and previously Tiny Toons) Warner Brothers had gone back to the old Loony Tunes innuendoes and updated them.
There were as many jokes about popular culture in the old Looney Tunes that are just lost these days and that inspired the less subtle Simpsons and Family Guy
How many kids got that Brain was supposed to be Orson Wells even down to an episode being a tribute of one of his films? (Really hits home when the voice actor who did the voice of Brain does the voice of Orson Wells in Ed Wood ) How about the episode of Pinky and the Brain when they have a third mouse named Larry? (with the curly hair of Larry Fine from the Three Stooges and this was when the Three Stooges had vanished from TV)
References to Asians, Germans were done during the WWII Loony Tunes that are sidesplitting in retrospect as long as they are understood in the context of their times when such ethnic humor was a bit more acceptable. Like Elmer Fudd as Goering when Bugs tunnels into Germany? (He made that wrong turn at Alberque again)
And MGM cartoons were just as bad. Red Hot Riding Hood? The character of the wolf who was a slobbering rake of very female characters that were saluted (slutted?) as Jessica Rabbit in Who Shot Roger Rabbit? and Hello Nurse in Animaniacs.
In the past few years Warner Brothers has included the original accompanying Looney Tunes cartoons with the DVD releases of the movies so you finally see them in context. Then the inclusion of Carrotblanca on the re-release of Casablanca… (as well as the original accompanying cartoon where Bugs Bunny sings "When time goes by" As a kid I never got that until I saw that it was the cartoon that accompanied Casablanca in theaters.)
Humphrey Bogart showing up repeatedly and asking Bugs Bunny for a dollar for a fellow American? I never knew it was a reference to Treasure of the Sierra Madre until I saw the DVD release and that it was the accompanying cartoon in the theaters!
Old Looney Tunes were designed for an adult audience. They were shown before movies (and as it appears some were made for specific movies) and quite often referenced them. While I didn't get everything, I did get quite a lot as we had the combo of Cartoon Network/TNT transmitted all over Europe in the mid 90s (you could even turn on subtitles in couple different languages before they started making local language versions with dubbing). So, CN was showing all these Looney Tunes, including a whole bunch that can be seen as racist these days… and then at nights you had mostly old cinema. I think Logan's Run was one of the newer SF movie to be ever shown there, haha. Mostly stuff up to 70s, but usually earlier things.
Soo, I got a lot of references… but not particularly the ones you mentioned :D
Apparently WB does dvd boxsets for collectors of that stuff with original unedited episodes (with a pre-commentary on the context of some of the more controversial bits, including Whoopi Goldberg on one of the sets). Which I'd like to pick up someday (except I don't buy dvds that don't come in a region that I can play easily here), would be nice to have that stuff on the shelves :D
I don't know if I'd call these innuendo jokes "messages" per se, since they aren't intended to actually say anything other than make jokes that adults that are stuck watching the cartoons with their kids can get (and hopefully the jokes go over their kid's heads, and if they don't there's a problem!) I actually like finding these jokes in things, it takes a subtle wit to do something like that to get past the censors. I hate when a good joke is bowdlerized to death. There's worse things to worry about than a cheeky joke once in a while!
And quite frankly, as an immature adult, I'm more insulted by the over-sanitization of cartoons/kid's programs on these days compared to the stuff I grew up with. Like labeling classic Sesame Street as "adult"?! What, because it's cleverly written?! Because the Cookie monster lives up to his name? Because that Grover-wannabe twit Elmo isn't in them? Seriously, when I see the warning:
"These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today" I can't decide whether to laugh or cry!
Of course, as typical sometimes things aren't intended to be dirty but "watchdogs" and "moral guardians" will take things way out of context, and some things these people say seem to belie some interesting Freudian notions in their claims. Like, no one saw it or interpreted it that way until you put it that way, who's the real pervert, eh?
I know folks like to give Disney a bad rap for things like that and it usually turns out it's something innocent as say, someone's KNEE and not a "boner" (as in the scene from "The Little Mermaid", it's the dude's legs) and ignore more galling things like the entirety of the "Lion King" being a rip-off of Tezuka's "Jungle King Leo"
But I like little subtle jokes, sometimes it's a nice treat when you catch them. I loved the double entendre's in "Wallace & Gromit and the Curse of the Wererabbit", that's part of what made the humor so darn clever, and because people assume these things are "kids stuff" that's why they get in such a huff over it. In the end that's what it comes down to though, the idea that only kids are supposed to enjoy things that are animated and adults are only supposed to enjoy only trashy, darker/edgy stuff with blatant sex and crude humor. Just because I'm "mature" enough to view this stuff doesn't mean I want it thrust in my face, you know. Heh. That came out wrong…
DMH, are you talking about the cartoon "All this and Rabbit Stew?" I am in no way defending Tex's directorial choice to make the character such an offending racial caricature as for the way the character looks, but it's not as offensive as you're recalling it as far as stereotypes go (there's no watermelons like you mentioned but there is use of a sign that says "fake" on one of the rabbit holes: but it fools bullets, not the hunter; the worst of it is the gambling at the end, really.) it's got nothing on MGM's unflattering depictions.
Seriously, I saw one of the theatrical cartoon reels on the DVD for the Marx Brother's "A Day at the Races" that depicted a very obnoxious "black horse" and my jaw nearly hit the floor.
At any rate, it's a typical Tex Avery cartoon with a dull-witted human, being outwitted by a silly woodland creature, and I think the only reason that it is of particular note in regards to racism is because the human character is visually depicted in the same manner as Vaudeville blackface; which was typical of animation in this era where Vaudeville performances were still popular. It's nothing to be proud of to be sure, but I do wonder if it's fair that you can't have stupid human characters unless they are white, as I've seen it PEOPLE can be stupid and it has nothing to do with the shade of their flesh. I don't think that acting like any one race is infallible in its entirety is really helpful either.
It's really the lack of positive representations in this era that makes these things stand out though, though I think we're slooowly making progress on that front. (Though it is disappointing that the "mighty-whitey" trope is still going strong, and people of certain races excusing their perpetuation of said stereotypes by saying they're allowed to because they belong to that race, which I think is not helping the situation)
Just to be clear though I agree it was in poor taste, it's just not as extreme as you stated, when "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips" is far worse in comparison. (it was war propaganda, after all)
bravo1102: I got those jokes when I was younger, particularly the Orson Welles jokes and the Humphrey Bogart caricatures…probably because I watched a LOT of TV back then though. However, I must say Carrotblanca was a huge disappointment for me since it didn't contain a single original joke in the entire thing and just seemed like an excuse to cram all the characters into one cartoon. It was like "Remember when you laughed at this joke? Here it is again with cleaner animation!" At least that Mary-Sue abomination Lola Bunny wasn't in it, it was nice to see Penelope/Fabrette in a larger role, it's just a shame they didn't do anything really new with her. Plus the animation timing was too spastic for my tastes, I don't recall Bugs being so darn hyper…whatever happened to pacing?!
I wish they felt a little more confident with new material instead of rehashing all the jokes that've been done to death before. By new material though, I mean not Loonatics Unleashed, that makes my eyes cry blood! Or saccharine crap like Baby Looney Tunes…horrible, horrible stuff. Anyway, Looney Tunes weren't intended for kids anyway and it really disappoints me that people feel the need to revise them to appeal to kids…I miss the shows they ran on Cartoon Network that featured certain directors and showed the classics and a little bit of trivia about them. I've got a few old VHS tapes with Looney Tunes on them and when the rare chance comes that I see them on TV, I can tell where they did the chop jobs on them. Whatta shame.
References to Asians, Germans were done during the WWII Loony Tunes that are sidesplitting in retrospect as long as they are understood in the context of their times when such ethnic humor was a bit more acceptable. Like Elmer Fudd as Goering when Bugs tunnels into Germany? (He made that wrong turn at Alberque again)
Actually, as I recall that was his first wrong turn at Albuquerque (if I didn't used to live in New Mexico, I would have no idea that was a real place or how it was spelled). I think it was also the only time it was explicitly stated that he was on his way to Las Vegas at the time.
Plus the animation timing was too spastic for my tastes, I don't recall Bugs being so darn hyper…whatever happened to pacing?!
I remember him being hyper; it was around the same time that Daffy Duck was actually "Daffy" and not just an asshole.
Anyway, I think that Looney Tunes gets a bad rap for the racial thing for minorities when they were still racist against whites too. The best example I can think of is Yosemite Sam: horribly exaggerated accent and stance, big handlebar moustache that hangs down to the ground, the attitude of the little guy who thinks he's so big and tough (spend some time with some "good ol' boys" in Texas and you'll see how they can come up with this). Yosemite Sam is a racist white stereotype. But he's also HILARIOUS, so who cares, right?
Well I shoulda worded that better, eh? I just sounded stupid! I know he was hyperactive but I was complaining more about the pacing of the jokes and the animation, they kinda upped the "obnoxious factor" for that particular cartoon, where the characters seem to be playing themselves rather than being themselves.
Kind of a matter of "this is what people expect a cartoon to be, with a million mile an hour pace".
I'm failing to explain exactly what I'm going on about!
Yeah, Daffy really got Flanderized didn't he…the poor duck!
Good point there too, the hillbillies were what jumped to my mind immediately though regarding white stereotypes…they weren't too bright either!
Gotta love the old cartoons. Especially the striptease ones. The two I remember…
One was woman who was apparently naked behind a large bubble she was carrying in her hands. As she danced with it someone hit it with a slingshot, revealing the barrel she was wearing…
The other was a "nature" cartoon of sorts, and it was talking about how a lizard sheds its skin. Never saw a lizard shed its skin so suggestively before… O_O
DMH, are you talking about the cartoon "All this and Rabbit Stew?" I am in no way defending Tex's directorial choice to make the character such an offending racial caricature as for the way the character looks, but it's not as offensive as you're recalling it as far as stereotypes go (there's no watermelons like you mentioned but there is use of a sign that says "fake" on one of the rabbit holes: but it fools bullets, not the hunter; the worst of it is the gambling at the end, really.)I did see it back when I was six, so I guess my memory failed me (There was gambling, so it sounds like the cartoon I'm thinking of).
As for what you said about hidden messages, well there's a lot of hidden stuff in kids entertainment. I'm cool with it in good movies like WallE and such (Though that got a little too conspiracy theory for me with corporate brainwashing and stuff). But off course, you have the bad seeds, such as Ferngully, which make absolutely no sense and just sucked.
Speaking of Ferngully, I found this interesting. Special thanks to Product Placement for introducing me to the Nostalgia Critic.
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