Cartoons are a cornerstone of any memorable childhood and even young adulthood, many of us being molded by the shows we consumed in our formative years. Whether it was geared exclusively for kids or not, the world of animation can have an immense impact on people. This means that cartoons, much like any other form of media, can stir up a slew of different emotions, both positive and negative. These are just a few notable examples of cartoons that, for one reason or another, garnered real-life controversy.
10. The Simpsons – Apu Controversy (2017)
The Simpsons have never been strangers to controversy, often touching on political and social subjects that sparked some intense reactions. However, their biggest controversy arrived in 2017, sparked by a documentary spearheaded by comedian Hari Kondabolu. The Trouble with Apu, written by Kondabolu and directed by Michael Melamedoff, presents the argument that Apu has hurt the perception of Indian people within pop culture.
Kondabolu maintained that while the character is quite funny and likable, he perpetuates harmful stereotypes and has inspired racially motivated bullying. His biggest demerit against the character had a lot to do with his voice actor, Hank Azaria, a Sephardic Jewish man. The documentary even goes as far as to describe Azaria’s performance as a form of brownface, an offensive practice used by 1900s minstrel shows in the United States.
Following the documentary’s release, the backlash against Apu reached a fever pitch, leading to the character being quietly retired. While the character still appears in the background with the rest of Springfield’s silent denizens, he no longer receives any dedicated attention. This also resulted in the rest of Springfield’s people of color – like Carl Carlson and Dr. Hibbert – being recast with African American voice actors. The show referenced the debacle in the Season 29 episode, No Good Read Goes Unpunished. A discussion between Marge and Lisa regarding a fictitious book’s problematic content eventually switches to a fourth wall-break reference to Apu’s erasure.
9. South Park – Muhammad Depiction (2001)
Since it arrived in the 1990s, South Park and controversy have gone together like peanut butter and chocolate. Simply put, in the eyes of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, nothing is off limits, with everything from religion to HIV to abortion to social justice receiving a comedic dissection at some point.
One of the show’s biggest controversies occurred during its fifth season back in 2001, specifically in the Super Best Friends episode from season 5. The episode sees the boys contend with a new cult known as Blaintology, run by real-life magician David Blaine. The situation leads Stan to turn to Jesus Christ for help who, needing assistance, brings in the Super Best Friends for help. The super team is a Justice League-style super team comprised of Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Laozi, and a humorous parody of Aquaman known as Sea Man. However, amongst the ensemble is also Muhammad the prophet of the Muslim faith, who is given fire powers for comedic effect.
Several years after this episode’s airdate, the reaction to depictions of Muhammad only increased in intensity, resulting in immense pushback against South Park and its creators. The show opted to tackle this pushback in future episodes, first poking fun at it in the two-part Cartoon Wars episode in their tenth season. There were also the show’s 200th and 201st episodes in which a censored Muhammad played a major role during both episodes’ events.
8. Family Guy – Down Syndrome Joke (2010)
Whether you love it dearly or simply can’t stand it, there is no denying the pop-cultural impact of Family Guy. The brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, inspired by the likes of The Simpsons and other sitcoms, has left a mark on our collective consciousness. From its irreverent humor to its outlandish cutaway gags, the show has established its identity and struck a chord with millions.
However, any show that’s rolled the dice as much as Family Guy has, is eventually going to tick off the wrong people. Case in point, the controversy that was sparked by a one-off character featured in the season 8 episode titled Extra Large Medium. In the episode’s b-plot, Chris scores a date with his crush, a girl from his school named Ellen. As we eventually learn, Ellen has Down Syndrome which the show takes many jabs at during Stewie’s performance of a song titled Down Syndrome Girl.
This alone might be viewed negatively but matters were compounded when Ellen notes that her mother is the former Governor of Alaska, a not-so-subtle jab at Sarah Palin. Needless to say, Palin and her family were not thrilled after seeing this animated mockery in prime time. Palin’s daughter Bristol even took to Facebook to criticize the episode’s treatment of the genetic disorder as her brother, Trig, has Down Syndrome. While the effects on the show itself were minimal, it does go to show what can happen when you offend someone in a very public and powerful position.
7. The Boondocks – BET Criticism (2006)
When it comes to having your finger on the pulse, The Boondocks never failed to use its biting satire to tackle several social and political topics. Aaron McGruder’s series struck a chord with many, whether it was during its days as a syndicated comic strip or its four-season run on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block. From critiquing stables of black culture like rap music and soul food to even tackling Barack Obama’s rise to prominence in the late 2000s, there was little The Boondocks wouldn’t cover.
However, one of their more controversial outings was when McGruder and his team opted to tackle Black Entertainment Television, AKA BET. Even as far back as the series’ unaired pilot episode, the network was a target of ridicule, criticized for its perpetuation of harmful black stereotypes. In the episode The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show, BET is shown to be run at the behest of a cartoonishly evil villain looking to make the black population dumber. Nowhere is this better illustrated than when BET offers a reality show to Uncle Ruckus, the series’ resident Uncle Tom. The whole episode is a scathing yet hysterical takedown of the network, leading to real-life pushback from those within BET. So much so that this episode, as well as another season 2 episode, The Hunger Strike, weren’t aired on Adult Swim.
6. SpongeBob SquarePants – SpongeBob as a ‘Gay Icon’ (2020)
Few modern cartoons have had a cultural impact on the same level as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. Built just as much for adults as it was for young kids, the show has been a mainstay of children’s programming since it arrived in 1999. However, for a cartoon that’s attained acclaim as widespread as possible, it’s to be expected it would garner some controversy at some point.
The Krusty Krab’s resident fry cook got thrust into a socio-political spotlight back in 2020 when Nickelodeon was running a campaign for that year’s Pride Month. The social media campaign showcased various characters from across the network’s programming who were a part of the LGBTQ+ community. This included the likes of Korra from The Legend of Korra who was confirmed to be a lesbian in the series finale. However, this rainbow-adorned lineup also included SpongeBob, causing ample confusion amongst online commentators who saw this as confirmation of his sexuality.
SpongeBob’s sexual orientation has been the subject of humor and discussion online for years, often citing occasionally flirty interactions with his neighbor Squidward. As the campaign received retweets and comments by the thousands, many mainstream news sources were quick to pick up the story. Soon enough the online discourse surrounding everyone’s favorite yellow sponge turned ugly, with countless bigoted commentators lambasting the decision online.
5. The Powerpuff Girls: “See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey” (2002)
Despite its sugary exterior, Craig McCracken’s The Powerpuff Girls was one of the more subversive and creative cartoons to emerge from the late ’90s. Balancing kid-friendly designs with gruesome, and frequently bodily, violence, the series quickly gained an impressively widespread appeal to both boys and girls. This eclectic blend of heart, charm, and brutal violence turned the show into a merchandising juggernaut, generating countless toys, t-shirts, and even an airplane courtesy of Delta Airlines back in 2000.
However, that doesn’t mean that the Powerpuff Girls weren’t safe from controversy, somehow managing to have one of their episodes banned from television. See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey, the 18th episode of the fifth season, was a rather unique episode, telling its story largely through the use of rock opera-style songs. The episode sees Blossom, Butters, and Bubblecup overwhelmed by the villains of Townsville and seeking a way to bring harmonious peace to all. This leads to a singing Gnome, voiced by Jess Harnell, granting the girl’s wish in exchange for them giving up their superpowers. The Gnome soon has Townsville under his spell, indeed promising the girls their desired peaceful existence but also robbing everyone of their free will
These ideas of cults, free will-versus-harmony, and even the episode’s religious-leaning imagery led to the episode being banned in the United States and other countries as well.
4. Pokemon – Epilepsy Incident (1997)
In the 1990s, few franchises blew the lid off pop culture quite like Pokémon, creating a phenomenon that’s lasted til today and is still going strong. From the original video games to the trading card game to the manga to the various animated shows and movies, there are few mediums Pokémon hasn’t touched.
However, there was a time when Pokémon’s future on American airwaves was nearly in doubt, all due to one episode. Electric Soldier Porygon saw Ash and the gang sucked into cyberspace to contend with one of Team Rocket’s evil schemes. This adventure teams the gang up with a digital Pokemon named Porygon who helps them traverse the digital world. Along the way, their escapades lead to an explosion which causes a frantic strobe effect that lasts for an extended few seconds. This strobe effect, upon the episode’s original airdate back in December 1997, ended up causing over 600 of the show’s young viewers to experience seizures.
This resulted in a slew of hospitalizations and a tidal wave of bad press for the Pokemon brand itself. The incident resulted in the anime series going on hiatus for four months and the episode itself being yanked from public circulation for years.
3. Rick and Morty – McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce Riots (2017)
Fandoms truly are the best of times and the worst of times, regardless of whatever its inhabitants are obsessed with, be it a book series or a long-running anime. However, if one were to seek out a prime example of a fandom that completely lost the plot, you’d have to look no further than Rick & Morty. The irreverent and visually unique animated series, created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, struck a chord with Adult Swim fans after its debut in 2013. With its blunt sense of humor and memorable characters, the show quickly took on a life of its own, for better and for worse.
The worst arrived at the beginning of the show’s third season when Rick referenced a discontinued McDonald’s dipping condiment known as Szechuan Sauce. Made as a tie-in for the Disney movie Mulan, the sauce was only around for a brief time before joining the likes of the McDLT and Arch Deluxe in fast food obscurity. However, following the reference, fans of the show took to the interwebs to demand McDonald’s bring back the sauce. In a surprising twist, McDonald’s granted fans’ wishes, bringing back Szechuan sauce, albeit in limited quantity, in late 2017.
However, it seems McDonald’s didn’t quite anticipate just how popular the sauce’s resurgence would be, leading to a slew of disappointed fans who discovered the sauce had already sold out. This led to fights, outbursts, and clips of socially oblivious fans going viral, turning Rick & Morty fans into overnight pariahs.
2. Arthur – Same-Sex Marriage Episode (2019)
As children’s animation has evolved, the types of topics and subject matters deemed appropriate to talk about have evolved as necessary. This means more shows willing to dedicate episodes to the likes of race, drug use, mental health issues, and even sexuality as well. It’s an important endeavor to expose children to evolving norms and make sure they have all the information they need to form their perspectives.
However, no matter how far society may come, there will always be people who see the discussion of sexual minorities as offensive or harmful. A prime example of these unfortunate backlashes came about in 2019 when the long-running Arthur animated series tackled gay marriage. The episode sees Arthur’s teacher, Mr. Ratburn tie the knot with Patrick, a local chocolatier who works in the neighborhood. The whole thing is very funny and charming, showcasing a lovely portrayal of a same-sex couple that young kids can understand.
Unfortunately, the episode was not without its detractors, with two PBS affiliates in Alabama and Arkansas opting not to air the episode at all. Additionally, a fundamentalist organization, One Million Moms, started a petition that garnered at least 13,000 signatures calling for the episode to be removed from further airings which it never was.
1. Beavis & Butthead – Link to real deaths (1990s)
In the 1990s, adult animation was in the midst of a true boom period, especially in the wake of shows like The Simpsons. All over television, the landscape was soon awash with countless series looking to push the envelope in terms of style and humor. Nowhere is this revolution better exemplified than through the escapades of Mike Judge’s Beavis & Butthead. The cornerstone of MTV’s Liquid Television block certainly left a sizable mark on many with the buffoonish duo quickly becking mascots of the decade. However, as the series’ presence on prime-time television grew, so did their reach and, in turn, the amount of impressionable eyes watching them.
Most infamously, the show was marked as the cause of an unfortunate real-life death that occurred in 1993. Austin Messner, a 5-year-old boy living in Moraine, Ohio, set fire to his family’s mobile home which claimed the life of his younger sister, Jessica. Austin’s mother later claimed he was inspired to do this after watching Beavis and Butthead playing with fire in a then-recent episode. This led to any fire imagery being cut from episodes and the show itself being slapped with a disclaimer, as well as being bumped to a late-night time slot.
Later on, however, it was revealed that the family’s mobile home didn’t even have cable, thus making the mother’s claim highly dubious. Over 30 years later, the whole incident still stands out as the most noteworthy instance of a cartoon sparking real-life controversy.