Cartoon Characters With The Most Controversial Pasts

Casey Kasem is a voice acting legend. He voiced Shaggy on Scooby-Doo.Scooby-Dooforover 40 yearshe hosted theAmerican Top 40radio show for decades. Kasem also played small parts in many animated shows, including a main role on The Transformers.The TransformersThe show ran from 1984 to 1987.

Kasem quit the show in 1986. He left because the show showed a demeaning picture of Middle Eastern people in the "The Thief in the Night" episode.“The Thief in the Night” episodea race of camel-worshippers ruled by an oil tyrant existed. These people lived in the fictional country of Carbombya.

The show thinly referenced Libya and Muammar Gaddafi. Kasem, being Lebanese, pushed back against this portrayal.

When an Arab plays a villain, show other Arabs as good characters in the same story.

Kasem left the show when the episode aired.

Tom and JerryTom and Jerry debuted over 80 years ago in 1940. Grandparents, parents, and siblings could all watch this show as kids.

Eight decades have brought changes. Replays of the animated shorts now cut out the racist parts, like Mammy Two Shoes.

Mammy Two Shoes acted as the caretaker(and sometimes owner) of the house where Tom and Jerry lived. She often got angry at Tom after he caused a disturbance and disciplined him.

The "mammy" concept carries racism. The stereotype symbolized a full-figured Black woman watching over and raising white children while her own children suffered slavery.

In the short "Mickey's Man Friday," Mickey Mouse's ship sinks, stranding him on an island. The island is not empty.

Mickey hears drums and finds a group of Black indigenous people during a ceremony. They appear to be cooking one of their members. Mickey looks at the camera and shouts, “Gosh. Cannibals!”

Mickey makes a mask from his ship to scare the tribe while saving the captive. A closer look at the people reveals they have monkey-like features, large feet, and an ape-like jaw.closer lookthe people have a monkey-like appearance, large feet, and an ape-like jaw.

Disney takes onUncle Tom's CabinThe pairing seems unlikely. Yet, the 1933 short film "Mickey's Mellerdrammer" does exactly that.“Mickey's Mellerdrammer”In the short, Mickey and his friends stage a play. Mickey plays the title character of Uncle Tom. They showed this by having Mickey wear blackface.

The novel's villain, Simon Legree, appears on stage and tells Mickey he "owns him — body and soul." He tries to whip Mickey but fails because he is clumsy.

Even the name ofThe Simpsons'character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon points fun at Indian culture with his last name's exaggerated length. But the stereotyping does not end there.

Since 1990, Hank Azaria voiced Apu.Azaria is a famous voice actor.Hank Azaria is a white man. Indian viewers hold strong opinions about this. Comedian Hari Kondabolu pointed this out in 2017.Hari Kondabolu, a comedian, pointed this out in 2017.Apu's voice sounds like:

A white guy makes an impression of a white guy mocking my father.

After facing backlash, Azaria quit voicing Apu. Azaria now regrets the character and called his casting 'embarrassing.' He fears he helped dehumanize Indian people, especially when 'Apu' became a slur for those of Middle Eastern descent.

In 1960, everyone seemed to be smoking.Forty-two percent of Americans.Negative effects of cigarettes started showing. No rules existed for smoking ads.

Why not use America's favorite Stone Age families to sell cigarettes?

The Flintstone characters.The Flintstone characters appeared in only one Winston Cigarettes ad. That ad was something else.

The four adults work on chores while Fred and Barney want a break. They complain about their wives working hard, then they smoke. They only stop when Wilma and Betty tell them to get up and help.

Did you know the character Baby Boop first appeared as a dog? This anthropomorphic pooch wore a little black dress and garter and was scatting in a jazz club.

Because the dog was popular in the 1930s, she became a human singer quickly. People claimed the human Betty Boop resembled several famous singers.

One of these singers wasHelen Kane, a jazz performer.Kane sued Paramount Pictures for stealing her look and mannerisms.

After a trial, several witnesses showed how Paramount usedtheir likenesses.The court found Paramount not responsible because they showed the same mannerisms Kane claimed were hers.

The Walt Disney Company changed in the early 1940s. The film company shifted from releasing non-political cartoons to becoming an American propaganda machine.

This included the short film.Der Fuehrer's Face.It won the 1943 Oscar for Best Short Subject (Cartoon).

The film follows Donald Duck, the most popular Disney character at the time, in a German arms factory. He must salute photos of Axis leaders. Soon, Donald wakes up in his stars and stripes pajamas, realizing it was a nightmare.Donald Duck, the most popular Disney character at the time, wakes up in his stars and stripes pajamas after being forced to salute Axis leader photos in a German arms factory, realizing it was a nightmare.Donald Duck wakes up in his stars and stripes pajamas after being forced to salute photos of Axis leaders in a German arms factory, realizing it was a nightmare.

Looking closely at the Axis leader photos, you see Hitler and Mussolini look cartoonish but recognizable, unlike Emperor Hirohito.Emperor Hirohito almost looks animal-like.He has yellow skin, buck teeth, and slanted eyes.

Historian Brian Niiya shows how the difference between Hirohito and other dictators was intentional.

These portrayals create the feeling that Japanese people were all the same and less than human.

Cartoons from World War II that mocked Germans, Japanese, or Italians made sense because everyone was in the war and understood the feeling.

Now, watching those same shows in the 21st century, viewers often lack a warning or explanation for the content.Bugs Bunny hands out grenades.Bugs Bunny hands out grenades to animated Japanese characters. While the time period is clear, the plot remains jarring for a kids' cartoon.

The discussion of Japanese characters in "Bugs Nips the Nips" is even more jarring. Bugs gives Japanese soldiers ice cream cones, which are grenades, saying things like, "Here, Jap. Here, monkey face. Here, slant-eyes."

The backlash against these terms in the '90s caused MGM Home Entertainment to recall collections of vintage cartoons featuring this video.

Pepe le Pew was a standard in the Looney Tunes universe, famous for his romantic behavior and desire for Penelope Pussycat.

Recent viewers point out that Penelope always rejects Pepe, yet he keeps pursuing her repeatedly.

In 2021,the New York Times columnist,Charles M. Blow claimed the characterCharles M. Blow claimed the characterFor this reason, a scene with Pepe le Pew was cut from the 2021

For this reason, a scene with Pepe le Pew was cut from the 2021sequel.Speedy Gonzales was known as the fastest member of the

Speedy Gonzales was the fastest member of theLooney TunesPeople pointed out that Speedy represented stereotypes about Hispanic people, like having a thick Mexican accent.

People then started appreciating that Speedy embraced his Hispanic culture while also being a brave, daring, smart character.Cartoon Network banned Speedy Gonzales in 1999.People started appreciating that Speedy embraced his Hispanic culture while remaining a brave, daring, smart character.

Cartoon Network welcomed Speedy back in 2002 because of this new view of the character.