Cartoon characters, don’t you just love ‘em? Cute, cuddly, sweet, straightforward, simple, and harmless. Well, not exactly. Alongside books, films, music, and art, there has also been a fair share of controversial cartoon characters who have struck a certain discord with the public, who have been whipped up into alternating states of disgust, shock, and apoplexy. Some of the characters are understandably close to the knuckle and were created to ruffle feathers.
Others, however, seem rather tame and innocuous yet still managed to upset an ever-quick-to-pounce public, provoking rallies of rage and cries for censorship. It’s not always just a case of the character kicking up a storm; occasionally, it’s the episode they’re in and the context or message it’s portraying. It’s fair to say that cartoons have often been misunderstood as something just for kids. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll see that cartoons’ ability to pierce the flesh of contemporary issues and sensibilities and manipulate, twist, and subvert them has made them one of the most valid and articulate commentators on the political, ideological, and social standards (or not, as the case may be) of the day. Here are a few cartoon characters that have caused controversy:
15. Bugs Bunny
What?! Our favorite carrot-chomping rabbit? Controversial? You can probably understand how Family Guy or Cartman could get someone’s goat, but Bugs Bunny? Hang on a minute.
Take a closer look, and you’ll see there’s always been a darker streak to this buck-toothed bunny’s oeuvre. One of his early cartoons, All This and Rabbit Stew, was pulled from television syndication because of its racist portrayal of a Black hunter.
14. Peter Griffin
Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy creation was clearly designed to be controversial, and he succeeds admirably on so many levels – crude, lowbrow, unintelligent, obnoxious.
He may even occasionally overstep the mark, as episodes have implicitly depicted him as an abusive husband, slightly deviant, neglectful of his offspring, racist, and slightly paedophilic.
13. Tom & Jerry
There have always been murmurs of discontent amongst those supposedly holding the moral high ground over Tom & Jerry cartoons – racism and violence being the two main bones of contention. To kids who watch it, it’s crazy, knockabout slapstick – to some adults, it’s unnecessarily violent and brutal.
Like Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry are animated products of a particular time, and some of the sensibilities of the day come through in the cartoons.
12. Cartman
Undoubtedly one of animation’s most controversial figures, Cartman was designed to be a caricature of the contemporary American kid – fat, spoiled, foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, and manipulative.
And that is what makes him funny as well as offensive. In a 1999 UK poll of 100 children by NatWest, eight-year-olds and nine-year-olds voted him their favorite personality.
11. The Simpsons
Perhaps no other cartoon series of characters has created such a phenomenon or cultural zeitgeist as Matt Groening’s yellow-skinned, ultimate dysfunctional family.
The series has courted many controversial themes (for a cartoon, at least) – Homer thinking Bart’s gay, Principal Skinner revealing he’s an imposter having used identity theft – and continues to up the ante at being politically incorrect and satirically, spot-on acerbic.
10. Donald Duck
Believe it or not, Donald Duck has always been one of Disney’s most contentious characters, particularly about a series of World War 2 propaganda clips that carried strong racist overtones.
A persistent story claims that Finland banned Donald Duck because he didn’t wear pants. In fact, the tale grew out of a debate over funding Donald Duck comics for youth clubs, not a nationwide ban.
9. Betty Boop
Betty Boop was a cartoon celebrity with a flapper outfit, a catchy voice, and the ability to make Hollywood anxious. Her early cartoons were full of cheeky jokes and suggestive situations that went much beyond what one would expect from a cartoon.
Betty wore longer skirts and spoke milder stories after Hollywood tightened its Production Code in 1934. The little garter that had formerly poked out from beneath her dress was gone. Censors even managed to make Betty Boop dress for office.
8. Beavis and Butt-Head
These two MTV teens weren’t exactly role models. They spent a lot of time laughing at music videos, mocking each other, and getting passionate about stuff that should definitely not be discussed during a match.
Following a deadly fire in Ohio in 1993, the show was accused of encouraging youngsters to play with fire. MTV eliminated the fire references and rescheduled the cartoon to a later time slot.
MTV stated that it did not feel the show was responsible. The row nevertheless altered what the audience saw.
7. SpongeBob SquarePants
A sponge who flips burgers and lives in a pineapple may appear an odd source of controversy. However, in 2005, SpongeBob became embroiled in an unusual argument.
James Dobson, a religious leader, criticized a children’s music video featuring SpongeBob and other popular characters. His objection was about the group that created the video and its advocacy for LGBT tolerance. Although Dobson clearly stated that the video itself was harmless, the headlines overlooked this completely.
6. Mighty Mouse
In 1988, Mighty Mouse ran into controversy because of a few seconds of animation. During one episode of Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, he raises the remnants of a crushed flower to his nose.
The Reverend Donald Wildmon and his organization argued that the scene implied cocaine use. CBS and producer Ralph Bakshi explained that the mouse was simply sniffing the flower, which he had been given earlier in the story.
Bakshi requested that the scene be removed from subsequent broadcasts, all the while maintaining that it was innocent.
5. Ren and Stimpy
A frightened Chihuahua and a stupid cat created one of the messiest shows on children’s television. The Ren & Stimpy Show included lots of disgusting humor, but one episode went too far for Nickelodeon.
In Man’s Best Friend, Ren attacks their owner, George Liquor, with an oar. Nickelodeon did not run the program, which was later shown on another network in 2003. If you recall seeing the show’s close-ups of dirty teeth, you know its idea of restraint was already a little odd.
4. Pocahontas
In Disney’s 1995 film Pocahontas, a genuine historical figure becomes the heroine of an epic romance with English settler John Smith. Native American voices and historians criticized that decision.
When the real Pocahontas met Smith, she was still a child, and nothing supports the romance the movie depicts. Critics further took issue with how the film softened the history of colonization.
The songs are lovely, but the story requires far more context than the movie provides.
3. Princess Tiana
Tiana made history as Disney’s first Black princess in The Princess and the Frog. Years later, her presence in the trailer for Ralph Breaks the Internet drew a new kind of attention.
Viewers remarked that her skin was lighter, and her looks were different from the 2009 movie. Voice actor Anika Noni Rose spoke with Disney, and the company changed Tiana’s image before the film’s release in 2018. For those who had waited a long time to see a princess like her, the nuances were important.
2. He-Man
He-Man possessed immense power, a magical sword, and an astonishing collection of toys. That last part is what worried some parents and children’s television campaigners. The animated series premiered in 1983, after Mattel had previously released its Masters of the Universe figurines.
Critics suggested that a cartoon based on a toy line may function as a protracted advertisement directed at children. One television complaint even asked if Mattel should have been acknowledged as a sponsor.
1. Jessica Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit has been attracting attention since Who Framed Roger Rabbit debuted in 1988. In 2021, a Disneyland ride reintroduced her to the spotlight for a new purpose.
Disney eliminated a scene that showed Jessica tied up in the trunk of a car and gave her a private detective role in the attraction. Some fans praised the modification, while others deemed it needless. Either way, Jessica stayed in the ride and got more to do than wait for a rescue.
These are characters as much a part of our lives, and we bet you didn’t realize some of them were quite as notorious as that, did you? What other cartoon characters do you know that have been controversial or that you found offensive? Let us know in the comments section below!