With the rise of children’s animation in the 1980s, writers decided to test the boundaries of what they could and couldn’t get away with on television. This resulted in a plethora of shows over the next two decades that are still remembered fondly for their well-developed characters and mature writing. Even those more focused on comedy were beloved for being more surreal than what came before.
However, many of these shows also produced episodes that were not received well. Common reasons were that the writers pushed too hard, outcry from parents, or changing sensibilities after the episode aired. Sometimes these episodes deserve a second look, and there are times the controversy is all that keeps them relevant.
“Electric Soldier Porygon” – Pokémon
There have been plenty of episodes of the Pokémon anime banned over the years. The most famous Sees Ash and friends going into cyberspace to stop Team Rocket from stealing Pokémon while in storage. Both sides are aided by a man-made Pokémon called Porygon.
Several times throughout the episode, quick flashes of red and blue light dominate the screen. This resulted in hundreds of kids experiencing symptoms of epileptic seizures, and the anime going into a four-month hiatus. As such, the episode never aired outside Japan, and Porygon and its evolutions only appear in cameos.
“Super Nova” – ‘Buzz Lightyear of Star Command’
In order to save a medical ship, Mira Nova uses her phasing power to walk through its reactor and prevent an explosion. This causes her to absorb some of the energy, which increases her capabilities but also makes her dependent on it. Emperor Zurg takes notice of this and decides to use Mira’s new addiction to lure her into a trap.
The episode was swiftly banned due to Mira’s actions mirroring real-life drug addictions. This view is reinforced through the episode, where Mira’s friends attempt to intervene, and her father even reveals that he struggled with energy addictions as well. The worst part is when Mira goes through withdrawal and is so desperate for energy that she begs to Zurg.
“The Buffalo Gals” – ‘Cow and Chicken’
Cut from the same cloth as Ren and Stimpy, Cow and Chicken was one of Cartoon Network’s oldest and most successful Cartoons. It followed a cow and chicken sibling duo as they went on many misadventures with a cast primarily voiced by the talented Charlie Adler. Its success came from how its surreal writing was silly for kids while also being clever enough to sneak in innuendos and jokes for their parents.
However, one episode took things too far, to the point that Cartoon Network banned it after one airing. “Buffalo Gals” sees Cow join an all-female biker gang that is a walking amalgamation of lesbian innuendos. Among these include the gang breaking into people’s homes and munching their carpets, playing softball, and singing a song about “coming out tonight.”
“Stokey the Bear” – ‘The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show’
One of the most endearing segments of the classic moose and squirrel variety show is Dudley Doo-Right of the Mounties. This spoof of melodramas sees a bumbling but well-meaning Mountie attempt to thwart the evil deeds of villain Snidely Whiplash. Yet even their spoofing went too far when they made a jab at Smokey the Bear.
“Stokey the Bear” sees Dudley attempt to capture the titular bear after he was hypnotized by Snidely Whiplash to go start forest fires instead of preventing them. Naturally, the U.S. Forest Service did not appreciate their mascot being treated as such and demanded the episode’s removal. It probably also didn’t help that the episode ends with a joke concerning the Chicago Fire of 1871.
“It’s a Wishful Life” – ‘The Fairly Odd Parents’
Timmy Turner decides to do good deeds for his friends and family, but each time he is berated instead for petty reasons. Frustrated, he wishes he was never born so that he could see how miserable they’d be without him. Unfortunately, everyone’s lives are improved without Timmy, and Jorgen Von Strangle comes to take him away.
While the episode has a good message about doing good deeds for the right reason, it’s marred by its depressing tone. Many fans consider this episode the beginning of the show’s decline and attribute Timmy’s growing selfishness to the trauma of learning he ruins everyone’s lives. Series creator Butch Hartman allegedly apologized for this episode, and for a time it was removed from re-runs, though it is now available through streaming.
“Deadly Force” – ‘Gargoyles’
While hanging out with his friend, Detective Elisa Masa, Broadway fools around with her gun and accidentally shoots her. Everyone assumes Elisa was shot by crime boss Tony Dracon, who she was trying to bust after he stole a shipment of experimental weapons. This sets the lead gargoyle, Goliath, on a path of vengeance against Dracon, while Broadway begins his own campaign against guns.
This episode boasts some of the most intense imagery in any Disney cartoon, which helps reinforce its message about gun safety. Bill Fagerbakke, known as the voice of Patrick Star on SpongeBob Squarepants, completely nails Broadway’s range of emotions, including shame, despair, and fury. Upon release, the episode was banned and later edited due to its imagery, but can be viewed unedited on Disney+.
“Rude Removal” – ‘Dexter’s Laboratory’
Tired of Dee Dee ruining his lab, Dexter develops a machine to remove rudeness from a person. Both he and Dee Dee fall into the machine and their rudeness is transferred into foul-mouthed clones. Unfortunately, the now polite Dexter and Dee Dee can’t stand up to the abrasive clones, who run amuck in their house.
Despite being fully animated and all profanity being censored, the episode was banned by Cartoon Network and never aired during Dexter’s Laboratory’s run. However, series creator Genndy Tartakovsky would air the episode at animation conventions, which increased interest in it. This convinced Cartoon Network to release the episode in 2013.
“Mid-Life Crustacean” – ‘SpongeBob Squarepants’
Episodes aren’t always banned during their initial run. Since we live in a digital world, where shows are online, more and more individual episodes are being removed as culture and tolerances change. This is the fate of “Mid-Life Crustacean” from the third season of SpongeBob.
The episode seems harmless: Mr. Krabs wants to feel young again, so he joins SpongeBob and Patrick for a night on the town and gets annoyed by their antics. However, it ends with a panty raid on Mr. Krabs’ mother, and Krabs being sent to bed. In 2021, the episode was removed from re-runs on Nickelodeon and is not available on Paramount+.
“One Beer” – ‘Tiny Toon Adventures’
The first collaboration between Warner Bros. Animation and Steven Spielberg, Tiny Toon Adventures introduced a new generation to Looney Tunes–inspired comedy and paved the way for shows like Animaniacs and Freakazoid. Due to being produced in the early 90s, the show was mandated to include morals for kids. Since the production team hated these episodes, they tended to go all-out, which resulted in one of them getting banned from FoxKids.
“One Beer” sees Buster Bunny pressure Hampton and Plucky into drinking a beer with him. After one sip, the trio is plastered and eventually drive a stolen car off a cliff. The episode is of course very tongue-in-cheek, and it goes out of its way to show the dangers of alcohol indulgence, but a case can be made that kids could find the antics comedic instead of worrying.
“The Last Roundup” – ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’
The fourth generation of My Little Pony took the world by storm when a large percentage of adult men fell in love with the show thanks to its humor, animation, and characters. One of the fanbase’s favorite hobbies was giving personalities to background characters, such as a gray Pegasus who had cross-eyed thanks to an animation goof. Naming her Derpy Hooves, she became a mascot for the fandom.
The writer named Derpy in “The Last Roundup” of season two, and gave her a speaking role. However, the episode was pulled over concerns about her accident-prone nature and deep, silly voice, which could be seen as offensive to people with learning disabilities. The episode was eventually brought back but was re-dubbed to remove Derpy’s name and improve her voice.
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