Top 10 Shocking Kids Show Scandals

“Fireman Sam” (1987-)

Children’s cartoons are mostly expected to contain lessons about moral and societal values. But this incident may make you consider if “Fireman Sam” was secretly preaching intolerance. This episode of the British animated cartoon first aired in 2014, but the “error” only came to light in 2016. One of the characters enters a room and slips on some papers, one of which looks like a page from the Qur'an. “Mattel” came out saying it was an unfortunate error when a member of the production company thought they were putting scribbles on a page. Despite the apology, people were up in arms about it on social media.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2012-17)

Whenever you’re an actor for a children’s show, there is a common expectation that you’ll have a somewhat tame public image. However, it seems that Jason Biggs, who played Leonardo in “TMNT,” didn’t get the memo. The actor shared his thoughts on Twitter about the Republican National Convention and the private parts of Ann Romney, Paul Ryan, and Janna Little. Nickelodeon quickly apologized for the comments, and the incident led to Jason being replaced on the show from Season 2 onwards. After responding to the controversy, Jason Biggs insinuated this was far from the worst he’s done, pointing to his memorable scene from “American Pie.”

“Steven Universe” (2013-19)

In a show that includes a lot of LGBTQ+ themes, you would think that the network that commissioned it would want to maintain that vision around the world. Apparently not in the United Kingdom. During the episode “We Need to Talk,” the characters Rose Quartz and Pearl dance romantically with each other. If you saw this in the US, you would’ve gotten the whole dance, including a moment where the two are very close to each other. But if you saw it in the UK, you instead would’ve gotten some alternative close-ups omitting that small segment. Fans were outraged, but Cartoon Network stood by their decision, saying that it was in line with the UK rating system.

“Pokémon” (1997-)

When companies translate a foreign cartoon to English, sometimes they choose to censor certain bits, like a particularly infamous “joke” during a beach episode in this show’s Season 1. Unfortunately, something got left in another time. During the Pokemon episode: “Dennō Senshi Porygon,” Ash and the gang get stuck inside a machine and have to fight Team Rocket and Porygon. Towards the end, an explosion animation featured red and blue flashes happening in quick succession, which triggered seizures in children with epilepsy. And then the news of it reportedly created mass hysteria. It of course wasn’t the intention of Japanese animators to harm anyone - and us either, which is why we’re not going to show the scene in question - but the episode was understandably pulled from broadcast.

“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)

Who lives in a pineapple under the Sea? SpongeBob Squarepants! And who is also supposedly a secret gay advocate? Potentially everyone’s favorite underwater sponge! In 2005, a wide range of popular children’s shows collaborated for a charity music video. Sponsored by the “We Are Family Foundation,” it sought to promote diversity and tolerance in the spirit of Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” Cool, right? But, no, upon its release, conservative religious groups attacked the organization. While series creator Stephen Hillenburg had denied that Spongebob was gay years earlier, he stated that he considered the character “somewhat asexual.” So much for a faux-morality panic.

“Bob the Builder” (1998-2011)

You know whenever you think you hear something, but it sounds like something else? Well, that’s precisely what happened to this British, hard hat-wearing staple of children’s stop motion animation. During the Season 2 episode “Wallpaper Wendy,” Bob the Builder attempts to decorate the inside of a house to mixed results. During this segment, Bob mumbles as he struggles with the task. These mumbles resulted in some parents claiming to hear the frustrated builder swearing. While it was stated that this mumbling was simply being misinterpreted, the obscure lines were muted for later broadcasts.

“Teletubbies” (1997-2001)

As noted earlier, certain groups out there will go to any lengths to prevent what they perceive as gay advocacy from appearing on television. Unfortunately, back in 1999, the Teletubbies came under their scope. Controversy arose when the conservative activist Jerry Falwell alleged that the purple character Tinky Winky was a covert gay role model. The reason for this is because, while the character is assumed to be male, he carries around what looks like a woman’s handbag. The BBC and the production company behind “Teletubbies” clarified that it was simply a “magic bag,” and Tinky Winky wasn’t gay or straight, simply a character in a children’s series.

“Blue Peter” (1958-)

When a show is framed as “family-friendly,” the cast and crew are under a lot of scrutiny. This is the case for “Blue Peter,” the longest-running children’s TV series globally, which has had its fair share of hiccups. In 2007, a Blue Peter editor was fired after the show rigged a cat naming contest. But this was far from the most troublesome issue. One of the most notable involved former presenter Richard Bacon, leading up to Blue Peter’s 40th anniversary in the late ‘90s. Tabloids revealed that Bacon reportedly did cocaine during his tenure on the show. This revelation sparked media outrage, prompting a response from the Head of Children’s Programming at the BBC, resulting in him being let go from the program.

“Sesame Street” (1969-)

Sesame Street can’t seem to get a break when it comes to controversies. In one instance, a controversy arose over celebrity guest Katy Perry’s dress during a music video, causing the segment to be removed. In another, their YouTube channel got hacked, resulting in all of their videos being replaced with adult content! All parents really want is to make sure that their children are safe watching these shows, so when dangerous claims are made, it can cause panic. Kevin Clash, the actor behind the popular Sesame Street character “Elmo,” had several extremely serious allegations of sexual impropriety leveled against him in 2012. These claims garnered a lot of media attention, and despite the accusations eventually being legally dismissed, Clash left the series.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Peppa’s Friendly Attitude to Spiders Could Be Dangerous for Australian Children

Groups Complained Teenage Dora Strayed Away from the Show’s Core Values

“Kid Nation” (2007)

There are reasons why there are stringent laws and regulations regarding children working in the film and television industry. Sure, it might make for exciting programming, but the aim isn’t to scar them for life! The cash-prize reality show “Kid Nation” sent a group of 40 children of various ages into the desert, challenging them to create a functioning society. The crew was informed to be as little involved as possible, allowing these vulnerable kids to experience genuinely distressing events. The disturbing premise resembles Willam Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies,” and audiences agreed. Unfortunately, the parents were apparently poorly informed regarding what was involved, and the backlash meant it only lasted one season.