The 5 Wildest Instances The Simpsons Has Been Banned By An Total Nation

In a BBC documentary from the early 2000s, then-showrunner of “The Simpsons” Mike Scully stated, “I feel that the essential rule for any ‘Simpsons’ author is firstly it’s important to have a wholesome disrespect for every thing People maintain pricey.” A minimum of throughout its golden age, the present was at its core a deeply satirical tackle fashionable American life, that, as creator Matt Groening put it in the identical documentary “had no sacred cows.”

But it surely wasn’t simply America at which the writers took purpose. “The Simpsons” has upset audiences around the globe with its subversive comedy, usually managing to get itself banned in a number of of them. Probably the most notable examples of the present taking purpose at a whole nation was season 6 episode, “Bart vs. Australia,” which ticked off the Aussies a lot with its stereotypical tackle the nation that, as author and former showrunner Mike Reiss instructed The Age, “We had been condemned within the Australian Parliament after the episode.” In that occasion, nevertheless, there was no official banning of the episode, which truly grew in recognition since its unique airing and ended up inspiring a petition to formally change the identify of Australian foreign money to “dollarydoo.”

“Bart vs. Australia” kicked off a pattern of the Simpson household annoying world cultures, however the response to this episode appears comparatively tame in comparison with another examples the place “The Simpsons” was banned outright. There was, for instance, the time Germany banned “Cape Feare” on account of a scene depicting a person in a Nazi-like uniform. However whereas that may appear comprehensible, different international locations have simply merely thrown a hissy match over being made enjoyable of. Listed here are 5 of the wildest instances “The Simpsons” was banned.

Season 10, episode 23 sees the Simpson household journey to Japan, which was principally an excuse for the writers to take your entire nation down a number of notches, à la “Bart vs. Australia.” On this 1999 episode, which has since change into some of the controversial installments in “Simpsons” historical past, the household competes on the “Completely satisfied Smile Tremendous Problem Household Want Present,” which is hosted by the George Takei-voiced Wink, and sees Homer blasted within the face with a flame thrower, crushed by his circle of relatives as a human piñata, and strapped to a tower to be repeatedly zapped by lightening. That is clearly a parody of Japanese sport exhibits within the fashion of “Takeshi’s Fort,” which frequently confirmed little to no concern for the contestants’ wellbeing. However this wasn’t what bought the episode banned from Japanese TV.

At one level, Homer and Bart attend a sumo wrestling match, the place Homer picks up then-Japanese emperor, Akihito, spins him round, and throws him right into a bin stuffed with sumo thongs, probably killing the Japanese chief and resulting in Homer and Bart being imprisoned. Naturally, the nation did not take too kindly to their emperor being manhandled on this means, and “30 Minutes Over Tokyo” was by no means proven on TV in Japan. In keeping with the DVD commentary for the episode, the installment additionally by no means made it to air in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan. It is also not out there on Japanese Disney+.

Whereas doubtlessly murdering Japan’s head of state may look like a step too far, this whole episode is so ridiculous and so clearly taking purpose at everybody — together with The Simpsons and their boorish American understanding of different cultures — that the ban appears simply as ridiculous because the episode itself.

China completely loves banning media from different international locations, with the nation’s Nationwide Radio and Tv Administration barring quite a few beloved classics from being proven. China banned “Again to the Future” for goodness sake. Why? As a result of time journey is outwardly a “subversive” concept. So, if the pleasant hijinks of Marty and Doc Brown had been banned from China, you may guess an episode of “The Simpsons” that takes quite a few pictures on the nation was going to get caught within the web.

Season 16, episode 12 “Goo Goo Gai Pan” sees Marge’s sister Selma getting into menopause and deciding to undertake a Chinese language orphan. This ends in Selma and the Simpsons household touring to China, the place the writers take purpose at a number of elements of Chinese language historical past and the Chinese language Communist Social gathering. The jokes that may be most clearly upsetting to the CCP embrace the household encountering an indication in Tiananmen Sq. that reads, “On this website, in 1989, nothing occurred”, and Homer mocking Mao Zedong after visiting his embalmed physique and commenting that he resembles “a little bit angel who killed 50 million folks.”

Even with out these inclusions, the mere undeniable fact that The Simpsons visited China was probably grounds for the Nationwide Radio and Tv Administration to start out developing with causes to ban the present. Because it occurred, not solely did China pull the episode, however because the BBC reported, in 2006 the nation banned overseas cartoons from being screened on TV between 5 p.m. and eight p.m. — one thing in regards to the results of overseas tradition on Chinese language youngsters. That may appear foolish, however simply consider all of the younger lives that had been saved from slipping into depravity by banning “Again to the Future.” Now banning cartoons would not appear so silly, does it?

This is likely to be essentially the most infamous banned episode in all of “Simpsons” historical past — primarily as a result of it’s banned within the nation during which it was made. Season 3, episode 1, “Star Raving Dad,” noticed Michael Jackson visitor star as a white man named Leon Kompowsky who believed he actually was the king of pop. The episode wraps up with Leon writing a birthday track for Lisa, which Jackson penned himself, initially making Leon one among the very best one-off characters in “Simpsons” historical past. Sadly, issues all modified after horrific accusations had been made in a 2019 documentary.

What makes this explicit banned episode one of many extra egregious examples on this checklist is that government producer James L. Brooks led the cost to have it banned. Following the airing of the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which alleges that Jackson molested youngsters over a number of years, the episode that includes the pop star was pulled. “It feels clearly the one option to make,” Brooks instructed the Wall Avenue Journal, explaining that he, Matt Groening, and longtime producer Al Jean had determined to take away “Stark Raving Dad” from circulation. That basically meant that the episode was to be stricken from all of the platforms and shops on which it was out there, from streaming companies and TV to Blu-ray and DVDs.

Probably the most nauseating quotes from Brooks on the time was this: “I am towards e book burning of any variety. However that is our e book, and we’re allowed to take out a chapter” — as if it is by some means higher to burn books when it is the authors themselves doing the burning. The choice is probably comprehensible from a sure perspective, however pretending one thing by no means occurred and never permitting folks to see that factor and make their very own thoughts up as to whether or not they wish to watch it’s simply so clearly misguided that “The Simpsons” season 3’s banned Michael Jackson episode is probably essentially the most miserable entry on this checklist. The very last thing anybody thought after watching “Discovering Neverland” was “I hope they pull that ‘Simpsons’ episode.” However for no matter purpose Brooks and co. determined they wanted to self-censor.

Season 9, episode 6 noticed Homer purchase a gun, a lot to Marge — and the UK’s — dismay. Whereas the whole thing of the episode hinges on Marge’s disapproval of her husband’s newfound ardour for firearms, it truly ends along with her preserving the gun for herself after Homer decides to present it up, thereby seemingly refusing to take an anti-gun stance.

“The Cartridge Household” was written by legendary “Simpsons” author John Swartzwelder, who in keeping with the DVD commentary monitor for this episode, was tasked with presenting an unbiased tackle weapons in America. Evidently, the content material of this installment made the notoriously strict Fox censors — the identical ones that banned 9 separate issues from “Batman: The Animated Sequence” — nervous, however they finally let the episode air unedited. The identical cannot be stated for the Brits, nevertheless. The blokes over at U.Ok. community Sky didn’t take kindly to Swartzwelder’s supposedly “unbiased” view of gun possession and pulled the episode from the air.

This turned out to be solely a short lived ban, nevertheless, as “The Cartridge Household” was ultimately proven on different UK networks BBC Two and Channel 4, and finally even aired on Sky after some time. Even then, although, the ending was modified to make it so that after Homer discarded the gun, Marge by no means retrieved it. Whereas this may not be the outright authorities censorship seen in China, modifying episodes to vary the author’s intent looks like a slippery slope, although it must be famous that that is the episode with a joke about soccer being essentially the most boring sport to observe, which might be what actually bought the Brits’ knickers in a twist.

As author and former showrunner Mike Reiss instructed The Age, “Every time we’ve got the Simpsons go to one other nation, that nation will get livid.” On the time he gave that interview, the present had already managed to upset the Australians and get itself banned in Japan. However by far the very best instance of Reiss’ assertion is the response to season 13, episode 15, which noticed “The Simpsons” not solely upset Brazilians however prompted a authorized menace from the nation’s tourism board.

2002 “Blame It on Lisa” follows the Simpson household as they trip in Rio de Janeiro, and with this being “The Simpsons” there are all method of crude jokes and unflattering observations made alongside the best way. The episode portrays Brazil as rife with kidnappings and muggings, exhibiting Rio de Janeiro itself as a metropolis overrun by monkeys and rats. At one level, an unlicensed taxi driver takes Homer captive whereas each he and Bart are robbed by children dwelling on the streets of town.

All of which made the Rio tourism board very upset, with one spokesperson saying (through the BBC) “What actually harm was the thought of the monkeys — the picture that Rio de Janeiro was a jungle. It is a utterly unreal picture of town” … virtually as if this wasn’t an actual picture of town, and was in reality a cartoon parody of town. Should you battle to know what sort of life you might want to lead as a way to get upset over a cartoon, then attempt to think about this: The tourism board threatened authorized motion towards Fox for damaging the nation’s worldwide picture. Higher but, think about this: then-President Fernando Henrique Cardosa chimed in, saying the episode “introduced a distorted imaginative and prescient of Brazilian actuality.” For sure, this explicit installment was not proven in Brazil for years, although it will definitely did make it to air in 2012.

Although government producer James L. Brooks did formally apologize, thereby dodging any authorized motion, the one response actually price giving comes from Matt Groening Within the BBC documentary “America’s First Household,” the place he says one thing that each nation on this checklist ought to have borne in thoughts, “There are these those that take the bait they usually get upset after which they criticize the present and that makes it extra thrilling. I imply, it is only a TV present, it is a cute little cartoon.”