A new animated Danish television show meant for children featuring a man with a gigantic, uncontrollable penis has sparked a heated conversation regarding what may or may not be appropriate for kids.
The television show, John Dillermand, is featured on the Danish TV network DR. The show is aimed at children aged four to eight, The Guardian reported. In the show, Dillermand reportedly uses his enormous penis to perform heroic missions and take ice cream from kids as well as to overcome challenges he comes across. (RELATED: Danish Children’s TV Show Asks Kids To Evaluate Naked Adult Bodies)
Denmark’s new kids TV show John Dillermand has raised a few eyebrows https://t.co/eUtPctlUmK
— Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) January 6, 2021
The show sparked backlash, with advocates and detractors pointing to various reasons the show may or may not be good for children to watch.
“It’s perpetuating the standard idea of a patriarchal society and normalising ‘locker room culture’ … that’s been used to excuse a lot of bad behaviour from men. It’s meant to be funny – so it’s seen as harmless. But it’s not. And we’re teaching this to our kids,” Christian Groes, an associate professor and gender researcher from Roskilde University, told the Guardian.
Clinical psychologist Erla Heinesen Hojsted argued that people may be overreacting. Hojsted reportedly argued that Dillermand reaches children because he “shares their way of thinking.”
“The show depicts a man who is impulsive and not always in control, who makes mistakes – like kids do, but crucially, Dillermand always makes it right. He takes responsibility for his actions. When a woman in the show tells him that he should keep his penis in his pants, for instance, he listens. Which is nice. He is accountable,” Hojsted told the outlet.