Asterix comics study: cartoons that were deemed 'too violent'

Asterix is not the first cartoon to be criticised for the level of violence its characters inflict on one another. Here are some more examples of animated brutality that some felt went too far.

Tom and Jerry

The beloved cat-and-mouse duo would never have been made in today's society because of health and safety rules, the director of Bob the Builder claimed last year.

Fears that children will try to imitate the behaviour they see on screen have led to guidelines demanding that modern cartoons must be more "realistic" than in previous generations.

Sarah Ball said: "In the society we live in now there are so many health and safety or 'standard practice’ rules that you have to adhere to because broadcasters are so concerned about imitable behaviour."

Pokemon

For a show whose most recognisable character is an innocent-looking, red-cheeked rodent, the Japanese animated series about a world of collectors seeking out magical species is surprisingly violent.

Rather than looking after their endearing and seemingly harmless pets, or putting them in a zoo, the aim of the programme's "trainers" is rather less wholesome – to teach their charges to fight before pitching them against one another in battle.

The authors of a 2009 study into children's programmes including Pokemon and even Scooby-Doo said violent cartoons and video games could influence children's "aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviours".

Punch and Judy

A puppeteer in Portsmouth was ordered to lower the level of violence in the traditional children's show last year amid concerns from organisers that some scenes could be deemed offensive by parents.

Daniel Liversidge was ordered to remove any instances of Punch hitting Judy, and swapped his whacking stick for a fluffy mop so that he could tickle her instead.

The puppeteer was also told Punch could no longer put Judy through a mangler or throw a baby out of the bath. He said: "You always get people asking for the traditional stick to come back but you have to move with the times ... at the end of the day I am a children's entertainer and my job is to keep children happy."

Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons

OK, it's a cartoon-within-a-cartoon, but Marge Simpson's shock at seeing the gory violence in Bart and Lisa's favourite TV show leads her on a one-woman crusade against the network, in an episode called Itchy & Scratchy & Marge.

Condemning the "needless brutality" with which the cat and mouse – a parody of Tom and Jerry – attack one another, she spearheads a campaign that forces the show's makers to dramatically tone down the cartoon. After several turgid episodes in which Itchy and Scratchy trade presents and hugs instead of missiles and bullets, the show's ratings plunge as children lose interest.

Fortunately for the network, Marge destroys her credibility by refusing to lead a similar censorship drive against Michaelangelo's David, upon which Itchy and Scratchy immediately returns to its original form.

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck exhibition

In an exhibition parodying the concern some parents express about violence in cartoons, artist James Cauty and his 15-year-old son Harry drew a series of "Splatter" images showing Looney Tunes characters being brutally shot, decapitated and eaten alive.

The 2008 exhibit, displayed at the London Aquarium Gallery, included a picture of Daffy Duck's head exploding as he is shot at point blank range by Bugs Bunny, and blood dripping down Sylvester the cat's face as he takes a bite out of Tweety Pie, having finally caught his budgerigar rival.

Mr Cauty said: "Its very difficult to shock kids these days – you have cartoon characters being shot in the head and walking off cliffs, so we have decided to replace them with something more realistic."

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Trouble, the dog that inherited $12m, dies

One of the world's richest dogs, which inherited $12 million (£7.3m) from eccentric US hotelier Leona Helmsley, has died.

Helmsley, who owned the Helmsley hotel chain, left $12 million in her will to care for her beloved Maltese named Trouble when she died in 2007. A judge reduced the amount to $2 million.

Though Trouble's death is only now being reported, the dog actually died on Dec 13 at the age of 12, said Eileen Sullivan, spokesman for the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

"She was cremated and her remains are being privately retained. The funds held in trust for her care have reverted to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for charitable purposes," Ms Sullivan said in a statement.

Harry Helmsley was Leona's late husband.

Ms Sullivan refused to give any other details about Trouble. The New York Daily News newspaper said the dog had been cared for by the manager of the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel in Sarasota, Florida.



Leona Helmsley died in 2007 



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Record number to stay home on 'national sickie day'

A record number of office workers will phone in sick on Monday as post-Christmas blues, the flu outbreak and financial worries cause 375,000 to join in "national sickie day", according to a survey.

The first Monday in February is the day British workers are most likely to ring in sick with wintry weather, credit card bills and a long wait until the next holiday all contributing to the country's malaise. This year a combination of the worst spread of flu in a decade and an increasingly lenient attitude taken by managers mean more staff than ever before could "pulling a sickie".

The cost to the economy in lost work and business opportunities, the cost of salaries and overtime payments, could be more than £32 million, according to business advisers ELAS. As many as 375,000 workers are expected to take the day off, with half of the country's bosses admitting they do not always believe those who phone in sick.

Peter Mooney, head of consultancy at ELAS, said: “With morale at rock bottom thanks to nearly three years of working in a stuttering economy, and with the worst flu outbreak in a decade providing a handy alibi, we expect absenteeism to soar this winter. Meanwhile, more and more bosses have drifted into accepting text messages and emails as confirmation that staff will not be heading into work – making it much easier for staff to get away with taking a duvet day.”

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German thief deposits loot with victim

Three days after stealing a rare collection of coins, a thief in Germany took them to the bank for safe keeping - and delivered them into the hands of the man he had robbed.

"I don't think the thief was expecting that," said a spokesman for police in the western city of Dortmund.

Soon after the thief made the deposit, a bank worker handling the coins recognised them as the set worth some 50,000 euros (41,000 pounds) that had been stolen from his house.

Police tracked down the 36-year-old suspect and arrested him, securing a haul of other stolen goods in the process.

Taken from: uk.Reuters

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