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Source: http://www.nbc10.com/entertainment/9717462/detail.html

A British television channel is kicking the butts out of some Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including "The Flintstones," "Scooby-Doo" and "Tom and Jerry."

It's all because one viewer complained about smoking in two Tom and Jerry toons.

In one of them, Tom tries to impress a female cat by rolling and smoking a cigarette with one paw.

In another, a character is seen smoking a cigar. Those two scenes have now been edited out.

The children's Boomerang channel said it'll look at its entire library of cartoons and take out all other scenes glamorizing smoking.

Britain's television regulator said that's a good idea. But a pro-smoking group called the move "totally absurd."


This, to me, is stupid. Tom and Jerry are over 50 years old, and no other thing like this has been done in the past. What's next?

It's a fair point, I guess.

The 'glamorous' smoking in Tom and Jerry tends to be pastiche of the glossy Hollywood films in the 50's (ish) where all these beautiful, glamorous women would never be seen without a cigaraette (and similar with the men).

It wasn't an issue for kids when Tom and Jerry was made, because everyone smoked. It's an issue now because smoking is something people definitely don't want to promote or give a positive image. e.g. Tom impressing a female by smoking.

I don't actually think cartoons are going to make people want to take up smoking- I don't, and I watched loads of Tom and Jerry cartoons when I was little. But I can see their point and it's hardly going to affect the plot.

I say take away anything involving violence, including but not limited to frying pan hits, eating live parakeets, and dropping anvils.

The number of murders in the world carried out via Frying pans or anvil-dropping... I doubt they're all that big

I read it in the BBC. Although I'm shocked at the artform being cut, I'm also relieved for the kids that watch it. Smoking is not cool in my book.

Yeah. You think cutting out smoking is bad for British television is bad, wait until you hear this tale of horror from the States.

There are some Bugs Bunny cartoons that will never see the light of day ever again. They are, let's say, 61-65 years old as of, let's also say, this last week. We can then say they were made for the kids at home during the war. What they feature is Bugs Bunny brutally killing Japanese soldiers while spewing non-stop racial slurs. There is a good reason why that one is gone forever.

Others that are on the censor's table, with good reason, include ones where a character gets a 'mud baby' image, meaning covered in mud or tar with protruding lips. It was meant as a slur against those of African descent, but thankfully civil rights groups helped get rid of them.

Censoring materials that groups have found offensive is common and something that has to be accepted in this 'PC' world, although this case is a little out there since the parents should be the ones teaching the kids that smoking is evil from day one.

I imagine there are enough cases of domestic violence involving frying pans to warrant their removal.
Afterall it only took one idiot complaint.

Oh, good, good; I started smoking at the age of six, and I still am, because I saw it in Tom and Jerry!

Doctoring past items in order to comply with current values in England sounds like 1984.

itz about time imp it was NOT a good insperation 4 kidz i hate it

Because of your location (US) I'm going to believe you on this one.

Yes, of course. I've been smoking since I was two, all because I saw it on tv. I mean, the world just works that way, doesn't it? Parents couldn't be expected to actually parent their children. Why, that would just be logical!

QUIET. *feeds you to the rats*

lol "Issues" like this always make me laugh. I think it's a bit absurd when something that old is censored. Why not go to an art gallery and cover up all the nudey pics? Why not pop into a history book and take out anything "unsuitable" for younger people to read? It's all ridiculous. If you teach your child correctly, they are not going to be foolish enough to do something just because a cartoon character does it. They should know cartoons are false and tools to fuel the imagination and get a good laugh for entertainment. I never understand the arguments "if my child sees someone smoking on tv, then they will smoke" or any of the other arguments. If a child does something because they see a character do it, they need to be taught the difference between fantasy and reality. Children need to be given more credit and not treated in a dumbed-down, no self-responsibility attitude that a lot of PC parents have today.

My girls absolutely love Tom & Jerry and they are neither more violent or smoke. lol It's a shame that they can't watch a lot of the old cartoons like Looney Tunes or the Hanna Barbara shows because they are either on a special pay-extra channel or simply not shown anymore. Classics like that should be available somewhere or the new generations will never get to know them.

Yeah. I've seen that one. My history teacher last year tracked it down online for WW2 studies. It was pretty bad. I do believe in getting rid of all type of racist things like that (at least from the public eye until they realize what and why they are seeing it. Not for entertainment. Seeing things/media from that time really does give you a good perspective.)


But anyways, aslong as the quality of the cartoon isn't given up (very obvious lapses in the cartoon) what do the kids care? I do belive in preserving copies of the original for future generations, why not take the extra precaution?