An Alternate Take On #elsagate
Six months ago I was made aware of the weird cartoon channels on YouTube which has gained the name #elsagate. Other than the Reignbot video I had never seen any of this toons or live action videos and after watching other channels bring up #elsagate I decided to watch a few. While not great it appealed to my sense of humor. The theory about all this videos is that they’re designed to take advantage of the system YouTube has in place. What if we avoid Occam’s razor and find some other reason for it.
I love cartoons! Animation is probably my favorite form of entertainment and has been as long as I can remember. Now I may have not attended Cal Arts or have an extensive library on the history of animation but I know more than the average person. I’ve been followed by voice actors and other in the industry on social media. While I’m not an expert I am well versed on the subject. Why is that important and what does it have to do with #elsagate? It’s all about the perception and history of animation.
The videos brought in #elsagate talk usually involve characters kids love. They’ll range from Disney, superheroes and villains, the Minions, and My Little Pony. They’re often involved in events that include infidelity, pregnancy, drinking urine, voyeurism, and painful accidents. Like most preschool TV programs the language is limited. Most of what I saw just involved laughing, crying, and vocal scowling. There was an occasional yes or no response which means no explicit language. Remember how violent Tom & Jerry were? What about Looney Tunes? The Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera (under MGM) cartoons weren’t designed for little kids but movie going audiences. There were plenty of sexual themed cartoons from creators like Tex Avery which hold up as a masterpiece today. Even though I might have not gotten all the messages but I got the point as a kid but I look back and wonder how it was considered a kids’ show.
I can bring up things from the Disney Renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s such as the animators trolling their bosses by hiding a penis in The Little Mermaid castle or the minister having an erection. Though that would get me sidetracked more than I already am. Those were easter eggs and overt. From the Flintstones to the Fairly Odd Parents cartoons relied on slapstick humor so violence used for comedic effect. It wasn’t so much the act of violence but the buildup and payoff. Kids watching Elsa and Spidey having a relationship on YouTube aren’t looking for Chuck Jones references but they’re even if only slightly.
For a money grab they found a formula that works but why would they risk losing it by putting content that’s not kid friendly in the videos? I’m probably giving them too credit to come up with this theory but what if they’re trying to show that parents have lost all ability to monitor what their children watch. Cartoons are the perfect format to get the point across. While they started in cinemas they also have roots in radio serials and moved on to television. Keeping tabs on what kids were watching was easy but by the time I became a teen most kids had a TV in their bedroom with cable. There were certain cartoons that pushed the limit before cable’s prominence like Fritz the Cat or Heavy Metal but because of their ratings kids would have to sneak into the theater to watch them or get them on VHS. Toddlers have instant access to everything just by touching the screen on a tablet so don’t rely on a website to be the guardian of your child’s video intake. Maybe it is time to slow down and let them explore the world around them.