As the world seemingly falls to pieces, the Danish have decided what we all need right now is a children’s show about a man with a ginormous, misbehaving penis.
The claymation cartoon called John Dillermand — which quite literally translates to John Penis-Man — has aroused concern from across the globe over whether the show and its contents is appropriate for the age group it targets (i.e. 4 to 8-year-olds).
John and his big diller (slang for Penis in Danish) – which pops out uncontrollably – get into all kinds of trouble, but also eventually save the day.
You can watch the intro for the show below.
People have understandably taken to social media to joke about the new children’s show. However, in The Guardian’s coverage of the show, a child psychologist weighs in and suggest the show’s desexualised nature is actually a good thing for young children who might feel like they cannot control their bodies and emotions.
America is fallen. Now we must look to Europe for leadership — ah, ok https://t.co/tcMPSjj1wq
— james hennessy (@jrhennessy) January 6, 2021
“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,” says psychologist Erla Heinesen Højsted.
“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.”
However, there’s been some suggestions that the show perpetuates a “boy will be boys” and rape culture mentality.
DR, the Danish national broadcaster responsible for the show, responded to the backlash by suggesting it could have easily made a show “about a woman with no control over her vagina” but the most important thing was that children enjoyed John Dillermand.
