An Awesome Idea for a Kids Show

I was discussing the finer points of Pokemon with my husband, which led to a discussion on one of my still favorite shows - Sailor Moon - and all of those cool Japanese created shows, and the American reversions of them. I just have to say that I kind of HATE the American reversions of most Japanese shows.

Why?

Because they almost ALWAYS eff them up!

Take Sailor Moon, for example; in the original Japanese version, she wasn't nearly as ditsy. I mean yes, she IS a clutz, but when they translated her dialogue into American, they somehow made her come across as THE most airheaded idiot on the planet! In the original, she was actually what we might consider a typical teen girl: boy crazy and not really interested in her grades or her future - beyond becoming a bride someday, preferably as soon as possible, lol.

My REAL point is this, however, in just about any anime brought over to America, it's a given that there are episodes that were banned or just not aired. There's various reasons, but one of the STUPIDEST reasons that they often ban an episode from American viewers is mild sexual content. Considering that these are mainly kids' shows, I can sort of understand the reasoning. They don't want to encourage the sexualization of children.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I think that some of the things that they edit out or refuse to expose American children to are just ridiculous! There was an episode of Sailor Moon in which she and Mini Moon were on an Island swimming, and I think the issue was that Sailor Moon ended up losing her top just before a monster battle, so they showed her fighting topless, but you only saw her back.

To be honest, I only saw the episode once years ago. It was in the original Japanese and I'd had to download it off the internet because it was never dubbed in english or shown in America. So I don't remember it clearly. I could be wrong about the details of why it was banned. But I will say this, I had to go back and reread the most likely reasoning a couple of times because I couldn't see a damn thing wrong with the episode!

But it is a good example of what I am talking about. Our TV censors are too damn sensitive when it comes to kids programming. ESPECIALLY when I've seen things on cartoons made in America that made me raise an eyebrow. But getting back to Pokemon.

There's just one episode of Pokemon that was banned for slight sexual content, that was later edited, shown on TV once, and then quietly never played again. In the episode, Ash, Brock, and Misty are visiting an island and there's a bikini contest. Both Jesse (a girl) and James (a boy) from team rocket decide to join the bikini contest, which means that James has to use a device make it look like he has a big pair of breasts. The two of them then tease poor 10 year old Misty for not having any. This is why it was banned: cross dressing and sexual teasing. They edited out the majority of the scene where James is in a bikini with big boobs, which also included the teasing, and aired it after that, but without the comedy of the episode, it wasn't very popular, and so they quietly never aired it again.

ROLL MY EYES...

So here's what I think. I think that it would be awesome if an American TV network - maybe the one that has dared to play the stupid MFin' Simpsons for over 20 years - decided to produce and air a cartoon aimed at kids (unlike the Simpsons, which was really a cartoon aimed at adults that people mistakenly thought was okay for kids to watch), in which, wait for it.......

The main character is a 8-10 year old child - probably a girl - with 2 dads. As in a gay couple in a committed relationship raising their cherished daughter the best way they know how. One can make a living by dressing up as a woman and singing and dancing on stage. AKA a cross dresser. But when at home or just hanging out with friends, this man can dress like a "normal" fashion conscious man with the occasional girly outfit because it makes him feel pretty.

The other dad can be a typical sporty man who takes his daughter to baseball games and out bowling as a family. The girl can be anything she wants. Maybe one day she wants to be a tomboy, and the next day, she wants to dress up as a princess. It won't matter :-)

Her extended family will be made up of her dads' friends, and their community. So this could be other cross dressers. It could be transgenders. It could be next door neighbors who are lesbians OR - if they really want to get crazy! - a poly family!!! I'd love to see one that's comprised of two men and three women, plus several kids. :-D

The motto of the show will be "Love not Hate," and will come up frequently as she has to navigate a world that often throws bad words and phrases at those who are different. (Of course, the bad words would be bleeped out, because this is a kids show and they SHOULD be bleeped out!) Her dads will continually advise her that people can be cruel, but if she treats them kindly - with love rather than hate - they will eventually see that they are spewing hate at a sweet and innocent child.

Even better, she can be sweet AND snarky, lol! Example, woman says: "God says that your dads are living in sin and won't be allowed into heaven when they die." Girl replies with a cherubic smile: "My dads say that God loves everyone and made them special on purpose as a way to test his followers to see who has love in their heart, and who really doesn't belong in heaven."

Ahahahaha! I LOVE it! I would SO watch this show, and I'd probably be annoying about it too; like how I occasionally see my facebook friends be with their favorite shows, giving live updates, and talking about the show as if everyone is watching it and finding it just as awesome, lol!

I would even love to be a part of the creative team that makes the show, and you know what, it doesn't have to be a cartoon, or specifically aimed at kids. It could be live action family show. Sure, either way, the network has to have a tough skin and continue airing the show even though there would probably be a LOT of backlash, but so long as the motto and focus of the show never changes from "Love not hate," then I can see it being a seriously positive and well-loved show for years to come :-D