U.S. cartoon duo banned in Russia
'Happy Tree,' 'Jeff' deemed too violent
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Moscow-based 2X2 took San Francisco-based Mondo Mini Shows’ “Happy Tree Friends” and Bristol, England-based Aardman Animation’s “The Adventures of Big Jeff” off the air after an official complaint from Rossvyazokhrankulutra.
Roman Sarkisov, general director of the channel, said the cartoons were within a month of the end of their license period and taking them off-air harmed neither the company nor viewers.
“We did not argue with Rossvyazokhrankulutra -- the cartoons are shorts of a few minutes each that our viewers have seen hundreds of times. Any television criminal drama in Russia is a hundred times more violent than these cartoons,” Sarkisov said.
The channel, which broadcasts mostly foreign, adult-oriented animation around the clock, carried warnings that it was aimed at older teenagers and adults, he said.
“Happy Tree Friends” features cute, cuddly animals whose daily adventures always go horribly wrong, while “The Adventures of Big Jeff” stars a naked Australian.
Neither of the two cartoon series had been screened at times when younger children might see them.
Sarkisov said the shows, which totaled four hours, would be replaced by “the most childish and stupid cartoons” the stations could find.
He added: “Mainstream viewers in Russia tend to be afraid of something they do not understand. The Russian public is not so civilized as in Europe. They are rather conservative. They just did not get it.”
The station, which launched in 2006 and is part of oligarch Vladimir Potanin’s ProfMedia holding, would appeal the decision after obtaining an expert report on the content of the two cartoon series, Sarkisov said.
