Shayne Jacopian for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
A clip from a Swedish children’s program featuring dancing genitalia went viral last week, and it’s rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. (We’re not going to survive this one.)
The one-minute clip, made for the children’s program Bacillakuten, opens with a drawing of a penis reminiscent of high school bathroom stall graffiti, complete with a smiley face, bouncing its way towards a three- to six-year-old audience until it appears to slap itself right into the screen.
At this point, some of its friends join in, one with a mustache and another with a top hat, as a pair of pants that clearly wouldn’t fit any of them sails past in the background.
“Cue the vaginas!” we imagine the director saying, as, well, that’s what waltzes onto the screen next.
One winks as it moves out of the way for another that has its white hair up in a bun and is aided by glasses and a cane. At its dénouement (We’re not saying climax!!), the video’s characters are all floating and bouncing around as though they were aboard the International Space Station.
This song, aimed at a three- to six-year old audience, intends to teach Swedish children about the human body.
Some of the song’s lyrics translate to: “Here comes Willie at a run, he has no pants,” and “Twinkle is cool, you better believe it, even on an old lady … Willie and Twinkle, what a great gang!”
A slightly varying but equally as humorous translation from the Swedish news site The Local: “Here comes the penis at full pace,” and “the vagina is cool, you better believe it, even on an old lady. It just sits there so elegantly.”
While this had a lot of parents around the world rubbed the wrong way (no pun intended), it didn’t cause quite as much controversy in Sweden.
Cosmopolitan wrote: “This Swedish children’s cartoon features dancing genitals because the Swedes are more open with gender and sexuality talk with young kids. Also, they love hilarious stuff.”
The program’s executive director, Kasja Peters (that pun just happened on its own) adds, “We aim our programs at children, but most parents watch them with the kids and we hope we make it easier for them to talk about and explain things.”
Ultimately, according to Peters, Bacillakuten’s primary goal is “to teach children about the body and its functions. We hope that the song will help in this learning. The song is part of playful learning, which we believe is the best way to reach kids.”
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