New Denmark Children’s Show Stars Man With Giant Genitalia

A children’s show recently released in Denmark on the DR Network titled John Dillermand has left people with plenty of questions surrounding its unconventional premise. The titular character is a animated man with a superpowered penis that he utilizes to walk dogs, fend off lions, and tend to his garden. Though more adult themes can often be found within kids shows, many are debating whether John Dillermand is a light-hearted lesson in anatomy or if the method of his misadventures are appropriate for such a young audience.

The show released January 2 on DR with a 13 episode run, each episode clocking in at only 5 minutes. Throughout the series, audiences can follow John as he uses his “diller” (the Danish word for penis and from where John derives his last name) to work his way through a number of situations, ranging from taking out the trash and delivering mail, to – in the episode appropriately titled “John saves Christmas” – saving Christmas. Regardless of the mostly tame adventures seen in John Dillarmand, the show is still coming under fire for featuring its main character’s penis so prominently.

John Dillermand never portrays any intentional or explicitly inappropriate behavior, being entirely non-sexual, but the nature of the show is still up for questioning. As reported by CNN, parents who likely favor more traditionally kid-friendly shows have flooded the DR Network’s Facebook page with requests the show be taken off the air. Danish politician and member of the right wing Danish People’s Party Morten Messerschmidt posted to his own Facebook a statement regarding his dislike of the show, saying “…I do not think that looking at the genitals of adult men should be made into something that is common for children.”

A spokesperson for DR came to CNN to combat the controversy surrounding the show, defending it by saying that most of the critics speaking against it had done so “without even (having) seen the show.” They also claimed the support for John Dillermand outweighs the negative reactions, saying it is a “huge success” and citing that (at the time) 200,000 people had viewed the series’ first episode. And, for the most part, people seem to be reveling in the absurd hilarity of the show and not taking its obscure depictions too seriously.

Most of the controversy comes from the fact that it’s rated appropriate for all ages and specifically aimed towards children, but it certainly isn’t the first children’s show that has questionable themes. For the most part, John Dillermand is a romping comedy paralleling a lot of shows in its genre with slapstick laughs and general themes of (extremely) creative problem solving and trying to do the right thing. All 13 episodes are available for streaming (even outside of Denmark) on the DR Network’s website.

Source: CNN

About The Author