Danish public television has just introduced a new animation show about a man named John Dillermand and his unachievably long penis.
The premise of the program, which is aimed at children between the ages of four and eight, is to show how Mr. Dillermand – which translates as Mr. Penis Man – has overcome the obvious challenges that come with an incredibly long schlong.
Rather than being bothered by his oversized package, he uses it in creative ways, including executing rescue operations, raising flags, barbecuing, and even a whimsical episode where Mr. Dillermand’s phallus somehow steals ice of an unexpected child.
The show, of course, has its critics. Danish author Anne Lise Marstrand-Jørgensen wondered what the timing was since Denmark recently cracked down on sexual harassment in the workplace. “Is this really the message we want to send to kids while we’re in the middle of a massive #MeToo wave?” she wrote on Twitter.
But the creators of the program, 13 episodes of which have been watched more than 140,000 times since its debut on January 2, defended the unusual choice of children’s programs. “We think it is important to be able to tell stories about bodies,” public broadcaster DR posted on Facebook on Tuesday. “In the series, we recognize the growing curiosity of young children about their bodies and genitals, as well as the shyness and pleasure in the body.”
Some episodes show a less than satisfied and somewhat sleazy Mrs. Dillermand trying to keep her husband in line, including a scene where she shoots a bunch of balloons from which her husband dangles through his member. Spoiler alert: it survives.
“It’s a very Danish show,” education expert Sophie Munster told AFP. “We have a tradition of pushing boundaries and using humor, and we think it’s perfectly normal.”
Erla Heinesen Højsted, a clinical psychologist, told AFP that the show is not harmful to small children. “John Dillermand talks to kids and shares their mindset – and kids find genitals funny,” she said. “He takes responsibility for his actions. If a woman on the show tells him to keep his penis in his pants, for example, he listens. Which is nice. He is responsible. “
Others argue that a whole show about an oversized organ is bad for men. “It perpetuates the standard idea of a patriarchal society and normalizes ‘dressing room culture’,” Christian Groes, associate professor and gender researcher at Roskilde University, told local Danish media. “It’s meant to be funny, so it’s considered harmless. But it’s not. And we’re teaching this to our kids.”
The public broadcaster responded to criticism on her Facebook page, saying it could very well have made a show “about a woman who has no control over her vagina” and what really counts is that the kids love Mr. Dillermand.