As a young child, I used to enjoy various cartoons for their entertaining characters and amusing storylines. These days I'm more amused by what I recognise as racial, ethnic , and social stereotypes portrayed in the cartoons I have loved for 20 odd years.

In particular it is Warner Brothers cartoons that I have noticed the most blatent stereotypical characters. Here is a rough breakdown of the things I have noticed, with my now enhanced, mature PC radar.















Pepe Le'Pew

As a child, i never realised this character was the common American viewed stereotype of French men; smelly and exhibiting intrusive, aggressive seduction behaviour! These days, such behaviour may be considered stalking or sexual harrassment.

















Bugs Bunny

I always thought BB talked like a African-American using semi-ebonics, however I have come to realise that his voice is very New York like, a combination of Brooklyn and Bronx accents.






















Porky Pig

The stuttering fat kid lacking confidence.





























Foghorn Leghorn / Yosemite Sam

Both these characters exude traits of southern Red Neck Americans. Apparently Foghorn was based on a Senator Claghorn, "a blustering southern polititian" from the 1940's."
These are my favourite FL quotes:
"That dog's as subtle as a hand grenade in a barrrel of oat meal."
"That boy's as strong as an ox, and just about as smart."
"You look like two miles of bad road."
"Nice girl, but about as sharp as a sack of wet mice."


























Speedy Gonzales

The fastest mouse in all of Mexico. Speedy's cartoons have come under fire in recent years for their alleged stereotypical depictions of Mexicans and Mexican life. Mice in the cartoons are usually shown as lazy, womanizing and hard-drinking, while Speedy wears a huge sombrero and sometimes plays in a mariachi band.