Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Or is this children's programme about a man with the world's largest PENIS rather off

79 replies

Yetano · 07/01/2021 01:59

Hope this link works. It's a new Danish show for little kids called Dilletmand or 'penis man'.
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/06/john-dillermand-denmark-launches-childrens-tv-show-man-giant-penis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

OP posts:
Sheleg · 07/01/2021 08:35

@Godimabitch

Sounds like a rather efficient way to destigmatise genitals. It's just a body part, and I bet it's funny.
It's not just a body part though, is it? It's the body part that has the potential to abuse. Don't be so wilfully disingenuous. It's dangerous.
HmmSureJan · 07/01/2021 08:37

@CherryRoulade

Hugely funny. Hugely harmless.
Harmless? Normalising "amusing" and imaginative tales of men exposing their genitalia to children.
CherryRoulade · 07/01/2021 08:50

Harmless? Normalising "amusing" and imaginative tales of men exposing their genitalia to children

Yes. Actually, read ‘The Uses of Enchantment by Bettelheim’.
About as harmful as children singing Ring a Ring of Roses or children hearing about Hansel and Gretel. Less harmful probably than watching Tom and Jerry.

HmmSureJan · 07/01/2021 08:52

@CherryRoulade

Harmless? Normalising "amusing" and imaginative tales of men exposing their genitalia to children

Yes. Actually, read ‘The Uses of Enchantment by Bettelheim’.
About as harmful as children singing Ring a Ring of Roses or children hearing about Hansel and Gretel. Less harmful probably than watching Tom and Jerry.

And yet none of those examples focus on male sex organs to provide their amusing, harmless fun.
Seasaltyhair · 07/01/2021 08:55

A program about a man who can’t control his dick. You couldn’t make it up.

I suppose it could be worse - he could be dressed up as a woman ...

Jetatyeovilaerodrome · 07/01/2021 08:55

@Godimabitch

Sounds like a rather efficient way to destigmatise genitals. It's just a body part, and I bet it's funny.
Genitals needs to be 'stigmatised' to extent for children.

Otherwise they will think its totally normal when their stepdad shows them his penis and asks them to stroke it Hmm

Breaking down boundaries with regards to what children feel when it comes to strange men getting their cocks out is what is commonly known as 'grooming'.

'Look, its only a willy, its funny... Like Dillermand on the telly....'.

HmmSureJan · 07/01/2021 08:57

Genitals needs to be 'stigmatised' to extent for children.

Otherwise they will think its totally normal when their stepdad shows them his penis and asks them to stroke it

Breaking down boundaries with regards to what children feel when it comes to strange men getting their cocks out is what is commonly known as 'grooming'.

'Look, its only a willy, its funny... Like Dillermand on the telly....'.

Thank goodness. I thought I was going crazy for a moment there at some of these responses.

Seasaltyhair · 07/01/2021 09:00

@HmmSureJan

Genitals needs to be 'stigmatised' to extent for children.

Otherwise they will think its totally normal when their stepdad shows them his penis and asks them to stroke it

Breaking down boundaries with regards to what children feel when it comes to strange men getting their cocks out is what is commonly known as 'grooming'.

'Look, its only a willy, its funny... Like Dillermand on the telly....'.

Thank goodness. I thought I was going crazy for a moment there at some of these responses.

ALL of this.
TopBants · 07/01/2021 09:05

@Sinful8

Ahh good to see state funded TV is shite everywhere Grin
To be fair, with a couple of exceptions (such as Bing, and the Peter the Kleptomaniac Rabbit) I think CBeebies have a fabulous selection of shows for little kids. Worth the license fee for them alone.

As for Penis Man- just, why?

Original poster
Yetano · 07/01/2021 09:09

Glad it's not just me. If there is a need to destigmatise male genitalia I'm pretty sure normalising it being wayward and naughty is not the way.

OP posts:
GreenlandTheMovie · 07/01/2021 09:13

That's weird. Is Danish children's TV in the grip of a Jimmy Saville? Anyone remember the expose of that kid's programme from the eighties, was it The Magic Roundabout, and some song was entirely composed of sexual double entendre?

Some people get a kick out of hiding their dysfunctional it in plain sight and pushing other peoples' boundaries and for some reason, state funded TV stations have historically proved good places for them.

CherryRoulade · 07/01/2021 09:28

HmmSureJan No, but they do focus on incredible scenes of violence that somehow even very young children manage to separate from reality.
Enchantment, fairy stir, cartoons, help children deal with notions that are entirely unacceptable in reality. They help children think about and cope with the real world.
Seeing a giant penis sloshing around is not likely to do them any harm at all. It will likely make them giggle. Wise parents will be able to talk about reality without scaring children senseless.
Presenting male genitalia as terrifyingly harmful, scary and entirely abusive is far, far more damaging.

Seasaltyhair · 07/01/2021 09:37

@CherryRoulade

HmmSureJan No, but they do focus on incredible scenes of violence that somehow even very young children manage to separate from reality. Enchantment, fairy stir, cartoons, help children deal with notions that are entirely unacceptable in reality. They help children think about and cope with the real world. Seeing a giant penis sloshing around is not likely to do them any harm at all. It will likely make them giggle. Wise parents will be able to talk about reality without scaring children senseless. Presenting male genitalia as terrifyingly harmful, scary and entirely abusive is far, far more damaging.
It will likely make them giggle

Tbh both my dd would be a bit confused/bemused really. Is a massively long cock stealing ice creams funny? Really? Would it be funny for a women to have a huge fanny that swallows everything? Where do we stop? Is this the level of humour children are being subjected to Confused

If you honestly can’t see the link between this and safeguarding then I wonder who is actually behind your screen name.

CherryRoulade · 07/01/2021 09:51

SeaSaltyhair. Yes mine probably would have giggled at a truck swallowing vagina too. It’s childish silly humour, like giggling at words like bottom and fart.

Being safe comes from children understanding social norms, from knowing what is and isn’t acceptable, what is real. Parenting is about helping children navigate that and, actually, having something to show how silly/unreal/unacceptable waving a giant penis around is will probably help rather than hinder those discussions.

Little children aren’t ready for tales of Sarah Payne or Madeleine. It’s positively harmful to sit them down and explain violent rape as a real and significant risk. They need fantasy and safe ways to explore the unacceptable.

As I said, read Bettelheim. He’s better informed than the Daily Mail. Your thinly veiled insults are unnecessary. My safeguarding knowledge is good, thanks.

duckinatruckwithmuck · 07/01/2021 09:59

Totally inappropriate. The penis thing doesn’t stick out (😂) as weird to me too much- Denmark’s USP is all about how relaxed they are about their bodies/lives and how happy they are as a result, blah, blah, blah, etc. My biggest bugbear is they’re using someone ethnic/exotic looking WITH A STRANGE DISABILITY/DISORDER and who is portrayed as a bit stupid. Denmark has a long standing racism problem and this feeds the narrative that anyone non-white/Danish is a freak/thick.

I’ve just flicked through a few of the episodes on YouTube and the other people the character interacts with are visibly light skinned. I believe it’s a deliberate attempt to show people from immigrant backgrounds in a negative light. The penis is just a red herring.

duckinatruckwithmuck · 07/01/2021 10:01

If this was robot chicken, I wouldn't have batted an eyelid but this is on prime time tv aimed at 4-8 year olds.

KatieGGGG · 07/01/2021 10:01

@Campervan69 that’s completely false. Google again and away from the DM and the dodo.

Dissillusioned · 07/01/2021 10:02

I can't actually believe ANYONE thinks this is a good idea for little kids. Well possibly a certain group of unsavoury individuals.

HmmSureJan · 07/01/2021 10:04

As I said, read Bettelheim. He’s better informed than the Daily Mail.

I definitely will do. Tell me though does he refer at any time to the use of male genitalia to entertain children in any of his theories?

Stripesnomore · 07/01/2021 10:07

I am struggling to understand the analogy here.

The witch in Hansel and Gretel is shown as evil. It is clear throughout that the children are in danger and that the witch is bad. Locking children in cages, cooking and eating them is largely frowned upon by society. It is a rare event in reality.

Penis man is not shown as evil, bad or a risk. It is not made clear that him getting his penis out in front of a variety of people for all sorts of purposes is much more than a jolly caper or poor judgement. Men abusing children and other adults by getting their penises out is often excused as a jolly caper or poor judgement.

It is not a harmless fantasy for the many adults and children who are abused, nor does the cartoon serve as a warning of danger and dangerous behaviour.

Jetatyeovilaerodrome · 07/01/2021 10:17

Presenting male genitalia as terrifyingly harmful, scary and entirely abusive is far, far more damaging.

Or....and hear me out.... You could just leave adult men's cocks out of children's TV altogether?

HavelockVetinari · 07/01/2021 10:22

This is grooming in plain sight. We do NOT need to 'normalise' a grown man who can't control his penis. FFS, this is SO harmful.

Jetatyeovilaerodrome · 07/01/2021 10:24

@Stripesnomore

I am struggling to understand the analogy here.

The witch in Hansel and Gretel is shown as evil. It is clear throughout that the children are in danger and that the witch is bad. Locking children in cages, cooking and eating them is largely frowned upon by society. It is a rare event in reality.

Penis man is not shown as evil, bad or a risk. It is not made clear that him getting his penis out in front of a variety of people for all sorts of purposes is much more than a jolly caper or poor judgement. Men abusing children and other adults by getting their penises out is often excused as a jolly caper or poor judgement.

It is not a harmless fantasy for the many adults and children who are abused, nor does the cartoon serve as a warning of danger and dangerous behaviour.

This.

You can easily see an abuser using this to 'play a game' with a child.

'Do you want to play Dillermand?... Right, I'll be Dillermand.... Here is my willy.... Oooh look, its out of control..... its stealing your ice cream, how funny...Don't worry, its just like the man on the telly, he isn't a bad man....'

Totally different to playing Hansel and Gretel for example, where the witch is an actual bad character.

Anyone who cannot see a problem with this is either thick as mince or deliberately (for whatever reason) closing their eyes to the issue.

HmmSureJan · 07/01/2021 10:28

Or....and hear me out.... You could just leave adult men's cocks out of children's TV altogether?

Certainly seems to leave no room for ambiguity, which seems to me to always be a good thing where children and adult genitalia are concerned.

Facelikearustytractor · 07/01/2021 10:37

This has probably got something to do with David Walliams hasn't it?

If anyone comes across him while in Tesco shout "Hello David massive penis man" in Danish and see if his ears twitch.