I’m just a Minnie looking for her Mickey

I saw this poster on Pinterest.  And it wasn’t pinned on the humour boards either. I suppose to most it’s just a lovely Disney quote.  But if you’re Irish, it’s just all kind of wrong isn’t it? Because here in Ireland, Mickey is another word for something else entirely, that you wouldn’t expect to see on Disney Junior!  Or would you?  I know I don’t get out much (oh the joys of two children under 3!) but I’m noticing all kinds of double entendres while the smallies are watching their cartoons.  

If you have children under the age of 10, then you can’t have missed the classic song Shake Your Peanuts, sung by Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald.

Now for those of you who have never had the pleasure (lucky escape springs to mind!) here’s a link to the catchy tune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLIpOafDEwI

Myself and some friends from my mother and toddler group (hello bobbles!) have all sniggered at this like a group of giggling teenage girls.  I mean, come on, the baby elephant shakes his long trunk as Mickey, Goofy and Donald all shake their ‘peanuts!’ Nuff’ said.

I have a theory that the good writers at Disney and Pixar are doing two things. They are enjoying some in house jokes and also without doubt, they are helping us parents out.  I mean if we didn’t have the odd double entendre thrown into TV time with our children, we might not make it through the day!  Animators and writers at Pixar have often cited that the movies they make are for us adults just as much as they are for our kids. And it’s kind of fun for us parents to smirk knowingly at each other as we ‘get’ the jokes and it’s goes right over our little innocents heads.

Who else are Toy Story fans? All 3 Toy Story movies are huge hits in our house.  I must confess I love them too with the exception of the end of Toy Story 3, which always results in me crying, no matter how many times I’ve seen it!  But I digress…..

In Toy Story when Bo Peep says to Woody, “Whadda ya say I get someone else to watch the sheep tonight?” I’m not so sure she was suggesting that they have a game of scrabble later on!

And in Toy Story 2, after Jessie springs into action to help Buster out of Andy’s room in an emergency, Buzz’s love-struck reaction causes his wings to go spring erect. What’s a space ranger to do when a hot new cowgirl comes into town? 

In addition though to the deliberate adult humour we all love to watch there has also been some scandals over the years regarding some bloopers made in Disney Movies.  In 1999, Disney announced a recall of the 1977 home video The Rescuers because it contained an “objectionable background image.”  About 38 minutes into the film, Lady Bianca and Bernard charter a flight on their bird friend and are flying through the city. As they pass the windows of an apartment building, a woman is standing at one of them, naked from the waist up. It wasn’t until an executive at Disney saw this film and realized the smiles on Lady Bianca and Bernard were in fact because they saw a naked woman they decided it was indecent.

And of course when Disney announced the recall, everyone ran out to buy the video and sales skyrocketed because of people trying to see the alleged breasts in a 22 year old cartoon.  So if any of you have that movie at home as a child yourself, I bet I know what you’ll all be doing today, fast forward to 38 minutes and see for yourself what all the fun was over! 

And of course Jessica Rabbit has long since been recognised as a sex symbol, cartoon or not, she’s one for all the Dad’s I reckon.  (And teenage sons I’m sure too!) In the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” another blooper happened.  In the scene when Jessica Rabbit and Bob Hoskins are driving to get to toon town, Benny the cab hits a light post sending Jessica flying from the car. While she is flying her legs and dress go open and poor old Jessica is flashing her vajayjay to all and sundry.  So maybe it’s the sultry Jessica Rabbit we can blame for the trend young ‘celebrities’ have of forgetting their bridget jones knickers on a night out just as the paparazzi snap a picture.

Who loves Dr. Seuss?  Did you see the movie with Mike Myers as the Cat in The Cat in the Hat. Who can forget the Cat holding a pair of tennis balls and saying, “I love the smell of fresh balls.”  Fair point.  

So as Mickey Mouse goes in search of his Crystal Mickey (seriously, that’s on at the moment, I couldn’t make it up!) I say thank you to all the wonderful animators and comedians who help make me and Mr H. smile as we find that more and more of our daily TV time is of the cartoon and less of the Mad Men variety.