Rainbow fans have been enjoying a nostalgic dose of the 70s show in recent weeks, with clips emerging online following the death of Zippy puppeteer, Ronnie Le Drew.
Yet many viewers have been left astounded by the content, with one skit going viral after it showed George, the gentle hippo announcing: ‘Yesterday we played with each other’s balls. Are we going to play with our friend’s balls today?’
To which Bungle replies: ‘Yes, and we can play with our twangers as well.’
While many remarked that they hadn’t picked up on the double entendres in childhood, the episode in fact didn’t make it to air.
Instead, the scenes were filmed for a ‘Christmas Tape’, a TV tradition in the Seventies that would see outtakes, bloopers and specially shot material put together to be watched at the work Christmas party.
Yet while Rainbow fans may have been fooled by the racy footage, there is no shortage of children’s TV shows that were in fact brimming with inappropriate material.
Rainbow fans have been enjoying a nostalgic dose of the 70s show in recent weeks, but some were shocked by double entendres only to learn that footage never actually made it to air
The Magic Roundabout followed the adventures of dog Dougal and friends in a magical garden but the show was was accused of making several references to drug use
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The Magic Roundabout
First airing in 1965, The Magic Roundabout followed the adventures of dog Dougal and friends in a magical garden.
The claymation classic used footage from the French stop motion animation show Le Manège enchanté but with different scripts and characters.
However, the series – which ran on the BBC for 12 years – was accused of making several references to drug use.
Dougal, who had an addiction to sugar cubes, famously claimed: ‘It starts with some sweets…and then you’re on two bags a day.’
One episode also saw the dog attend a party where he spoke with a banana and a pear before having no memory of it the next day.
His best friend Dylan, a rabbit who plays guitar and sleeps a lot, was said to be parodying a stoner.
Ermintrude the cow was seen chewing on a flower that resembled an opiate poppy.
Serge Danot, who created Le Manège enchanté, denied it was a take on drug culture, with his widow Martine later exclaiming: ‘On drugs? No, absolutely not.
‘They were all sweet characters created entirely for children, Of course, they were products of their age, the 1960s, but drugs? No.
‘Maybe that’s the way you saw it in Britain, but I can assure you that here in France nobody thinks or thought that.’
British actor and scriptwriter Eric Thompson, who was responsible for adapting the French show, also denied the claims.
Children Of The Stones
Children Of The Stones followed scientist Adam Brake and his son Matthew as they arrive in the sleepy English village of Milbury to find it under the grip of weird psychic powers
Despite being designed for kids, the 1977 series Children of the Stones was terrifying enough that it creeped out many adults.
The series followed scientist Adam Brake (Gareth Thomas) and his son Matthew (Peter Demin) who arrive in the sleepy English village of Milbury to find it under the grip of weird psychic powers unleashed by the sinister village squire, Hendrick, and whose power they struggle to break.
In 2012, comedian Stewart Lee narrated a documentary on the series for BBC Radio Four, introducing it as ‘the scariest programme ever made for children’.
Meanwhile, the music was described as ‘the most inappropriate theme music ever used for a children’s series’.
The cult classic is since said to have paved the way for spooky shows such as Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Pee-wee’s Playhouse
In one episode of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart) raised eyebrows with her very enthusiastic reaction to a horse ride
The 1986 series Pee-wee’s Playhouse followed the wacky daily adventures of exuberant man-child Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) in his gadget-filled playhouse in Puppetland.
Pee-wee’s Playhouse was designed as an educational yet entertaining show for children – yet one scene left a bad taste in viewers mouths.
In one episode, Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart) raised eyebrows with her very enthusiastic reaction to a horse ride.
Miss Yvonne – known as the most beautiful woman in Puppetland – made some rather suspicious noises while rocking herself backwards and forth on a horse, then hopped off with her hair all messed up and out of breath.
Rocko’s Modern Life
Rocko’s Modern Life featured several adult innuendos, including Rocko’s brief stint as a telephone operator implied to be a sex hotline
Throughout its run, the 1993 Nickelodeon series Rocko’s Modern Life was controversial for its adult humour, including innuendos and satirical social commentary.
The series followed the surreal life of an easily frightened Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko who encounters various dilemmas and situations regarding otherwise mundane aspects of life.
Rocko’s Modern Life featured several adult innuendos, including Rocko’s brief stint as a telephone operator implied to be a sex hotline, where an instruction sheet notes employees to ‘Be Hot, Be Naughty, and Be Courteous’, while he flatly repeats ‘Oh baby’ into the phone.
The show’s fictional restaurant, Chokey Chicken, was also based on the phrase ‘to choke the chicken’ – a slang term for masturbation – but this was changed to Chewey Chicken after complaints.
Another episode was also yanked off air after it showed Bev Bighead the frog attempting to seduce Rocko, prompting several complaints.
Such was the level of thinly veiled adult material in the show’s run that it was found that adults made up more than one-fifth of the audience.
All That
Brian Peck, aka Pickle Boy, would give a pickle to each celebrity guest on All That, with one example seeing Ray Romano in the bathroom to be given a pickle through a hole in the door
Nickelodeon’s All That was credited with launching the careers of Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell – but it wasn’t without controversy.
The 1994 series featured short comic sketches and weekly musical guests aimed toward a young audience.
Yet some of the sketches seemed to be designed with adults in mind, notably the recurring Pickle Boy skit.
On the show Brian Peck, aka Pickle Boy, would give a pickle to each celebrity guest, with one example seeing Ray Romano in the bathroom begging for something to eat when Pickle Boy gives him a pickle through a hole in the door.
In the skit, Pickle Boy slid a pickle through a ‘glory hole’ design, with Ray then chomping down on the snack.
In another clip, there’s a comment about how Pickle Boy ‘likes to hurt and tease pickles’.
While the skit raised eyebrows at the time, it took on an even more disturbing turn when Brian was later arrested on 11 counts of lewd acts and sexual abuse involving a minor.
He pleaded no contest to charges of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation, serving 16 months in prison. He was forced to register as a lifetime sex offender.
The Powerpuff Girls
In one episode, prison assualt was implied when Mojo Jojo was seen clinging to the prison bars looking alarmed while a large prisoner leered at him ominously in their cell
The Powerpuff Girls was designed to champion female empowerment with its star characters Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup – three kindergarten-aged girls with superpowers who would keep the town of Townsville safe.
Yet there was one scene in 1998 series that proved inappropriate, after the trio beat up Mojo Jojo and put him in jail.
Mojo Jojo – the mutated chimpanzee mad scientist – was then seen clinging to the prison bars looking alarmed while a large prisoner leered at him ominously in their cell.
During that scene, the narrator said: ‘Love is in the air, can’t you just smell it?’ suggesting Mojo Jojo was set to be assaulted in prison.
Zoey 101
In the episode, Zoey is accidentally sprayed her with a yellowish-green liquid candy called a ‘goo pop’, with a co-star remarking it looked like a ‘c*m shot’
Another Nickelodeon show that raised eyebrows was the 2005 series Zoey 101, which followed the lives of Zoey Brooks (Jamie Lynn Spears), her brother Dustin (Paul Butcher) and her friends as they attend Pacific Coast Academy, a fictional boarding school in Southern California.
The series was created by Dan Schneider, who later faced several allegations of inappropriate behavior towards the under-age stars.
Following the backlash, fans started to view the show differently, with Alexa Nikolas, who played Nicole Bristow, recalling one scene in which Jamie Lynn continuously had goo squirted on her face.
In the episode, Zoey is accidentally sprayed her with a yellowish-green liquid candy called a ‘goo pop’ – but the scene was reportedly shot several times until the goo hit Zoey squarely on her forehead, dripping down her face and mouth.
Alexa recalled she heard one of her male teenage castmates say at the time: ‘It’s like a c*m shot’, with that shot making it into the show.
‘We’re talking about a minor,’ Alexa said. ‘I think Jamie was 13, and they’re squirting stuff on her face to make it look a certain way.’
A person close to Schneider said that ‘the goo was green, just like Nickelodeon’s famous slime’, adding: ‘This episode aired and was seen by millions of people and (to our knowledge) not one viewer ever had a concern.’
Victorious
In Victorious, Ariana Grande’s character was seen trying to cure her boredom by putting her toe in her mouth and pouring water on herself upside-down
Nickelodeon’s Victorious is another Dan Schneider series that fans are looking back at through a different lens.
The 2010 series launched Ariana Grande’s career after being casted as highschooler Cat Valentine, yet some episodes saw her try to cure her boredom by putting her toe in her mouth, pouring water on herself upside-down and trying to get juice out of a potato by squeezing it.
During these activities she also made bizarre squealing sounds while saying suggestive lines like ‘give up the juice’ and ‘I’m thirsty’.
The episodes were analysed in Quiet On Set, a docuseries examining the toxic culture behind children’s shows, with Buzzfeed writer Scaachi Koul saying of the moment: ‘Who are sexual innuendos for on a kids’ show?’
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