Postcards from Buster is the latest victim of the red and blue state cultural wars. © CINAR Corp.

Were it not for the omnipresent “Culture Wars,” American animation might become a very dull place indeed. We would have to be content with the latest CGI blockbuster, the unveiling of new fall schedules, and the hope that some independent artist stirs up the mainstream with something original or some snarky derivation of existing formulae. Instead, with 2005 barely two months old, we are treated to the infuriating sight of beloved animated characters being tugged back and forth by the Liberal Left and Religious Right. In a nation that has bitterly transmuted from Red, White, and Blue to Red or Blue, ideologues of the both sides are creating cultural tsunamis that engulf the populace with blather and outright venom.

Riding the latest tide is a famous yellow sponge and a perky white rabbit with a yen for the road. They hardly belong there. SpongeBob SquarePants and Buster are animated cartoons intended to entertain (in Buster’s case, to educate while doing so) but they have been turned instead into symbols of a nation at war with itself. Although there have been countless articles to date on the controversy described below, one thing has escaped the notice of dozens of pundits: What is being ignored is that history is actually repeating itself, retold with amplified media and spin in a time of political polarization.

For those hermits who have not been following the story, an organization known as the “We Are Family Foundation” recently produced a video featuring some 100 well known stars featured in movie and children’s TV shows. The only thing being sold, however, is tolerance for the differences between people, or such is the hope of producer Nile Rogers. Said characters will rock to a remake of “We Are Family.” The video, at the time of this writing, was set to air on March 11, 2005, with simultaneous broadcasts on the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and PBS.

The Religious Right has plenty to say about “We Are Family” and Ed Vitagliano of the American Family Association fired the first salvo. His visit to the WAFF website revealed a “Tolerance Pledge” (not used in the video) that pledges respect for all races, creeds and orientations, including gays. Vitagliano further discovered material allegedly encouraging full acceptance of gay lifestyles. The Chair of AFA, Rev. Donald Wildmon, believes the video is a ploy to indoctrinate children into accepting that lifestyle as normal.

Although SpongeBob SquarePants is seen only briefly amongst the horde of kiddie stars, the AFA cannily chose the best possible target. Creator Steve Hillenburg has long asserted that neither he nor SpongeBob are gay, but SpongeBob has long been a favorite of the gay community. SpongeBob also has high visibility and tremendous marketing power. Rev. Wildmon, as some animation fans may recall, was instrumental in casting out Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures from the Saturday morning airwaves. Wildmon decried an episode where Mighty Mouse sniffs a flower; the Reverend saw this as an invitation for young viewers to snort cocaine.

Shortly after Nile Rodgers professed to be “stunned” by the AFA’s accusations, Buster, the multicultural bunny, hopped into hot water. Buster is the brainchild of Boston’s WGBH, an affiliate of PBS [animated by Cinar, which is now Cookie Jar]. The character barnstorms the country visiting different families in order to, “help children understand and respect differences and learn to live in a multicultural society.” The program, Postcards from Buster was doing well enough until the titular bunny sent a postcard from a lesbian couple and their three children living in Vermont.

Not only did the neo-con group “Focus on the Family” come after Buster, president Bush’s Education Secretary followed suit. Margaret Spelling personally wrote PBS expressing concerns that, “Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in the episode.” What follows is an admittedly simplified version of how SpongeBob and Buster are now repeating history.

Whenever America is menaced by a foreign ideology, the definition of what is subversive to America’s children becomes an ideological battleground for the Left and Right. These battles often take place in the media, where our favorite animated characters live. It was not long after World War II that America was embroiled in another conflict, one unlike any fought before. Soviet communism was perceived as an aggressive threat to the world order. The United States was the purported leader of the free world, making it both a bastion and a prime target. As early as 1947, journalist Walter Lippman coined the phrase “Cold War” to describe the nature of the new conflict. One of the country’s responses to the challenge posed by Communism was to go to war — internally.

Since the Russians could not successfully invade America, their chief weapon was widely believed to be subversion from within. It was mainly the political Right that espoused this idea and carried out the battle on two fronts during the 1950s. The best known was the purge and the witch-hunt, made famous by the ranting of Senator Joe McCarthy and legally carried out under the auspices of The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC).