Maxwell Atoms successfully managed to usher this unlikely story, Grim and Evil, to the small screen. © Cartoon Network, Inc. An AOL Time Warner Company.

The Devil

"Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name"
-- The Rolling Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil"

The Stones' 1968 tune has as much meaning today as it did back then, even though Mick, Keith and company had no way of foreseeing entertainment policies of the 2000s. Even though the Prince of Lies appears today in several cartoons, you must guess his name. Well, sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. Devilish conundrum? No more puzzling than, say, the recent Supreme Court decision to excise the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. Dr. Toon leans neither Right nor Left on these issues; they are in fact risible when examined closely, and reflect less on our morals and values than on the tiresome culture wars that only Americans can inflict upon each other.

In my last column I quoted an interview with Craig McCracken in Toon Zone dated February 24, 2002. McCracken talked not only about his new Powerpuff Girls movie, but also about changes he had to make in the show. According to McCracken, the Powerpuff's nemesis "Him" was originally the Devil, but this idea had to be abandoned because, "We're not allowed to have any religious references on the show." The Devil thus became an androgynous antagonist, taunting the Girls with polyphonic sneers. Far more obvious is David Feiss' "Red Guy," who makes life Hell for Cow and Chicken. Feiss' classic satanic design utilizes horns, a forked tail and carmine complexion; it is next to impossible to mistake this character for anyone but Old Scratch, but to name him as such would be a "religious reference" and thus taboo. Was it only last year that we witnessed a prime-time offering called God, the Devil, and Bob in which Lucifer took no refuge at all behind veiled references? The inconsistency is interesting indeed.

The eccentricity is compounded when one regards the Toon Disney series Hercules in which we get jocular representations of all the gods of antiquity including Hades, who sports a sulfurous mane and commands two miscreant imps. Are these religious references, or has enough water gone under the aqueduct in this case? Is the Devil in fact a religious reference? Although every major faith seems to have an equivalent figure, he is usually feared and abhorred; his worship, when present, tends to be underground. There is much less proselytizing and missionary work on behalf of Old Nick relative to that done for the other side, and absolutely none done by the cartoon characters mentioned above. There have been cartoons in the past that clearly featured Satan, and the character has appeared in shorts by Warner, Fleischer and Disney. What is the confusion over calling him by name today?

It appears that in these times one must be careful not to offend representatives of many various faiths and groups by making specific religious references tied to any one belief. As with the Pledge of Allegiance, it is far safer to legislate, politicize and regulate individual thought than to risk the wrath of polemic-minded interests with an ideological axe to grind. It is unknown why those who prefer to say, "One nation under God," those who choose to substitute another deity, and those who prefer to dispense with a Supreme Being altogether cannot all have their way; the only thing gained would be tolerance and the only thing lost would be laughter at the Supreme Court. Now that the Pledge is unconstitutional, then I suppose that makes public mention of the Devil unconstitutional as well. Thus, the "Red Guy" -- except for one little fact; if it looks like the devil, acts like the devil, and has a butt crack like the devil, it must be...but let's not go there again.

In the tiny community of Townsville, resident heroines the Powerpuff Girls combat a non-denominational evil fella donning something that looks like a devil suit. © Cartoon Network, Inc. An AOL Time Warner Company.

If the Powerpuff Girls want to have it out with Satan personified, or Cow and Chicken wish to match wits against the flagrant Prince of Darkness, why (the hell) not? The Devil has been part of our folk tales for centuries, appearing as trickster, tempter and architect of shady, soul-snatching deals. Imagine how Faust or Paradise Lost might have read under the recent injunctions. What if the Charlie Daniels Band had to sing The Red Guy Went Down to Georgia?, or we were made to say: "The Him you know is better than the Him you don't know"? In the usual crackdown for political correctness, we are again forced into ever-tighter conformity in the crusade to promote diversity. Diversity is a dish that tastes best when not forced down one's throat; tolerance ought to come about as the result of an open mind and the courage to undertake exploration of one's self and others. As for the entire controversy, a simple, unconstitutional "Go to the Devil!" will suffice.

But of course, the Red Guy made me say that.

This column marks my third year with the great people at Animation World Network. Tons of thanks are due to my wonderful and patient editor Heather Kenyon, my respected publisher Dan Sarto, and also to Darlene Chan, the most imaginative image wrangler ever to wrangle an image. As always, warmest thanks to you, my fans and readers. Keep reading and keep in touch!