Top 10 TV Episodes Affected by 9/11

9/11 is probably one of the biggest tragedies in the U.S. Over 2,000 people lost their lives, and the entire country was shaken.

In the cartoon world, some episodes were banned because of this single event.

1. Tentacool and Tentacruel (Pokémon)

   

   Even though I don't watch the show, Pokémon may be one of the most popular children's shows in recent times. But did you know there was an episode that was banned because of 9/11, twice?

   Just like Mass Transit Trouble from Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, this episode was banned twice. First for 9/11, and second for Hurricane Katrina. The episode is about Ash and his friends trying to get rid of this type of Pokémon called Tentacool. But after something happens, one of them evolves into a giant Tentacruel, and it starts destroying the city.

   The reason it was banned was because of the destruction of the towers that the Tentacruel destroys.

2. The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

   

3. Just One Bite (SpongeBob SquarePants)

   

   Instead of an episode, it's a deleted scene. In the season... was it 2 or 3? I don't remember.

   Anyways, in this episode, SpongeBob tries to get Squidward to eat a Krabby Patty, which Squidward secretly likes. After rushing to the Krusty Krab to get into the Patty Vault, there is a scene where Squidward ends up in a trap and gets gas dumped on his head, with a torch being dropped in the gas and Squidward blowing up and catching fire... twice.

   Immediately after its first airing, the scene was cut due to not only referencing it, but also because it aired less than a month after 9/11. It also could be possible that this was cut because it could've posed a threat to very young children.

4. Alive N' Chicken (101 Dalmatians: The Series)

   

   You may remember the 1960s film 101 Dalmatians. Well, it actually had a TV show called 101 Dalmatians: The Series. A segment of a 1997 episode called "Alive N' Chicken" was banned in the US.

   The episode goes like this: The family's chicken becomes convinced that they are trying to kill her. So, the pups treat her to a day living with gusto and conquer one of her fears: flying. They make a small plane for her, and she starts flying away.

   The reason for it being banned was due to a scene where the chicken crashes into a windmill and lands in flour, which closely resembles smoke. It's too bad that it was banned since it actually had an uplifting message about living every day with passion and courage.

5. Elmo Visits the Firehouse (Sesame Street)

   

   In the 33rd season premiere titled "Elmo Visits the Firehouse," Elmo goes to Hooper's store, but he and Maria have to leave when Hooper's store catches on fire. Elmo, who is now traumatized by what just happened, meets a firefighter who takes Elmo to visit the firehouse.

   They tell Elmo that firefighters are always there to help and they are always ready for an emergency. Not surprisingly, the episode was banned due to it airing a few months after 9/11, despite the fact that it was meant to help kids walk through scary and mysterious events.

6. Door to Door (Invader Zim)

   

   The popular series on Nickelodeon was intended for kids, with a slightly older demographic for the show. The Season 1 episode Door to Door was the first episode to be aired on the show right after the attacks.

   In it, Zim takes part in a candy-selling drive competition. When no one wants a candy bar at all, he forces virtual reality headsets onto customers to show them worldwide devastation that will happen if they didn't buy his candy. This included the implied destruction of the city of New York, with the Statue of Liberty being sunken in the ocean.

   The entire remainder of the season was pushed back six months just for this scene. It was reworked, and the scene was recut.

7. Flying Dupes (TaleSpin)

   

   This cartoon aired on Disney Channel and it was about the adventures of Baloo the Bear, who is a pilot for a freight business. The final episode of the show only aired once (at least on Disney Channel), and this is the reason why.

   The episode revolves around Baloo delivering a present to a leader of a neighboring country, but it actually contains a bomb inside by weapon manufacturers so they could provoke a war. The episode was immediately pulled due to the theme of terrorism, but it continued to air on Disney XD, which might've been a mistake, and on other small outlets.

8. Mass Transit Trouble (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog)

   

   Airing in November of 1993, this season one episode was banned due to some people concerning its content. It was not only banned once, but twice, with the first time being in 1995 for the Oklahoma City bombings, with the second being 9/11.

   The episode is about Dr. Robotnik planting bombs at transportation centers in Sonic's planet, Mobius. This episode was banned due to raising the profile of terrorist attacks. After being back in the lineup, it was immediately pulled right after the attacks of 9/11. The episode can still be seen on YouTube.

9. Conspiracy / Inside Job (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command)

   

   Buzz Lightyear of Star Command was a cartoon show on Disney that was based on the character of the Toy Story franchise. There was one episode that rarely ever aired and was then banned. The reasons for its small number of appearances were because of the episodes both being about terrorist attacks, just like 9/11.

10. Bart vs. Thanksgiving (The Simpsons)

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Enter the Green Goblin (Spider-Man: The Animated Series)

    

    In this episode, Spider-Man gets stuck in the Green Goblin's glider, which crashes through a building in a way that closely resembles the events of September 11. The scene was cut from the DVD version and Disney+, but it can still be watched on the VHS version and on YouTube.

12. ?

    April 9th (Arthur)

The Contenders

13. Ransik Lives (Power Rangers: Time Force)

    Between February and November of 2001, the Power Rangers show titled Power Rangers: Time Force aired 40 episodes during that span. Since the show had a lot of fighting, causing massive destruction around the areas, this required a huge amount of editing in the show.

    The most famous edit was the censored episode "Ransik Lives." In the episode, there was a scene where the villain Ransik delivers what sounds like a terrorist message to the Power Rangers with some showings of towers blowing up. The edit was that the entire speech was cut out and instead of towers, it was mountains that blew up.

14. Treehouse of Horror VI (The Simpsons)

    

15. Mother Simpson (The Simpsons)

    

16. Spychangers to the Rescue (Transformers: Robots in Disguise)

    

    This cartoon was the first incarnation of the franchise to be done in Japan. Due to having many problems with the show, it only lasted for around six months. Perhaps one of the main reasons is because of an episode being redubbed many times because of 9/11.

    The fourth episode, titled Spychangers to the Rescue, had several scenes cut with scenes of people fleeing from destruction and a truck exploding after being hit with a weapon. The original English version only aired once.

17. Goodbye, Michael (The Office)

    

18. Gary Takes a Bath (SpongeBob SquarePants)

    

    This episode had a lot of controversial moments, but I heard that the suicide bombing joke was not well received after 9/11.

19. The One with All the Thanksgivings (Friends)

    

20. Framed (Ben 10)

    

21. Funny Business (The Loud House)

    

22. The Silence of the Clamps (Futurama)

23. The Soup Nazi (Seinfeld)

24. The Body (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

25. Powdered Toast Man vs. Waffle Woman (The Ren & Stimpy Show)

26. The Times They Are a Changeling (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)

27. Gown and Out (The Loud House)