Bizarre Poop Cartoon Helps Children Grasp Nuclear Threat to Japan

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Bizarre Poop Cartoon Helps Children Grasp Nuclear Threat to Japan

A mind-meltingly bizarre yet awesome cartoon explains the nuclear threat currently hanging over Japan to children in uniquely effective terms they're certain to grasp: farts, poo and room-clearing stinkola.

Meet Nuclear Boy. Nuclear Boy has an upset tummy. It's giving him huge farts and that's pretty bad, but things won't get really stinky unless Nuclear Boy poops his pants. Nuclear Boy's poo smells really bad! So now the doctors are giving him plenty of medicine to help cool him down and make his tummy feel better, because if he poops in his pants it'll be a real mess. After all, everyone still remembers when Chernobyl Boy pooped in his pants right in the classroom, and it was diarrhea, and it went all over the place!

So it goes in the Nuclear Boy animated short, an effort to explain the looming threat posed by Japan's battered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. According to Boston.com [http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/2011/03/nuclear_boy_exp.html] it came about in three steps: the Nuclear Boy character was created by Japanese artist Hachiya Kazuhiko, who posted it on Twitter where it was picked up by a follower and turned into a cartoon strip. An anonymous animator then took it a step further, turning the strip into this animated short film.

Despite the poopified narrative, the film is surprisingly informative, touching on how the "doctors" are using sea water and boron to make Nuclear Boy feel better and explaining that they have to take turns taking care of him to make sure they don't get sick themselves. It even talks about what could happen if Nuclear Boy does poop, albeit in a very vague, "people will have to move" way.

The situation in Japan is awful and has the potential to become unimaginably worse, so it's with a certain degree of hesitation that I admit that I laughed my ass off at the sight of Chernobyl Boy running around clutching at his ass, desperately trying to avoid crapping his pants. Hey, don't judge until you've seen it, it's funny stuff.

Oh Japan. I will never understand you. But I pray for you.


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Stammer

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Apr 16, 2008
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Oh hey I saw this last week. It's really weird, but if it helps kids grasp what's going on then who am I to judge?
 

wooty

Vi Britannia
Aug 1, 2009
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Thats actually very clever and I applaud the Japanese for explaining to the kids in a manner they'll understand, while providing some hope and reassurance to them too.

Western version would probably not bother explaining to younger members of the populous what was going on and just have the words "PANIC!!!!!!!!" flashing on the screen 24 hours a day.
 

socialtangent

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May 23, 2009
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Great to see that Japan is taking the time to explain this to the children in an easy-to-digest way. Nowhere in this video do you see the 'Sky is Falling' mentality that American media is oh so fond of.
 

Susan Arendt

Nerd Queen
Jan 9, 2007
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Bizarre? Certainly. But I appreciate that someone is trying to educate children about something pretty complicated and scary by using terms that everyone can understand. Just proves you don't have to talk down to kids just because they're kids.
 

Brotherofwill

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Jan 25, 2009
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Omg the part about Chernobyl and diarrhea flying in the classroom almost had me in tears. I love Japan.
 

Tohuvabohu

Not entirely serious, maybe.
Mar 24, 2011
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Finally, someone has put this crisis in a way I can understand!

I expected this to be alot less... informative than it was. Good to see the creators of this were able to keep this serious manner kid friendly and educative. Great Job!
 

Taluien

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Apr 15, 2009
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I don't think that it's bizarre, it's just a way to describe what is happening there without using technobabble at all, so that even small children can grasp it. So, I can just hope that it gets better instead of worse. And I have to applaud for this video, as it explains without inducing panic.
 

Sovereignty

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Jan 25, 2010
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I really like that method of presenting such a scary issue to kids. They're bound to hear about it on the news and at least now they'll understand it better and not become so fearful.

I especially liked the bit on the doctors. They're ahead of America morally if anything. I am seriously amazed by the culture every day this crisis continues.
 

emeraldrafael

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Jul 17, 2010
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I like the Poo's comment. To fat to fly.

That could become my next facebook status.

OT: Thats um... Yeah, thats definitely Japanese. Though I liked the reference to 3 Mile Island (GO PA!). Other then that.... I dont know. I guess it worked, since the only other positive poo model I can think of is mr. Hankey.
 

SnipErlite

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Aug 16, 2009
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That was really well done actually. It did make a lot of sense....

And was made approximately 400% more awesome by the banjo backing.
 

Wolfram23

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Mar 23, 2004
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Chyrnoble pooped in the classroom, and poop went everywhere!
BAHAHAHA!!!

I know, I know, it was a terrible disaster but that was hilarious.
 

EHKOS

Madness to my Methods
Feb 28, 2010
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I never knew they had the map backwards. Interesting.
But wow, show a little more compasion for Chernobyle would ya? OK I laughed a bit but still.
 

Prof. Monkeypox

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Mar 17, 2010
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The video almost became touching in the last minute, despite (or perhaps because of) the manner in which it was presented. The poor kids wouldn't be able to grasp the enormity of it all normally, and would be scared if the video was too blunt.

So, points for the video, Japan- just try a different metaphor next time.