The Simpsons fans stunned controversial 'Nazi Supermen' scene made it to air
The Simpsons fans have been left well and truly stunned a controversial 'Nazi Supermen' scene made it to air.
The scene in question can be seen in 'Itchy & Scratchy Land' - the fourth episode of the beloved cartoon's sixth season and centres around a particularly problematic figure.
In the clip, a narrator can be heard saying: "Roger Meyers Senior - the gentle genius behind Itchy and Scratchy, loved and cared about almost all the peoples of the world."
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It continues: "And he, in return, was beloved by the world except in 1938 when he was criticised for his controversial cartoon, Nazi Supermen are Our Superiors."
The character of Meyers is believed to be based on Walt Disney himself with the fictional Nazi Supermen are Our Superiors cartoon being a reference to the rumours of him being anti-Semitic.
The rumours began to circulate after Disney personally gave Nazi film director Leni Riefenstahl a tour of his studios a month after the violence of Kristallnacht, along with the studio releasing cartoons such as 1933's Three Little Pigs which featured anti-Semitic characters.
However, experts have disputed the allegations, with journalist Neal Gabler - who wrote a biography of Disney - saying he found 'no evidence' of Disney holding anti-Semitic views more pronounced that the 'casual anti-Semitism' that was unfortunately prevalent at the time.
He said: "Of the Jews who worked [at Disney], it was hard to find any who thought Walt was an antisemite."
The Simpsons clip was posted as a response to an original tweet asking social media users: "What’s the most out of pocket Simpsons moment?"
An X (Twitter) user responded with the aforementioned clip along with the caption: "I am genuinely surprised this made it onto Disney+."
The tweet has since gone viral after clocking up more than 1.5 million views on the platform with many rushing to the comments to share their reactions especially considering The Simpsons episode in question can currently be streamed on Disney+.
One Twitter user speculated: "I feel that this got through because the only people at Disney who would remember this episode are big Simpsons fans and as big Simpsons fans they would realise that if they just kept their [sic] mouthes shut, the joke would get automatically added to the library."
"They knew what The Simpsons was before they acquired them," commented a second. "Censoring it would have made it spread even more."
A third echoed: "Removing it would cause more attention than not doing so."
What do you make of it?
Topics: TV and Film, The Simpsons, Twitter, Disney, Disney Plus
Rhiannon Ingle