Propaganda is by its very nature filled with falsehoods, exaggerations, and lies. It reveals far more about the country that created it than its actual target.

Curated by Jason Forrest

Total Runtime: 0:36:06

Daffy’s Inferno: An American World War II Propaganda Revue in Seven Chapters

By Joe DeMartino

Beyond a few broad, core truths (the Nazis are Evil, the Axis are a Threat), propaganda is by its very nature filled with falsehoods, exaggerations, and lies. It reveals far more about the country that created it than its actual target. In the following cartoons, which cast the most popular animated characters of the time into situations both comic and nightmarish, the concerns of World War II America are laid bare: it's scared, defiant, and strangely obsessed.

Wrath

During a parable about the idiocy of signing a non-aggression pact with a man who is a wolf AND a Nazi, the Three Little Pigs run into the eldest pig’s house, which is made out of bricks and heavy cannons. There’s a sign on the door which says: “No Dogs Allowed”, except “Dogs” has been crossed out and replaced by “Japs”. No other mention of the Japanese is made during this sequence. Frankly, it seems like an afterthought -- like they completed this cartoon and sent it through the editing process, where it was determined that there was just not enough racism against the Japanese. By then, it was too late to add, say, a horrible buck-toothed reptile sidekick for Wolf Hitler, so they slapped the sign on the house and called it a day.

They really went out of their way to portray the Japanese as inhuman, too. Hitler and Mussolini are caricatures of people: Hitler is thin and floppy, while Mussolini is fat and bull-headed. Hirohito, on the other hand, is practically an alien--he’s got bright yellow skin, a face that seems to be composed entirely of buck teeth, long ears, and pinprick eyes. Last time I checked, Japanese people do not possess any of those characteristics (I would say, “anime doesn’t count”, but this doesn’t even happen in anime)...

Collection: US WWII Cartoons

◀ PREVNEXT ▶

THIS VIDEO:

MORE INFO ABOUT THIS SHOW »

Our Curators Recommend:

Collection: Murun Buchstansangur

The existential life of a greyish blue blob

Collection: Scanimate

Collection of animations from the incredible analog computer animation system, Scanimate used from the 60s to the 80s! Don't miss it!

Collection: Early Japanese Animation 1

Films from 1931 - 1934 - Read more in NA MAG!

Collection - The Atari Video Music

"A new audio-visual experience from Atari" - print ad 1976

Network Awesome Originals:

NUKE P0RN WEEKEND

A frightening collection focusing on our collective fears of and fascination with nuclear proliferation and obliteration.

Godzilla Day

All hail the King Of The Monsters: Godzilla!

A Tribute To Cats!

ALL CATS ALL DAY!

Buñuel Week

A look at the legendary director!

Previously This Week:

Tue, Apr 24

Live Music Show - Die Kreuzen on cable access (1983)

Leonard Nimoy in The Captain And Tennille Show

Talk Show - TV interviews with Marc Almond

ART - Glamerama experimental short from Marc Almond

God Bless Tiny Tim

Movie - The Devil's Rain

Mon, Apr 23

The Films of Hans Richter

Art - Berlin Super 80 - Music & Film in Underground West Berlin

Network Awesome at the TEENITUS Festival, DAY 3

Dance - Blaubart (Pina Bausch, 1977)

Art - Christoph Doering: 3302 – Taxi Film (1979)

Movie - Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Walter Ruttman, 1927)

Sun, Apr 22

Live Music Show - Black Uhuru 1981

Art - Don Cherry (Delamare, Perrey, Grass, 1973)

Collection - Errol Morris TV Commercials

Aphex Twin & Stakker - Westworld (1995)

Doc - The Portrait of a Disabled Man from the 16th century

Movie - What A Way To Go (1964)

Sat, Apr 21

Live Music Show - New Jack Swing

The Mind's Eye: A Computer Animation Odyssey (1990)

Computer Warriors: The Adventure Begins (1990)

Art - Once Upon A Time (Galina Barinova, 1990)

Collection - Rappers in Commercials

Movie - The Runestone (1991)

Fri, Apr 20

The Films of Peter Greenaway

Collection - Time-Lapse Congestion

Doc - Nigel Kneale: Time Shift

Kinvig (Ep1)

Collection - Time Lapsed Death

Movie - Beasts Baby (1976)

Thu, Apr 19

Behind the scenes of the Evil Dead movies

Talk Show - Sam Raimi

Within the Woods by Sam Raimi (1978)

Talk Show - Bruce Campbell Lecture

Bollywood Evil Dead (2008)

Movie - The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)