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Russian authorities have initiated an inquiry into a peculiar animated online series “Skibidi Toilet” featuring anthropomorphic toilets, following concerns raised by a Moscow resident who warned of potential harm to children engrossed in hours-long viewing sessions.
The web series, titled “Skibidi Toilet,” depicts an ongoing conflict between toilets with human heads and humanoid figures sporting electronic heads. The action-packed show, reminiscent of glitchy early 2000s first-person-shooter games, lacks substantial dialogue but has garnered popularity among Gen Alpha—the generation succeeding Gen Z—with its animator, Andrei Gerasimov, also known as “DaFuq!?Boom!,” amassing over 38 million subscribers on YouTube.
Russian law enforcement intervened when a Moscow man discovered his child engrossed in the series, expressing concerns about the animated toilet heads. Authorities are obligated to meticulously examine the 70 episodes of the show and investigate Gerasimov himself.
A legislative proposal introduced last summer mandates Russian officials to scrutinize content that may impact children’s “spiritual and moral ideology.”
Some critics draw parallels between “Skibidi Toilet” and the infamous Slenderman meme, associating it with a moral panic in the 2010s that was linked to a brutal 2014 stabbing incident.
Gerasimov, in his mid-20s, has produced 23 seasons of the surreal epic, filled with ambushes, boss battles, and intricate plot twists, using the Source Filmmaker software. The series, initially conceived as a joke, has unexpectedly gained immense popularity, with Maddy Buxton, YouTube’s culture and trends manager, acknowledging its status as one of 2023’s “biggest cultural moments.”
While attending the Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Gerasimov noted that the show was tailored for humor. However, it resonates strongly with young children who are drawn to its short dynamic videos, straightforward plots, unusual characters, and vibrant graphics, as reported by REGNUM.
Read More: Dusk News Showbiz