In Japan itself, we see Japanese characters being portrayed in anime in a way that is opposite to their appearance in reality. Colorful hair, big eyes, and tall stature.
In the West, in certain cartoons like South Park, their characteristics are exaggerated, being drawn with very small eyes, large glasses, horse teeth, goofy faces, and an extremely short stature with the intention of satirizing them.
But these caricatures of today are nothing compared to a short film made by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1943, during World War II. The short is called Tokio Jokio and you can easily find it on YouTube since Warner Bros did not renew the copyright, making the animation public domain.
Table of Contents
The animation of Tokio Jokio
The short Tokio Jokio lasts about 7 minutes and the animation begins with the narrator saying:
“Attention, please! This film released for the public was captured from the enemy! It is an example of evil Japanazist propaganda!”
Then, the image changes to a rooster about to crow when suddenly, a big-toothed vulture with large glasses comes out from inside the rooster saying: “Cock-a-doodle-doo, please!” in a Japanese accent.
And then, the image changes to a text that reads “Civil Defense” and soon changes to the image of a village while the narrator talks about the “best air raid siren” and shows two Japanese men poking each other in the rear and screaming.
Next, the scene cuts to the “listening post,” which is basically a pole full of keyhole holes, and then cuts to the “aircraft painter” literally decorating a plane with polka dots.
The narrator then talks about the “fire prevention headquarters” with the scene showing the rubble of said headquarters. The narrator then says: “Oh, wow! Too late!”
The scene transitions to an image with a lit incendiary bomb with a text that reads “Incendiary Bombs: First Lesson” and then, a Japanese man appears with an umbrella.
How does the animated short end?
Then, a text appears: “Stay away from incendiary bombs for 5 seconds” and the Japanese man looks at his watch and counts 5 seconds. Then, he approaches and starts roasting a sausage near the bomb that explodes next.
Then, the scene changes to “Cooking Tips” where it shows Hideki Tojo (the Japanese prime minister at the time) teaching how to make a sandwich out of paper and then hitting himself on the head.
After that, the scene changes to the “victory outfit of the Japanese which has no sleeves, pleats, lapel, or uniform” while showing a semi-nude Japanese man feeling cold warming himself with a candle.
The scene changes to the “Main Personalities” showing Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (responsible for planning the attack on Pearl Harbor) walking on a pair of stilts to appear taller, explaining his intention to negotiate peace terms at the White House.
An editor’s note appears covering the screen saying: “This is the room reserved for Admiral Yamamoto” and then shows an electric chair. The short also features dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini being satirized.
What was the intention of Tokio Jokio?
At the time, Japan and the United States were at war and the Americans produced such animation to demoralize the enemy and create anti-Japanese propaganda. During the war, it was common for propaganda to demoralize the enemy (both from the Allied and Axis sides) and boost the nation’s self-esteem.
Nowadays, this type of propaganda is considered racist and would not be aired due to the content of the animation. Warner Bros. intentionally did not renew the copyright of the short because they wanted the animation to fall into obscurity.
And you? Did you know about this Tokio Jokio propaganda? What is your opinion on the subject? We would love to hear more in the comments and have your possible sharing.
Leave a Reply