2ndhandsquirrel

So I wanted to give a lil update concerning my uploading here (and in general) and why it's all over the place

First off, I've actually had a job for the past couple months! Like a real one! It does take quite a bit of time away from drawing, but on the other hand I do like having money. Also because I now have a job that I plan to keep for the foreseeable future, I also have a bank account (I know, I'm 20 and only now I'm getting a bank account) which means I'll start taking art commissions sometime in the near future! How fun!

Secondly, most of my drawing time for the past two weeks has been building up a backlog for Business to Houston. I currently have 8 comics fully finished, but knowing myself I want a larger backlog just in case I get burnt out or something comes up. I'm trying my best to juggle art for the comic and art for fun but when I start getting ideas it's very hard to stop lol

Don't worry tho! I'm gonna do my best to make more art on here, I promise :)

Man, I’m late to this party aren’t I? I originally wrote this as a comment on Jimenopolix’s journal on the subject, but I felt it was too long and warranted its own journal. Still, you should read his thoughts over here for context.

While I do agree with his core point, I personally think Pepe le Pew’s character still needs to be reassessed and rewritten. Not because he’s a rapist or a misogynist or anything like that, but because he’s a horribly outdated stereotype of the French.

Pepe is specifically based on the stereotype of the French being unhygienic, which originates from World War II. French plumbing was very poor at the time, so frequent bathing was virtually impossible. American soldiers, not understanding the “why”, came home from the war sharing stories about how unwashed the French “actually were”. Pepe was inspired by these stories, specifically by how they contrasted with the stereotype of the romantic Frenchman. It’s no coincidence that the first cartoon starring Pepe le Pew was released in 1945, the same year World War II ended.

There’s a very specific reason I wanted to discuss this, and it’s not to be politically correct. Stereotypes (all stereotypes, not just ethnic ones) are antithetical to creativity. Characters who are stereotypes, by their very nature, are not fully developed characters, nor do they have room to grow. They’re inherently one note characters that confirm our views of other people. They also are too broad to be a specific, interesting, and (most importantly) memorable character. If Popeye was a generic stereotype of a sailor, I highly doubt he would be as memorable and beloved as he is today. By virtue of being a stereotype, Pepe is put into a small box of what he can do and what kinds of stories can be told about him.

Luckily, Pepe le Pew is a character who can easily subvert and overcome these stereotypes. Pepe’s plight with being a skunk who is also a hopeless romantic should be cast in a more sympathetic light. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Pepe le Pew cannot be humorous. Fifi la Fume from Tiny Toon Adventures, while still borrowing from French stereotypes, is portrayed as a much more sympathetic character without sacrificing what makes her funny. I’m saying there’s a ton of potential comedic satire to be found in a story about someone deemed undesirable (read: a skunk) trying to navigate the world, and it can be done without sacrificing the timelessness or humor of old Warner Bros cartoons. A lot of people, both old and young, struggle with feelings of alienation and the need to be accepted, and I feel that Pepe is the perfect character to provide commentary on this. I’ll save my thoughts on how I would go about rebooting Pepe for their own post, but for now I’ll leave it at this: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck aren’t cartoon icons in spite of the flexibility of their personalities, but because of it. Hopefully people on both sides realize the same can be true of Pepe le Pew.

PS: Please god Warner Bros do not make Pepe some preachy hipster prick just to be relevant to The Millennials™️