John Dillermand: Danish children's TV show gets mixed reviews of protagonist with a giant penis

John Dillermand uses his penis to safely tend to a barbeque from afar in the first episode
John Dillermand uses his penis to safely tend to a barbeque from afar in the first episode Copyright DR (screenshot)
By Euronews
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The comedy show is aimed at 4 to 8-year-olds and follows central character John Dillerman getting into trouble with the world's biggest manhood.

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A Danish broadcaster has received mixed reviews for its brand new children's TV show due to a key attribute on its main character, ie: his enormous penis.

The programme, aimed at four to eight-year-olds, follows eponymous protagonist John Dillermand as he navigates life with his endowment.

He is seen getting himself into mishaps and also getting out of them, suggesting his comically long manhood is neither a blessing nor a curse.

In one such scene, the candy-striped character attempts to use his penis to tend to a barbeque safely from a distance - but ends up setting himself on fire. Another, shows him taking the neighbourhood's pet dogs for a walk, keeping them in line by dangling a butcher's sausage from... well, his own sausage.

John Dillermand, of which the surname is a Danish slang word for penis, has been commissioned for 20 episodes by public broadcaster DR, with 13 already available online.

The company also teamed up with a child psychologist to monitor the message being sent across.

Despite this, however, the show has received mixed reviews, sparking debate about what is deemed appropriate in a show for young children.

Magrethe Bruun Hansen, the child psychologist who read the script for the show, stressed it was "important to see it through the children's eyes, and not with adult glasses on" as it could be a comedic learning experience.

She said: "Smaller children enjoy being naked and exploring themselves. They play doctor games, examine each other and love naughty words, and children laugh out loud when they say 'fart' and 'dillermand'.

"And that's exactly the universe that John Dillermand speaks into. My experience tells me that children will both laugh and learn something from John Dillermand."

Far-right MP Morten Messerschmidt, meanwhile, was less supportive. He wrote on Facebook: "I don't think looking at adult men's genitalia should be turned into something normal for children. Is this what you call public service?"

But DR remains confident about the show, which it says runs along the theme of children's curiosity.

"The program series is about daring to stand by oneself and one's mistakes, and about wanting the good - even though it is often the pleasure-driven, naughty and forbidden that is much more tempting," the broadcaster said.

"At the same time, the series also acknowledges children's budding curiosity about the body - also the embarrassment and fun of the body - which is exciting for the exact age group that Ramasjang (TV channel) addresses.

"At that age, children are very curious about what not to do, which is the starting point for the whole series."

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