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CHILDREN

Why has Denmark made a children’s TV show about the ‘world’s longest penis’?

The everyday adventures of new Danish kids' TV character John Dillermand like walking the dog or going to the zoo might not look like the stuff of scandal -- if the tales didn't often revolve around his oversized penis.

Why has Denmark made a children’s TV show about the 'world's longest penis'?
An image from the first episode of 'John Dillermand'. Photo: DR/Louise Bergholt Sørensen

Even in one of the world's most progressive countries, the stories of the man with “the world's longest willy” have sparked debate about just what is appropriate for children in the programme's target audience of four- to eight-year-olds.

“We think it's important to be able to tell stories about bodies,” public broadcaster DR posted on Facebook Tuesday.

“In the series, we recognise (young children's) growing curiosity about their bodies and genitals, as well as embarrassment and pleasure in the body.”

Broadcast on kids' channel Ramasjang, the first of Dillermand's 13 episodes has already been watched 140,000 times since it was released on January 2nd.

His extra-long member is often key to the wacky situations in which he finds himself at one point floating over the city thanks to balloons tied to his tackle.

“It's a very Danish show. We have a tradition to push the limits and use humour and we think it's totally normal,” education expert Sophie Munster told AFP.

With some members of the public posting outrage online, far-right MP Morten Messerschmidt attacked the show in a Facebook post.

“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?” he fumed.

Munster argued however: “The debate is from an adult perspective, in which the long penis is sexualised. Children have a different perspective.

“The size of the penis is exaggerated so much, children realise it's a joke.”

The series can be watched via broadcaster DR's website.

READ ALSO: Danish zoo invites kids to watch lion dissection (2015)

 

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CHILDREN

Denmark’s ‘corona babies’ struggle to adapt to kindergartens

Professional child carers in Denmark have coined a new term for children who have begun attending kindergartens during the coronavirus crisis.

Denmark’s 'corona babies' struggle to adapt to kindergartens
File photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

The new phrase, coronabørn (literally, ‘corona children’), has emerged amongst child carers who have observed the difficulty young children have had adjusting to kindergartens in recent months.

The phase, which usually takes around two weeks, can now take up to three or four weeks, according to trade union publication Fagbladet Foa.

“Children are coming from homes where they have been more isolated and that has been a challenge,” said Elisa Rimpler, chairperson of the union for childcarers, Bupl.

Children are less used to being with people other than their parents because they were born during a crisis that limited outside contacts. That makes them likely to be more reserved when the enter kindergartens, according to Grete Kragh-Müller, a researcher at the Danish School of Education (DPU) in Aarhus.

“The sense of security that children can draw from the world being diverse and that there are other adults who want the best for the child and can do things the child thinks are funny – children aren’t getting that to the same extent right now. I see that as a clear limitation for the children,” Kragh-Müller told Fagbladet.

She added that, because children’s development is related to their experiences, she was not concerned about their long-term development.

READ ALSO: Danish government declines to close childcare but asks parents to keep small children at home

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