Aside from the uber-annoying theme song, there is much to loathe about Xi Yang Yang (喜洋洋), a.k.a. "Pleasant Goat" – probably the most popular animated series ever to be produced in China.
Crudely drawn and derivative of far-superior animated creations there is nothing pleasant about the excessive violence depicted in many of its episodes.
Unfortunately kids in China (and increasingly in other parts of the world) find the series irresistable – mine are no exception.
Xi Yang Yang has been such a success that the Wall Street Journal once even posited its characters as "China’s Best Ambassadors" (Nickelodeon has been running an English version of the series for a couple of years) and you’ll find Xi Yang Yang merchandise almost everywhere in China.
But with success comes scrutiny, and now, after a few notorious cases of unfortunate accidents involving young children emulating scenes from the series, it seems that authorities are finally coming down on the producers.
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Photo courtesy of Kotaku.com
