The False Woobification of HORRID HENRY

[@DelhiWacky]

Hey, thanks for checking this one out. The person who conducted the interview w/ the author has claimed the video and was set take the video down following a rejected dispute and subsequent appeal. To keep the video up, I had to trim a couple sections out; the original, unadulterated cut is up on my Patreon available to everyone, non patrons included. Link to the page is in the description. Enjoy!

[@chelonianmobile]

In the books, Henry's behaviour is decidedly worse than in the show, and he might actually deserve the title - intentionally infecting his entire class with headlice stands out. Wondering if they toned down his behaviour for the show to avoid giving kids ideas.

[@pinkfakecheez]

this is also roughly around when they rebooted the animated adaptation of dennis the menace (the british one) and toned him down a lot, so i think you're right

[@Takejiro24]

I read that, in the books, he tried to kill Peter or did something to him that would have likely resulted in his death? Can you confirm?

[@crunchybanana6489]

I love the time that he intentionally spread misinformation while posing as the school newspaper

[@horrorfanandy4647]

@@Takejiro24 If I remember rightly, he tried to tie helium balloons to Peter’s pram when he was a baby! 🤣

[@Takejiro24]

@@horrorfanandy4647 Geez! Book!Henry is an absolute menace! 😭☠️

[@fatcat1414]

I doubt the majority of the people who jumped on the Horrid Henry train had even heard of the show before it popped up on social media. Most generously, a lot of people are genuinely traumatized by their parents because society in general views children as less-than-human. I can see Henry being an easy target to project onto when seeing isolated clips of him being yelled at or demeaned.

[@BDSFormula1]

Oh I grew up with it The books

[@samuel-wankenobi]

Since the tv series wasn't released in the US until more recently when it came to netflix I can believe that

[@AlfieTrevor4444]

I grew up with it actually

[@Garry_Combine]

@@BDSFormula1 same, and the series, but then again, some of us actually are bri*ish. They say were just creatures of legends, but we exist

[@phantom-X2086]

I encountered the movie at my dad's house awhile back and the show on Netflix when I was 12 and watched it. Haven't heard much about it for years until Twitter got a hold of it. I figured most of the people who were talking about the show had no idea it existed until one account posted about it. I'm from America so I had no idea it was made in the UK.

[@lightyearpig12]

I personally blame the society Horrid Henry takes place in. Do you really think he asked to be given the name Horrid Henry? Did anyone around him ask to be given titles that dictate how they should act, like Perfect Peter, Moody Margaret, Anxious Andrew, or Rabid Rebecca?

[@Bd-qs5bn]

i dont think any character except moody margaret actually calls him "horrid henry" although others do sometimes say "stop being horrid henry!!!"

[@coreyander286]

Existence precedes essence.

[@krowsy]

the thing is is that henry's the one who is giving out those nicknames

[@NinetyOne999]

peter was the #1 opp

[@raquelleleahman525]

That’s what I never understood all these kids have something going on in this universe

[@mollylikesspace]

Not even watched yet but I have to say something. As someone who is British and grew up reading the horrid henry stories, this twitter discourse REALLY ANNOYED ME. BECAUSE IT WAS CLEAR PEOPLE WERE ONLY TALKING ABOUT THE RECENT SEASONS OF THE ANIMATED SHOW. WHICH COMPLETELY RUIN AND DUMB DOWN THE PERSONALITIES AND DYNAMICS BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS. I still love the books till this day, not only do they remind me of my childhood, but they were extremely important to me as a kid. I'll sometimes still listen to the read aloud dvds, just because I love them so much. Henry in the original texts, is a bratty kid. HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BRATTY KID, but the animated and live action adaptations weren't as brave as the books, and really did take life away from the characters. Even though Henry is horrid, you still find yourself liking him, as his situation at home, while it isn't out right abusive, it is an example of unintentional emotional neglect, as the author has stated herself. And that is so important to me. The original stories on there own, already have so much nuance in them: parental favouritism, the effects of it, the sibling rivaly and difficulty forming proper bonds because of it. Even though it is for children and obviously doesn't delve into these topics, the context is all there. The newer seasons of the animated show, really stomps on this and basically ruined the characters. First, Henry isn't horrid anymore, which, IS A HUGE PART OF HIS CHARACTER. but his parents STILL call him horrid, this changes the once misguided and bad parenting with good intentions, into outright name calling and abuse. I watched a few of the newer episodes, and it is so uncomfortable to watch. Because Henry is at BEST cheeky. He's mellow, he's calm, yet he's being treat like the devil's spawn😭😭😭 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ONLY FOLLOW THE BOOKS, I BEG OF YOU. Will admit, as i kid I devoured the first season of the cartoon. AND THE ORIGINAL BRITISH THEME SONG IS SUPERIOR, ITS LITERALLY IN MY MUSIC PLAYLIST 😭😭

[@henrikszilagyi]

books 🔛🔝

[@thatwordjr2309]

Huh! I've seen through this video, and as someone who comes from New England, that's very well said! In fact, I'm pretty sure seasons 4-5 are the ones that butchered what a good amount of characters other than Henry and his parents (like you brought up) had the most. Where do I even start to prove some of my points? For starters, lemme roast some of Henry's classmates a bit. Al's "cool" catchphrase and Graham's carrot eating habits aren't very interesting, William and Andrew have become more soulless, and worthless, but just as wimpy, Susan's somehow became more monotone and robot like, Brian's become one of those stereotypical mad scientists, trying to aim for the next big thing, Ralph, not too much damage (apart from those whacked up shippers), but has become the stereotypical best bro, and did he really have to shove his theme song 4 times? Margaret's become more of a spoiled trolling alpha-bitch, and is SO not my definition of "girl power", and Linda..... erm, don't come at me for this, but she's personally my only exception, can't really diss my sleepy homie who would likely have similar thoughts to what Francesca's honest thoughts about the adaptions. (Just saying!) Also.... Mr Soggington SERIOUSLY needs some therapy, the causes of detention make less sense, especially coming from Ms Battle-Axe, can't really stand the parallel universes Henry comes up with, and lastly, you're not the only one that thanks Peter's nothing more than a backstabbing-spud!!! So yeah, I'm better off with the books, and the audiobook reading by Miranda Richardson as well, thank you very much.

[@GuyOfficiaI]

I'm sorry, but I'm just not reading all that.

[@ajstudios9210]

​​@@thatwordjr2309As a New Englander that got into Horrid Henry back in January, I 100% agree with everything you said.

[@redwolftrash]

@@GuyOfficiaI We Do Not Care

[@DJR_1999]

What i could gather from this is... The original author does not like the other adaptations of her book, because they dont capture the charm and thought behind how the characters and stories work. People miss the point of what the original stories and characters meant and place their own values onto them. That no matter how my beloved characters are created, they will be ruined by 3rd party companies and the fans

[@DJR_1999]

I get that everyone has their own interpretation of a character. But as always the true interpretation will be held by the people or company that created them.

[@RiverNihilation]

Yeah I just thought it was characters that are walking alliterations growing up

[@BluffsCastle]

>there’s horrid henry discourse thank god I don’t use twitter anymore

[@skootergirl22]

They think Henry has a disorder like ADHD or autism or he's being abused

[@txwtw]

The hell 💀💀@@skootergirl22

[@paulienuti8031]

Mr Enter Reviewed this show Back in January

[@magma41158]

Def one of the reasons why I went off that site..or at least just use it on the desktop.

[@Mike14264]

I second that

[@nahfamyouaint]

"Its a fucking cartoon" - some guy somewhere

[@villainkaiju]

this ^

[@javis88h]

I blindly left a comment like this, before looking at the comment section... lol

[@deadzone4033]

That guy is me... Probably

[@FectoElfilin]

​@@deadzone4033 Same here. Some people take cartoons way too seriously. :V

[@n.e.r.d.2213]

Who asked

[@graysondagent7721]

So what I'm understanding is... people think this is British Caillou

[@jimtaylor294]

Nah; more like a discount *Dennis the Menace* (the DC Thompson one).

[@jimtaylor294]

There's only one good tv adaptation of it though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmm1qHeCp56Ag7Msi=UGlVyiY9fLND7gII

[@scrittle]

I watched both, Dennis the Menace was boring.

[@jimtaylor294]

^ Okay anhedonic drone 🥱

[@scrittle]

@@jimtaylor294 Anhedonic, that's a new one. I wonder what it means. *Googles it* Oh, it's a medical condition. Something tells me you heard a new word and used it without understanding what it actually meant. Joke's on you now.

[@MatthewPrower]

brb writing an episode where horrid henry’s parents go on trial due to miscommunication and gossip

[@TheMenaceHimself2006]

Ong

[@johnbarten3903]

“In order to do metatext, you have to actually engage with the text” Damn. As someone who specializes in media analysis, this spoke to me hard. You really did the most with this one. The things you have to suffer through to inform us cannot go unappreciated. I know two people who might like this. Also, REALLY nice use of my favorite OST track from Celeste.❤

[@zainmudassir2964]

Read the Holy Text

[@Kalani_Saiko]

@@zainmudassir2964 Which one?

[@avah8775]

As a British person who grew up with this show, its so strange to me how it's getting popular and especially with an American audience. This is so jarring.

[@peachesenregal1a]

Fr… they won’t understand anything, it’s an extremely british show filled with british cultural references

[@unleafed5038]

fr, listening to an american talk about horrid henry and call the show shit is the last place i wanna be lmao

[@DeadxFr0g]

@@unleafed5038 As an American, I lovedd this show.

[@saysomethingaldcsbiggestfa792]

@@DeadxFr0gi had know idea americans new this show existed. Learn something new everyday!

[@puckkrz01]

I grew up on this at a very young age actually! It was on Netflix like.. 10 years back I think?? I was obsessed brotha 😭

[@elizabanks_]

20:13 this really explains why the later seasons of horrid henry are so soulless. there's no passion behind it anymore and the fact like the only writer isn't against using ai for writing the show is sad.

[@Evil_Incorporate]

Those AI takes are more horrid than anything in the actullal show. Fr tho, Horrid Henry feels like it's written for older kids but it's paced like a baby show.

[@txwtw]

How does it feel as though it was written for older kids? I remember the show being very childish

[@Evil_Incorporate]

​@@txwtwit's edgier than the regular TV slop i used to watch

[@YouluC]

This behaviour is from the kind of people who project themselves onto cartoons while ignoring the source material to the point where the character they obsess over reads like someone’s diary entry with little to no resemblance to the actual character’s personality. That’s why these people take it so hard (personally) when people point out how weird they’re acting about the character, it’s an attack on them.

[@jddi1527]

Yep

[@coreyander286]

@@literallywhons4s you'll get it when you're older

[@ajstudios9210]

Reminds me of how people hated so much on Abuela Alma from Encanto.

[@morgboat744]

well its less of an attack on them and more of an attack on.. titan…. all i could think of while reading this comment was Eren before i even got to the last sentence lmao

[@FleurMarigold]

on the other hand - consider why some types of people might project onto Henry specifically. many people I've seen discussing this show identify themselves as people who suffered abuse as a child, namely for behavioural problems that they couldn't control, often related to a widely stigmatized and misunderstood condition such as Autism or ADHD. in that case, I think this discussion becomes much less personal - because we're not just talking about individual people, here. we're talking about the culture-wide phenomenon of chronically misbehaving children - and the other, very rarely recognized side of it: why they do it. wouldn't it be natural, then, if people who behaved similarly to Henry as a child - and saw their experiences of punishment and lack of understanding reflected in how he's treated by people in his life as a result of his behaviour - for them to want to contribute their experiences as commentary on the media? I'd say it's less of an attack on individual people, and more-so a cultural phenomenon in which certain people resonate with certain characters for personal reasons. I think it can ultimately be something insightful - it can teach us about the things we overlook in our society, and how we can be more empathetic to life experiences different than our own. (I'm taking into account the fact that Henry's behaviour differs across the various materials in the franchise. speaking mostly generally here.)

[@mc.gemstone]

As someone who grew up with this show I find it so sureal to see it get talked about online. Knowing Twitter got there hands on the show and talk about it on and off but even so I find it so weird that so many people know about this British kids cartoon. Of course I love when people find out about obscure stuff from the land of tea and scones espesilly cartoons because not many people know a lot of the lesser know stuff, unless your Wallace and Gromit or Thomas the Tank engine, etc 9/10 no one will ever know about all the other weird obscure stuff that we have to offer unless somehow it was lucky enough to reach other places. Also knowing that this show has over 200 episodes is absurd I had no idea it even lasted that long. But I do feel really bad for Francesca Simon having no control over her own creation and even outright saying she dislike not just the movie but the show too, as I do like how the characters look in the books more. I just hope one day if Horrid Henry ever got a reboot I hope she has more creative control to adapt it in her own way.

[@talion4033]

Wait until they discover Basil Brush or Bear Behaving Badly

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

Speaking of that birthday episode, it's probably the most random thing in the whole series. Henry is having an existential crisis that he's growing old and Peter is telling him he has to be the pilot of his own life. Bro is legitimately depressed the whole episode until they burst into song and those random mascots appear at his door. I didn't even realize (because the art is so ugly) that those were meant to be The Fimbles! That was such a throwback.

[@bethanybrookes8479]

Wait what they were supposed to be the fimbles?

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

@@bethanybrookes8479 It's supposed to be Yugo and Migo from the rolly mo show. So the spin off to the fumbles specifically.

[@8QueenArt8]

That episode was questionable 😭🤚

[@Gloryzuki]

It's actually referencing The Roly Mo Show, which was the same show created by the same creators (Novel Entertainment) of HH

[@SpookyGhostpeppers]

I swear you are incredibly underrated. I've been subscribed for a while and every time i'm blown away over your dedication over a seemingly discussion-less topic- like I would have absolutely blown off the Horrid Henry discourse without the context of the source material and the messy production- and how that evolved into a discussion about adaptations and engaging with the source material before you can make a proper analysis on adaptations (and to of course NEVER take anything out of context online, especially on twitter.) I love the energy of "I don't like this show but you guys are hating it for the wrong reasons", there needs to be more nuance on how we discuss media.

[@generalchaos6]

No joke, this video was actually very insightful… I like how you went after everyone and even showed the clips of the original creator doesn’t even like the cartoon let alone the live action film…

[@the_loveheart_galaxy]

Hold on i’m just finding out there was a horrid henry fandom This was like one of my favorite things to watch when I was 8 or 9, found it at my grandma’s house since they had foxtel and we didn’t, and my uncle would record episodes of horrid henry and send the video files through email, I even bought some of the books

[@TheNathanNS]

I used to absolutely love the entire Horrid Henry series when I was a young boy, I was reading the books in like 2002, bought every one that came out and loved the TV show when it dropped, so finding out the CREATOR of Horrid Henry doesn't like the TV show, is my own personal 9/11. (never seen the film, I'm way too old for that nowadays haha)

[@jackknifevideoworks]

didn't expect to see you here, cool when you see youtubers casually commenting in the wild

[@splashystickguy6971]

Oh it's you who made Bully contents.

[@klsecond5755]

came out the same time as Bully (late 2006). Francesca Simon had no input with the series so I don't blame her. The first 2 seasons are gold though. Don't bother with the film.

[@TheNathanNS]

@@klsecond5755 I remember when it aired, 9 year old made damn sure I was in front of that TV the very second it came on.

[@klsecond5755]

@@TheNathanNS I miss that red sock with the horn sound.

[@stardusst]

i've never heard of the show prior to some clips appearing on my twitter page. and even so, reading the discourse my mind went "yeah, i don't think they'd make and animate a show about two adults abusing their son."

[@foreverpainful]

*(laughs in fairly odd parents)*

[@FoxfireAhri]

moral orel

[@FleurMarigold]

in fairness, a lot of instances of child abuse tend to be overlooked, both in individual cases and on a societal level. I don't think there's anything wrong with people discussing what they perceive to be a depiction of child negligence and mistreatment, especially if they have experience with the subject - sometimes when we overlook things as a society, it's the people who have direct experience with a subject that can teach us more about how to identify it, and how to handle it when creating media.

[@Lucien_M]

That probably explains why I didn't see Henry as a sad abused kid when i watched it

[@skagilter5152]

I remember watching this show when I was young. Why is it relevant again I hate twitter

[@skootergirl22]

There's even a sub reddit

[@Fancyether]

It was the trend of the week everyone will forgot soon

[@klsecond5755]

@@skootergirl22 the cult following is weird though as someone who re watched the first few series many times.

[@EmployeeAMillion]

I have little idea what happened on animation Twitter last month regarding Horrid Henry, but I could take an educated guess people were taking the show out of context. Clumsy as this adaptation seems (I read one Horrid Henry book in primary school and that’s the extent of my engagement with the franchise), it seems to be saying something harsh but useful about parenting that 20 second clips can’t demonstrate. Out of context clips can be hilarious, but if they come at the cost of the reputation of this show’s source material, that’s concerning. Media literacy ain’t what it used to be, and social media is speeding up its decline. (I say this as someone who uses KZbin to share their media takes, so glass houses, but I hope my videos are more insightful than a 280 character tweet.)

[@DelhiWacky]

trust me you do waaaaay more for media literacy than most people, work like yours is still kind bit hard to come by from an analytical perspective

[@kootunesscrewy]

Tbh, I prefer Dennis the Menace (the European version) more. But it is kinda funny, I guess.

[@DelhiWacky]

same tbh, i thought for the longest time that henry was just derivative of that

[@BJB3694]

TOMATER

[@kootunesscrewy]

@@BJB3694 Is this character becoming a meme? Lol.

[@skootergirl22]

Although i heard the author based Henry on her own son and her understanding of how a boy act's like, I've been on reddit and theres literal people who look too deep into this show and post their findings on tge sub reddit like geese calm down its just a British children show that aired on CITV Also rayman music

[@calebpribyl5152]

Bruh fan theroies are so dumb! Bruh what if (smokes blunt) every cartoon character is like… INSANE! Bruh my middle name is “James” and every woman has the hots for me so (smokes blunt) what if my middle name came from 007? ❤🔫

[@ritchfae]

CITV yes!!

[@skootergirl22]

@@calebpribyl5152 insert coma theory

[@skootergirl22]

@@ritchfae rip CITV

[@calebpribyl5152]

@@skootergirl22 Bruh what if (smokes blunt and coughs) SpongeBob and his friends represent the 7 deadly sins isn’t that edgy?

[@MandalorianStuds]

I grew up on this show in the early 2010's. How times have changed. 💀

[@TheNathanNS]

>grew up with it in the EARLY 2010s Man, I grew up with the books in the early 2000s, this comment makes me feel old as hell.

[@klsecond5755]

@@TheNathanNS would watch hours of Horrid Henry vids in the late 2000s.

[@VenusManTrap-777]

@@klsecond5755 My class used to watch it every Friday back when I was in year 2😭 (2009)

[@klsecond5755]

@@VenusManTrap-777 lucky you

[@twilightsquire]

I loved Horrid Henry as a kid, both the books and show and even the movie and I've had some nostalgia for it, even cosplayed him along with a friend who did Margaret last year before it blew up the way it did. I don't remember thinking much of it other than it being a fun show I found relatable as a kid, like I didn't like homework, found school boring and would fantasise about being famous or whatver. I know Francesca Simon herself in an interview with Michael Rosen says his parents are the problem if we're going to blame anyone but her overall goal was comedy, the books are meant to be funny, Henry enjoys being horrid, I don't get why it blew up the way it did on twitter, I barerly even watched the later series mainly just 1 (which isn't a bad adaptation of the classic stories), 2 and maybe some of 3. Henry does bad things that's judt true, his parents don't parent him in the best way either, comparing him to his brother and wanting him to be a specific way but people are projecting more onto it than what it actually is and beyond what the author's intentions appear to be. This is why I don't engage much with fandoms and kind of hover by myself in my own circle because fandom culture is exhausting. 😭

[@malakai9738]

the second theme song always existed, it was just used for the US version, and likewise it just became more popular so it became the official one from S3 onwards

[@DelhiWacky]

As far I can tell, the second one wasn’t even meant to be the next theme. It was around as early as the first iteration of the Most Horrid Album, but the original theme was specifically made as the intro.

[@lemonosis]

@@DelhiWackyi might be remembering wrong, but i was a huge fan of horrid henry and watched every episode of the show when i was a kid, i have never heard that first song

[@liamdstuff]

​@@lemonosis fr, i do NOT recognise that first song from when i watched it as a kid either ☠☠

[@Dilaughosaurus]

I'd never heard of this show in my life only to be suddenly blasted by loud and emotional discourse for days straight on my twitter timeline. Then it vanished again like it never existed.

[@mental263]

I read a number of the books as a kid and it was weird seeing people try to defend henry when i know the kid rightfully gets shit on by his parents in most of the stories. He is like a lesser version of Dennis the Meance from the Beano comic but Dennis is way more interesting and has more wacky antics and schemes.

[@leesydreamy]

Not always. Even the author herself and the writers of the show says they aren't good parents and sometimes have too high standards of perfection, indicating its partly their fault for Henry's awful behavior. And the fact that Peter is very afraid of disappointing his parents especially his mom because she constantly praises him for good behavior. Not very good parenting in some ways.

[@ajstudios9210]

I am glad I am not the only one who enjoys the original books and audio books.

[@ajstudios9210]

I love how Francesca was basically like "Fuck the movie and fuck that TV show." She didn't even stutter.😂 I don't blame her, honestly.

[@chrisrockett5897]

Shit's hilarious to me. Especially her outright saying it to her young fans.

[@Takejiro24]

​@@chrisrockett5897 Her being so upfront about it to what seemed to be actual 6-9 year olds is bold in a way that I can't help but respect ☠️

[@chrisrockett5897]

@@Takejiro24 Yuh. And she was pretty chill about it too. She ain't say some shit like "nah, fuck that show and ESPECIALLY fuck y'all for enjoying it". She got finesse.

[@kinggaming8372]

Then they just shat on her in the Awful Author episode

[@chrisrockett5897]

@@kinggaming8372 Wait, that happened?

[@wadeyhyena1657]

I had no idea that the later seasons had so many references to The Fimbles. I used to watch that show as a kid and the Roly Mo Show. :) Seeing him appear as a cameo is very nostalgic for me.

[@neilhannan7525]

When we need him he returned ❤❤❤

[@sirpuppyhat753]

Dheli's a guy? I've never been able to figure out the characteristics of such a cool voice.

[@zainmudassir2964]

😊

[@asmodeusguys4472]

​@sirpuppyhat753 yeah, I'm confused too, cuz they have such a "cool girl" type of voice.

[@Barakon]

The Mr.Enter review is the closest to being right about the treatment he gets. Abusive parents aren’t horrid all the time, but that doesn’t mean they’re horrid.

[@mujiescomedy279]

You mean doesn’t mean they’re not horrid?

[@scrittle]

Religiously watching this show as a kid, I never thought the parents were wrong. Everything they did sounded reasonable, even their favouritism was understandable. I was about 8 when I started watching, I loved every character, Henry deserved getting nearly all of his punishments, and Peter is a preachy brat. This was the most grounded cartoon on CITV at the time, and I watched it until season 5, and then I grew up and moved on.

[@klsecond5755]

Mr.Enter wasn't good

[@Barakon]

@@mujiescomedy279yeah lol oopsie

[@colmkelly72]

Was not expecting horrid henry discorse today

[@genemelendez368]

So the long and short of this topic boils down to people on Twitter largely ignoring context. Why am I not surprised

[@wallowlight]

i still love series 1 and 2 and the books.

[@klsecond5755]

the common consensus

[@D4NY301]

Damn I feel old. I was about 4 when the books came out and I had every single one of them. My nan would read them to me. I’m now 22 and look back on those days fondly

[@ajstudios9210]

The books came out in 1994. You would have 34 today given everything you said.

[@D4NY301]

@@ajstudios9210 even though the originals came out then, they were rebooted in 2002 where she decided to make changes and improve the cover art

[@mathieuleader8601]

Nomative Determinism is the bread & butter of Horrid Henry's world

[@stoneyrules]

I haven't seen this show In years, and this new discourse Is wild to me. It's a cartoon about a boy, Henry, and he's horrid. Mischievous, a prankster, does what he wants. That's It and all, sit back and enjoy

[@G.reviewz]

When someone sais theyd be delighted for an ai to write scripts for a tv show….REVOKE THEIR LICENSE I M M E D I A T L Y

[@cmtvable1]

I for one have been familiar with the TV series since it's beginning. IMO, the early seasons had their charm. Those episodes had actual effort into them, you could tell they got milage from it's source material. Despite how obnoxious it could be at times, I respect it for embracing a child's inner rebel (as children can also be cheeky sometimes). I can't say the same for the last two seasons. By comparison, the show had a seasonal rot where the edge it previously had went dull. You really pointed out the stories felt they were done in one draft, why most of the creative choices make little sense. Any semblance of a good idea is lost in mediocre execution. I don't know what the future holds for Horrid Henry in general, but I think the TV series has concluded. If so, then it's for the best. The fact that it was moved to the UK version of Nicktoons does say something about it. Much like 'Fairly Odd Parents', they kept making more and more episodes to the point it became washed up. I may be critical of a show that's made for children, but it's only cause I see a good show in it, despite my problems with it. At least it had the decency to just pack it in. It's also interesting to see the difference between the author's vision and how it was adapted to television. It's interesting how they have viewpoints for how Horrid Henry should be. If only there was a compromise for a creator to finish a series on their own terms and not overstay it's welcome. Bottom line; I don't think the series is that 'horrid'. It's just that writing a TV show is a lot like raising a child. It takes alot of care, development and responsibility for it to turn out right.

[@Sh12pen]

I reflexively stopped watching the show when Henry's VA changed audibly because the show didn't feel the same

[@kaylaHat]

People on the Internet projecting so much they stop acknowledging the differences between the character and themselves

[@cortomaltese5206]

What the FUCK is woobification

[@botbuster8841]

making a character go through misfortune so you feel bad for them

[@scrittle]

Wait, this is what the video was about? Are people fr? I watched this when I was 8, and that wasn't the point at all! It was an episodic bite-of-life cartoon with two bratty kids and parents trying to balance their busy lives. There is an episode where Mom and Dad are kids and Henry and Peter are the parents, and it shows how difficult their lives are yet it isn't all doom and gloom as there's some solace in it. This entire discussion is ridiculous.

[@AudioAlure]

It's just another bullshit internet term at this point

[@guyrocketram9698]

this is a show i had only heard of because there was a vaguely similiarly named book series i read when i was a kid called horrible harry & i misremembered the name has horrible henry & only found results relating to it. as someone who was not at all familiar with the discourse, & only vaguely knew of the show before this video i wish you would have explained it before instead of assuming we all knew lol. i was able to pick up from complex clues near the end but still.

[@Dilbert1999]

What about the time his mother cheered at the idea of that magician making Harry disappear?

[@DelhiWacky]

that one was during peter's birthday party; she spent a lot of time trying to keep henry from eating cake too early prior. this one was the most understandable as far as backlash went, even if said response was a touch overblown.

[@leesydreamy]

It goes farther than that sometimes.

[@GunaMask]

8:14 subtitles: "don't be hard Henry"

[@nebbynetwork2089]

I did feel bad for Henry sometimes His parents were awfull

[@theflashfan3234]

Simply put, the book characters and show characters are just different. Their personalities are different. The books show Henry as a genuine asshole kid, but the show has him be a bit older and mellow out, to the point that the "Horrid" part is largely only carried by his established reputation, and as his response to that reputation. They're both simple ideas (it is a series for kids after all) and the show often embellishes his misery by reducing his actual horridness, as a way to use him as a buttmonkey. It's funny for kids. The book and the show just execute the same premise in completely different ways

[@FriedrichWerner-so7rb]

Horrid Henry deserves better attention than that..

[@Garfieldfan032]

When I was little I used to watch horrid Henry but it usually ended with me taking month long breaks enforced by my parents cuz according to them I’d turn into an absolute asshole after watching it. Jokes on them however I was an asshole child regardless of whether or not I watched it

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

Hahaha, you did way too much research for this video. It's mostly Americans who have never seen the show & just go off clips on Twitter that are discussing this. If you grew up with it back on CITV, it's pretty normal and Henry got rightfully shit on by his parents. I do admit that in later seasons people seem to just get on Henry out of habit. They can't imagine that he's just mellowed out, so even smaller comments have them doing the same old, "Don't be Horrid, Henry!" shtick.

[@Frongo]

Horrid Henry Pisses on Thatcher's Grave

[@solarleaf2029]

I can’t believe Im watching a 34 minute video on a horrid Henry

[@richie2701]

good video, I loved Horrid Henry as a kid but have also been part of the Twitter thing, posting some clips from the show while I revisited it, I think some people forget that Henry and his parents are nuanced Henry once tried to sell Peter in an episode, so he can do bad things he can sometimes have good intentions but either he's misguided or his parents misunderstand however in the later series, his dad tries to be more understanding and he has more of a connection with him I don't think all the "reinterpretations" are bad, but some do reach quite a bit I do really enjoy the tv show but I disagree with their stance on AI art, the rigs don't have the surreal vibe of the old series

[@Takejiro24]

2:58 Lmao, this reminded me of the Horrid Henry TVTropes page. A couple of the entries on there regarding Henry and Ralph are.....reaches, to say the least. ☠️

[@GuroPure]

i used to be a henralph shipper and that section fuelled my delusions so bad

[@Suika182]

Yeah, there's a lot of misinformation about Horrid Henry on the wiki and the TVTropes page... Like, sure, Ralph is Henry's best friend, but definitely not his morality chain. And Henry totally wasn't interested in Nasty Nicola either. Also whoever wrote the Tvtropes page, REALLY hates Peter.

[@typemasters2871]

I remember watching and enjoying the first two or three seasons of Horrid Henry on CITV It is unfortunate that not only the original author does not like the show but also unhappy that the producer not only eventually turned the Horrid Henry show into essentially her own fan fiction series but that she approves of AI generated content (she probably approves because it would mean less work for her at zero cost)

[@Dilbert1999]

That Horrid Henry impression is spot on.

[@meiday154]

Between the video being dope af and the What's with Andy reference this got you a subscriber

[@Hack_Man_VII]

I don't think this show is worst thing ever, but I can also say for certain I wouldn't have liked this as a kid. I used to get easily annoyed with cartoons back then, and would stop watching if I didn't like what was happening.

[@jjstarA113]

That ending gagged me 🤣

[@GabeKis-fz8tn]

I remember the interview where the autor wisited the country that a live in to meet the fans, and she said that she based horrid henry on her childhood, and who siblings had to fight for parents attention and how clueless people where back then. She's very aweare of how begin born as a boomber affected people. The reason why there is such a disconection bettween zoomers and boomers, it's cuz we are really alike. But we have options that other generations didn't have. 60s rewolution failed. So older generations expects us to fail too. We see how the world has changed from then. More people are awere and warm others of how unplanned parenting can affect others. That's why Z gen desn't want to have kids too fast. Even to many of the people born in 2003-2005 already have children.

[@shyla9062]

They could never make me hate Henry 💪🏼

[@lockout5731]

Man this show season 1and 2 were fantastic and elite the later seasons are meh

[@GuroPure]

i was fixated on this show for nearly 3 WHOLE years. (don't know if it can be attributed to my autism or not) i was OBSESSED with this and went through experiences in the fandom i can't talk about here and will probably need a therapist to talk to about cause it goes so deep unfortunately. i don;t know why i liked it looking back. the production team didn't gaf about anything.

[@cartoonhyperfixated]

I loved horrid henry so much when I was younger, it’s unfortunate the original author’s work got twisted into this completely different character

[@modmaker7617]

Horrid Henry VS UK Dennis the Menace This be the Great British fight

[@VantaDraws]

The rigs look so uncanny, I'm so glad they went for unrigged animation when i watched this as a kid

[@menstrualdissonance]

i found out about horrid henry because i was browsing steam db to look for unlisted games, and then coincidentally this show blew up online right after?

[@javis88h]

I replied to some Horrid Henry posts and then in comes the tsunami of Horrid Henry with a bunch of "Man this is child neglect." "Terrible parents" "He's just doing some stuff, why's his parents so mean?" I GET IT!! SHUT UP!! YOU'RE IN YOUR 20s COMPLAINING ABOUT A CARTOON!!

[@hurri.]

i still can’t believe there’s a character who looks like frankie foster in this show lol

[@Chriso22]

I remember i was at a friends, friends house and horrcid henry was on the tv and the mum changed the channel saying the show had a bad influence on children which even as a child i thought that was just ridiculous

[@coreyander286]

I'm glad people are still using the term "Woobification"

[@scrittle]

Why is Horrid Henry getting dissected like an insightful metaphorical literary fable? I watched it as a kid, it's not that deep and it's inheritantly written to be relatable and entertaining to kids. I see Denace the Mennace get brought up in the comments but that was really boring to watch because it had a shallow formula: "prankster appears, prankster does prank, prankster leaves". Franchesca did appear in a few episodes and was definitely involved at points. Oh, and there was a canon? Kid me didn't care, all these characters were primary school arche-types what's to be confused about? Horrid Henry was influential enough to be CITV's top show, like come on how is it "mid"? PS: Family Guy is technically a children's cartoon geared towards teenagers with an adult rating.

[@DelhiWacky]

> Franchesca[sic] did appear in a few episodes and was definitely involved at points. Nope, not at all. They cut her a check at the beginning of development and didn't contact her again, aside from the legal dispute she launched. The put two effigies of her in the show as fictional authors Henry interacts with. That's as far as her 'involvement' goes.

[@klsecond5755]

@@DelhiWacky B.B Silver yep

[@klsecond5755]

you got capping btw, invalid comment.

[@txwtw]

I use to watch this show so much, not sure if I ever liked it I just watched it whenever it came on the telly….also 23:05 I never expected Horrid bloody Henry of all shows to have a rocky horror picture show reference, seriously though what the hell lmao?

[@txwtw]

Little me use to get so grossed out at the low brow humour of the show though lol

[@anouarthecactus]

0:09 your girlfriend being the vouce actor for horrid henry is a milestone Mr wateveryournameis

[@bailey_boy_2009.]

9:47 Proof That Horrid Henry Is Harry Potter

[@Suspxcious]

i did not just watch a fucking 34 minute video essay on horrid henry 💀

[@EricN64]

You sound a bit young yet the video and script feel so professional, I’m really impressed.

[@klsecond5755]

prob autistic, don't judge though

[@windowcreeperbird9669]

This shows art style irritates me for some reason, also I hope you one day elaborate on the Thimbles cinematic universe one day.

[@wordup8038]

for me it's the fact that the character's noses look like elongated pimples. can't say I was ever a fan of the "characters noses are always colored red for no reason" stylistic choice, it just makes everyone look like they constantly have a head cold

[@eggsaladsiA]

i’m upset i had just missed horrid henry resurrection by about two months😣😣 grew up with it

[@CharlesJThomas]

get behind me bestie

[@ThePonderer]

I hear the Rayman Hoodoo theme in the background, I sub.

[@VANILLAMILKISGUD]

0:30 but you gotta admit, it’s a little funny

[@VANILLAMILKISGUD]

Also good video

[@birelandofawesomeness6677]

Horrid Henry’s parents make Stephen and Linda Stotch look like Very loving parents in comparison.

[@OrimaJam]

I grew up as a huge horrid henry fan with the show and the books (since I’m british lol) and I can tell you that henry is mostly deserved for his punishments since he actually does do awful things. A thing I remember is that in the original books he actually beats up anybody who really pissed him off with detailed sentences describing how he beats them, they were censored with the weird ass transformation scenes in the cartoon. However his parents are extremely fucking punishing especially over nothing and such but it is a kids book and cartoon series so idk. I grew out of it when I was a teen anyways lol

[@ponniethebunny]

wait you telling me the show last 2006 all the way to 2020 I did not know that

[@WalrusandSquirrel]

Dog gone it! That dang dog done did another banger of a video!!!

[@ShirubaGin]

This goes much deeper than i thought it would lol

[@itsapollox]

I remember back when I was little I was literally obsessed with horrid Henry lol never watch it anymore though I’ve simply long grown out of it

[@oilking-bo3gt]

8:08 i only know noticed taht tihs Show Just has 5 seasons With 250.+ Epesode

[@machine-shopbilly6584]

God forbid Henry becomes a civil engineer and gets a late diagnosed brain tumor

[@jmanley11]

Horrid Henry is goated I used to come home from school and watch it on CITV I will not tolerate any slander

[@youseenednedisdead]

all i know about horrid henry is the one limmy vine where hes sitting naked in the dark watching the show

[@klsecond5755]

on the list btw.

[@youseenednedisdead]

@@klsecond5755 this is ominous

[@klsecond5755]

@@youseenednedisdead definitely a different reference

[@l-exist]

When I was six my friend-ish showed me an episode of horrid Henry. I got bored super fast but I had to watch it cause I couldn’t just LEAVE.

[@axezeeplushie2497]

This show was my childhood :)

[@Nashies_]

Same

[@juice3287]

i’m from the UK & me & my brother loved this show lol we’ve seen most episodes like, an alarming amount of times…