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TechNetflix

Netflix Removes Children’s Show ‘Maya the Bee’ After X-Rated Cartoon Discovery

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Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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September 22, 2017, 9:47 AM ET

After parents and kids discovered a penis drawing in popular Netflix children’s show Maya the Bee, the series producer has issued a statement apologizing for what it calls a “joke.”

“An absolutely inappropriate image has been discovered in a four-second fly-by scene in one episode of the total of 78 episodes of the series,” Maya the Bee producer Studio 100 said in a statement to Hollywood Reporter on Friday. “The origin of this image obviously results from a very bad joke from one of the 150 artists working on the production.”

The Internet was set aflame this week after parents discovered that Maya the Bee episode 35 included a drawing of a penis around the 5:14-minute mark. The penis was visible for about four seconds as one of the characters flew by the wall.

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Soon after parents complained on social media, Netflix (NFLX) removed the episode from its service. As of this writing, children can still watch the other 77 episodes in the series, but episode 35 is still unavailable.

In its statement, Studio 100 called the drawing “unacceptable” and said that the company has already begun legal action over the artist’s “joke.” Studio 100 extended “sincere apologies” for the drawing and said that it’s working now on removing it from the scene. The company didn’t say when Netflix might bring it back to its library.

Netflix did not respond to a Fortune request for comment on the drawing and Studio 100’s mention of a “joke.”

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