How did a story made up by a mother for her sick children turn into Babar The Elephant? Why did two immigrants to France create such a patriotically French cartoon in Asterix and Obelix? How should we feel about racist depictions of people of colour in beloved children’s cartoons today?

Listen as William and Anita explore the controversial debates about two of the most beloved cartoons from twentieth-century France: Asterix the Gaul, and Babar The Elephant.

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Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
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Producer: Anouska Lewis
Assistant Producer: Alfie Rowe
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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