Aug 31, 2020

Petition to Stop reboot of Comedy Central's "Ren & Stimpy" Passes 11,000 signatures

The recent news that Ren & Stimpy is back on Comedy Central wasn't exactly greeted with unanimous delight. Many have used social media to condemn the decision. Some asked why old shows continue to be recycled when the industry is brimming with young talent. Others questioned the wisdom of bringing back a show created by accused child abusers.

The reboot has a notable critic, Robyn Byrd, who accused Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi of abusing her when she was underage. Bird has launched a petition calling for ViacomCBS to reverse course on reboot. The petition has so far attracted more than 11,000 signatures.

Kricfalusi will not be creatively or financially involved in the reboot. Still, Bird insists that if the show does, it will "cause trauma and put the fans and crew at risk.""By bringing the creator back into the spotlight, she writes, it will give him a platform to do more harm. "This guy used Ren & Stimpy to lure young people into his studio and, confidently, abuse them, stunt their careers and just molest young girls. He will do it again.

In 2018, Buzzfeed released a report detailing Kricfalusi's inappropriate and abusive behavior towards 2 underage girls, Byrd and Katie Rice. In this article, Bird described her traumatic relationship with the artist, which began when she was a minor. She later revealed on Twitter that she had an abortion during her relationship with Krikfalusi, criticizing his handling of the situation.She revealed that she had an abortion during her relationship.

"We know how some of John's other victims feel," Bird tells Cartoon Brew. I've known Katie Rice since the 1990s and have met women who John groomed as a child or emotionally abused as a grown woman. So I'm talking for a lot of us, and we're agreeing to a reboot.

The new documentary, Happy Happy Joy Joy-The Ren & Stimpy Story, traces the history of the show's first run and also addresses later revelations about Kricfalusi. In the film, Bird advises fans of the original episode to keep watching them if they want, suggesting that they are trying to distance their fun from Krikfalusi's input.

"The difference between rebooting and watching old episodes is a big one," she tells us. "We can't erase Ren & Stimpy, but we don't need to make it popular again and pay new attention to its creator. I don't care if people want to see old shows. But the new one is not the right way to spend the time of a young artist...I think young people, especially those who are marginalized voices, are the ones that executives are listening to.”