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‘The Fairly OddParents’ creators replace beloved character’s name due to ‘offensive nature’

We must have been really unaware of how language can affect people in different parts of the world, huh?

Every Gen Z (or Nickelodeon kid) knows the show, ‘The Fairly OddParents’. You might have even caught the show on your TVs at least a couple of times while channel surfing on TV.

If you need a little refresher on this childhood classic, here you go: The show revolves around the daily adventures and shenanigans of 10-year-old boy Timmy Turner, who is accompanied by his fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda, who grants his wishes (almost!) every time.

Fairly OddParents poster
Photo Credit: IMDb

The show first aired on television in 1998, where it was initially just a series of short episodes on Oh Yeah! Cartoons, and first ended in 2006 after an 80-episode run. It was later revived in 2008 and continued on until it being discontinued in 2018. ‘The Fairly OddParents’ is Nickelodeon’s second longest-running animated show, falling second only to Spongebob Squarepants.

The show has a live-action/animated series spin-off titled, ‘The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder’ that premiered on March 31, 2022 on Paramount+, and its sequel ‘The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish’ premiered only a few months ago.

In the series’ 2008 special ‘Fairly OddBaby,’ Cosmo and Wanda bore a child named “Poof”, who was the first baby fairy born in over ten thousand years. Part of the show partly followed Poof’s journey in Spellementary Boarding School, his assignment to miserable old people, and in the most recent installments—he’s grown up.

And he looks like just a mixture of his parents! He literally got Wanda’s hair swirl, and (almost literally) has Cosmo’s face.

And, with a different name.

Most recently in ‘The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish’, (formerly named) Poof re-introduces himself as “Peri” and becomes Dev Dimmadome’s (the grandson of Doug Dimmadome) godparent.

So, why does Poof have a new name?

According to Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, one of the show’s developers, the name-change was necessary for one reason—it’s a slur in many countries.

Of course, fans who didn’t know this were obviously shocked at the not so well-known fact.

Now, to get this explanation out of the way, according to Merriam-Webster, ‘Poof’ is a noun in the British/English language that “refers to a gay man” in an offensive manner. Obviously, to use that word now in a show is virtually social suicide, and a ticket to the Internet’s cancel-ville.

Good thing that ‘The Fairly OddParents’ producers and writers are avoiding that sort of issue now.

 

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