Ukraine wants to ban cartoon SpongeBob Squarepants... as it 'promotes homosexuality'

Morality commission also says Teletubbies promotes 'drugs and other vices'

Morality police in the Ukraine are trying to get Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob Squarepants banned because of its perceived 'promotion of homosexuality'.

The Ukraine's National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality released the report, calling the children's cartoon a 'real threat to children'.

Some of the other shows under fire include Family Guy, Pokemon, The Simpsons and Teletubbies, which the report says 'projects aimed at the destruction of the family, and the promotion of drugs and other vices'.

Holding hands: SpongeBob Squarepants has been accused of promoting homosexuality, because SpongeBob holds hands with his friend Patrick

Creating 'imbeciles': The Ukraine's National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality says Teletubbies promotes drug use

The report says that Teletubbies sends children into a trance and creates 'an imbecile who will sit near the screen with an open mouth and swallow any information'.



It also criticises the fact that one of the stars of the BBC children's show, Tinky Winky, carries what looks like a woman's handbag, saying: 'in real life, boys very rarely want to put on girls' clothes'.

Cartoon star SpongeBob has a large gay fanbase in the U.S. as well as a being a huge hit with children.

The 'evidence' that points to SpongeBob's homosexuality seems to extend to the fact that he regularly holds hands with a pink starfish called Patrick, who is also his best friend.



Singled out: Family Guy and Pokemon were among other cartoons that the Ukraine morality watchdog wants to see banned from the country's TV screens

The Simpsons: Despite more than a decade of relatively trouble-free episodes, popular Fox TV show has also come under Ukrainian criticism

Equally suspect, apparently, is the fact that SpongeBob lives in an underwater pineapple and receives boating lessons from a teacher called Mrs Puff - 'puff' being both a derogatory and affectionate term to describe a gay man.



Creator Stephen Hillenburg has defended his creation in the past, saying: 'I always think of him as being somewhat asexual.



He added: 'Everybody is different, and the show embraces that. The character SpongeBob is an oddball. He's kind of weird, but he's kind of special.'