The Cartoons That Made Us Gay: Beverly Hills Teens
Added 2022-04-25 23:11:30 +0000 UTC“Camp Camping” (October 8, 1987)
Created specifically as a response to militaristic, toyetic boys’ cartoons, Beverly Hills Teens offered a fantasy version of Los Angeles’ most famous zip code, where adults largely don’t exist, everyone has the same face and little gay boys have not one but two role models: Pierce Thorndyke and Bianca Dupree, who are opposite sides if the same queeny coin. The episode might not hold up as much as we’d like, but there’s enough queer-weirdness in this one to give us plenty to discuss.
Watch: this episode and also “The Makeover,” which features what is clearly supposed to be a gay character — or a more explicitly gay character than Pierce.
Read the 1986 L.A. Times article on the genesis of this series.
Listen to our Dungeons & Dragons episode to learn more about the cartoon convention of the gay-coded character being a vain coward.
Also: Maxie’s World, starring Brook Thiess!
The logo for The Cartoons That Made Us Gay was designed by Jeff Hinchee, who’s great. Go check out his website and hire him to design your next logo.
Comments
How does she put on a shirt?
RDM
2022-04-29 15:28:18 +0000 UTCJett’s hair was CAPTIVATING
RDM
2022-04-29 15:28:05 +0000 UTCI don't remember this series at all, but I had a Lady Lovely Locks doll. I can remember walking around with the little doll hair clips on my own head, just like Taystee from OITNB.
Erin Hardy
2022-04-28 03:10:03 +0000 UTCGalaxy High is on our to-do list!
Drew Mackie
2022-04-27 06:53:24 +0000 UTCI still loved your recap. One of the things I’ve learned revisiting cartoons I loved as a child is that 80s cartoons are meandering, incoherent messes with amazing title sequences and absolute garbage animation. (I’m looking at you, Galaxy High.)
Corrie Hill
2022-04-27 06:52:26 +0000 UTC
