Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.disney
From: snopes@netcom.com (snopes)
Subject: Re: Disney's Aladdin movie causes child nudity?
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 1994 02:40:04 GMT

  ucisleb@issc.unocal.com (A UL Fan) writes:
> Has anyone heard this Urban Legend?  Some recent reports have parents 
> complaining their children 'undress' when they watch Disney's Aladin movie.  

> After some research it was found there are a few scenes in the movie where a 
> faint wisper can be herard, "Take off your clothes"  which may cause the 
> children to 'undress'?

> Well I took a good look at the movie and found in the scene which
> Aladin is standing on the magic carpet just below Jasmine's balcony is where
> the wispers can be heard, "Take off your clothes" and this is when some
> children take it all off!

This story has been going around for months.  For the uninitiated:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There is a rumor, apparently still among a very few people, that the
character in the animated Disney movie slipped a saucy suggestion into a scene
with Princess Jasmine.

   In the scene, Aladdin, who is dressed as a prince, flies on a magic carpet 
to Jasmine's balcony to win her back after a fight.

    But when he gets there, Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah, confronts him and backs 
him up onto the railing with some menacing snarls.

    As Jasmine watches, Aladdin tries to shoo the tiger.

    It's pretty hard to hear exactly what goes on next.

    Rajah is growling, Aladdin is mumbling fearfully and the Genie is cutting 
up with some wisecracks.

    But there are some people who believe that in the midst of all that
confusion, Aladdin whispers to Jasmine: "Take off your clothes."

    Not helping matters is the fact that the Princess Jasmine's eyes get big
and wide immediately afterward. 

    Disney says the whole thing is crazy.

    They've gotten a few media inquiries about the rumor, and they've prepared 
a little statement to explain things.

    "His exact words are: 'Scat! Come on. Good Tiger. Take off and go. Down
Kitty."

    "Take off and go" may not be inspired dialogue, or even what most of us
would say when faced with an angry tiger.

    But if you listen just right, it could sound like "take off your 
clothes."

    "On no occasion does Aladdin ever say anything derogatory to Jasmine.
Disney movies have a long, long tradition of providing the highest quality
family entertainment," Fulton said.

    Just to test what actual children think, The Gazette asked JoAnne Klein of
Tempe to put Aladdin in the ol' VCR and play the scene for her two children,
Matt, 7, and Becky, 6.

    "We've played it about 20 times and we had it at full volume. They think it 
says, 'Take off kitty,' or 'Take off carpet'."

    "I highly doubt it says 'take off your clothes,' and the kids certainly
didn't get that out of it," she said.

    No one seems too sure where this rumor came from, and it's hard to say how
things like this get started.

    Gary Alan Fine, a professor at the University of Georgia, tracks what he
calls "contemporary legends."

    "Someone who believes Hollywood studios are trying to trick the public
would be more likely to believe this," Fine said. 

    He has not yet heard this legend, making him believe it is just starting or 
isn't good enough or funny enough for people to repeat to others.

    Even if the rumor were true, do you have to worry about your kids
subliminally picking it up and developing a fondness for running around in the
buff?

    Elaine Katzman, a Phoenix counselor and sex educator, says no.

    "When there is so much overt stuff going on, I hardly think so," Katzman
said.

