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Character assassination: the top cartoon pests




Does television rot the brain? There’s a strong argument that TV provides no educational benefits for a child under the age of two, depriving children of time they need to develop important abilities such as language, motor, social and imagination skills. But can the same be said for older children?


While some experts argue that children who watch television have trouble paying attention because they’re accustomed to fast-paced visual stimulation, others contend that television can educate, entertain and inform, introducing children to new words, sounds and information.


During the COVID-19 pandemic, most parents will have probably leaned to the latter view. With home-schooling and lockdowns taking their toll, television has, quite frankly, been a saviour. And after everything we’ve had to endure over the last year, parents should give themselves a break, right?


With World Pest Day just around the corner and aiming to increase awareness of the important role pest management plays in protecting people, let’s take a look at some of the pests immortalised on our TV screens. How do our pest parodies stack up against their real-life counterparts?


From Peter Rabbit to Rocket Raccoon, does each character educate, inform, or just entertain?


1. The Highway Rat


The fiction

The Highway Rat was a baddie; the Highway Rat was a beast. He took what he wanted and ate what he took. His life was one long feast. From the brilliant mind of Julia Donaldson, The Highway Rat features a ravenous, robbing rodent with a soft spot for sweet things.


While creatures travelling the highway become thinner and thinner, the Highway Rat grows horribly fat, until his sweet tooth leads him to a deft duck that has had enough of his sticky-fingered ways.


The facts

Rats do not ride horses. Or wear funny hats. Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, rats would live close to their food sources (so far, so good). However, in 2020, Rentokil observed an increase of almost 20% in infestations year-on-year globally compared to the year before.


A single rat can carry multiple types of pathogen and parasite, including bacteria, viruses, protozoans and parasitic worms. Not the ideal bedtime story for toddlers and even the mighty Julia Donaldson would struggle to rhyme ‘protozoans’.


The Highway Rat is also a fussy eater – rejecting nuts, clover and leaves in favour of sweets and a juicy duck – when, in reality, he would be more interested in grains and seeds, meat and food scraps. The black rat is incredibly agile and a very good climber, while the brown rat usually prefers ground living and burrowing, so an underground cave might not be the doom and gloom it’s depicted in the story. That being said, the thought of all rats sounding like David Tennant is somewhat satisfying.


2. Danger Mouse


The fiction

For every Highway Rat, there’s a Danger Mouse. He’s been saving the world with his trusty sidekick, Penfold, for almost 40 years. Battling the villainous Baron Greenback, Danger Mouse takes on mind-blowing missions using tech-defying gadgets in his quest for peace.


He also gets to whizz around in a rather nifty Danger Car, while a Danger Cycle, Danger Jet Pack, Danger Surfboard and Danger Ejector Shoes puts Batman’s glut of vehicles to shame. Oh, and wherever there is danger, he will, of course, be there.


The facts

Mice can’t drive. However, mice can squeeze through gaps as small as 6mm and they have heightened senses – such as smell, hearing and touch – while research suggests that they can hear ultrasound up to 90 kHz. That’s some high-level secret agent qualities right there.


Sadly, they’re not particularly fond of the cold weather, so having your headquarters on Baker Street, London, with rainy days and brief warm spells likely, might not be the best idea. And although they’re quite happy to explore, with impressive jumping and climbing skills, they prefer to travel adjacent to walls and other edges – hardly supersonic – and such predictability isn’t ideal when you’re trying to save the world. It does, however, explain why Danger Mouse has all of those wonderful toys.


3. Flik


The fiction

Flik is the protagonist of Disney/Pixar’s film, A Bug's Life. In the movie, he no longer wishes to be a worker ant and dreams of becoming an inventor. He’s not bad at it either. His inventions include a telescope using a blade of grass wrapped around a dew drop, an automatic harvester and the bird-shaped aircraft used to deter a gang of grasshoppers that force the ants to gather grain for them. In the film, Flik leaves Ant Island and ventures to the City to recruit bugs big enough to keep the grasshoppers away.


The facts

A Bug’s Life is better than Antz. Flik is actually much like his real-life counterparts. Ants are smart and use pheromones to alert other ants or create trails. They’re protective – guarding other creatures from harm.


They can probably even surf on leaves, often building ‘lifeboats’ to survive floods. And they have super strength – handy when constructing a giant bird to scare the grasshoppers away. Do they have squabbles with grasshoppers? In reality, ants may feed on injured grasshoppers and their eggs. A different story altogether.


Don’t look at the light


The fiction

One of the best gags in A Bug’s Life is when Harry, a generic mosquito, is hypnotised by a resplendent blue light. Warned to stay away from the light by his friend, Harry is seduced by the light’s beautiful glow – and then zapped.


The facts

Every business needs an effective solution for removing flying insects, but what makes an insect light trap attractive to flies and other insect pests? Could Harry have avoided his untimely demise? Check out this blog, 7 things to consider when choosing an insect light trap.


4. Oggy and the Cockroaches


The fiction

In a similar vein to Tom and Jerry, Oggy and the Cockroaches adopts silent comedy to tell the outlandish tales of a cat called Oggy as he attempts to rid his house of three pesky cockroaches – Joey, Marky and Dee Dee. Slapstick is the name of the game as our three antagonists find ridiculous and extreme ways to annoy their housemate.


The facts

Cockroaches aren’t renowned for consuming large animals (say, an octopus). They are, however, synonymous with dirt and filth. They can often be found inhabiting unhygienic areas and will eat most things, such as animal faeces and even other cockroaches (surprisingly not explored in the show).


They can spread a range of harmful diseases and food-borne illnesses – a big problem for businesses operating in the food industry. Cockroaches also have a more negative impact on staff morale than any other pest – 40% of businesses cited this as a major cost of a cockroach infestation, with 5.2 working days a year lost on average per business (The Business Impact of Pests, Rentokil and Cebr Research by Option Matters).


It’s unclear whether they sleep in empty tuna cans or love money, reading and opera, but the best way to prevent cockroach diseases is staying on top of hygiene and enlisting the help of a pest control company. Just don’t expect one of Rentokil’s expert technicians to turn up at Oggy’s door any time soon.


5. Peter Rabbit


The fiction

Peter Rabbit is a disobedient and fairly annoying young rabbit who likes nothing more than a trip to Mr McGregor’s garden to cause senseless and irrational trouble. Mr McGregor is the victim rather than the villain, although a scheming fox is often coming up with ways to harm our wilful antagonist. He’s just not very good at it.


The facts

Rabbits do not wear denim. Also, animals such as rabbits, feral cats and squirrels can potentially cause damage to your property and grounds.


It’s unlikely that Peter will team up with the likes of Topcat or Hammy any time soon, and although rabbits are often pets in many countries, wild rabbits can destroy crops, build their warrens on populated grounds such as schools and devastate gardens. They were once considered the United Kingdom’s most costly invasive species. Which side of Mr McGregor’s fence do you sit on?


Are squirrels really a pest?

Squirrels are distrustfully cute, but they can cause structural damage when they enter a loft space. Searching for bedding, they have been known to tear up loft insulation, chew timbers, pipe work and stored items, and even strip insulation from electrical wiring. If they chew your cables, causing electrical problems, or worse still, fires, it’s likely you’ll soon know about it.


6. Valiant


The fiction

Valiant, a brave wood pigeon, enlists to become a homing pigeon. His mission is to fly across the English Channel and retrieve an important message from the French for allied forces before the Falcon brigade can stop him. The best thing to say about the film is that it’s – like the main protagonist – short.


The facts

Pigeons do not make for cute protagonists. Instead, like many birds, pigeons can be noisy, messy and unhygienic – pecking and fouling stock, equipment, ledges and surfaces. They can give customers, staff and the general public a seriously bad impression of your business and make your staff and customers ill from the pathogens they carry.


Pigeons carry parasitic pests such as ticks, fleas and bird mites. They live on the birds and on their droppings, but look for new hosts when the pigeons abandon their nests. Or decide to join the Royal Pigeon Service, of course.


7. Kaa


The fiction

He has the worst song in the movie, but Kaa from The Jungle Book (1967) is probably the most frightening character from Disney’s much-loved classic. An enormous snake with hypnotic eyes, Kaa manipulates unsuspecting (and knowing) prey in the hope of a good feast. His siren song, ‘Trust in Me’, attempts to sweep the targets of his attack off their feet, but is more likely to bore them into submission.


The facts

The only snake that can hold a decent tune is Whitesnake. Snakes tend to avoid contact with people, so will steer clear of you and your man cubs. They can be found in many places such as rough grassland, rockeries, ponds, sun-trap areas with lots of vegetation and compost heaps.


Thanks to urbanisation, snakes are often searching for new homes and can sometimes find themselves on your property or business premises. The majority are harmless, but ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes, is the second most common phobia in the world and will likely affect employee morale, while the sight of a snake on your premises could damage your brand’s reputation. If you think you have a snake problem, it’s probably best not to make a song and dance about it.


8. Rocket Raccoon


The fiction

According to Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki, Rocket was recovered by alien scientists and genetically enhanced so that he was given sentient levels of intelligence. A member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket ditched his freelance mercenary gig to travel the universe, pick up bounties and save the world.


The facts

Racoons do not befriend plant-like organisms native to the planet X. However, they can be a nuisance to homeowners and businesses for a variety of reasons. A bearer of parasites, such as fleas and ticks, raccoons are also a common carrier of rabies.


Their long, nimble fingers allow them to open rubbish bins, turn knobs and work latches. They’re known to be resilient (Rocket lived through the Snap, after all) and fierce fighters when cornered, inflicting fatal wounds during encounters – even with large dogs. Fortunately, there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that they can operate laser cannons.


Raccoons, like all of the pests listed above, should be removed using a professional pest control company. They can provide an integrated pest-management plan that controls pests efficiently and discreetly to protect premises, stock and equipment, and to provide a safe place for customers and employees alike.


More about World Pest Day


World Pest Day (6 June 2021) aims to:

  • increase public, government and media awareness of the important role pest management plays in protecting businesses and public health;

  • demonstrate the professional image of the pest management industry;

  • promote the use of professional pest management in a scientific and socially responsible way;

  • call attention to the big threats caused by small pests.

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