MTV fights fire with no fire: 'Beavis and Butt-Head' to be amended in wake of complaints. (Music Television animated series)

Broadcasting & Cable, October, 1993 by Flint, Joe

MTV has taken the fire - literally - out of its off-beat cartoon show, Beavis and Butt-Head. It has promised to remove all references to fire after a five-year-old boy in Moraine, Ohio, set a blaze that killed his two-year-old sister. According to the boy's mother, the child started playing with matches and lighters after watching the animated series.

In many episodes, juvenile delinquents Beavis and Butt-head either talk about fire (something of a mantra for Beavis) or play with lighters and aerosal cans to create a blowtorch. "What happened in Moraine was a tragedy. While we do not believe the Beavis and Butt-Head cartoon was responsible, we feel the steps we are taking are the proper ones," MTV said in a statement. MTV runs Beavis and...