John Oliver explains his love for the 'wholesome' Danish children's TV show about a man with huge genitalia

Last Week Tonight is on hiatus for two weeks, but John Oliver is dropping short, characteristically NSFW morsels on the internet to keep his fans sated during the break. On Sunday night, his hobbyhorse was Denmark, specifically "children's television in Denmark because, since the beginning of this year, there's been a new show there that's gotten a lot of attention," he said. The children's show, John Dillermand, is "about a claymation Super Mario who's dressed for a ski vacation and a 1920s beach party at the same time — and who, much more importantly, has a massive, stripey snake dick."

"The 'diller' in Dillermand is Danish slang for penis, meaning that his name in English is basically 'John Penisman,'" Oliver explained approvingly. The show was "an instant hit" with kids when it started airing in January, and for good reason. "It's so much more imaginative than what passes for children's entertainment here," he said, citing examples. "DR, the public broadcaster behind this show, maintains that John Dillermand is genuinely wholesome, saying it's about 'the embarrassment and fun of the body'" and "'as desexualized as it can possibly get.' The problem is, there are some both in but especially outside Denmark who can't seem to get their head around the charms of this show."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.