Yeah, they labeled Speedy Gonzalez as a racist representation of Mexicans. And I think some other characters who have subsequently been yanked from American television screens but I don't buy it for a second.
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Speedy's cartoons have come under fire in recent years for their alleged stereotypical depictions of Mexicans and Mexican life. Mice in the shorts are usually shown as lazy, womanizing and hard-drinking. Speedy is the only character capable of saving them from this lifestyle. His call "Arriba, Arriba" is likely to his fellow Mexicans, to get "up, up" from sleep. Speedy also wears an oversized sombrero and sometimes plays in a mariachi band (although Speedy's only real vice is implied to be a weakness for pretty girls; in one cartoon, other mice instigate a war to keep Speedy from stealing all the girls in town). Much of the dialogue between Mexican characters is in English , which is unrealistic. The small amount of Spanish that peppers the dialogue consists of basic greetings, goodbyes, exclamations, and misplaced references to popular Mexican foods. It was this criticism that prompted Cartoon Network to largely shelve Speedy's films when it gained exclusive rights to broadcast them in 1999. However, fan campaigns to put Speedy back on the air, as well as lobbying by The League of United Latin American Citizens, who argued that Speedy's cleverness and personality was a positive depiction of Mexicans, turned the tide in his favor, and in 2002, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico" was put back into rotation.
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Can I get a, "Hell yeah"?
Merrie Melodies are nothing more than innocent cartoons. They possess no subtle messages or stereotypes.