Early animated cartoons often featured humor through sexual innuendos and suggestive imagery. This exploration of erotic themes is thought to have begun in the silent era, when animation was still in its infancy and studios were experimenting with new ways to entertain audiences. One of the earliest examples of this can be seen in Winsor McCay's "Gertie the Dinosaur" from 1914, which features a love triangle between the titular dinosaur, her owner, and a rival suitor. The film's suggestive dialogue and implied romance between Gertie and the man made it controversial at the time but paved the way for more explicit depictions of sex and gender roles in later cartoons. Another example is Tex Avery's "Red Hot Riding Hood" from 1943, which features a wolf who woos Red with seductive language and a suggestive dance routine. These films demonstrate that early animators used eroticism as a tool to engage with adult audiences and push boundaries in a medium that was still being developed. However, they also show how these themes can quickly become problematic if handled carelessly, as evidenced by the backlash against "Gertie" and other similar cartoons. Nonetheless, eroticism remains an important part of the history of animation, and has been revisited in recent years by artists such as Bill Plympton and John Kricfalusi.
Another interesting example of early animated erotica comes from Walter Lantz's "Swing Shift Cindy," released in 1943 during World War II. This short follows a group of women working in a factory who are wooed by a supervisor while their husbands are away fighting overseas. While it may seem tame compared to modern standards, the film was considered scandalous at the time due to its use of double entendres and sexual humor. Similarly, Chuck Jones' "One Froggy Evening" from 1955 features a talking frog who tries to seduce his owner before ultimately abandoning her for fame and fortune. The film pokes fun at gender roles and explores the concept of identity in a way that is both humorous and thought-provoking. Overall, early animated cartoons often relied on sexuality as a source of entertainment, but did so with varying degrees of subtlety and success. Today, animators continue to explore these themes, albeit more explicitly than ever before.