3 Classic Pest Cartoon Stereotypes Part 3: Termites!

3 Classic Pest Cartoon Stereotypes Part 3: Termites!

We have reached the third installment of our pest cartoon stereotype series! During our past features of this series, we looked at both vintage and modern examples of common pest tropes in cartoons, and how they match up with real life. Today’s blog will be a bit more specific than those, since we are just focusing on the pest that seems to be a favorite of cartoons new and old: termites. It actually makes sense to use these pests as an ongoing trope because they are so destructive yet tiny in real life. Many termite infestations go unnoticed for a long time because the actual insects are so small and hidden. This makes it easy for animated storytelling to dramatize the amount of damage that termites do to a home. Two of our examples are quite similar with some minor differences (for the sake of comedy), and one is a return to our favorite evil-scientist-and-platypus matchup. 

Termites Consuming an Entire House

This trope seems like it has been done a million times over, and there are even a couple more examples that we will touch on in the next part of this blog. Termites are one of the most popular non-speaking villains in cartoons, which is funny considering we’re not fond of them at all in real life. In multiple cartoon examples, a huge swarm of termites consume huge wood structures in about five seconds flat. The most common example is a house or cabin, but there are also instances of termites feasting on tables, chairs, and pianos. The act of termites devouring an entire house is often accompanied by the sound of an electric saw or power tool, which is appropriately paired with their speed and precision.

Cartoon Example: Popeye the Sailor: “Insect to Injury”

Episode Synopsis: The beloved spinach-munching sailor faces his most dastardly enemy yet in this episode: termites! Popeye just finished building his fancy house and was putting the finishing touches on his mailbox when the termites attacked. In the span of a couple minutes, the termites consumed his fence, mailbox, furniture, and wooden path, which would have quite the repair bill in real life. Popeye’s attempts to stop or trap them were in vain, since his moat and lidded can were no match for the pests. He finally put an end to the nightmare by constructing a metal house that the termites’ comically sharp teeth could not penetrate. Speaking of which, the brown termites in this cartoon have much sharper teeth and more pronounced full stomachs than real termites. Another good thing to remember is that real termites don’t march like an army headed into battle, unlike these fictional pests, so at least we don’t have to worry about rows of termites who know how to walk like humans.

Fact or Fiction?: Thankfully, this level of destruction is pure fiction. As large as a termite colony can be, often numbering in the thousands, it’s not possible for them to swarm and consume a house within seconds. That is way too much wood for their tiny bodies. But that doesn’t mean that termites aren’t destructive in real life. Termite colonies are divided into classes, and the job of the workers are purely to eat the wood and carve tunnels for the rest of the colony. This leads to wood damage and a multitude of holes, especially in a wood-centric environment like a house’s frame. There have been instances where the damage inflicted by termites costs thousands of dollars to fix, as ensuring that the framework is as solid as possible is incredibly important. The best way to prevent termites in reality is to check for water damage and reduce moisture within the house as much as possible. Popeye’s moat-building is more of an extreme last-resort method that we don’t recommend. It might help if we ate more spinach, but the jury is still out on the effectiveness of building a house out of metal within ten seconds. For now, just keep an eye out for signs of termites and contact pest control immediately if you have any kind of invasion.

Termites Spitefully Consuming a House – Again!

This is essentially the same trope as the previous one, but this one is more focused on the small details and gradual heightening of the joke. While Popeye had his fencing and house eaten quickly, the termites seemed to be relatively neutral about him. They got angry when he built a moat and other contraptions to keep them out, but they were otherwise just a generic swarm of termites. This time, we’re talking about the swarm that has it out for the main character from the start. The termites target the furniture that the character is using, they make a mockery of their traps, and they have the last laugh by eating the entire house after tormenting the character. And who better to demonstrate this trope than the lovable, silent Pink Panther?

Cartoon: Pink Panther: “Pink Pest Control”

Episode Synopsis: You can likely guess the storyline of this episode by the title. Pink Panther’s peaceful day in his log cabin was quickly ruined when a single bouncing termite invaded by hitching a ride on a piece of firewood he brought inside. After cooling off by jumping in the stream and becoming angry at him for putting it in the fire, it started by eating the furniture he was using. The termite basically chased him through his home, eating anything he used as a hiding spot, including a lamp, chair, and table. Pink Panther tried all kinds of methods for termite control that all backfired or were easily dispatched by the termite. It ate the wooden mousetrap, evaded his pesticide, and ate mouse-sized holes in the wall. He finally captured it by hammering a nail into wood and scooping it into a bottle that he threw off a cliff, as one does. But the vengeful termite came back to get its final revenge by eating his house, which Pink Panther angrily began rebuilding by using the termite’s skill as a natural buzzsaw to cut wood.

Fact or Fiction? Like Popeye’s episode, this speed of destruction is not possible with a full colony of termites, never mind one by itself. Termites also wouldn’t do this much alone, since they prefer to stay together in the colony. The swarmers can go out and find a new wooden food source, but they will soon be joined by the rest of their colony. Termites also don’t have the critical thinking skills to recognize a person (or panther) and enact revenge on them for ruining their plans. This episode did get the termite’s resistance to pest control correct, since they are famously difficult to eradicate fully. This is why termite control is so involved and often expensive; they require specific treatment and intense products to make sure every one is gone. Another small detail that is pretty accurate is how the termite entered in the first place. The winged swarmers are usually the ones to dictate the next home base, but termites can also be transported unknowingly on materials like firewood and lumber. Just make sure to check any kind of outdoor wood before bringing it inside, and you won’t have to worry about battling a spiteful termite. 

Mind-Controlled Pests

Honestly, termites are the perfect pests for a cartoon villain’s evil plan: they can fly and they easily destroy buildings from the inside out. There have been quite a few instances of pests in general being controlled by a character in cartoons. The “hive mind” trope is a great way to bring comedy, drama, high stakes, or direction to a story. Insects that live in a colony already have a sort of hive mind, since they have the same shared goal of keeping the colony alive and thriving. Termites have different classes that dictate what jobs they have, especially soldiers and workers, but they all work to help the colony and queen survive. This can be manipulated into a different mission with the right motivation, like if a villain just happens to have a lot of spare tiny mind-controlling helmets laying around. 

Cartoon: Phineas and Ferb: “The Magnificent Few”

Episode Synopsis: Once again, the pest plot is actually the B-plot between Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Perry the Platypus during their ongoing battle. The evil scientist has a small army of termites in a jar, which is already questionable, but it gets even wilder. They are all wearing tiny mind-control helmets that match Doofenshmirtz’s normal one. He explains to Perry that he will command the termites to eat all the wood in the tri-state area so that he will control the aluminum siding industry. A strange plot on paper, yes, but it’s executed perfectly comedic-wise as usual. The termites go out and eat a whole barn and fencing that happens to contain the group of cows that Candace is with, which prompts a stampede through town that Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella have to stop on horseback. The termites even eat a wooden roller coaster track, which seems to be the next success in Doofenshmirtz’s plan, but Perry finds the reverse switch on the helmet and the termite swarm chases Doofenshmirtz away from his success and a career in selling aluminum siding.

Fact or Fiction? It goes without saying that we do not have the technology for mind-controlling termites at this point in time, but who’s to say it won’t be possible in the far future? As for the actual termites, it would be extremely difficult to have a whole colony in a jar. In fact, it would likely not be the entire colony since that can number in the tens of thousands. Plus, the goal with termites is always elimination rather than capture, since they are so destructive and persistent. Another fallacy with this episode is that the big colony won’t fly around in one massive swarm. Imagine the nightmare of looking up and seeing a mass of brown insects zooming through the sky! Not every termite has wings, so it’s just some swarmers that fly around. The animation did get the look of the termites right, as far as cartoons go. Termites are brown and have long mandibles for gnawing through wood easily, which are both true of these animated pests. These fictional termites are also destructive speedsters, which makes us once again thankful that we at least have time to react before real termites inflict real damage. 

Pest Control Tackles Termites!

If cartoons were realistic, we would live in fear of having our homes be eaten in the span of ten seconds every day. Thankfully, termites work much slower than their animated depictions. But the amount of damage they do is still monumental, and can cost up to thousands of dollars to fix if it’s bad enough. This is why it is crucial to call pest control as soon as you think you have termites, before the damage grows. Our knowledgeable technicians can find the home base of termites and treat the source of the problem so you don’t have to worry about the framework of your house being eaten for the foreseeable future. Contact us to learn more about our efficient services and how we can prevent termites from making your house a speedy meal.

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Citations

[ClassicMoviesHQ]. (2012, December 8). Popeye the Sailor – Insect to injury [Full episode – High quality] [Video]. YouTube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X4tF42Zw2U (Accessed on July 5, 2022).

Marsh, J. (S.), Diederich, M., Olson, M., Povenmire, D., Cohen, S., Lee, C., and Guilbaud, A. (Writers) & Povenmire, D. (Director). (2008, February 8). The magnificent few/S’winter (Season 1, Episode 3) [TV series episode]. In Marsh, J. (S.) & Povenmire, D. (Executive Producers), Phineas and Ferb. Disney Television Animation.

[Official Pink Panther]. (2014, April 14). The Pink Panther in “Pink Pest Control” [Video]. YouTube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAcNZo7-f0g (Accessed on July 5, 2022).