Why is Fairly Odd Parents' Butch Hartman controversial now?
Butch Hartman is a name that many know thanks to his work on the Nickelodeon series The Fairly Odd Parents, but recently Hartman has become a controversial figure due to his online behavior and surprising beliefs.
Butch Hartman is an animation director who has worked on popular shows like Fairly Odd Parents and Danny Phantom. His name was attached to some of the biggest cartoon series of the early 2000s. That made him a prominent figure within animation circles.
While his credits made him a name brand for many, the last few years has seen opinions turn on him. Here are the controversies he has been a part of and what led to them.
Butch Hartman accused of tracing art
In recent years, Hartman has started doing commissions for fans. Some bristled at his asking price, with rates for drawings in the hundreds. While his rates can be chalked up to the strength of his past work, his commissions became controversial due to the similarities between Hartman’s work and that of other popular artists.
In February 2021, Hartman shared a commissioned piece he did for a fan. Someone quickly pointed out that the art looked very similar to a 2018 piece of fanart from a Japanese artist. The two drawings of Mikasa from Attack on Titan were compared and some even noticed that the body, eyes, hair, and more were the same when the drawings were overlapped.
After this was pointed out, people dug through Hartman’s commissioned work and found that many seemed to have been traced or copied. This controversy brought past accusations of copying others’ artwork to the fore.
Butch Hartman Oaxis controversy
In 2018 Hartman began a Kickstarter for a family-friendly streaming service Oaxis. The Kickstarter generated $270,000 in contributions.
The Kickstarter generated controversy when Hartman appeared on “Marcus and Joni,” a Christian television program with hosts who have been criticized for homophobic views, and stated it was a Christian streaming service. Some backers felt misled since this religious component was not mentioned in the Kickstarter. Hartman responded to the criticism by clarifying Oaxis was not faith-based.
Claims of healing diseases with prayer
Hartman started a website with his wife that was focused on the healing power of prayer, claiming that praying cured his wife’s fibromyalgia and that it can also cure other illnesses. Many see this as dangerous to preach, with some left worried that people could end up not seeking the actual medical help they needed if relying on prayer to manage their issues.
Hartman also stated that autism could be prayed away. This was frustrating for many both due to the bogus claims and the implication that autism is something that needs to be cured to begin with. Comparing autism to a deadly disease had many angry with the controversial artist.
Despite these controversies, Hartman has continued to be active on social media. He often creates TikToks of his famous characters and shows fans how he goes about drawing those characters. Hartman has made his tweets private, however.
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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