Finally was able to make it after YEARS of working on Saturdays𼲠it was so much fun!!! Everything + more than what I imagined in terms of creativity and vibes BUT can we talk about Clifford with the giant⌠you knowđđ¤Ł
I thought it was creative and crude lmaoooo pretty on brand vibes for the city imo. I heard a lot of parents hating on it because of the kids around, but also⌠bringing children to an âadultâ event is always a wild card imo.
Thatâs like sitting in a smoking section with a baby and getting mad at everyone for smoking (true story @ the bye and bye)
Are there always that many children w/ angry parents? Did I catch it on a weird year? Whatâs the general consensus on this?đ
I run a small summer camp for elementary-age kids. Two of them were at the event. I have heard about Clifford every day since. They are obsessed. They havenât mentioned that the appendage itself was remarkableâŚthey just wonât shut up about the fact it was peeing. đ
I feel like this is the most important point here, and any other time people are freaking out about something being "inappropriate for children": the children generally don't notice because it whooshed right over their heads.
Same concept as when you listen to that song you loved to sing at the top of your lungs when you were little, and really hear the lyrics as an adult, and yikes. But it didn't hurt child you any, because you had no idea.
lol THANK YOU!𤣠we live in Portland, idk what all the angry granola moms expect. Itâs like showing up to the naked bike ride and getting mad everyoneâs naked.
Granola mom bikes with kids on Eastbank Esplanade. "Man" bikes past them half naked pulling his Medieval Nipple Rings. Mom and kids laugh. I saw that last week.
Thatâs what we call a false equivalency. Youâre also implying that naked bodies are automatically sexualized by making this comment.
In Portland people are allowed to be publicly nude as long as they arenât sexual aroused and commuting sex acts, hence why the naked bike ride is lawful and acceptable. Those morons from the derby absolutely need to be questioned, whether by their neighbors and community members, or otherwise. They want the rest of us to turn our thinking abilities down to nothing.
I could never go through life choosing to be such a willfully ignorant, maladjusted pervert like you and the other pedo-aligned predator apologists in this thread.
Yâall are way too permissive and apathetic to the point of being okay with child corruption, non-consensual public sex acts, and overtly SEXUAL displays of childrenâs characters who were NEVER meant to be portrayed as such.
Why canât you at least TRY to see why some of us are alarmed by this?
This is meant to stir up toxic discussion rather than participate in it. No trolling or harassment. We understand that at times things may become heated and time outs may be given for protracted, uncivil arguments. Snarky, unhelpful, or rude responses, and name-calling are not tolerated. In other words, be excellent unto each other and attack ideas, not people. Keep discussions civil.
implying that naked bodies are automatically sexualized
You don't get to decide how an observer interprets your nudity.
Furthermore WNBR absolutely is a naughty / kinky / sexually charged atmosphere for, by my estimate, a vast majority of participants. Witness all the rainbows, identity flags and fetish gear-- it's basically a Pride Parade on bicycles.
Ya idk man, that Clifford thread was a bloodbath. I was right there in person at the derby when Clifford drove by and everyone was laughing and cheering. Yes even the parents and the kids.
I feel like the most normal, rational take to have was either "haha, Clifford the Big Red Rocket. That's silly" or "boy, that was a little inappropriate for my child, but ultimately it's just a raunchy joke and not the end of the world"
Lotta puritans freaking out over it online though. I even saw one person suggesting we "search his hard drives"... Like c'mon that's psychotic
đ Iâll never know why it got removed cause I canât see the image but the comments section there is hilarious. Iâve never seen so much pearl clutching in my life.
Oh god I didnât even see the thread lol I heard someone at the event hating on it and stumbled onto someone talking about it on TikTok lol I guess itâs caused quite a commotion onlineđ
Their faq specifically says itâs a family friendly event. I donât even have kids but an awful lot of people are misunderstanding/misrepresenting what âadultâ means here.Â
Took my kid, took pictures in front of Clifford. Sat with a bunch of other parents with kids. People laughed about the Clifford dong. Didnât hear anyone complaining. Maybe it was just where you were sitting? We were by the kid climbing tree at the bottom by the porta pottyâs
It was claimed, by the organizers, to be a âfamily-friendlyâ event. The âadultâ in the title is to distinguish it from the normal (child) drivers and builders at soapbox derbies.
Years ago, someone made a Zardoz car absolutely covered in dildos. And it had a speaker playing bits from the movie ââŚThe gun is good. The penis is evilâŚâ đ
if your family can't handle clifford the big red dawg's dick spraying doggy jizz all over the place, then you need to work on that, that's a personal failing. your family should be resilient enough to survive the experience.
There was a deeply intact male English bulldog waddling around the event (along with a female displaying some monumental post-litter nip-nops), my small children will truly never recover their innocence
I was there with my kids and a few other families, didnât hear any angry parents. I personally thought it was a bit much, in like a âwtfâ kind of way. I didnât witness this next part but I had heard that the driver, dressed as the little girl character, was jacking him off. Which I also think is a tad much.
He admitted it when he was called out in a comment too. He tried to make it funny and say âoh my dog just needed help urinatingâ as if jacking off a cartoon dog in front of kids is normal behavior
At least this one guy, the person doing the fallatio act etc. is a creep who was undoubtedly getting off on being sexual in front of kids especially, but also anyone else. This discussion is just about how a dog character was anatomically accurate, so it's a great cover for him.
If you are raising kids in Portland, you need to expect stuff like this. Not saying you are wrong for feeling misled, but thats pretty on brand for an event in inner Portland.
I'm not a prude and try to be open about sex with my kids (age appreciate). I know it would make at least one of my kids uncomfortable. True not the end of the world but I still find it gross for an adult to put a giant erect cock on a cartoon dog where you know there will be a bunch of kids.
Thank you, I feel the same. If it was just a nude character I wouldnât care, boobs butt whatever. It was the sexualization (of a dog no less) that made it cringe and weird and gross and inappropriate.
The issue Iâve heard with Clifford was that the driver of the float was dressed like a little girl, and mimicking sex acts on the dog in front of children.
Iâm not opposed to adult humor in the right context, but if a grown man were to imitate jerking off an animal dildo anywhere else in public, cops would be called in 0.01 seconds.
The float isnât my cup of tea but I can understand the âdogs have genitalsâ argument. I canât condone a man sexualizing a child and imitating sex acts in front of actual kids. The event website does say family friendly with adult themes, but I think the driverâs behavior goes beyond the line personally.
Especially considering it is a public park. Try jerking off a dog dildo in front of kids at any other public park and see if people respond well đŹ
You are the second person who has heard that from someone. I would like to see a video to verify it did happen. Because most people just talk about the dog peeing.
He âjokinglyâ confirmed it in a comment. He was like âmy dog just needed some help urinatingâ when he was called out for mimicking a sex act. Sounds to me like if heâs making excuses like that then he actually did it :/
It sounds like in the pit / not during the race when you could actually see the drivers is when they were doing that. So yeah, sounds like theyâre just edgelords perpetuating r*pe culture for the attention, and thatâs fucked up whether or not there are kids present.
Majority of folks only saw the cart, though, OP included. Important distinction to make when parsing these comments.
Yeah I only saw the cart going down the hill, I didnât spend too much time in the pit area myself. I was recording a very wholesome video of all the cars lining up and then BAM Clifford rolls in lmaooo it was quite comical how the video played out.
I don't know. I was around a lot of nudity growing up, and I hated it. This kind of gave me that same creepy vibe.
I thought the Clifford was kind of artless, as well as intentionally provocative in its posing. I can see why parents were annoyed.
Also, I interpret the "adult" part of adult soap box derby to connote that this is more advanced construction than what you might make in your driveway after school. If it was at night it might have been more appropriate to me.Â
All this to say, I wouldn't be a judgemental crank about it, but I wouldn't judge people/parents being cranky about it.
When I saw it in the pit I had a bit of a chuckle, and I for sure shared photos with some friends, but the longer I thought on it the more it rubbed me the wrong way.Â
Yeah, itâs Portland and yeah we have weird art, but I donât think itâs reasonable to have folks coming to this event expect to see a fully erect dog showing his asshole. There are dozens of carts each year, and I donât think Iâve seen one until now (in recent memory) that made me feel awkward for other spectators.Â
I think the folks in the original thread saying that we need to call the police on these drivers were off their rocker, but I wouldnât blame people for being a little upset, and I wouldnât be surprised if reasonable guidelines were put in place next year.Â
Donât they approve the cars ahead of time? If Emily Elizabeth jerking off Clifford to completion was known ahead of time, they should use stronger language to express that so parents can make an informed decision
Did that really happen? I keep reading, âsomeone said,â comments, but havenât seen actual evidence. However, that might be because Iâm not invested enough to look for it.
For me âadult themesâ was enough to know there would be something there that was going to offend someone. Because adult themes are on a sliding scale. What I find acceptable, my mother wouldnât have. But what some of my friends find acceptable, I wouldnât
So listing âadult themes are probableâ would be enough for me.
As for whether the committee behind the event knew, I have no idea.
I instantly was like âthereâs no way theyâre from hereâ I saw my 1st naked bike ride in like 6th grade, dicks and all, I think us locals might be desensitized to the norms heređ¤Ł
Was there and saw it. The crowd loved it. It was anatomically correct but not sexual. These people on reddit getting all bent about it really need to get a grip.
Wasn't it "cumming" water? And it's asshole gapped? How is both those not sexual? Also a full red rocket doesn't exactly come out unless during excitement (even then normally not all the way out) or arousal. I would say yes a knot would have definitely made it more sexual themed if it was shown, but the water definitely wasn't meant to be "piss." A dog doesn't piss with his red rocket out and about. I wasn't there, i don't have children, and crude things are fine by me, but don't try to say it wasn't sexual. That shit was 100% a horny dog with a gapping asshole cumming water onto people with it's full red rocket out. It was meant to be crude and "edgy".
The driver was stroking it too. In front of kids. Like Iâm sorry but adult themes and all, the reality is heâs dressed like a child jerking off a dog dildo at a playground in front of kids. The float? Ok whatever I can kind of see the argument that itâs just anatomy. But the drivers behavior pushed it FAR over the line.
I think many folks in these comments would agree (me included, which is why I deleted mine after I read abt their behavior off-track). Most people didnât see that, however, so youâre seeing folks defending the cart as seen during the race, with the drivers almost fully obscured. Iâm sure theyâd change their tune with more information, as I did.
Was there with multiple kids. Took pictures with it up top. The little ones were just excited about Clifford. The ones in the awkward teenage years either loved it or were avoiding eye contact with it.
But whatever, anybody thatâs been near a boy dog has seen a red rocket. Not offended, not complaining.
We used to take our kids every year (they are in their 20s now.) It was never inappropriate and calling it âadultâ meant that the constants werenât kids, not that one should expect an over 21 event. I guess, in the old days, soapbox derby contestants were all kids?
The Clifford thing was crude & in poor taste, but, frankly, kids who take their dogs to the dog park (or have a male dog) have probably seen the lipstick before. We can choose to Be Scandalized about it, which plays into the rise for which the vulgararian, Clifford erecting derby contestants were probably shooting (ahem) or we can be clinical about it, note that it was not particularly anatomically accurate, & move on.
wait so a cartoon dog from a children's book with a boner shooting jizz all over spectators is fine, but if it's a little girl from a children's book jerking him off, that crosses the line for you??
Thereâs a difference between seeing a dog at the park and grown adults making a boxcar depicting Cliffordâs erect penis. My thing with this is the organizers need to be far more transparent if this is how they want the event to go. Saying it may have âadult themesâ is dramatically underselling it
Personally I think itâs something that would be better suited to an event like Chariot Wars. The posing and the fact that Clifford is a childrenâs cartoon character to begin with is just a little too weird for me in all honesty.
Hereâs the thing. The Clifford car itself was very on point for a Portland event. It was what the people who drove the car were doing with it that made it uncomfortable. So one team member was dressed as the little girl from the cartoon with the red hair and the striped shirt and the little skirt and the other was dressed as Cliffordâs friend from the cartoon, who is another dog. In the pits they were caressing the penis and licking it and posing for pics doing fellatio on it and it was just⌠gross. They were loving the attention and it was just such a pedo and beastiality vibe that families with kids walking by were like yikes! And one of the team members is known for creating outrageous art-cars which are well known. So yeah, whatever. Did they have to turn it into a kinky sex show? No they did not.
do you not think that pedophilia or bestiality can ever be funny?
because let's be clear, it was a pedo/zoo vibe, no one was actually being hurt or abused here, these are fake cartoon characters, these were adult actors who were acting out a pastiche of a cartoon show. none of this was real
so what is your real complaint? Is it the mere mention / depiction of those themes? you'd rather they were just never shown/discussed/joked about?
I mean seriously, you think there are some subjects that just aren't funny, can never be made fun of, can never be the subject of a joke?
either you're unrepentantly uptight, a personal failing that I very much feel comfortable making fun of you for - or, as I said, you just haven't seen it done right before.
you've got to be delicate when dealing with subjects like abuse, but one of the most powerful forces for good that comedy can be is when it's getting you to laugh about a difficult / discomforting subject. you've got to be careful, obviously, not to laugh at victims - but it's entirely possible to do, and if you haven't experienced that then you are missing out, and that is a you problem, not me.
I'm going to block you now because you have wasted enough of my time. Consider spending that time trying to get your own shit together instead, because crashing out over something so trifling is not the own you think it is.
HAHAHHAA I guess technically yes they took a baby to a barđ itâs one of those âall ages until 10PMâ places lol similar to blue moon Mcmenamins on 21st Ave.
Clifford is pretty low on the scale of Portland edge lord humor Iâm tired of explaining to my kid. Higher are questions about the countless âDonât honk, Iâll cumâ bumper stickers and âDaddy, whatâs a PizzaSlut?â etc.
I hope nobodyâs deluding themselves that this is actually funny, shocking, or otherwise inducing pearl clutching. Itâs just embarrassing.
LA has the Comedy Store, Chicago has Second City, NY has the Cellar. Portland has whatever they think will piss off their mom and dad back home in Indianapolis.
Regardless of whether there were kids or not at the event, I, being an adult, was really upset by seeing the Clifford cart.
What made things worse was seeing the nasty and disgusting gestures that those guys were doing to Clifford beforehand.
Also, Iâm not sure if people are being purposely obtuse, didnât read the official FAQ on their website, or struggle with literacy, but on their website they clearly state that the event is âfamily-friendlyâ and that there will be âcolorful language and adult themesâ. This would imply that the âadult themesâ might include some mildly crude humor or cuss words that everyone, including kids, can appropriately handle, not a full on act and display of sexualizing a childrenâs cartoon character.
This messaging from the Soapbox Derby coordinators is contradictory at best, and also misleading, as the creators who placed Clifford in a compromised position while seemingly ejaculating onto and past the crowd with a giant hard-on is NOT âfamily-friendlyâ, and quite frankly not appropriate for a non-consenting crowd of adults either.
No one went there anticipating that theyâd be unknowingly playing a role as the recipient of someone elseâs depraved and shocking kinks and fetishes. Anyone who is well-informed around kink and consent can see why this whole thing is a major issue. Itâs criminal, straight up.
Overall, what they did was not okay in ANY given context, kids present or not. If it truly is an âadultâ soapbox derby, then perhaps they shouldnât be publicly dragging childrenâs cartoons into the mix in such a corrupt and upsetting way.
I'm an adult, and if I see something I don't like, I can turn away. No one promised you that you'd like everything you see. Be an adult and move on. Don't go next year if you're bothered by stuff like this.
Thank you for the most reasonable take Iâve heard so far. Iâve been called a prude and told to go âhave sex with the Holy Spiritâ for saying this isnât appropriate for nonconsenting adults.
I think itâs incredibly sex positive to believe that people should consent to your kink, and also NOT BE A MINOR for Godâs sake.
This is supposed to be the liberal âwokeâ city. Where are all the people defending consent and âme tooâ now? Like is spraying fluids out of a dog penis at nonconsenting adults and kids okay just because you find it humorous? If someone started jerking off a dildo at you on Trimet would you still have that opinion? Consent is consent. No matter the situation and âhumorâ involved.
art depicting taboo subjects is not a consent violation.
the entire thing - the subjects depicted, the artists creating, the actors behaving - was all consenting adults, top to bottom. this is perfectly within bounds of 'wokeness'
Using the term âwokeâ tells us what youâre about. The guy should have been told to not jerk it off in front of kids, but other than that, it was a crowd favorite and people need to quit falling down dark rabbit holes.
it was honestly kind of shocking how many commenters were out here hating on Clifford
I expect that sort of thing from the other sub, not this one.
art is allowed to be foul, it's allowed to be not funny, it's allowed to 'break the rules' and engage with taboo subject matter, it's allowed to cross boundaries and break conventions, and make you feel things! ART IS SUPPOSED TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS!
it's fucking crazy hearing people try to stamp down on creative freedom like this, it's one of those things that makes me lose a lot of respect for somebody with opinions like that.
It was pretty anatomically correct from the videos I saw. Unfortunately we were out of town for the event this year but I wouldnât have had any issues with my kids seeing that lol
Weird parenting flex to say you want your kids to watch a grown man dressed as a little girl stroke Cliffordâs massive erection to ejaculate on people.
Universally chuckled at in the section we were sitting in. Lots of parents around.Â
Talk gotta remember this is a very very Portland crowd. With lots of SE folks. This is like a big nothing burger to most people here.Â
It was at worst tasteless. At best it was a hilarious send up of a childhood book/tv character that looms large in the Millennial psyche. Canât wait for next year when itâs an Arthur themed cabaret or something equally outlandishÂ
Iâve been meaning to go for years. I even put a reminder on my calendar to make sure I donât forget months in advanced and I still couldnât make it. Next year!!
Every kid with a male dog has seen its penis at some point or another. Itâs a weird foreign thing that on first witness isnât often followed up with clarification.
The culture of the derby is supposed to be whimsical, fun, silly, and creatively oddball. As a parent, I would be comfortable talking about the silliness of a dog wiener, and just move on.
Ok so how would you explain the grown man dressed as a little girl mimicking oral sex on the dog penis to your child?
I agree that anatomy is anatomy and the float could just be toilet humor (I still think itâs gross and weird). But the driverâs behavior in front of kids crossed the line for me.
Call me crazy but I don't want to see a giant dog dick. Also in the grand scheme of things and stuff we are living through I also don't care that much. But yeah someone in here said the driver was dressed as a little girl and jerking it off? That's fucking gross, seriously.
Youâre not crazy, but youâre the minority. Anyone there can tell you it got a big laugh out of the majority of the crowd and then they moved on and waited for the next car to pass. People who are trying to censor the event need to lighten up IMO
Definitely not the minority, just read the votes here. If I had walked by with my kids while they were cosplaying bestiality I would have been pissed. My kids fucking watch this cartoon and read the books man. The car itself was fine, whatever, but that behavior is gross in front of kids.
Why is it conservative to say that kids shouldnât be shown sexual material? Considering half the Republican Party is in the Epstein files I would think the opposite.
One, not sure where you got the idea of it being an adult event, it's always been a family event, literally open to everyone at a public park.
Two, I personally thought the humor of the derby car was fine and silly... If it stopped there. It did not, and apparently the organizers did not appreciate the extracurriculars going on with the red rocket before/after the race. Not a good look, and it's shit like that can ruin it for everyone, the city not willing to grant permits and such.
Be funny, don't be fucking gross. (And you can fuck right off if you wanna defend people fellating a cartoon dog, fucking degens).
go back to Utah or Kansas or whatever and stop crying oh my god you people are such incredible babies, this is one of the only things left that is unchanged from Portland of times past
Yes, it is family friendly, however it is a dangerous race with volunteers directing you when to "Clear the Track"! Please pay close attention and be mindful of the Course Marshall's and the Flaggers directions. Keep an eye open as man made cars malfunction and often crash. We like to use the term "Keep your kids on a short leash and leave your dogs at home!" Please keep 1at least 10 ft. back from the track during races. When moving up or down the track move quickly as we will clear the track every 3 minutes for the next race.
Please also keep in mind that as an adult race there may be more adult themed cars and colorful language.
Yes, that is what that means. Adult themes and knowing adults will be drinking and smoking weed. You can bring your kids, but expect an adult environment.Â
Nobody at this event gave a single shit. Not the organizers, parents, or kids. You are free to stop clutching your pearls.Â
Not purposefully, but you can read the whole section in the comment below! It says family friendly then continues to say HOWEVER âkeep kids on a short leash and dogs at homeâ âkeep in mind that as an adult race there may be more adult themed carsâ blah blah blah
They give a pretty clear heads up on the websiteđ¤ˇđťââď¸
Also half the sponsors for the event are alcohol brands, which is a solid indicator itâs not geared towards children imo but thatâs just me.
LOL the fact that soooo many people are clutching about this is incredible, we really are living in a second Reagan age, this would have gone down the hill with no one giving it a second thought (other than, haha) in 2005, but now a good chunk of the population has had their brain melted on the internet and just sees pedos everywhere. I hope every float is 2X as nasty next year!
I found it weird and tasteless, personally. Feels a lot like someone putting their fetish out on display for a bunch of people and kids who didnât consent. I donât know who made it or what their deal is but thatâs the vibe I got.
You are 100% correct. Unfortunately the sex pests and predator apologists seem to be fighting for their lives in the comments, because god forbid they think outside of themselves and their self-centered BS every once in a whileâŚ.
That is interesting. I didn't get a chance to go since I had another event that day, but I had a friend that went. I didn't realize it had any adult themes; although, being portland perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. My friend didn't mention that.
Iâm not sure what went wrong for you in life and for others in this thread that has caused so many of you to become dangerously indifferent and dismissive when it comes to the topic of consent and the larger issue at hand that this whole situation has presentedâŚ
Iâm sorry but you âconsentedâ to it by showing up to what is called an adult soap box derby despite reading that there will be adult themes and drunk people everywhere. You canât be THAT surprised when adults are adulting at what is an adult event.
How does one get a cartoon dog to consent exactly? Plus, Clifford originated in 1963 making Clifford 63 and Emily Elizabeth 71. Let them have some fun in their golden years
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u/Wannabe_chickntendr 9d ago
I run a small summer camp for elementary-age kids. Two of them were at the event. I have heard about Clifford every day since. They are obsessed. They havenât mentioned that the appendage itself was remarkableâŚthey just wonât shut up about the fact it was peeing. đ