Screenshot taken from CCTV-13’s report
Lianyungang Roast Lamb Incident (连云港“烤羊”事件, Liányúngǎng “Kǎoyáng” Shìjiàn), also known as the Child Imitating Pleasant Goat Plot Causing Burns to Companions Case (儿童模仿“喜羊羊”剧情致同伴烧伤案, Értóng Mófǎng “Xǐ Yángyáng” Jùqíng Zhì Tóngbàn Shāoshāng Àn), refers to an injury incident that occurred in April 2013 in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. It was named after three boys involved in the incident claimed they were imitating a scene from the animation Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf where Wolffy roasts a lamb.
Timeline[]
On April 6, 2013, in Donghai County, Lianyungang City, three boys were playing together when 9-year-old Li Baoshun tied 7-year-old Li Haoran and 4-year-old Li Hao to a tree and set the bamboo leaves at the base of the tree on fire using a lighter he had with him. The boys’ parents were present but did not stop them in time, resulting in serious burns for Li Haoran and Li Hao. Li Haoran and Li Hao suffered burns covering 40% and 80% of their bodies, respectively.
The victims sought legal assistance and sued Li Baoshun’s legal guardians and Creative Power Entertaining Co., Ltd. (CPE) in court. On May 17, 2013, Donghai County People’s Court of Jiangsu Province accepted the case and held a trial on June 18. The plaintiffs provided testimony from the injured boys and a five-minute so-called “violent edit video” compiled from 170 episodes of the animation as evidence.
On December 18, after the first trial, Donghai County People’s Court ruled that CPE had failed to fulfill its duty to “review and filter out inappropriate content for minors and provide risk warnings against imitation”. The court found CPE partially liable, attributing 15% of the responsibility to them, resulting in damages of approximately CN¥39,000.
After the ruling, CPE appealed, arguing that “there is no causal or logical relationship” between the animation and the incident. They stated, “Blaming the cartoon for the responsibility of minors’ upbringing is incorrect.” They emphasized that the animation Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf had received the necessary administrative approvals from relevant broadcasting authorities, and that the incident resulted from the guardians’ inadequate supervision, not the animation itself. The plaintiffs’ lawyer argued that the boys had imitated the so-called “violent” roasting scene from the animation, leading to severe consequences and that the content was highly misleading to minors. They demanded an increase in CPE’s liability to 35% or 40%, also filing an appeal.
On May 15, 2014, Lianyungang Municipal Intermediate People’s Court of Jiangsu Province held a second trial. The plaintiffs’ lawyers pointed to CPE’s addition of necessary warning labels in the animation as an indication of their fault. CPE’s lawyer countered that the changes were made according to the requirements of the Jiangsu provincial film review agency and had nothing to do with the animation itself. Furthermore, they argued that if there were issues with the content, the broadcasting agency should also bear responsibility.
On August 5, 2014, the case was settled through mediation by Lianyungang Municipal Intermediate People’s Court. CPE agreed to provide humanitarian and social welfare donation of CN¥850,000 to Li Haoran and Li Hao, while the court waived the litigation fees.
Impact[]
Following the first trial verdict, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf was criticized by CCTV and required to make rectifications. Changes since Happy Formula included replacing the ropes used by Wolffy with jelly-like solids, removing fire from the pot used to cook the goats, and adding safety helmets to Wolffy during dangerous scenes. Any potentially dangerous scenes were marked with “animation scenes, do not imitate” captions. Subsequent seasons also reduced the appearance of “dangerous elements” like piranhas and Wolnie’s frying pan, and the content became increasingly child-friendly. The 2014 movie Meet the Pegasus was also the first in the series to not feature Wolnie’s frying pan or the closing scene of defeating Wolffy at the Goats’ Village gate. In the 1080p widescreen HD remastered version of the first season released later, dangerous elements were also censored.
The case significantly impacted the entire domestic animation industry in China. Some believed the verdict effectively labeled almost all classic animations as “violent animations”. Many felt this hindered the development of domestic animations, accelerating their trend towards child-centric content. They argued that the Lianyungang Roast Lamb Incident highlighted issues like inadequate parental supervision, lack of safety education, and an incomplete legal system. Others supported the verdict, believing that the violent content in the animation contributed to the incident and that the creators should be held accountable. They called for the ban of animations containing violent scenes.
It is worth noting that years after the incident, some unscrupulous media outlets continued to exploit it, falsely claiming that the CN¥850,000 donation provided by CPE for “humanitarian and social welfare” was a court-ordered payment. Since the incident, due to the factors mentioned above, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf series faced considerable criticism online. Its reputation only began to recover in 2019 with the success of Mighty Little Defenders.