25 Things You Won't Believe Are Banned Around The World
If there's anything The Man is consistent at, it's being a buzzkill.
![25 Things You Won't Believe Are Banned Around The World](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/4/8/576648.jpg?v=1)
Lawmakers are terrible at pretty much every aspect of their jobs. But if there is one thing they absolutely excel at, it is being the biggest buzzkills on the planet. We know this because if something comes along that brings happiness to society, there's more than likely going to be a ban slapped on it. That's how we ended up with these ridiculous injunctions on joy.
(As always, thanks to AuntieMeme for the voodoo she works putting these together.)
![Pokemon Go has gotten huge. Pikachu 0P62 So naturally, it's banned all over the place. Iran has banned Pokemon Go for unspecified security concerns,](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/1/575991.jpg?v=1)
![E.T. is about as family- oriented as an alien can get. Yet the movie was banned in Scandanavia. Kids from Sweden, Finland, and Norway were banned from](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/5/575995.jpg?v=1)
![Scrabble is a pretty tame word game. E SLLM It was banned in Romania in the '80s. President Nicolae Ceausescu banned the letter tile game for being o](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/0/0/576000.jpg?v=1)
![Self-service gas is an American right. Except in Oregon and New Jersey. Although self-service gas has been around for much longer, the pumps were lega](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/7/9/575979.jpg?v=1)
![Sex toys seem pretty harmless. They're illegal in Alabama. The Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act outlaws the sale of obects meant to stimulate genitals.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/7/575987.jpg?v=1)
![Ovaltine is essentially chocolate milk. Artificial Flavors No altine tine Witw au -2 TEgoO RICH CHOCOLATE MX It's banned Good source of Iron in Denmar](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/9/575999.jpg?v=1)
![Death is as inevitable as taxes. But not in one Italian village. Dying is against the law in Falciano del Massico, a village 30 miles from Naples in s](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/8/575998.jpg?v=1)
![Ketchup is a staple in school lunches. But it's banned in French schools. The French government reportedly banned the ubiquitous red condiment because](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/7/575997.jpg?v=1)
![Furbies were the must-have toy of '99. And the NSA banned them from their offices. The Furbies' gimmick was that they could listen to conversation and](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/2/575992.jpg?v=1)
![Absinthe is a green, anise-flavored spirit. It was banned in the US for 100 years. The ban on absinthe predates prohibition, and had to do with the pr](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/6/575996.jpg?v=1)
![Claire Danes plays a CIA agent in Homeland. And she's banned in the Philippines. After the filming of Brokedown Palace, Danes made some very negativ](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/4/575994.jpg?v=1)
![Time travel is a tried and true fictional premise. But the concept is banned in China. According to China's General Bureau of Radio, Film aNd Televisi](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/9/575989.jpg?v=1)
![Ferdinand is a storybook bull who loves flowers. He was banned for being too nice. In The Story Of Ferdinand, the title character refuses to spar with](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/3/575983.jpg?v=1)
![The Marx Brothers were slapstick 1930s film stars. And they were banned in Ireland. When the Irish censorship board saw Monkey Business, a screwball c](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/3/575993.jpg?v=1)
![Sit On My Face is a classic Monty Python song. But the actual practice is banned in Britain. The British Board of Film Classification banned it from](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/9/0/575990.jpg?v=1)
![X, W, and Q are great Scrabble letters. OL O 7 1 For 90 years, they were banned in Turkey. The Turkish Government wanted the Kurds to learn Turkish. S](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/8/575988.jpg?v=1)
![Emo is all about fashion. And feels. And probably music. It was almost banned in Russia. A bill to ban emo culture was introduced in 2008 because it's](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/7/6/575976.jpg?v=1)
![Ever heard of sodium clamate? It's banned in the USA and nowhere else. It's an artificial sweetener, and in 1969 a scientist demonstrated that injecti](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/6/575986.jpg?v=1)
![Long hair seems pretty traditional. It was banned by the pilgrims. Defecting to go live with the Native Americans was a common practice among early se](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/5/575985.jpg?v=1)
![Peter Rabbit is a fairly cautionary children's. story. It was banned in London in 1985. The Tale Of Peter Rabbit wasn't banned because of its disconce](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/4/575984.jpg?v=1)
![Turn that frown upside down! Frowning is banned in Milan, Italy. It's an old law, and requires people to constantly smile in public places. Only peo](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/1/575981.jpg?v=1)
![Sesame Street teaches the alphabet and other kid stuff. It was banned in Mississippi when it came out. The problem? Sesame Street's portrayal of racia](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/0/575980.jpg?v=1)
![Want to name your kid Superman? You can't in Sweden. Laws about baby names are surprisingly common. Some countries make parents pick from a list, and](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/7/7/575977.jpg?v=1)
![Toy globes seem pretty inoffensive. R But India banned them in 2004. A brand of globes made in China shaded Kashmir, a territory that's in dispute bet](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/7/8/575978.jpg?v=1)
![Your breast size might be against the law. That is, if you want to do Aussie porn. The Australian Classification Board has banned small-breasted women](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/8/9/576189.jpg?v=1)