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Cartoon erotica? Isn’t that kind of a contradiction in terms? Well, yes and no.

Cartoon erotica, or illustrated porn, has been around since before Christ. One antique example is the illustration of the – still-popular – Japanese tentacle porn picture created a few centuries back. Given the slightly odd title The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife, this is a pretty graphic depiction of a woman having a seriously intimate encounter with an octopus.

In fairness, this kind of erotica was only hand-drawn in the past, as people didn’t have the kind of photographic technology we’re used to now, but the public appetite for cartoon erotica hasn’t diminished. Once again, the Japanese lead the pack, with hentai. Hentai has a lot of sub-groups, but is basically manga-meets-porn, and often involves a lot of violent sex – again, involving tentacles. Hentai is a pretty negative word in Japan, and is often used as a short-hand for ‘perverted’ but this hasn’t stopped its popularity.

As well as being pornographic, cartoon erotica can be politically and culturally subversive. The Tijuana Bible was a regular, eight-page publication that was most popular in the US during the Great Depression. Although sold for porn purposes, they were also a good way to poke fun at the celebrities and state leaders of the day, with the most unpopular of these always being shown in the most degrading sexual situations. These were completely illegal but sold by the hundreds of thousands from under the counters of barber shops and grocery stores across the continental US.

Is cartoon erotica less serious than photographed porn? This is a touchy area especially where the images of children are concerned. Lolicon is a genre of cartoon erotica that sexualises the depiction of kids (in a Lolita-like way, hence the name). Plenty of countries have legislated against the use of child-characters in any kind of erotica and porn, and one unfortunate guy in the US was arrested and imprisoned after investigators found sexually explicit cartoons involving the Lisa, Bart and Marge characters from the Simpsons. In Berlin, a world capital of cartoon erotica, there may be less scrutiny than in other places. Rent apartments in Berlin, and explore the erotic cartoon world.

Tags: Cartoon erotica, Erotic Cartoon Characters, Erotic Minnie Mouse, hentai erotic cartoons, The Tijuana Bible