On Minstrelsy and Mayhem: A Conversation with Yussef Cole

This week we talk to games journalist motion designer, Yussef Cole (@youmeyou) about his lastest research and article in Unwinnable, “Cuphead and the Racist Spectre of Fleischer Animation“, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Super Mario Odyssey, and much more!

What We’re Playing:

• Assassin’s Creed: Origins (or Oranges)
• Rain World
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Bioshock Collection
• Minecraft
• Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
• Game Dev Tycoon
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

What We’re Reading

• Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman

What We’re Drinking

• Ace Pineapple Cider
• Egg Nog
• Old Fashioned

Links of Note

• Video Game Hour Podcast
• “Cuphead and the Racist Spectre of Fleischer Animation“
• “Pickaninnies and Pixels: On Race, Racism, and Cuphead at E3”
• “Critical Video Analysis: Cuphead, Fleish & Cherry, and the Influence and Impact of Classic Animation”
• Character Creator Episode: Cuphead's Racist Grandparents (with Sam and Yusef)

N.B. Going back to look for old images from White Christmas I could not find images of the black face scenes (unedited?) so the burning question is have they been so effectively erased that they are forever lost or was the racism inherent in the practices used in the show so pervasive that my friends and I internalized the blackface images.