The Story Behind Disney Deleting 1-800-SPANK-ME from 'The Santa Clause'

Remember the 1994 classic Christmas film, The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen?

Well, there's an interesting backstory involving a rather unexpected gag that had to be edited out, and it's quite the tale!

A Naughty Hotline in a Family Film?

When The Santa Clause first hit theatres in 1994, it featured a joke where Tim Allen's character mentions the phone number 1-800-SPANK-ME.

Little did the filmmakers know, this number was actually a real sex hotline!

Imagine the surprise when kids, after seeing the movie, dialled it expecting something festive, only to encounter something completely different.

Oops!

The Aftermath

On December 30, 1994, The Associated Press reported on this unexpected twist.

The article wasn't your typical movie review; instead, it focused on this controversial joke line. Parents were understandably not thrilled about their children accidentally calling a sex hotline, and Disney had to act fast to rectify the situation.

Disney's Quick Fix

Disney promptly removed the scene from future releases of the movie.

While the original theatrical version and the initial VHS and LaserDisc releases included the joke, subsequent videocassette runs, Disney Channel airings, DVDs, Blu-rays, and even Disney+ streaming versions had it edited out.

So, if you were one of the lucky ones to catch the original in theatres or got your hands on an early VHS or LaserDisc copy, you witnessed a piece of movie history that's now a rarity!

Relive the Moment

Curious about what all the fuss was about?

You might still find clips of the original scene floating around on TikTok or YouTube. It’s a fun little nugget of nostalgia and a reminder of how even the biggest movie studios can have an unexpected oops moment.

So, there you have it – the quirky, light-hearted story of how The Santa Clause had to clean up a little holiday hiccup. Next time you watch the film, you’ll know the behind-the-scenes scoop on why you won’t hear Tim Allen mentioning that infamous phone number.