For Pride Month 2025, Odd Nation Cartoons released special artwork celebrating LGBTQ+ representation within its Season 4 cast. The featured characters proudly reflected identities across the LGBTQ+ spectrum including gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, questioning, non-binary, and transgender. This representation attracts fans to the show, particularly teenagers who are formulating their understanding of their identities.

Shockingly, two fan-favorite characters, Ivy and Zaid who are a romantic couple, were excluded despite strong suggestions that both are bisexual.

In the show, Ivy has explicitly shown interest in Anastasia, a lesbian character. Even after a physical altercation, Ivy remarked that Anastasia’s beauty influenced her decision to forgive her after Anastasia left Ivy with a dislocated shoulder, clearly pointing to attraction (Problematic by itself). Ivy’s voice actress, Vanessa Benoit, has also consistently voiced support for Ivy being attracted to women as part of meaningful LGBTQ+ representation.

Moreover, Odd Nation Cartoons sells personalized video greetings featuring their characters as an means of funding their show. These greetings are rather costly (generally $107-$200) however fans will receive a fully animated and voiced greeting from their favorite characters where they can ask them questions or even sing a song. Additionally costs are influenced by complexity of request, and options for characters to where custom made outfits and accessories. 

These greetings are subject to strict internal rules: characters cannot wear attire that contradicts their canonical identity or comfort level. For example, transgender characters cannot be requested to wear clothing misaligned with their gender, and a pansexual character like Spencer may decline to wear some Pride outfits (e.g. bisexual themed) as this doesn't represent his identity.

Ivy and Zaid have both appeared in fan-commissioned greetings wearing bisexual-themed (and sometimes overtly sexual see below) outfits. The fact that Ivy and Zaid have appeared in bisexual-themed Pride outfits strongly suggested that their identities aligned with bisexuality. Their greetings sometimes address events such as potentially dating the same gender, kissing someone of the same gender etc., rather than "I support bisexual individuals".

So when Showrunner Jared Madrigal responded to fan questions by stating that Ivy and Zaid "do not identify as LGBTQ+", and even admitted that the bisexual-themed greetings were queerbaiting, many fans were understandably outraged for this revelation to be revealed in Disventure Camps' Pride Month post's replies. 

Jared, openly a member of the LGBTQ+ community, goes as far to refer to Ivy as "our queer bait queen"

Replied that Zaid was "acting" when he discussed going on a date with a man:

Reposted a tweet referring to his characters as queer bait. 

This suggests that Ivy and Zaid are not a representation of real life queer baiting, but rather Odd Nation Cartoons is engaging in the practice to promote their show and profits. 

This is not only disappointing, but it undermines genuine LGBTQ+ representation and misleads fans who supported these characters in good faith. It also contradicts the messaging behind Pride Month: visibility, inclusivity, and authenticity. Their Pride Month statement is clearly false, as Jared confesses and even brags that he is queerbaiting his primarily under 18 years old fanbase. 

We ask Odd Nation Cartoons to:

• Publicly clarify Ivy and Zaid's as members of the LGBTQ+ community, as fans who purchased greetings have rather ignorantly been told that their purchases are false.
• Cease using them in Pride-themed greetings if they are not meant to represent queer identities unless said greetings are to highlight that they are allies
• Commit to transparent and respectful handling of LGBTQ+ representation going forward

Sign this petition to hold Odd Nation Cartoons accountable and demand better LGBTQ+ representation.