History Main / CreatorBacklash

{{Fandom}} is an interesting entity. Nobody can quite tell how people will react to anything, making the creation of a popular work a crapshoot. However, it's assumed that most creators hold an equal or greater amount of affection for their work than their fans. After all, they had to actually make it in the first place. So obviously, anything that's popular must be something the creator likes, right?

Not quite. See, the creators are people too, and even if they're the origin of a particular work, that doesn't stop them from holding a negative opinion about it. This is what is referred to as CreatorBacklash. It's the most high profile form of {{Hatedom}} possible, since it's the very creator(s) of the work denouncing it. As they bring up their feelings of hatred for their work in interviews, public forums, and their other creations, it brings a certain amount of discord into being a fan when the very source has denounced it. It might even trigger feelings of betrayal, or resentment that the author has (apparently) become a holier-than-thou hypocrite.

It can take on many forms and for many reasons. Many creators feel their work has been ruined by ExecutiveMeddling. Perhaps the creator didn't really intend for it to become so popular, only making it to [[MoneyDearBoy pay the bills]] and [[OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt fund their more serious work]] (perhaps even [[FranchiseZombie getting forced into continuing it]]). Perhaps people [[MisaimedFandom completely miss the point]]. Perhaps [[IAmNotSpock it has them typecast to a sickening level]]. Perhaps the [[MagnumOpusDissonance project that he puts a lot of effort on gets pathetic reactions from fans]]. Perhaps they [[CreatorBreakdown were going through a rough time while making it]]. Perhaps they thought it was great at the time but, in hindsight and with a more "mature" perspective, think otherwise. Perhaps it has become their only work that is generally known, casting them as a "[[OneHitWonder one hit wonder]]" in the eyes of the majority. Maybe they thought they could have done better. Maybe they begin to think TheWorldIsNotReady. Perhaps it's [[BlackSheepHit all of the above]].

Compare OldShame (where the work in question neither caught on nor has many redeeming qualities in the first place), compare and contrast BleachedUnderpants (where the work in question has ''[[{{NSFW}} questionable]]'' history which its creators would like to dispose of) and see also MagnumOpusDissonance and DisownedAdaptation. Overlaps with CanonDiscontinuity if the creator removes a disliked work from the series canon entirely.

This can sometimes result in creators [[UncreditedRole going uncredited]] for their part in the work, with some going as far as [[AlanSmithee removing their name from the credits]], or for them to [[BuryYourArt actively suppress their work from being circulated any further]].

--->''Oh! I shudder at all this ado of costumes and make-up; when I reflect how characters like Kundry shall be mummed now, I'm put in mind of these disgusting artists' parties, and after creating the invisible orchestra I want to invent the invisible theatre! And the inaudible orchestra.''

* The McElroyBrothers of ''Podcast/MyBrotherMyBrotherAndMe'' have expressed some vitriolic distaste for the earlier episodes of their own podcast, at times suggesting that new listeners skip the first hundred or so. Aside from the [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness natural awkwardness, lower quality and underdetermined direction that any improvised media suffers starting out]], the brothers believe they were more ignorant then, which resulted in what they consider some offensive or even meanspirited humor. They blame this partly on their limited worldviews at the time and partly on not having yet realized the audience they would reach and the impact their words would have. Their earnest efforts to communicate with listeners and willingness to apologize and do better have made up for past mistakes in their fans' eyes, but the brothers themselves are still quick to denounce their earlier work.

* For Creator/Microsoft:

* To this day Sammy Hagar is practically alone in disliking Music/VanHalen's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMV-fenGP1g video for "Right Now"]]. He wanted it to be less of a concept and more of a straightforward interpretation of the lyrics, since he had worked hard on them and wanted listeners to hear them. In fact, he was so angry that he refused to sing most of the lyrics in the video, even when the titles say "right now, we should pay attention to the lyrics." The director liked that take anyway and kept it.

* Longtime ''Series/SesameStreet'' writer and puppeteer Joey Mazzarino (most famous for performing Murray Monster) left the show after its 46th season, unsatisfied with the changes that the show was going through.

* When Creator/TSR began expanding the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' setting for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', one of their major pushes for doing so were "Ethnic Fantasy" focused--taking {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}} and HistoricalFantasy to the level of using them as the basis for entire new continents on the planet. This gave players the settings of ''TabletopGame/KaraTur'', ''TabletopGame/TheHordelands'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Maztica}}''. Ed Greenwood was a very vocal opponent of this decision, and his players have gone on record noting that he felt such additions were entirely missing the point of the Realms in general. He likewise opposed the general push of the Realms towards a more HistoricalFantasy or SwordsAndSorcery flavor, similar to that of ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}''. [[BrokenBase Fans are split]] on whether or not they agree with him, and not helping is the ValuesDissonance behind such settings.

** Creator/GailSimone hates the term StuffedIntoTheFridge and regrets coining it, largely because she feels it's been horribly [[TropeDecay distorted and over-applied]] ever since its creation, being used to insult ''any'' work in which a female character gets hurt or dies. It ''really'' doesn't help that when she started working for DC Comics, she became friends with Ron Marz (the writer the trope is named in reference to), and was promptly insulted by some "[[FanDumb fans]]" for being nice to him.

* While Creator/Hasbro was trying an experiment with ''Franchise/TransformersAlignedUniverse'', many of the people involved in the various entries didn't want to be part of it, hence the number of BroadStrokes and {{Continuity Snarl}}s that happened, to the point the UniverseBible was ignored entirely.

* Several members of Creator/MontyPython--most notably John Cleese--quickly became tired of the notoriety that came with their television shows and movies. More specifically, they'd founded the Pythons on the grounds of "shock comedy" that was supposed to be different, engaging, and surprising every time people watched it. As such, the very notion of codifying "Python-esque" humor was the exact ''opposite'' of what they wanted, and seeing people endlessly repeat their jokes made the creators frustrated to no end (Cleese once remarked that he'd seen a group of people have a conversation of nothing but Python quotes and went home bitterly disappointed). The backlash against any sort of formula also led to interesting moments in the group's live shows, as they'd deliberately subvert the fans' expectations to try to keep the original point of shock humor alive. In one famous instance, the "Dead Parrot" sketch began as usual, but when John Cleese entered the set and said that his parrot was dead, Michael Palin looked at it, agreed, and gave Cleese a refund, thus completing the bit without telling a single joke (which, of course, ''was'' the joke).
* Victor Gruen was an architect best known for conceptualizing the modern shopping mall, with many of his notable projects including Southdale Mall in suburban UsefulNotes/TwinCities, Minnesota and (the now defunct) Northland Center in suburban UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}, being among the very first malls in the United States. However, he later came to regret his role in developing them; in a 1978 speech, Gruen said, "I am often called the father of the shopping mall...I would like to take this opportunity to disclaim paternity once and for all. I refuse to pay alimony to those bastard developments. They destroyed our cities."

* Colonel Sanders came to hate KFC and even called the gravy "wallpaper paste" .

Fandom is an interesting entity. Nobody can quite tell how people will react to anything, making the creation of a popular work a crapshoot. However, it's assumed that most creators hold an equal or greater amount of affection for their work than their fans. After all, they had to actually make it in the first place. So obviously, anything that's popular must be something the creator likes, right?

Not quite. See, the creators are people too, and even if they're the origin of a particular work, that doesn't stop them from holding a negative opinion about it. This is what is referred to as creator backlash. It's the most high profile form of {{hatedom}} possible, since it's the very creator(s) of the work denouncing it. As they bring up their feelings of hatred for their work in interviews, public forums, and their other creations, it brings a certain amount of discord into being a fan when the very source has denounced it. It might even trigger feelings of betrayal, or resentment that the author has (apparently) become a holier-than-thou hypocrite.

* While on his death bed, British illustrator Aubrey Beardsley begged friends to destroy his large oeuvre of pornographic line drawings. Thankfully they did not comply.

->"''And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.''" (Genesis 6:5-7)

* The [=McElroy=] brothers of Podcast/MyBrotherMyBrotherAndMe have expressed some vitriolic distaste for the earlier episodes of their own podcast, at times suggesting that new listeners skip the first hundred or so. Aside from the [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness natural awkwardness, lower quality and underdetermined direction that any improvised media suffers starting out]], the brothers believe they were more ignorant then, which resulted in what they consider some offensive or even meanspirited humor. They blame this partly on their limited worldviews at the time and partly on not having yet realized the audience they would reach and the impact their words would have. Their earnest efforts to communicate with listeners and willingness to apologize and do better have made up for past mistakes in their fans' eyes, but the brothers themselves are still quick to denounce their earlier work.

** While neither Creator/JimHenson nor Creator/FrankOz dislike ''Sesame Street'' (both devoted at least a few weeks a year, Jim until he died and Frank until the late 1990s, to shooting new material with their respective characters), Henson disliked how it typecast him as a children's performer, even telling creator Joan Ganz Cooney over the phone that "[she] ruined [his] life." Similarly, Oz was very hesitant to discuss it or his Muppet projects until recently, as he was worried that it would overshadow the work he has done as a director.
* Some longtime puppeteers (including some no longer affiliated with the chief group of Muppets, such as Frank Oz) supposedly expressed dissatisfaction during the production of ''Film/TheMuppets'', feeling that it was too serious for the Muppets. Rumor has it that former Kermit the Frog performer Steve Whitmire threatened to have his name taken off the film if the original ending (Tex Richman being revealed to be Kermit in disguise the whole time, as a way to bring the crew back together) had been used.
** Frank Oz also expressed dissatisfaction with [[Series/TheMuppets2015 the 2015 Muppets TV series]], thinking that it wasn't true to the characters.
* Kevin Clash had some major problems with ''Series/MuppetsTonight''. When his character, Clifford became the host, he went through some big changes. The most particular thing he hated was that Clifford's sunglasses were removed and replaced with regular Muppet eyes. He hated it so much, that he refused to perform as Clifford again unless he had his sunglasses on. Unlike other examples, the producers '''did''' listen to this and returned Clifford to his old look after the show ended.

* When [=TSR=] began expanding the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' setting for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', one of their major pushes for doing so were "Ethnic Fantasy" focused--taking {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}} and HistoricalFantasy to the level of using them as the basis for entire new continents on the planet. This gave players the settings of ''TabletopGame/KaraTur'', ''TabletopGame/TheHordelands'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Maztica}}''. Ed Greenwood was a very vocal opponent of this decision, and his players have gone on record noting that he felt such additions were entirely missing the point of the Realms in general. He likewise opposed the general push of the Realms towards a more HistoricalFantasy or SwordsAndSorcery flavor, similar to that of ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}''. [[BrokenBase Fans are split]] on whether or not they agree with him, and not helping is the ValuesDissonance behind such settings.

* The Broadway flop ''1600 Pennsylvania Avenue'' by Music/LeonardBernstein and Alan Jay Lerner was Bernstein's last and least successful musical; he was so ashamed of it that he didn't let it be recorded in his lifetime. As with Saint-Saëns and "Carnival of the Animals," one number escaped the ban: "Take Care of This House." Years after Bernstein's death, a concert version was issued titled ''A White House {{Cantata}}''.
* ''Love Life'', a vaguely similar (and somewhat more successful) musical Alan Jay Lerner wrote with Kurt Weill, could not be revived in Lerner's lifetime because of his personal disdain for it.

* Alvin-Earthworm, creator of ''WebAnimation/SuperMarioBrosZ'', has been incredibly annoyed by fans constantly asking him to work on new episodes, to the point where he has completely stopped working on the series. He claims that it's ''not'' forever. He wasn't lying. He's started making him again and most of his fans are listening, seeing as it seemed like they made him quit the internet. He still updates his Website/DeviantArt account, although you may wish to be [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom cautious before observing it.]] The comments sections still partially consist of SMBZ fans asking for more. He created a second account as well. His first post stated that so much as mentioning SMBZ on that account is a blockable offense.

* [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]] grew to dislike the character "Pig-Pen" over the years, due to his one-joke nature and his difficult character design. What prevented the character from being written out of ''Peanuts'' like so many other characters that Schulz had grown bored with was the huge amount of fan-mail that he consistently received for him. Though it's telling that "Pig-Pen"'s final appearance in the strip shortly before it ended had the usually proud character [[http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1999/09/08 show embarrassment for his dirty nature.]]

* For Microsoft:

* While Hasbro was trying an experiment with ''Franchise/TransformersAlignedUniverse'', many of the people involved in the various entries didn't want to be part of it, hence the number of BroadStrokes and {{Continuity Snarl}}s that happened, to the point the UniverseBible was ignored entirely.

* In 1988 an Australian breeder named Wally Conron created the "Labradoodle" (Labrador Retriever x Standard Poodle mix) as we know it. He intended to make a new service dog-geared breed meant to be low-maintence, friendly, and easily trainable. However, the popularity of the mix led to others breeding their own Labradoodles and other similar mixes with cute names (Goldendoodles, Cockapoos, etc). Since then, numerous other Poodle mixes have popped up and Labradoodles are still not any closer to being a "real breed" than they were in the 1980s. Wally Conron no longer breeds them and says he regrets starting the "designer dog" fad. He says that he created "a Frankenstein" and that Labradoodles (and similar mixes) are generally poorly bred, having many problems and no breed standard instead of the original intention of fixing the "flaws" of Poodles and Labradors.

** Hikaru Ijiun who coined the word {{Chuunibyou}} has [[https://twitter.com/HikaruIjuin/status/6345171658 lost interest in it]] (note: Tweet in Japanese) due to people online [[YouKeepUsingThatWord misappropriating its original meaning]].

* The Broadway flop ''1600 Pennsylvania Avenue'' by Music/LeonardBernstein and Alan Jay Lerner was Bernstein's last and least successful musical; he was so ashamed of it that he didn't let it be recorded in his lifetime. As with Saint-Saëns and "Carnival of the Animals," one number escaped the ban: "Take Care of This House." Years after Bernstein's death, a concert version was issued titled ''A White House Cantata''.

* Colonel Sanders came to hate KFC.

This can sometimes result in creators [[UncreditedRole going uncredited]] for their part in the work, with some going as far as [[AlanSmithee removing their name from the credits]].

* In-universe in ''Theatre/FlyByNightMusical''. Joey Storms has zero confidence in his writing ability, and is frustrated by the fact that nobody dares criticize him due to how many successful playwrights are in his family.

** Frank Oz also expressed dissatisfaction with [[Series/TheMuppets the 2015 Muppets TV series]], thinking that it wasn't true to the characters.

** Similar to [=BrokenTeapot=], cartoonist Tom Preston (creator of ''WebComic/SoYoureACartoonist'' fame) used to go under the pseudonym "Catty N" and drew a lot of [[BalloonBelly inflation fetish art]] during his early years. Preston has since distanced himself from the inflation fetishist community and instead sticks to humor comics, even once saying "yes I was once Catty N, lets just forget that ever happened." His past has become a major NeverLiveItDown among his detractors though, who often reference his Catty N years in art mocking him. Even some artists in the inflation fetishist community have been vocal about their dislike of Preston, saying Preston did not leave the community on good terms and was supposedly a real JerkAss to other fetish artists in his early years. The fact Preston has become infamous for issuing DMCA takedowns of his Catty N art on imageboards and other sites has only contributed to his {{Hatedom}}.

* Music/{{Journey}} was highly dissatisfied with their music video for "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"; to the point that they refused to do any videos for their next album, ''Raised On Radio''.

* Music/PhilCollins [[WordOfGod reportedly]] finds the Music/{{Genesis}} video for the TitleTrack of ''Music/ATrickOfTheTail'', featuring a miniature Phil dancing on an upright piano while Music/TonyBanks plays the song and the other members of the band gather around, to be the most embarrassing one of his career. A bit of SpecialEffectsFailure (this was 1976) didn't help matters.

->''"I've come to hate my own creation. Now I know how {{God}} feels."''

Not be confused with CreatorBreakdown or ArtistDisillusionment, though they can definitely overlap with this. Artist disillusionment is against fans while this is against works. And definitely ''not'' to be confused with [[IncrediblyLamePun creators getting their backs lashed.]]

* Creator/EddieMurphy came to regret his 1987 standup special ''Raw'' due to the misogynist and homophobic jokes throughout the set (as well as other stand-up sets his did during the 80's). He chalked up the misogyny to relationship woes, and he admitted that the homophobia and AIDS jokes were pure ignorance. To his credit, he apologized for those jokes as early as 1996 and has donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

* Nicholas Price was a British artist who was the creator of the 'Old Joe Camel' character, who was briefly used in an adult magazine in the 1970's to advertise Camel cigarettes. Years later, when Camel resurrected the character for their more mainstream, controversial ad campaigns in the 80s and 90s, Price was not happy about it and stated that it "mortified him" to see the character used in that way, especially when it was more appealing to children. He ended up suing Camel for not paying him properly for the use of the character (it later got settled out of court), and went on to say that he never would've created the character if he knew it would get to that point.

** Creator/GailSimone hates the term StuffedIntoTheFridge and regrets coining it, largely because she feels it's been horribly [[TropeDecay distorted and over-applied]] by feminists ever since its creation, being used to insult ''any'' work in which a female character gets hurt or dies. It ''really'' doesn't help that when she started working for DC Comics, she became friends with Ron Marz (the writer the trope is named in reference to), and was promptly insulted by some "[[FanDumb fans]]" for being nice to him.

* Charles Spencer "Spen" King, the designer of the Range Rover, [[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/4x4+DRIVERS+ARE+STUPID+AND+POMPOUS%3B+Mini-driving+Range+Rover+designer...-a0118661112 said in an interview]] in 2004 that his creations had become "[[HummerDinger oversized toys for pretentious city slickers]]" and that people who drive 4x4s in town were "pompous and stupid". He added that the Range Rover was "never intended as a status symbol, but later incarnations of my design seem to be intended for that purpose", and that he now drives a Mini Cooper out of frustration with all the 4x4s on the road.

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It can take on many forms and for many reasons. Many creators feel their work has been ruined by [[ExecutiveMeddling executive meddling]]. Perhaps the creator didn't really intend for it to become so popular, only making it to [[MoneyDearBoy pay the bills]] and [[OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt fund their more serious work]] (perhaps even [[FranchiseZombie getting forced into continuing it]]). Perhaps people [[MisaimedFandom completely miss the point]]. Perhaps [[IAmNotSpock it has them typecast to a sickening level]]. Perhaps the [[MagnumOpusDissonance project that he puts a lot of effort on gets pathetic reactions from fans]]. Perhaps they [[CreatorBreakdown were going through a rough time while making it]]. Perhaps they thought it was great at the time but, in hindsight and with a more "mature" perspective, think otherwise. Perhaps it has become their only work that is generally known, casting them as a "[[OneHitWonder one hit wonder]]" in the eyes of the majority. Maybe they thought they could have done better. Maybe they begin to think TheWorldIsNotReady. Perhaps it's [[BlackSheepHit all of the above]].

* Creator/AdamEllis drew a comic of himself killing off one of his earlier comics. In said comic, someone told their annoying friend to "let people enjoy things". This was often used about perfectly innocent stuff, like the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Prequels, but many also used it to promote hate and racism.

* John Sylvan, the inventor of the Keurig coffee machine, [[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-abominable-k-cup-coffee-pod-environment-problem/386501/ regretted creating it]] due to the [[SocietyMarchesOn Plastic waste of the K-cup coffee pods]], saying that he didn't even own one.

* One of the primary reasons Creator/BillWatterson decided to stop drawing ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes in 1995 was pressure from Universal Press Syndicate to commercialize his work, with Watterson noting that if Universal wanted to, they could have licensed his characters without his permission or continue drawing Calvin and Hobbes with a new artist, so he decided to discontinue Calvin and Hobbes because he had achieved all he could in the comic strip business. Nevertheless, in spite of his efforts, numerous unauthorized products have made their way into the market, with window decals depicting Calvin praying before a cross, and taking a whizz on various automobiles' and sports teams' logos.

* John [=McAfee=], the creator of [=McAfee=] antivirus software, has eventually grown to hate the pioneering software that bears his name. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKgf5PaBzyg He even released a video telling users how to uninstall the software.]] When [=McAfee=] (the company that he is no longer involved with ever since his resignation in 1994) was acquired by Intel in 2010 and was re-branded four years later as Intel Security, he said "I am now everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet. These are not my words, but the words of millions of irate users."

* Vincent Connare, designer of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Fonts}} "Comic Sans" typeface]], [[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123992364819927171.html?mod=googlenews_wsj sympathizes with its detractors.]] Interestingly, he "credits" the lettering on ''Watchmen'' (done by artist Dave Gibbons) with part of the inspiration for the font. Dave Gibbons is... [[http://watchmencomicmovie.com/101309-comics-illustrator-dave-gibbons-interview.php conflicted]] about it.