We live in a small world, except for those times when it seems awfully damn large. Take Finland, for instance. A perfectly fine country in many ways, no doubt, but it’s a little surprising to learn that state broadcaster YLE is still carrying Little House on the Prairie, roughly a quarter century after the series ended. Maybe there’s something about Melissa Gilbert in a bonnet that stirs the Finnish soul. Even harder to understand is the decision of Universal, which holds the rights to Little House, to give the Finnish DVD release of the series an “adults only” rating. Here’s the explanation, for what it’s worth:

Long series can get quite expensive to check, and some use this exemption in the law to their advantage. Such unchecked material should not be shown to children publicly,” said Matti Paloheimo, Director of the Finnish Board of Film Classification.

This really doesn’t hold up. I have a Y chromosome, so I’ve never actually seen Little House, but it’s impossible to imagine an episode that might justify this rating. The most disturbing feature in the entire series is probably Michael Landon’s hair. If that’s the reason, then Finnish DVDs of The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross probably get the sort of rating that’s otherwise reserved for snuff films.