(DUBAI, UAE) -- Parents anticipating an innocent cartoon show to help nudge their children back to school were up for a big shock.

Newspapers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported on Sunday that instead of the cartoons, videocassettes tucked inside promotional chocolate boxes offered by a popular retail store contained pornographic scenes.

``After we enjoyed the chocolate, my children sat down to watch the video. But instead of the cartoon show, it was a disaster,'' wrote Khamis Mohammed al-Suweidi in an open letter published in the semi-official al-Ittihad newspaper.

The embarrassed father said he rushed to turn off the videocassette recorder when he realized it was showing ``obscene scenes that encouraged homosexuality.''

The newspapers said that Dubai police had seized some 400 cassettes and were investigating.