Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Aqua Teen Hunger Force (a.k.a. ATHF) is an American animated comedy shown on Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim late-night programming block. The series features three anthropomorphic fast food items—the Aqua Teen Hunger Force or Aqua Teens—whose stated purpose is to solve crimes. As the series progressed, the crime-solving aspect of the show was abandoned. In general, the show focuses more on the interaction between characters than on coherent plots. Many episodes explore extremes of dysphoria and hellishness, or alternatively the minutiae and far-fetched consequences of being unemployed single males living in scummy quarters, though the action is always pervaded by understated, ironic humor. Virtually all of the recurring cast members have died at least once.

Overview

Aqua Teen Hunger Force was created through brainstorming episode ideas for Space Ghost Coast to Coast. None of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force characters appeared on Space Ghost Coast to Coast prior to the airing of the pilot episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force in late 2000. However, an episode of SG:C2C featuring a prototypical version of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, "Baffler Meal" (a parody of McDonald's Happy Meal), was produced once this series became popular. A full first season was put into production shortly thereafter and its first episode was shown on September 16, 2001. To date, three seasons have been produced and the fourth season is currently in production.

During the first two seasons, episodes opened with a glimpse into the laboratory of Dr. Weird (located on the South Jersey shore). The clinically insane Dr. Weird and his baffled assistant Steve use the first several seconds of the show to create monsters, disasters, or random silliness. These monsters would then have to be dealt with by the Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Starting with the third season, a segment called Spacecataz begins the show. The segments feature the Plutonians and the Mooninites clashing with each other, trading insults and gestures.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is written and directed by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro. It is produced by Williams Street Studios, who also produces other animated shows such as The Brak Show and Sealab 2021. Noted 1980s rap artist Schoolly D performs the theme song. Each episode is approximately twelve minutes in duration.

The title of the show is a decided misnomer: The characters have no major affiliation with water (though many episodes involve their neighbor's pool), they aren't teenagers (though their ages are never really established), and they are rarely shown as any kind of a force. "Hunger" seems to be the only word that has a bearing on the characters' lives. The hip hop style of the show's theme song and title sequence are also rarely reflected in the episodes except in very abstract form (see below, MC Pee Pants).

A feature-length movie of Aqua Teen Hunger Force is in production and said to be coming out possibly in 2006, although whether it will be released in theaters or go directly to DVD is unknown. The show will feature the origins of the characters in, "a typical 'Aqua Teen' fashion." The plan is to get the film released in a limited theatrical run.

Characters

The Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Frylock (voiced by Carey Means) is a red box of french fries, sporting a goatee, french fries for hair, dental braces, and a blue jewel which is embedded in his back. He moves by levitation, and has the ability to shoot things such as lasers or fireballs from his eyes. He uses his fries as appendages. Frylock is scientifically-minded and usually the most rational member of the team. His comedic role is usually that of the straight man.

Master Shake (voiced by Dana Snyder), usually called Shake, is the Eric Cartman of the show; a rude, mean-spirited, and self-centered white cup with a pink straw sticking out of his lid. He has two yellow gloves for hands. Unlike the other members of the Force, Shake has no overwhelming superpower: when he tries to summon a power, he usually ends up impotently pushing a glob of green goo out from his straw. He takes satisfaction in tormenting Meatwad, and can often be found watching television. As the self-appointed leader of the Aqua Teens, "Master" Shake routinely makes irresponsible decisions. His exploits are often the centerpiece of episodes, opposite Frylock's attempts to retain some control over the situation.

Meatwad (voiced by Dave Willis) is a spherical mass of compressed meat that was not approved for human consumption. He has a face sporting a lone tooth protruding from his upper jaw. Meatwad technically has a brain, but if necessary it can be removed, usually with no ill effect. He has the power to change his shape, but cannot do so very effectively; he is usually limited to morphing into immobile objects such as a large hot dog or an igloo. While he is usually simpleminded and gullible, and thus easily influenced by the show's many unscrupulous characters, he does occasionally demonstrate a devilish capacity for manipulation and a mastery of deadpan sarcasm.

Other characters

Carl Brutananadilewski (voiced by Dave Willis) is the Aqua Teen Hunger Force's only neighbor. Balding, overweight, profusely hairy, and usually wearing a gold chain, white tank top, pocketless sweatpants, and green flip-flops, Carl embodies the undateable man. This is reflected in his intense interest in pornography, low self-esteem, and poor grooming. He has an above-ground swimming pool in his backyard and a red sports car named "2 Wycked". His pool is often used by the Aqua Teens without his permission. He or his possessions often end up being the unwitting victim of the Aqua Teens' enemies or the Aqua Teens themselves.

Dr. Weird (voiced by C. Martin Croker) is a mad scientist who lives in an abandoned mental asylum on the rainy shores of southern New Jersey. Dressed in a colorful outfit reminiscent of 1960s cartoon villains, complete with glass space helmet (his "Hair-arium"), he starts many shows by presenting his latest creation with his catch phrase "Gentlemen, behold!" to his lone lab assistant Steve. His nonsensical inventions include a giant rabbit robot called Rabbot and a rainbow-making machine. A picture of his younger self with Frylock on Frylock's bookshelf suggests that he has some past ties with the ATHF.

Steve (also voiced by C. Martin Croker) is Dr. Weird's assistant. Red-haired, wearing a lab coat, and frequently holding a test tube, Steve is aware of Dr. Weird's insanity, but he remains his assistant nonetheless.

MC Pee Pants (voiced by Chris Ward, a.k.a. mc chris) is a demonspawn from Hell, who has come back to the Earth as a rap artist. He usually tries to take over the Earth using his music.

The Mooninites, Ignignokt (voiced by Dave Willis) and Err (voiced by Matt Maiellaro), are two-dimensional (who claim to be 5,000-dimensional) inhabitants of the Moon. Ignignokt, the leader, is green and larger than his red counterpart Err. He speaks with a usually snobbish air. Err is his hyperactive and trash-talking tagalong. The Mooninites enjoy boasting that the Moon is superior to Earth in every way, often referring to Earth objects or concepts as "primitive," although they can never prove this superiority when they attempt to do so. The Mooninites have only two apparent super powers: they can join together and fire the "Quad Laser," a large, red, extremely slow-moving (and easily dodgeable), square video-game bullet, and the "Quad Glacier," a larger, slower version of the Quad Laser. The bodies of the Mooninites, their space ship, and their laser all comes from a mid 1980s Apple IIGS program from Spinnaker called Kidwriter. The duo is a send up of the Atari 2600 era of video games.

The Plutonians, Oglethorpe (voiced by Andy Merrill) and Emory (voiced by Mike Schatz), are two spiny extraterrestrial creatures who are orange and green, respectively, and usually sport nothing but sweatbands. According the show's website, they became misshapen and deformed after trying to retrieve their keys in a woodchipper. They want to eventually conquer the Earth, but instead spend more time devising bizarre, ill-advised ideas and bickering with each other. They command a huge spaceship that they barely know how to fly. Oglethorpe speaks in a German accent and conceives most of their plans, while Emory is much more passive. Both are named after universities in Atlanta (Oglethorpe University and Emory University).

See Also: Minor characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Episode list and original air dates

Pre-season

• 00. Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Baffler Meal (December 31 2003): Space Ghost has made a deal with the "Burger Trench" restaurant, and ends up regretting it when their mascots, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, show up and try to steal the spotlight from him. Somehow, Colonial Man (Space's nemesis from a previous episode) is connected to this, and the future of classic rock hangs in the balance as Space Ghost decides what to do. **This episode is not part of the actual show. It was produced and directed after the ATHF show became successful, using the original script and character concepts from the pitch to Cartoon Network. It was eventually released as a DVD extra on the second volume DVD set for Aqua Teen Hunger Force, as opposed to being included in a Space Ghost Coast to Coast volume. Guest: Willie Nelson
• 01. Rabbot (December 30 2000): Pilot episode. Dr. Weird builds a titanic robotic rabbit, which spritzes everything with hairspray, growing hair on buildings, and it happens to smash the Powerpuff Mall and (more importantly) Carl's car.

Season one

• 02. Escape from Leprechaupolis (September 9 2001): Leprechauns steal a rainbow-creating device from Dr. Weird for use in a conspiracy to steal shoes. They send emails telling people to go to the woods. Among the recipients are Frylock and Carl. Once Carl has relocated himself at the woods, he is taken up in the rainbow machine and mugged. He goes back to his house and informs the Aqua Teens, who head to the woods to stop the leprechauns, featuring the nefarious Flargin and Dingle.
• 03. Bus of the Undead (September 30 2001): A Mothman (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) escapes from Dr. Weird's lair and threatens the Aqua Teens. Master Shake suspects him to be Count Dracula and, later, believes a bus to be haunted by Dracula's ghost, a reverse vampire (they crave the sun, and come from 'Tansylvania'). During the episode, the Aqua Teens visit Memphis, so Frylock can show Shake the "grave of Dracula"; although Shake enjoyed some fried catfish while in Memphis, Meatwad got none.
• 04. Mayhem of the Mooninites (October 14 2001): First episode featuring the Mooninites, Atari-esque creatures with the pathological intent to corrupt Meatwad. They visit Earth, claiming the moon to be far superior. The Mooninites get Meatwad arrested, so Frylock makes sure they vacate the planet in a hurry.
• 05. Balloonenstein (December 23 2001): Meatwad gets the supernatural ability to control static electricity from the dryer and accidentally creates a giant electric balloon. Apparently, Meatwad can live without a brain, but he constantly forgets what he was doing.
• 06. Space Conflict from Beyond Pluto (April 7 2002): Premiere episode of the Plutonians, inept aliens who unsuccessfully try to destroy the world.
• 07. Ol' Drippy (April 21 2002): A benevolent entity made of mold inhabits the household and befriends Meatwad. Shake becomes jealous when everybody else likes Drippy over him. Todd Field guest stars as Drippy.
• 08. Revenge of the Mooninites (May 5 2002): The Mooninites acquire a magical belt that makes the literal meanings of the lyrics of Foreigner songs come true.
• 09. MC Pee Pants (May 19 2002): A rap star whom Meatwad idolizes named "MC Pee Pants" (satirizing youth rap artists such as Bow Wow and Lil' Romeo) turns out to be an anthropomorphic spider and has put subliminal messages in his songs to make people eat candy, so he can use their blood sugar to power a drill to unleash demons from Hell to run a massive diet pill pyramid scheme.
• 10. Dumber Dolls (November 3 2002): A sentient doll named "Happy Time Harry" (voiced by David Cross) makes Meatwad melancholy.
• 11. Bad Replicant (November 10 2002): The Plutonians unsuccessfully try to clone Master Shake, creating Major Shake (perhaps an indirect reference to Street Fighter II character M. Bison being mistakenly referred to as "Major Bison"), an abomination with a boombox protruding from its abdomen, as part of their plan to "de-terraform" Earth.
• 12. Circus (November 17 2002): Master Shake sells Meatwad to a circus, which is under the ownership of the Prince of Jupiter.
• 13. Love Mummy (November 24 2002): A mummy gets Frylock to pander to its every command with the threat of a curse.
• 14. Dumber Days (December 1 2002): Meatwad discovers his brain is a cat toy and decides to purchase a new one that makes him super-intelligent.
• 15. Interfection (December 8 2002): Master Shake and Meatwad use Frylock's computer to access a search engine, causing the house to be haunted by giant material pop-up ads, controlled by an Internet deity named "The Wwwyzzerdd".
• 16. PDA (December 15 2002): Master Shake accuses a tar monster of stealing his PDA, only to have us discover that the tar monster, Romulox, is a pretentious yuppie.
• 17. Mail Order Bride (December 22 2002): A Christmas special involving Master Shake and Carl's purchase of a mail-order bride from Chechnya. Featuring George Lowe as the wedding DJ.
• 18. Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future (December 29 2002): A parody of A Christmas Carol involving the Ghost of Christmas past visiting Carl (in February), only to be a Terminator-esque cyborg who tells rambling incoherent stories about a Neolithic Santa Claus ape and alien Elves from Mars. This episode features Glenn Danzig.

Season two

• 19. Super Birthday Snake (May 25 2003): Meatwad wants a rabbit, but Shake gets him a snake instead who ends up eating them both. After killing the two in an attempt to free them from the snake, Frylock goes off the deep end and degenerates into a life of crime and cheap, meaningless sex.
• 20. Super Hero (June 1 2003): Shake wishes to become a superhero, and after his promotional schemes fail, he obtains several vats of radioactive liquid to splash upon himself and gain superpowers. Instead of becoming "The Drizzle," he quickly begins melting and deforming as the radioactive materials start affecting him.
• 21. Super Bowl (June 8 2003): Meatwad wins two tickets to the Super Bowl. A fight ensues between Carl and Shake on who will be the one to accompany Meatwad. In the end, Meatwad goes to the Super Bowl alone, only to realize he went to a farm and not the Super Bowl.
• 22. Super Computer (June 15 2003): Frylock develops a spherical super computer/game console that he calls the OoGhiJ MIQtxxXA (Klingon for "superior galactic intelligence"), which goes back in time and ends up in the hands of a caveman, Oog, who is granted super-intelligence and longevity with the help of the computer, and ends up in the present age at Frylock's door, demanding games for the computer.
• 23. Supermodel (June 22 2003): Master Shake travels to Guatemala for plastic surgery because he can't afford to have it done in the United States. Meatwad plays mind-games on Shake and convinces him to get more surgery done, some of which is administered by Carl's friend who works on "cars, sometimes faces". Eventually Shake discards his dream of becoming an underwear/jeans model and Frylock performs home surgery on Shake in order to restore him as best as possible to his original state.
• 24. Super Spore (June 29 2003): An alien creature named Travis of the Cosmos takes over Shake's body and tries to get a job.
• 25. Super Sirloin (August 31 2003): Meatwad listens continuously to "4 Da Shorteez" by Sir Loin. Meatwad deprives Master Shake and Frylock of food in order to highlight the hunger felt by children across the world. However, the Aqua Teens discover that Sir Loin is actually MC Pee Pants reincarnated as a cow.
• 26. Super Squatter (September 7 2003): Master Shake forgets to pay the bills, and the Aqua Teens lose the use of their utilities. Shake then visits Carl uninvited and decides to stay indefinitely after Carl accidentally shoots himself in the foot and is unable to move. Meatwad and Frylock eventually take him to the hospital where his HMO doctor sews his foot to his forehead because he wasn't sure how to approach the situation.
• 27. The Meat Zone (September 14 2003): Meatwad begins having visions of spoiled chocolate milk and the garbage being stinky, and Shake and Meatwad begin believing that Meatwad can predict the future. Shake makes Meatwad give him the winning lottery numbers only to pick different numbers because Frylock thinks it is a sham. Meatwad's numbers turn out to be correct. Shake brings Meatwad to Carl so that he can predict Carl's future, but when Meatwad is unable to see anything, Shake makes up a prediction that Carl's property rests over a large oil deposit. It turns out Meatwad's premonitions actually derive from consuming Frylock's caulk. Meanwhile, Carl drills for oil but hits his septic tank.
• 28. Super Trivia (September 21 2003): Frylock, along with Shake, Meatwad, and a very reluctant Carl, try to defeat Wayne "The Main Brain" McClane at a game of bar trivia. Seth MacFarlane plays Wayne.
• 29. Universal Remonster (September 28 2003): Emory and Oglethorpe travel across space and time through the "Fargate" (which is actually a copy of the Stargate) to steal the Aqua Teens' cable. In order to control which channel they watch, they use the Universal Remonster, a small robot made of several remote controls that accidentally ends up in the hands of the Aqua Teens.
• 30. Total Re-Carl (October 5 2003): Carl's body is destroyed by Frylock's experimental environmentally safe toilet, and only his head remains. The Aqua Teens attempt to acquire and construct new bodies to resurrect their fallen neighbor.
• 31. Revenge of the Trees (October 12 2003): Shake attempts to flash-fry an entire cow and dumps the oil into a forest. It turns out that the trees are sentient, and they capture Carl and use his skin as paper. Shake is put to trial with Frylock as a lawyer, but they end up burning the forest down.
• 32. Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary (October 19 2003): It's Meatwad's birthday! Shake can't stand "Happy Birthday", so he has a new heavy-metal song commissioned... then he has to figure out how to pay for it. Zakk Wylde guest-stars.
• 33. The Shaving (October 26 2003): It's Halloween and the Aqua Teen Hunger Force discovers a "monster" in their attic: A giant onion-like spider named Willie Nelson who shaves every two days. Shake makes fun of him, then tries to toughen him up to scare people, but the best Willie can muster is holding his electric razor and repeating "The shaving!" over and over. Shake connects a huge generator to Carl's doorknob to "scare" him by killing him, but he accidentally electrocutes himself. In the end, they all go to see Willie in the attic and find several dozen dead corpses. The Willie then helps itself to Carl's "juice" (blood).
• 34. The Broodwich (November 2 2003): Shake discovers an underground cavern where the Broodwich, a cursed sandwich, rests. Every bite sends him to a hellish place for a few seconds, and anyone who eats the whole thing is trapped there for all time. By taking out the sun-dried tomatoes, he avoids being sent to hell forever. However, the devil who has been speaking to them gives Shake "free brain surgery" for fighting off "the last temptation of the Broodwich", after which he makes Shake eat the tomatoes, thus condemning him to hell forever. (The tomatoes appear later in episode 42, "The Last One".)
• 35. Kidney Car (November 16 2003): Master Shake destroys Carl's car in a demolition derby. Meatwad gets the car as a donation, and fights with Shake over who will get to use it.
• 36. The Cubing (November 23 2003): The "wisdom cube", a cube from outer space, comes to the Aqua Teens' yard. It claims to have all of the wisdom in the universe, but it does little to reinforce its claim. Instead, it spends its time telling boring stories and making lame phone gags while ruining good ones (e.g., golf courses do not have ten-pound balls).
• 37. Frat Aliens (November 30 2003): DP and Skeeter, two aliens from a stereotypical fraternity land in the Aqua Teens' backyard, and prove to be nuisances. DP has a fixation on his father owning a dealership.
• 38. The Clowning (December 7 2003): Carl gets a wig containing alien DNA that turns him into a clown.
• 39. The Dressing (December 14 2003): The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future returns as a robotic turkey to speak of Thanksgiving in the future.
• 40. The The (December 21 2003): Also listed as THE. Shake and Meatwad start hoarding piles of chicken carcasses and burning plastic for heat. Frylock moves out. Everyone else, including Carl, goes blind from conjunctivitis, which Meatwad proclaims with "I got me a chicken infection."
• 41. The Cloning (December 31 2003): Due to excess cloning, the Aqua Teens' new TV is evil and depicts images of Frylock killing Shake, Meatwad, and Carl. Shake then proceeds to attempt to clone one-dollar bills.
• 42. The Last (Expletive Deleted) One of 2003, or simply The Last One (December 31 2003): The Mooninites assemble a league of characters from previous episodes to exact revenge on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Season three

• 43. Video Ouija (April 25 2004): Shake attempts to commit suicide to haunt Meatwad through a video game entitled Video Ouija. A witch doctor is hired to bring Shake back to life, but he turns out he can only revive chickens.
• 44. Unremarkable Voyage (May 9 2004): Frylock invents a gun that allows him to shrink or enlarge any object he fires at. He uses it to build a huge computer chip then shrink it. However, Meatwad eats it, and Frylock must recover it from inside.
• 45. Remooned (August 15 2004): Ignignokt and Err travel to Earth to cash a check, and they coerce Master Shake and Meatwad to assist them. This episode also reveals the spelling of Carl's last name, which is Brutananadilewski according to his ID. The check turns out to be a bill.
• 46. Gee Whiz (August 22 2004): A billboard with the face of a famous religious icon seems to have given Meatwad the gift of child. Special Guests: Ted Nugent, George Lowe
• 47. eDork (August 29 2004): Shake's eHelmet is loaded with superfluous gadgets, but somehow an add-on player piano isn't enough to satisfy his lust for convenience.
• 48. Little Brittle (September 5 2004): MC Pee Pants returns from hell as an elderly rapping phenomenon. This time, he wants vampires to bite him so he'll become one. According to Adult Swim, this episode was his final one.
• 49. Robositter (September 12 2004): After Meatwad gets into the medicine cabinet while under Carl's supervision, Frylock creates a robotic babysitter, voiced by Sarah Silverman, to take care of him.
• 50. Moon Master (September 19 2004): The Mooninites distribute a deceptively easy video game in an attempt to start a pyramid scheme.
• 51. Diet (September 26 2004): With a case of beer on the line, Meatwad, Shake, and Carl battle to see who can lose the most weight.
• 52. Dusty Gozongas (October 3 2004): The hottest stripper at the Wild Wild Chest creates tension between Shake and Carl. Although credited as Veronica Billingsley, Dusty Gozongas is clearly voiced by Scott Thompson of Kids in the Hall fame.
• 53. T-Shirt of the Living Dead (October 10 2004): An ancient Egyptian t-shirt gives Meatwad unfathomable powers. Special guest appearance by Santa Claus.
• 54. Hypno-Germ (October 17 2004): When Hypno-Germs invade Shake's brain, they put on a theatrical disaster inside his head.
• 55. Carl (October 24 2004): Carl is left to babysit Dewey, Vanessa, and Boxy Brown while the Aqua Teens are away on vacation in Panama City, Florida. Mayhem ensues when Carl runs into Frylock's robot guard.

Home releases

Warner Home Video releases the volumes to DVD.

Volume One (released November 18 2003) contains the first 16 episodes ("Rabbot" through "PDA") and is ordered by production number rather than episode number. It also features deleted scenes and the original cut of "Rabbot". The original cut of "Rabbot", "Mayhem of the Mooninites", and "Space Conflict From Beyond Pluto" contain commentary.

Volume Two (released July 20 2004) contains 13 episodes ("Mail Order Bride" through "Universal Remonster" as well as the "Baffler Meal" episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast) with a seemingly random order. It has deleted scenes for "Super Model", "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future", "Super Birthday Snake", and "Baffler Meal". It also contains commentary for "Super Trivia", "Meat Zone", "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future", and "Baffler Meal". Other bonus features include a "Baffler Meal" music video, a gallery of ATHF drawings, and a documentary on the making of the show.

Volume Three (released November 16 2004) contains 13 episodes ("Total Re-Carl" to the end of Season 2) with a seemingly random order. It contains commentary for "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary", "The Shaving", "The Clowning", and "The Last One" and deleted scenes for "Broodwich", Dr. Weird's Ice Cream Social, and Dr. Weird's "Clowning" ending. A gallery of production sketches, promotional spots, a very long documentary on the making of "The Cloning", answering machine messages from the characters, and music videos/karaoke of "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary" are also included.

Volume Four is set to be released on November 22 2005.

See also

• Cult television

External links

Template:Wikiquote

• Official Aqua Teen Hunger Force Website (http://www.adultswim.com/shows/athf/)
• Aqua Teen Central (http://www.aquateencentral.com) - A fansite which seems to have the most information regarding Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• "Just Bring 'Em In From Space" (http://flakmag.com/features/aquateen.html) - An interview with the creators of Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• Aqua Teen Hunger Force entry at TV.com (http://www.tv.com/aqua-teen-hunger-force/show/5485/summary.html)
• Aqua Teen Hunger Force entry (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0297494/) at the Internet Movie Database
• www.wegotussomemedicalwaste.com - Website based on the one seen in the "Total Re-Carl" episode
• Website of the wwwyzzerdd (http://www.yzzerdd.com)
• Aqua Teen Hunger Force profile (http://www.nndb.com/tv/495/000049348/) at NNDB.