Happy Tree Friends
Encyclopedia
Happy Tree Friends is an American Flash cartoon
and made by Mondo Mini Shows
, created and developed by Aubrey Ankrum
Rhode Montijo
Kenn Navarro
and Warren Graff. The show has become a popular Internet phenomenon and it's since debut and has also won a cult following
.
As indicated on the official site, it is "not recommended for children under 10". Despite its childish appearance & cute name, the show is extremely violent
, with almost every episode featuring blood, pain, and gruesome deaths. The portrayal of death in Happy Tree Friends is usually graphic
and exaggerated, depicting bloodshed and dismemberment in a vivid manner. The episodes last from between 1 to 7 minutes.
The show is nearly free of dialogue, and when the characters do speak, it is mostly in gibberish
with some simple English words. According to the website, the idea for Happy Tree Friends was conceived by Rhode Montijo when he drew a yellow rabbit slightly resembling the character Cuddles on a piece of paper and wrote "Resistance is futile
" underneath it.
A spin-off called Ka-Pow! premiered on September 2, 2008. Happy Tree Friends is announced to return in early 2012, and Wild Brain
(the former animation studio of Season 1-2)'s 50% divisions Six Point Harness
and "Ghostbot" will be the new animation studios for the series.
, Rhode Montijo
drew on a little piece of scrap paper a character who would later become Shifty. He then drew on a spreadsheet poster a yellow rabbit that bore some resemblance to Cuddles and wrote "Resistance is futile" underneath it. Rhode then hung the drawing up in his workstation so other people could see his idea, and eventually the idea was pitched to and accepted by the Mondo Media executives. In 1999, Mondo gave Aubrey Ankrum
, Rhode Montijo
and Kenn Navarro
a chance to do a short for them. They came up with a short named Banjo Frenzy, which featured a blue dinosaur (an earlier version of Lumpy) killing three woodland animals, a rabbit, squirrel and beaver (earlier versions of Cuddles, Giggles and Toothy) with a banjo. From there, Mondo gave them their own internet series, which they named Happy Tree Friends. They got new writers and animators to work on the show.
In some countries, the episodes can be seen on television. They can be seen on the French
, Dutch
, Portuguese
, German
, Polish
, Swedish
, Filipino
, Brazil
ian, Lithuania
n, Japan
ese, Italian
, Israel
i, Indonesia
n, British
, Australia
n, Mexican
, Greek
, and the Spanish
TV channels, the Greek Mad Music Channel, channel C4 in New Zealand, the Russian 2×2 channel (though it was pulled from the station following a warning from a government group), the Canadian television channel Razer
, the American television channel G4
, the Czech musical channel Óčko
, and on the Australian Special Broadcasting Service
(SBS) network. The series has been reformed into its own show, rather than as a part of a compilation as before. Happy Tree Friends has also gained a collection of Audibles and an "IMVironment" for Yahoo!
's instant messenger. It is featured on many websites on which flash cartoons can be watched, such as YouTube
, Atom Films
, Purple Twinkie, Albino Black Sheep and the official Happy Tree Friends website. On select 2007 Ozzfest
s, some Happy Tree Friends episodes were shown on the big screen.
Encouraged by the show's success, its creators have released four DVDs (First Blood, Second Serving, Third Strike and Winter Break) containing the episodes shown on the website and others that have not been released. A collection consisting of the first three DVDs and five bonus episodes, Overkill, has also been released. Two episodes, "Stealing the Spotlight" and "Ski Ya, Wouldn't Wanna Be Ya!", are only available in the Happy Tree Friends: Winter Break DVD.
Happy Tree Friends is currently one of the most downloaded iTunes
podcasts and thousands of fan-made videos have appeared on YouTube
.
Mondo Media CEO John Evershed contributes the success of the series to animator Kenn Navarro. “He had a clear vision for that show and he’s just a brilliant animator. He has created something that is pretty universal. I envision kids watching Happy Tree Friends 20 or 30 years from now the same way that they watch Tom and Jerry now. So really it’s Ken Navarro.”
2006 and some of the monkey children were shown on the website a few weeks prior the show's television premiere, September 25, 2006 at midnight on the G4 network. Each half-hour episode of the TV series contains three seven-minute segments. 39 segments were made, making 13 full episodes for season one. Pictures from the first six episodes can be seen on G4's website. The Canadian channel Razer
aired the show in syndication as did the CityTV
stations throughout Canada. The show was also broadcast on MTV
in Europe
and Latin America
and on Animax
in South Africa
. It was also shown on Paramount Comedy 1
in the UK from May 11, 2007 for a short time, with occasional reruns afterward with the channel, now branded as Comedy Central UK. It was rated TV-MA.
s, and all of them (except Lumpy, Buddhist Monkey ,Evil Flippy and Sniffles) have two front buckteeth and pink heart-shaped noses. In early episodes, most characters played the roles of children doing childish games. However, as the series progressed the age concept was dropped, and now characters act variously like children, teenagers and adults in different episodes. The only characters who are unaffected by this concept are Pop and Cub, who always act like an adult and a child respectively, and characters whose roles usually are not affected by age, such as Splendid or Cro-Marmot.
At the beginning of each episode, the characters are typically found in everyday situations. However, much like Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days" these situations always escalate into violence and the inevitable deaths of those involved and/or "innocent" bystanders, mostly because of very unfortunate, surprising accidents with otherwise harmless instruments,and some of them have mental illness, like Flippy, who has post traumatic stress disorder from a war and will become a killer in certain stimulus (such as popping balloons, which sounds like gunfire to him.) The show's characters sometimes appear not to notice other characters' deaths/injuries, despite clear indications (such as blood coming out of the latters' mouths), or they seem to overcome their fellows' deaths (save "Happy Trails Pt. 2 where several funerals are held and the first few are taken seriously). Characters always reincarnate for the next episode.
Each episode starts with introduction credits resembling a children's book, which portrays the show's logo, the episode title (which is usually a pun) and the cast. Internet episodes have a typical duration of a maximum of four minutes. Usually only a few of the characters are used in a single episode, but occasionally larger episodes have been released where most of the characters appear(& in 1 case,the entire cast except for the Buddist monkey & Lammy have appeared). TV episodes last about half an hour, having three segments of about seven minutes.
's music video for "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" is an episode of Happy Tree Friends. All of them die the same type of graphic, bloody deaths that are featured in the series. The Fall Out Boy band members appear as special guests.
was released on June 25, 2008. It was developed by Stainless Games
and Sega
for Xbox Live Arcade
on the Xbox 360
and the PC
. Writer Ken Pontac
previously posted a blog on the Happy Tree Friends website telling fans about the adventures of the staff making the game, but it was ended before the game's first slated release date in Spring 2008.
when she saw her 6-year-old son watching the show.
The warning "Cartoon Violence: Not recommended for small children or big babies" is displayed in two places on the home page of the Happy Tree Friends website in very small type in the bottom left hand corner, and in larger, but subdued type on the right hand side under the bulletin board section. Neither the "About the Show" nor the FAQ page indicates that the show is not appropriate for young children. However, the episodes themselves contain the warning in large font before the cartoon begins.
In February 2008 Russian Media Culture Protection Department (Rossvyazohrankultura, a regulatory body for TV in Russia) banned Happy Tree Friends and The Adventures of Big Jeff, claiming that the shows "promote violence and brutality, harm the psychic health and moral development of children, attack social morality; all of this being a violation of license agreement". The department warned 2×2, which broadcasts the show, to remove it from air to avoid legal issue. The channel appealed to the evaluation ordered to Versia company, which denied the accusations. HTF also premiered a hate mail video, showing the concerns between parents and actors (Michael "Lippy" Lipman, David Winn, Ellen Connell).
But in Russia a lot of teenagers are fans of Happy Tree Friends.
series have been aired as of September 2008. The series were about adventures of three popular characters, Flippy, Splendid and Buddhist Monkey. Series were called W.A.R Journal, Splendid's SSSSSuper Squad and Buddhist Monkey. To date, three episodes have been aired. Third episode was originally aired November 18, 2008. After that, the series continued on the internet.
Flash cartoon
A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated film which is created using Adobe Flash or similar animation software and often distributed in the .swf file format. The term Flash animation not only refers to the file format but to a certain kind of movement and visual style which, in many...
and made by Mondo Mini Shows
Mondo Mini Shows
Mondo Mini Shows is an American company that produces animation targeted at teens and young adults. Mondo Mini Shows are distributed as an ad-supported, virtual animation channel via the Internet, podcasts and mobile...
, created and developed by Aubrey Ankrum
Aubrey Ankrum
Aubrey Ankrum American screenwriter, animator and graphic artist. He is mostly known as one of the creators of the popular Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He also worked on several Mondo Media shows and has made graphics for many companies....
Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo is an American independent comic-book artist best known as the creator of Pablo's Inferno and co-creator of the Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends.-Career:...
Kenn Navarro
Kenn Navarro
Kenn Navarro is a Filipino American animator known for creating the popular internet cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He did a one-time role as a green derby-hated man from the Dick Figures episode "Kitty Amazing".-Happy Tree Friends:...
and Warren Graff. The show has become a popular Internet phenomenon and it's since debut and has also won a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
As indicated on the official site, it is "not recommended for children under 10". Despite its childish appearance & cute name, the show is extremely violent
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, with almost every episode featuring blood, pain, and gruesome deaths. The portrayal of death in Happy Tree Friends is usually graphic
Graphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...
and exaggerated, depicting bloodshed and dismemberment in a vivid manner. The episodes last from between 1 to 7 minutes.
The show is nearly free of dialogue, and when the characters do speak, it is mostly in gibberish
Gibberish
Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense...
with some simple English words. According to the website, the idea for Happy Tree Friends was conceived by Rhode Montijo when he drew a yellow rabbit slightly resembling the character Cuddles on a piece of paper and wrote "Resistance is futile
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
" underneath it.
A spin-off called Ka-Pow! premiered on September 2, 2008. Happy Tree Friends is announced to return in early 2012, and Wild Brain
Wild Brain
Wild Brain is an award-winning entertainment company that develops and produces television programming, motion pictures, commercial content and licensed merchandise...
(the former animation studio of Season 1-2)'s 50% divisions Six Point Harness
Six Point Harness
Six Point Harness Studios is an animation studio located in Los Angeles, California. 6PH has provided animation for MTV's series Where My Dogs At? and Good Vibes, animated sequences for feature films Black Dynamite, Eurotrip, and produced The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!. Greg Franklin serves...
and "Ghostbot" will be the new animation studios for the series.
Beginning
While working on Mondo Mini ShowsMondo Mini Shows
Mondo Mini Shows is an American company that produces animation targeted at teens and young adults. Mondo Mini Shows are distributed as an ad-supported, virtual animation channel via the Internet, podcasts and mobile...
, Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo is an American independent comic-book artist best known as the creator of Pablo's Inferno and co-creator of the Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends.-Career:...
drew on a little piece of scrap paper a character who would later become Shifty. He then drew on a spreadsheet poster a yellow rabbit that bore some resemblance to Cuddles and wrote "Resistance is futile" underneath it. Rhode then hung the drawing up in his workstation so other people could see his idea, and eventually the idea was pitched to and accepted by the Mondo Media executives. In 1999, Mondo gave Aubrey Ankrum
Aubrey Ankrum
Aubrey Ankrum American screenwriter, animator and graphic artist. He is mostly known as one of the creators of the popular Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He also worked on several Mondo Media shows and has made graphics for many companies....
, Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo is an American independent comic-book artist best known as the creator of Pablo's Inferno and co-creator of the Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends.-Career:...
and Kenn Navarro
Kenn Navarro
Kenn Navarro is a Filipino American animator known for creating the popular internet cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He did a one-time role as a green derby-hated man from the Dick Figures episode "Kitty Amazing".-Happy Tree Friends:...
a chance to do a short for them. They came up with a short named Banjo Frenzy, which featured a blue dinosaur (an earlier version of Lumpy) killing three woodland animals, a rabbit, squirrel and beaver (earlier versions of Cuddles, Giggles and Toothy) with a banjo. From there, Mondo gave them their own internet series, which they named Happy Tree Friends. They got new writers and animators to work on the show.
Success
Only after internet debut in 2000, Happy Tree Friends became an unexpected success, getting over 15 million hits each month, and being shown in film festivals.In some countries, the episodes can be seen on television. They can be seen on the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese, Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
TV channels, the Greek Mad Music Channel, channel C4 in New Zealand, the Russian 2×2 channel (though it was pulled from the station following a warning from a government group), the Canadian television channel Razer
Razer
MTV2 is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel. MTV2 is a lifestyle and general entertainment channel aimed at youth and teen audiences, airing a mix of music video programs, drama, comedies, talk shows and more....
, the American television channel G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
, the Czech musical channel Óčko
Ócko
Óčko is the first Czech music television channel, which started broadcasting in 2002.Majority of the audience are teenagers and people from the 12–35 age group. The program consists of music videos of music from all different genres including the latest hits....
, and on the Australian Special Broadcasting Service
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
(SBS) network. The series has been reformed into its own show, rather than as a part of a compilation as before. Happy Tree Friends has also gained a collection of Audibles and an "IMVironment" for Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
's instant messenger. It is featured on many websites on which flash cartoons can be watched, such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Atom Films
Atom Films
Atom.com is a broadband entertainment network offering original short subject films, animations, and series by independent creators...
, Purple Twinkie, Albino Black Sheep and the official Happy Tree Friends website. On select 2007 Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
s, some Happy Tree Friends episodes were shown on the big screen.
Encouraged by the show's success, its creators have released four DVDs (First Blood, Second Serving, Third Strike and Winter Break) containing the episodes shown on the website and others that have not been released. A collection consisting of the first three DVDs and five bonus episodes, Overkill, has also been released. Two episodes, "Stealing the Spotlight" and "Ski Ya, Wouldn't Wanna Be Ya!", are only available in the Happy Tree Friends: Winter Break DVD.
Happy Tree Friends is currently one of the most downloaded iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
podcasts and thousands of fan-made videos have appeared on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Mondo Media CEO John Evershed contributes the success of the series to animator Kenn Navarro. “He had a clear vision for that show and he’s just a brilliant animator. He has created something that is pretty universal. I envision kids watching Happy Tree Friends 20 or 30 years from now the same way that they watch Tom and Jerry now. So really it’s Ken Navarro.”
TV series
The Happy Tree Friends TV series was first shown at Comic-ConComic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
2006 and some of the monkey children were shown on the website a few weeks prior the show's television premiere, September 25, 2006 at midnight on the G4 network. Each half-hour episode of the TV series contains three seven-minute segments. 39 segments were made, making 13 full episodes for season one. Pictures from the first six episodes can be seen on G4's website. The Canadian channel Razer
Razer
MTV2 is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel. MTV2 is a lifestyle and general entertainment channel aimed at youth and teen audiences, airing a mix of music video programs, drama, comedies, talk shows and more....
aired the show in syndication as did the CityTV
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
stations throughout Canada. The show was also broadcast on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and on Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was also shown on Paramount Comedy 1
Paramount Comedy 1
Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a localised version of Comedy Central which first began in the United States in the 1990s. The television channel is available through the Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Ireland, UPC Ireland and Magnet Networks in the...
in the UK from May 11, 2007 for a short time, with occasional reruns afterward with the channel, now branded as Comedy Central UK. It was rated TV-MA.
Show characteristics
All the characters are anthropomorphic mammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, and all of them (except Lumpy, Buddhist Monkey ,Evil Flippy and Sniffles) have two front buckteeth and pink heart-shaped noses. In early episodes, most characters played the roles of children doing childish games. However, as the series progressed the age concept was dropped, and now characters act variously like children, teenagers and adults in different episodes. The only characters who are unaffected by this concept are Pop and Cub, who always act like an adult and a child respectively, and characters whose roles usually are not affected by age, such as Splendid or Cro-Marmot.
At the beginning of each episode, the characters are typically found in everyday situations. However, much like Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days" these situations always escalate into violence and the inevitable deaths of those involved and/or "innocent" bystanders, mostly because of very unfortunate, surprising accidents with otherwise harmless instruments,and some of them have mental illness, like Flippy, who has post traumatic stress disorder from a war and will become a killer in certain stimulus (such as popping balloons, which sounds like gunfire to him.) The show's characters sometimes appear not to notice other characters' deaths/injuries, despite clear indications (such as blood coming out of the latters' mouths), or they seem to overcome their fellows' deaths (save "Happy Trails Pt. 2 where several funerals are held and the first few are taken seriously). Characters always reincarnate for the next episode.
Each episode starts with introduction credits resembling a children's book, which portrays the show's logo, the episode title (which is usually a pun) and the cast. Internet episodes have a typical duration of a maximum of four minutes. Usually only a few of the characters are used in a single episode, but occasionally larger episodes have been released where most of the characters appear(& in 1 case,the entire cast except for the Buddist monkey & Lammy have appeared). TV episodes last about half an hour, having three segments of about seven minutes.
Fall Out Boy music video
Fall Out BoyFall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
's music video for "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" is an episode of Happy Tree Friends. All of them die the same type of graphic, bloody deaths that are featured in the series. The Fall Out Boy band members appear as special guests.
Characters
There are 22 main characters in the HTF And Friends series, all of whom have unique personalities and appearances. There have been many "minor" characters that have appeared on the show, some appearing many times and some appearing only once.Video game
A video game titled Happy Tree Friends: False AlarmHappy Tree Friends: False Alarm
Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm is a video game based on the Flash cartoon series Happy Tree Friends developed by independent software developers Stainless Games and published by Sega...
was released on June 25, 2008. It was developed by Stainless Games
Stainless Games
Stainless Games is a British video game developer based on the Isle of Wight that specialises in developing downloadable games for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade...
and Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. Writer Ken Pontac
Ken Pontac
Ken Pontac is an American writer who has written for children's shows like ToddWorld and LazyTown. He also writes for the dark humor cartoon Happy Tree Friends and helped create its spin-off Ka-Pow!.-Life:...
previously posted a blog on the Happy Tree Friends website telling fans about the adventures of the staff making the game, but it was ended before the game's first slated release date in Spring 2008.
Controversies
Many parents have expressed concern about the graphic content of Happy Tree Friends. One parent even complained about the show in a letter to The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
when she saw her 6-year-old son watching the show.
The warning "Cartoon Violence: Not recommended for small children or big babies" is displayed in two places on the home page of the Happy Tree Friends website in very small type in the bottom left hand corner, and in larger, but subdued type on the right hand side under the bulletin board section. Neither the "About the Show" nor the FAQ page indicates that the show is not appropriate for young children. However, the episodes themselves contain the warning in large font before the cartoon begins.
In February 2008 Russian Media Culture Protection Department (Rossvyazohrankultura, a regulatory body for TV in Russia) banned Happy Tree Friends and The Adventures of Big Jeff, claiming that the shows "promote violence and brutality, harm the psychic health and moral development of children, attack social morality; all of this being a violation of license agreement". The department warned 2×2, which broadcasts the show, to remove it from air to avoid legal issue. The channel appealed to the evaluation ordered to Versia company, which denied the accusations. HTF also premiered a hate mail video, showing the concerns between parents and actors (Michael "Lippy" Lipman, David Winn, Ellen Connell).
But in Russia a lot of teenagers are fans of Happy Tree Friends.
Spin-offs
Three spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series have been aired as of September 2008. The series were about adventures of three popular characters, Flippy, Splendid and Buddhist Monkey. Series were called W.A.R Journal, Splendid's SSSSSuper Squad and Buddhist Monkey. To date, three episodes have been aired. Third episode was originally aired November 18, 2008. After that, the series continued on the internet.
Cast and crew
| Job title | Person | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Engineer | Jim Lively | The music featured before, after, and during each and every episode of Happy Tree Friends is composed by Jim Lively, the sound engineer for Happy Tree Friends. Lively has been in the sound business since the age of 16. Lively primarily works in sound design and dialog editing, although he continues to mix music. |
| Foley Artist | Francis Carr | Foley artist Francis Carr joined the team later on in development. Usually working with sound engineer Jim Lively, he has been able to expand his career. Francis Carr is also noted for being the voice of Russell. |
| Name | Position | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kenn Navarro Kenn Navarro Kenn Navarro is a Filipino American animator known for creating the popular internet cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He did a one-time role as a green derby-hated man from the Dick Figures episode "Kitty Amazing".-Happy Tree Friends:... |
Director, Animation Director, Writer, Voice Actor | 1999 – present |
| Rhode Montijo Rhode Montijo Rhode Montijo is an American independent comic-book artist best known as the creator of Pablo's Inferno and co-creator of the Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends.-Career:... |
Director, Art Director, Writer, (former) Voice Actor | 1999–2004 |
| Aubrey Ankrum Aubrey Ankrum Aubrey Ankrum American screenwriter, animator and graphic artist. He is mostly known as one of the creators of the popular Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He also worked on several Mondo Media shows and has made graphics for many companies.... |
Director, Writer, Storyboard artist, Voice Actor | 1999–2006 |
| Warren Graff | Story Editor, Writer, Voice Actor | 2000 – present |
| Ken Pontac Ken Pontac Ken Pontac is an American writer who has written for children's shows like ToddWorld and LazyTown. He also writes for the dark humor cartoon Happy Tree Friends and helped create its spin-off Ka-Pow!.-Life:... |
Story Editor, Writer, (minor) Voice Actor | 2004 – present |
| Jeff Biancalana | Writer, Animator, Storyboard artist, (former) Voice Actor | 2001–2005 |
| David Winn David Winn David Winn is an American animator and writer who works in several animation projects.-Career:David Winn has worked as an animator in the series Happy Tree Friends, The Fairly Oddparents, LeapFrog, Disney's House of Mouse and many other animated shows and video games.He also directed the animated... |
Writer, Animator, Voice Actor | 2003 – present |
| Alan Lau | Animator, Writer, Director, Storyboard artist | 2001 – present |
| Jason Sadler | Animator, Writer, Director | 2001 – present |
| Mark Fiorenza | Writer | 2000–2003 |
| Brad Rau | Animator, Storyboard artist | 2001 – present |
| Roque Ballesteros | Writer, Animator, Director, Storyboard artist | 2001 – present |
| Paul Allan | Writer, Animator, Director | 2000 – present |
| Nica Lorber | Animator, Voice Actor | 2000 – present |
| Michael "Lippy" Lipman | Storyboard artist, Animator, Director, Writer, Voice Actor | 2000 – present |
| Peter Herrman | Storyboard artist, Voice Actor | 2000 – present |
| Jim Lively | Sound Designer, Music | 2000 – present |
| Francis Carr | Foley artist, Voice Actor | 2004 – present |
| Jerome Rossen | Music Composer | 2005 – present |
| John Evershed | Executive Producer | 2000 – present |
| Liz Stuart | Producer, Voice Actor | 2000 – present |
| Kristen McCormick | Animator, Storyboard Artist | 2007- present |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Kenn Navarro Kenn Navarro Kenn Navarro is a Filipino American animator known for creating the popular internet cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He did a one-time role as a green derby-hated man from the Dick Figures episode "Kitty Amazing".-Happy Tree Friends:... |
Cuddles, Flippy, Lifty & Shifty |
| Rhode Montijo Rhode Montijo Rhode Montijo is an American independent comic-book artist best known as the creator of Pablo's Inferno and co-creator of the Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends.-Career:... |
Lumpy, Splendid (2000–2005) |
| David Winn David Winn David Winn is an American animator and writer who works in several animation projects.-Career:David Winn has worked as an animator in the series Happy Tree Friends, The Fairly Oddparents, LeapFrog, Disney's House of Mouse and many other animated shows and video games.He also directed the animated... |
Lumpy, Splendid (2005–present) |
| Dana Belben Dana Belben Dana L. Belben is an American voice actress, animator, screenwriter, effects artist, and comedienne.-Career:Belben worked as story editor on Happy Tree Friends, as well as providing the voices for Giggles, Petunia, and Cub.... |
Giggles, Petunia, Cub, Giggles' Mom (2000–2005) |
| Ellen Connell | Giggles, Petunia, Cub (2005–2009) |
| Lori Jee | Giggles, Petunia, Cub, Panda Mom (2009–present) |
| Warren Graff | Toothy, Handy |
| Aubrey Ankrum Aubrey Ankrum Aubrey Ankrum American screenwriter, animator and graphic artist. He is mostly known as one of the creators of the popular Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He also worked on several Mondo Media shows and has made graphics for many companies.... |
Pop, Evil Flippy |
| Liz Stuart | Sniffles |
| Nica Lorber | Flaky |
| Jeff Biancalana | Russell (2000–2005), Buddhist Monkey |
| Peter Herrman | Disco Bear |
| Michael "Lippy" Lipman | Nutty |
| Francis Carr | Russell (2005–present) |
| Mark Giambruno Mark Giambruno Mark Giambruno is a 3D artist, art director and writer. As an early employee of Mondo Media, he worked on many of their game projects and contract game cinematics. He also voiced the Lifty & Shifty characters for the popular internet show Happy Tree Friends, a role he now shares at times with Kenn... |
Lifty & Shifty (2000–2005) |
| Renée T. MacDonald | Lammy |
| Ken Pontac Ken Pontac Ken Pontac is an American writer who has written for children's shows like ToddWorld and LazyTown. He also writes for the dark humor cartoon Happy Tree Friends and helped create its spin-off Ka-Pow!.-Life:... |
Additional voices |
| Show | Year | Category | Laureate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annecy International Animated Film Festival Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998... |
2003 | Best Animated Short Film Made for the Internet | Eye Candy |
| 2007 | Best Animated Series For Adults | From Hero To Eternity | |
| Ottawa International Animation Festival Ottawa International Animation Festival -History:In 1976, the Canadian Film Institute founded the biennial Ottawa International Animation Festival . First held August 10 to 15, 1976, the OIAF created a gathering place for North American animation professionals and enthusiasts to ponder the craft and business of animation... |
2004 | Best Animated Short Made For The Internet | Out On A Limb |
| 2005 | Mole in the City | ||
| 2007 | Best Television Series For Adults for the episode | Double Whammy Part 2 |
External links
- Official Happy Tree Friends Website
- Podcast interview with creator Kenn Navarro and writers Warren Graff and Ken Pontac
- Happy Tree Friends at wikia
- The website beta version
IMDB profiles
- Happy Tree Friends TV series at The Internet Movie Database
- Happy Tree Friends Volume 1 at The Internet Movie Database
- Happy Tree Friends Volume 2 at The Internet Movie Database
- Happy Tree Friends Volume 3 at The Internet Movie Database