Smiling Friends is Painfully Funny

Today we examine the hilarious antics of the Smiling Friends.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Why does this show look so WEIRD?
6:48 Characters and Structure
10:00 Jokey Jokes

[@TravTravYT]

"Smiling Friends doesn't even look the same as itself, that doesn't even make sense--" Don't worry, the 4 Gumball fans here understood perfectly.

[@starkillersneed]

I like to think of Smiling Friends as Gumball or Regular Show if they weren't limited by being in a kids' network.

[@crestofhonor2349]

I know chowder had quite a few stop motion segments

[@promienodrzutowysamuel790]

Heeey I found one!

[@12DAMDO]

Smiling Friends is what happens when your pitch gets rejected from Trip Tank and instead of crying about it you're like "okay fine, i'll just do it myself then"

[@mangaprofilepicture5820]

@@crestofhonor2349 this, chowder, regular show, and gumball are the four horsemen of absurd animation

[@brendongulousthewise5040]

One thing that's really funny about Jeremy is that when he's annoying Charlie, he's animated without in-betweens, but the moment he gets punched, his animation becomes really smooth all of a sudden.

[@KorporalNoobs]

No wonder. Mister Frog is a star for a reason. Moving with as little frames as possible needs, training, focus and dedication, not a gut punch.

[@Drekromancer]

@@KorporalNoobs *spits*

[@KorporalNoobs]

@@Drekromancer *licks it up while keeping intense eye contact* Edit: sry wrong chat

[@bionicdegu4.01]

And the change from "lelelelele" to that groan after being hit in the gut is so funny to me. Just shows how fucking hard Charlie hit him

[@Neo2266.]

He goes from 2 FPS to 24

[@mad_limes]

i saw someone say that it’s very clear that smiling friends was written by adults and not 14yo boys in a locker room and that perfectly describes why i like this show so much

[@pepesilvia429]

bro thats the top comment on this video

[@theleviathan3902]

The shit 14 year old boys come up with is way funnier than paradise PD

[@fawnieee]

​​@@theleviathan3902 as someone who grew up with 14yr old boys and was in a friendgroup with mostly buys. No. Not even remotely.

[@huntehrerrhr6581]

​@@fawnieeehave you seen paradise pd?

[@Doomantor521]

@@huntehrerrhr6581 yk you can edit your comment and not need a new one to correct yourself

[@yaogwai]

The funniest part to me is just how uncanny and in turn funny flat colored, strangely proportioned characters that just act like real breathing….things, is They breath, they sneeze, they get sick, they have interests, they get shit in their eyes, they trip, they get confused, they ask questions, their voices change to fit the situation, it’s like if you took a regular human, stripped its skin off and crammed it into the body of a 9 year olds imaginary friend

[@Gimmetimetothinkdawg]

That sounds a bit gory when you picture it

[@merwan1018]

Stripping the skin is a bit too much

[@technodoge_draws]

@@merwan1018not really, considering that’s something that could happen in the smiling friends world.

[@joederp5940]

I love how Charlie's personality can be summed up as "A rust player".

[@dragonsember]

It's all the introduction he needs

[@HazielBlack]

@@dragonsember pretty much!

[@jonathankent1517]

@Hooty HOOT HOOT A "GamerTM".

[@Myrdin90]

That was a funny surprise

[@imakitty1547]

“ you’re really one of those rust players aren’t you “

[@MJSHappy]

My favorite part of the Smormu joke is that in the "In Memorium" part they have at the end of every episode's credits, it shows Smormu, dead on a fucking coroner's table.

[@SethAbercromby]

I also love how it's clearly telegraphed when Charlie gets up and leaves and you're already poised for the punchline of him beating the shit out of him with a baseball bat, just by the knowledge that it's Charlie and he has no patience for that bullshit.

[@justafox5356]

R.I.P. in peace Smormu James Carter. Much like the vote, his death could not be undone.

[@b3dubbs72]

Dead smormu is also a background character in the mob in frowning friends

[@gregvs.theworld451]

@@b3dubbs72 No fucking way. Which episode? (actually, given it's Smiling Friends, that's very believable, but also funny as hell and I want to see it for myself.)

[@b3dubbs72]

@@gregvs.theworld451 it’s in the frowning friends episode. He’s in the mob at the end of the episode

[@asteroidrules]

Another great bit about the Smormu gag is how it immediately flips again. The announcer says "this cannot be undone" implying that Smormu is a permanent addition, but then immediately after the credits we see a splash screen that says "in memory of Smormu" with a picture of their corpse, and then Smormu is never seen nor heard from again.

[@ImNotInterested83]

My favorite part about the Jeremy running joke is that the second time Jeremy does the thing, Charlie ofc gets startled, but pauses for a second before punching him. Almost like he’s remembering that he warned him to not do that again.

[@keythekidd]

Exactly. You can see him get startled, get angry, remember that he warned him and then make the decision to act on his warning. You can almost see the gears turning in Charlie’s head and it’s magnificent. A total juxtaposition to when he’s just there with minimal facial animations.

[@JustSilverCh]

The groan Jeremy makes when he's punched kills me every time I hear it. Something about the goofy high energy character making the exact sound I would make when abruptly punched in the gut is just too funny to me

[@aruce9]

He also punched more frames into him

[@DrCruel]

I had no problem with this. Jeremy was warned.

[@rayquaza000]

@@DrCruel Jeremy fucked around and found out

[@tozarkt9805]

I love the way that Zach Hadel described it (paraphrasing): "something I like in cartoons is when they're like, these goofy cartoonish characters that have flesh and blood. Like, if you hit them on the head with a hammer, instead of bouncing off they're gonna have a seizure."

[@Lilliathi]

@@tozarkt9805 Yeah, most of his stuff plays with the contrast between cartoony and realistic. Probably inspired by things like Ren & Stimpy.

[@ThatOneGuy8305]

You actually missed a layer on the Smormu joke. Smormu actually LOST the electoral college but won the popular vote. They subverted the trope of "electoral college undermines the popular vote" by having the popular vote lead to an outcome the viewer finds annoying and implying that the electoral college would have prevented the annoying outcome.

[@SuperLlama42]

Also, it's revealed at the very end of the credits that Smormu died, with a weirdly creepy image of a dead Smormu, so the whole thing didn't even matter. Which is ALSO part of a running gag in the credits where they have "In Loving Memory" bits for made up people with weirdly photoshopped images.

[@gregvs.theworld451]

@@SuperLlama42 Kind of a morbid thought here, but I've wondered a few times what would happen to that gag if an important member of the Smiling Friends production actually does die for real.

[@williord3050]

@@gregvs.theworld451 I wouldn’t say they’d axe the gag altogether, but you can bet they would never present an actual deceased member as part of the gag, that’s way too insensitive

[@ijustlikebees]

@@gregvs.theworld451 lets hope that never happens

[@PMARC14]

@@williord3050 you would say that, but depending on who died they may out of respect for the kind of minds that make this show, take the gag to the extreme for them as a final goodbye

[@Unotuchable]

One thing I really like with Charlie is that he still does his job while being a realist, it's just that his preference for making someone smile is fixing the underlying things instead of a big grand gesture like Pim. His way of making Shrimp smile is working on his self image and getting him into the gym , he tells Satan that Satan is just focusing on dopamine hits instead of things that will make him happy. He's a bit of a grump but he's got a fair bit of emotional intelligence.

[@TheNextshadow]

Glad to see someone FINALLY acknowledge smormu. Just because he gets little screentime people tend to completely forget his arc and the integral part he plays in the plot.

[@gorbla1231]

Fun fact about the Renaissance men joke: They were actually struggling to find a way to end that episode, and after several days and a lack of sleep, they just happened to have a similar conversation in real life and decided "lets just use that"

[@JammyJam5588]

Yeah it was originally gonna be a conversation about a Satellite falling too. Which honestly good thing they changed cause that woulda likely been way less funny. You expect that a Satellite is gonna crash down and cause damage/death since it WAS mentioned, but you have no clue these Renaissance men are gonna show up and just MURDER SOMEONE then fuck off

[@JNSStudios2]

This makes me wonder what the purpose of the Renaissance Men discussion at the beginning of the episode was for if it wasn’t originally for the ending joke setup. Was it just supposed to be a random conversation?

[@gorbla1231]

@@JNSStudios2 it was for the ending setup. They originally had another random conversation at the beginning, but since they couldn't come up with an ending to tie in with it, they decided on the Renaissance men joke at the last minute.

[@cornchaptermasterofcarmine5902]

@@gorbla1231 if I remember correctly it was something about a satellite. Which would have at the end dropped on the frowning friends

[@myfatassdick]

For people who don’t know this was mentioned by Zach and Michael on the Create unknown podcast It’s pretty cool to watch the episodes with Zach and see the progression of smiling friends

[@wingusbingos3073]

"On the other hand we have Charlie. A RUST player" kills me every time

[@Zodishya]

its fucking got me, i can see it too

[@josephrobinson6171]

I can see why he’s not so optimistic as Charlie lol

[@ieatcrackers7351]

same

[@LukSter18998]

@@josephrobinson6171 pim

[@GlaZim]

I love how Jeremy has 3 frames of getting hit animation and the rest are 200 frames of pure and detailed agony.

[@genericprotagonist2842]

The best part of the Jeremy gag is that he's a reference to a hypothetical that Zach posed to Chris and Tomar on Oneyplays during their playthrough of "Witch Hunt", where Zach asked the others how they would respond to an alien coming up to them and going "DUH, DUH DUH, DUH" while throwing his hands into your face, Zach and Chris both agreed simply that "I would punch him". I noticed it immediately because the alien hypothetical was one of ky favorite moments from Oneyplays at the time so i found it absolutely hysterical

[@michaelhegwood9977]

The fact that no one in the main cast can't be described as "cynical dick" or "exists to be dumped on" just elevates the show in so many different aspects.

[@DmitriDmitri]

No later-season Ricks and no Megs

[@karlazeen]

Whats the deal with these "finally its here" comments?

[@SorowFame]

@@karlazeen I think they’re bots, I’m not sure what the link is but probably don’t click it

[@DmitriDmitri]

@@karlazeen I think it's just a form of obnoxious guerilla marketing

[@DoctorCyan]

I love happiness!!!!!!

[@spoobini]

Unreal to say that one of the last roles Gilbert Gottfried ever played, was God on smiling friends.

[@Drekromancer]

Don't worry. I'm sure he's laughing his ass off in Heaven over this. 🙂

[@professionalballsinspector2006]

So basically he was portraying himself

[@spiralgodking9877]

@@professionalballsinspector2006 Yes, he was.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Rest in piece my dude. He’s god now

[@bromodo2773]

I'd like to think that he finished the voice acting and after seeing it on TV he was just like "Y'know what would be really fucking funny?"

[@purpseatpeeps8641]

I like how they only vaguely reference the fact that there are real-ish people alongside these weird freaks with a throw-away line Charlie says in the Salty’s episode: “Oh you’ve never been? Man I’ve been eating at this place since I was a homunculus.” And it’s just never referenced again.

[@jenny_therobot]

pim also says the same thing at some point, he's like "since I was a tadpole" like ok are you a frog then 😭

[@giorgiokowsar4803]

I really enjoyed the fact that they managed to implement jokes from Oneyplay keeping them funny in the context of the episode and giving a treat to old fans of Chris and Zach.

[@Megaflare47]

Examples like Zach always being animated as the guy with the big nose, the devil saying "exactly what I wanted actually"

[@ImNotKaleb]

Including Smormu as one of the main 5 smiling friends is fucking hilarious

[@JayExci]

thank you, not kaleb

[@garibaldibritann1240]

"Don't worry, Pim! I can show this to cheer you up" (starts dancing while singing Arabian Rift)

[@blevinprawnshakes]

Lada dee da doo lada dee da lee da doo

[@optillian4182]

@@garibaldibritann1240 "It's Smormu! You voted and we listened! This cannot be undone! Smormu is here to stay!"

[@mercury2157]

@@optillian4182 In Loving Memory Smormu James Carter

[@Jm-ki4su]

the best part about Smiling Friends is the unending wave of enthusiasm it has, never settling on pessimistic, nihilistic crap. desmond's glow up is still a dopamine shot for me.

[@braedzero8127]

Straight up my favorite part of the show, and it's such a breath of fresh air compared to other animated adult comedies in the past 10 years

[@ywoisug8845]

​@@Darth_Bateman pym lmao

[@deuce5546]

Rick and Morty but actually good

[@miserirken]

@@deuce5546 R&M fails at presenting nihilism and pessimism, yet rarely gave the audience any alternative to that. Yes, R&M has sometimes deconstructed nihilism, but then what? It gives you nothing to contrast. Just by existing by each other's side, Charlie and Pim both make a better job at presenting different views at different conflicts. And even the show itself goes further on this presenting Frowning Friends too.

[@James2005.]

Bro I ain’t even kidding Desmond’s big day out pry did more for me than a silent voice. Of course a silent voice is better because, I mean, just watch it. But it wasn’t quite like watching smiling friends and actually smiling afterwards.

[@Apowo16]

One of my favorite underappreciated parts of the Jeremy bit is that before he does his thing, Charlie looks genuinely worried for a moment and flinches when he starts waving his hands at him before realizing that's all he does

[@hkayakh]

12:35 if you look at the TV, you can actually see the alien do a spin

[@demonman905]

"And Smormu." Glad Jay remembered Smormu. After all, it cannot be undone!

[@theburningphoenix]

Yeah but Smormu died and didn't come back.

[@speaknoevil9197]

@@theburningphoenix they said that about Charlie but look what happened!

[@TimoIvvie]

Smormu went to heaven though, he died peacefully by dancing himself until he had a heart attack and died

[@cringepolice5658]

@@TimoIvvie no he did not. His body is beaten and bruised.

[@jhawkshaw]

R.I.P Smormu. Always in our hearts 💕😢 🙏

[@war2theren227]

The Brazil episode is one of the most realistic things I've seen in a cartoon. It really does feel like people just having a conversation.

[@loveydoveywomanH20]

Especially the way they pause the conflict for the waitress

[@iamchico]

Dude where can I watch the Brazil episode? I’ve literally searched far and wide.

[@helendamnation2611]

@@iamchico hbo max

[@antisocialnoel]

The way Mr. Boss spoke to them over the phone really felt like a real phone call you would have in this situation

[@war2theren227]

@@antisocialnoel It genuinely does, I wouldn't be surprised if they just called the VA and it was all improv'd

[@misssvets7728]

I very genuinely laughed at that “renaissance men” joke… it was actually refreshing to genuinely find something that off the wall but still grounded so funny

[@fluffcake]

This show is one of the greatest things to come out of the Adult Cartoon line. It doesn’t feel boring or Stale, it feels fresh and funny. That’s the great part, and also the fact it is made by Psychicpebbles is another magnificent indicator that this is gonna be funny.

[@askewman37]

One of my favorite jokes in this show is in the pilot during the scene with Pim’s family. It’s going horribly for a number of reasons and his sister’s boyfriend is just sitting there not saying or doing anything, which is funny on its own. Then out of nowhere, he pukes on the table. Not enough to make it a gross out gag, just to be something unexpected. But the best part is he hangs his head down in shame and says “Sorry. Sorry, I ruined it.” Something about him thinking that he somehow ruined this awful family dinner is just hilarious to me.

[@foxxxxx]

Hes also voiced by the creator of newgrounds which makes it funnier

[@samwallaceart288]

Yeah it's like Chad was actually nervous about meeting Amy's family

[@foxxxxx]

@@thebasedgodmax1163 ratio

[@theindie-vidual2188]

@@thebasedgodmax1163 Family guy would also linger on the joke and have him puke 4 times in a row interrupting characters whenever they try to call attention to it or try to steer away from it.

[@askewman37]

@@thebasedgodmax1163 The thing is though, it would be, because the Family Guy version of that joke would just have the vomiting go on for a full minute

[@choryllis6646]

One thing that I really loved about the Smormu joke is that, if you wait till the end of the credits, they show him in a casket saying he's dead. So there's an in-show explanation as to why he was voted in but never appeared more than once.

[@Ett.Gammalt.Bergtroll]

No doubt inspired by the Poochie bit in The Simpsons, lol.

[@tekaname4188]

And even better is the fact they don't use a frame from the scenes he's already been in as a picture, but a hyper detailed drawing of his corpse, eyes sunken and glossed over, color of his skin muted slightly, in an open mouth gasp, probably in the middle of rigor mortis.

[@BigAJ50000]

@@tekaname4188 he has a 2 inch layer of milk over his eyes

[@papaswench8161]

WHAT SMORMU DIES???

[@jffry890]

I keep hearing this but HBO Max's format actively works against the end credit jokes so I've never seen them.

[@werewolfclaws]

Watching Smiling Friends with my mother, of all people, and her going lightheaded from laughing so hard is an experience I've never had with an adult animation. I can't wait for season 2

[@Riken]

Not to mention Michael Cusack getting his start animating on KZbin and bringing in other KZbinrs as voice actors is incredibly nice little easter eggs for the first season. Glad he finally got a show been following his stuff for what seems like forever

[@ZonalMist]

There are so many shows where the comedy is just the show screaming "SEX!!!! THE JOKE IS SEX!!!! LAUGH!!!" at you Smiling friends is just a bunch of guys coming up with meme material and saying "fuck it, put that in the script"

[@wojak-sensei6424]

My personal description of the show is that it has the improv and absurdist comedy of classic Rick and Morty, the character dynamics and writing of SpongeBob, and the creative visuals of an OG Newgrounds production. Not a bad set of traits, if you ask me.

[@guycalledcookie]

actually i think a show actually saying that would be funnier than just being that

[@ZonalMist]

@@guycalledcookie honestly, I kinda agree. A parody show like that might be kinda funny.

[@voiceunderthecovers]

ugh.. meme material? That's how we're describing it?

[@ZonalMist]

@@voiceunderthecovers who's "we"?

[@James-od3hg]

Probably my favourite joke in the entire series is when Alan says that the Frowning Friends "have a better 401k". The nihilist company in this show, who constantly insist nothing matters and that everyone is going to die, provide a competitive retirement plan.

[@Mr_Original]

Now that's ironic.

[@BronzeAgePepper]

Well a lot of people endure jobs they don't like at corporations that dangle a retirement plan in front of them for decades like a carrot on a stick. In fact that sounds exactly like what Grim and Gnarly would say to convince their employees to enroll. "You're wasting your life, and all the pension money in the world won't buy you all those pointless years back, but you can at least do it for a company that's upfront about it."

[@redkingrauri3769]

On the subject of the character animation and designs, I adore what they did for Mip in the Enchanted Forest. Not only is he animated by Harry Partridge and given design and movement to emulate the Rankin Bass Hobbit movie, but Mip is the only character with a drop shadow as if he's made with physical animation cels. There's even a part where Mip is blurry where everybody else isn't because it's as if he never got a cel for that shot so they had to superimpose it with a faraway camera shot. That same episode has a witch who when flying away has her entire flight animation just be a tween follow a shaky path. And it's hilarious. I love Smiling Friends especially when the animation itself is the joke.

[@DAMIENDMILLS]

The best part of the Smormu joke is that you get a great pay off by staying til the end of the credits to see an in memorium for Smormu who apparently died right after the end of the episode. So Smormu WAS about to be a permanent character, but we never know when someone is about to die. Plus it looks like Smormu died horrifically.

[@frescopino7866]

One thing you didn't mention, and the reason why Jeremy is my favorite joke in the series, is how Charlie's punch seems to... Change Jeremy. He goes from doing an annoying high pitched sound to a distressingly real groan of pain, and the way he's animated as he folds in half almost makes him look like a 3d model of himself.

[@RyoIsamuGaming]

Not to mention it's not JUST that he's animated that way, its that he realistically reacts to how you would if you got the wind knocked out of you. You don't comically fall over - you would clutch, heave and just fold over. That's what makes the scene EVEN funnier.

[@expendableindigo9639]

It wasn’t a 3d model he’s just suddenly animated with more than 2 frames, which is indeed hilarious.

[@turtleofpride4572]

The sound always kills me.

[@Soapia99th]

For me it’s the fact he was originally only two frames, but after getting punched we see the most fluid, smoothest animation ever

[@turtleofpride4572]

@@Soapia99th the crumpling over was so realistic and visceral. Like you could feel Jeremy's pain.

[@swiftersunite]

That fact that Jeremy holds a grudge gives him more depth than most characters in Big Mouth

[@mcormier3934]

All*

[@RaynmanPlays]

My younger sister watches that show. When I was staying with her, I saw glimpses of it. I seriously wonder WTF is wrong with her that she would watch it. It is _so much worse_ than the jokes led me to believe it is.

[@Piper-yd5vr]

​@@RaynmanPlaysKids around ages 12 and below watch anything, man. It's unbelievable, but that's how god awful kid's youtube channels make millions of dollars. Loud/edgy = funny to most kids. My evidence to back this up is myself btw, I was one of those kids. Not proud of it

[@RaynmanPlays]

@@Piper-yd5vr She was 32 when I was staying with her. And it 100% is _not_ a kids' show. Big Mouth is about middle schoolers being horny and having sex with each other.

[@skullingtonturtle8080]

@@RaynmanPlaysglad there’s more people like me out there with that opinion on Big Mouth. But I’m also on a fringe with how much I hate ‘I Think You Should Leave’, ‘Robot Chicken’ or The Eric Andre Show. It’s all so tryhard, so exaggerated, so derivative of actual funny shows.

[@horaciomanzo9076]

The soda cup guy from the murder mystery episode was pretty funny especially when he took out his costume showing his real physique like his neck is really freaking long and that his body is literally the shape of a soda cup

[@shiddyangler]

What I love about Smiling Friends is how truly unpredictable and unexplainable every character is. In typical shows where there are unique species or creatures that have human-like characteristics, there’s an explanation of how they came to be or a running joke to remind you that they’re different. Smiling Friends just throws in any possible character with zero explanation. And other characters co-mingle and don’t miss a beat when interacting with them, making it even more bizarre and hilarious.

[@williamdaviddiazcuchimaque7511]

Es como un show más o gumball

[@sn000by]

Hello! I had the pleasure of working on smiling friends as an animator, I actually animated Jeremy getting punched!! It was (clearly) my favourite shot on the show, and I put my whole back into it, so I'm super proud and glad people love it so much!!

[@apeescapefan]

thank you for making that scene all the more better

[@GrumpyTy34er]

Okay, but Smormu lost the Electoral vote. Why is he there

[@sn000by]

@@GrumpyTy34er gerrymandering

[@gettlo5]

Fucking awesome man. We appreciate you.

[@sn000by]

@@gettlo5 Thank you!! 🥰

[@MartinHindenes]

Mr. Frog might be the scariest character I've seen in a show. He's just so unpredictable and violent, and he acts so quickly with less animation keyframes than anyone else so you don't even have time to react before he's done something horrible.

[@Am_Qtip]

I legit thought I was the only one that thought this

[@benitoswagolini3410]

Yeah I would never want to go within a ten kilometre radius of mister frog.

[@puppysect]

Mr. Frog did nothing wrong.

[@MartinHindenes]

@@puppysect I mean he inflicted pain on several characters and he ate his former boss. But other than that, he's a pretty chill frog.

[@kamatariedgar3603]

@@MartinHindenes i mean, he said @#$-& @$$&_$4& @#$& on national TV...

[@CDR_Droid]

I hate how I noticed that the Rubik's cube at 15:24 is unsolvable.

[@Bleacherzzz]

He's working on it chill out bro

[@p.blacktrees]

my ex showed me smiling friends right before leaving me for another guy. painfully funny is an understatement

[@vincikeeper1581]

I hope you're feeling better, man

[@humansadness3749]

my favorite moment in this show is when grim says “eradicate the puerto ricans!” to a cheering crowd and the entire crowd completely stops like ‘huh?’ and ONE guy says ‘what did he say?’ as clear as ever it had me crying

[@robokid20001]

That one guy was voiced by Nial who is actually Puerto Rican too lol.

[@Hevymin]

@@robokid20001 You mean Lyle.

[@3kojimbles895]

@@robokid20001 and the Christianity was right all along joke, zach made tomar say. the famous Jewish one man genocide

[@robokid20001]

@@Hevymin Yeah, I'm just a dunce

[@nicholascage3400]

@@3kojimbles895 Still doesn't compare to Officer "we have to get these monkies off our streets" Tomar.

[@erikm8373]

The Renaissance Men gag is good, but my favorite natural conversation style joke in the series is Alan following the mouse that took his precious piece of cheese into the walls of the office, where there's just some guy on his computer, insistent that Alan is being weird about the situation and it was rude to come in without knocking.

[@colorblockpoprocks6973]

isn't that Gumball Watterson?

[@exetone]

​@@colorblockpoprocks6973no it's nick wolfhard

[@creatorofanimation]

​@@exetoneIt's actually Finn Wolfhard, I think Nick does the voices of some of the blibblies

[@nicodavis5019]

Favorite Joke hands down and it was voiced by Finn Wolfhard

[@WobblesandBean]

Yeah, that guy was being legit sus though. What was he hiding?

[@Baby-Snatcher]

Smiling Friends feels more like a KZbin Shitpost than an actual show and it’s amazing

[@jhonhenry9056]

It was Made by og KZbin shitposters

[@LactaytheCow]

Smiling Friends is like if The Regular Show and Gumball had a child that loved adult humor

[@slanderman92]

Smiling Friends reminds me of The Amazing World of Gumball. Its the only other show i’ve seen that uses completely different styles and animation methods to portray it’s supporting cast. And both shows do it to great affect

[@chimpsimp9879]

fucking love both of these shows

[@Josh0639]

courage the cowardly dog did it too and chowder i think

[@AbstraktNG]

When I watched smiling friends I thought “this is gumball but for adults”. They both are so random and have unique and funny jokes

[@BincentFifth]

It's like taking all the good parts of Gumball, Regular Show, and something like Uncle Grandpa and mashing it together and sending it through adult swim.

[@Catnado_22]

The amazing world of gumball but for adults. Adult swim is apart of Cartoon Network too.

[@liammaddox6833]

One moment that made me laugh the most was Charlie and Pim being genuinely impressed by the witch's onion cutting skills whilst they were being cooked

[@Rise65487]

Probably because that reaction was extremely relatable, I literally had the same reaction hen I saw her do it It's all about expectations, You know they're probably not in any danger, and they thought the same So since you don't have any expectations for what is about to happen, you immediately react to the first thing that deserve a reaction, So once she start cutting theses onions, the only thing you can really think of is how good she is at it Which is also why both Pim and Charlie had the same reaction

[@doublebassman123]

The Renaissance Men is fucking genius.

[@ziwuri]

@@Rise65487 No, I think it's funny because they don't know they have plot armor so they're probably thinking they're actually gonna get eaten. But they still take a moment to admire the witch's cooking skills.

[@justaguyonyoutube4592]

@@Rise65487 Hey, it’s you lmao

[@merucrypoison296]

Controversial unpopular option: hellbenders is a million times better than smiling friends I’m sorry

[@Speed-TV]

I thought gumball was the only possible combination of a multi-media comedy show, but I stand corrected

[@mxsmitzz2235]

8:53 pause on the news shot and just look at mr frog. Absolute menace

[@nateds7326]

This show taught me the importance of line delivery. The line "ah we were RIGHT THERE MAN" isn't even that funny on paper but Zach Hadel's delivery made me laugh my ass off, and I bet everyone who saw this show read that in his voice.

[@lukewuzhere1000]

I think it's because you can feel and relate to his frustration, like it makes sense. Ever been close to a goal only to get set even further back than where you started? Shit, I don't think you'd even have to have that happen to you to understand it.

[@th3d3wd3r]

Zachs delivery on anything is fucking hilarious tbh. Two moments from oneyplays is when he gets jump scared in a game and responds "You cheap MOTHERFUCKER", kills me every time. That and his nonchalant "Jimmy Carter just killed himself"

[@pingucrimson750]

Just had a heart attack when I saw the “painfully” and “smiling friends”. Very glad you enjoyed it!

[@zach_is_wach]

Was about to be like, YOUVE CROSSED A LINE!

[@JacobMcBaggins]

Ahh, so you were given a basic, known premise to start with that soon ended with an absurd comedic twist. Sounds like Smiling Friends

[@theirishpotato6588]

Same. Painfully funny is a rare word combo.

[@vincentgiovanni3300]

Broooo sameeee

[@kazzajaxon7566]

Why would you care? Jay has had bad takes before, if she didn't like a show that you did would it really matter all that much?

[@FriendlySerial]

the way the characters actually sound like they are just talking makes it one of my favorite shows that i’ve seen lol

[@Daryom]

I love this show man, you didn't mentioned it but the voice acting its also so on point, there are tons of funny quotes that by themselves arent that funny, but how they deliver them its just hilarious, like that part where Pim tells a story with his dad and Charlie ends the joke with a deadass "Wait, you kiss your dad on the mouth?" It just shows how important are the little details, you don't need to make a super clever joke with a great punchline that makes you roll on the ground of laughter. One of my favorite scenes on the show is when they met Desmond for the first time, while Pim is talking there is an "animation error" on the lenght of his head nerve, which is actually noticed by Charlie, who quickly turns to see Pim but when he already has full focus on him, the error is gone, which leads to a few seconds of Charlie being visually confused, looking out for whatever he saw and then just giving up on that. As you mentioned, it's just so funny seing how they react so realistic to certain things when their whole environment its absurd.

[@anthonybonetti9979]

I like how Pim has the biggest eyes in the show because he’s a wide eyed optimist. The designs are great

[@ShadeStormXD]

and when he is utterly defeated and pushed in pessimism they shrivel up like raisins

[@keltzar1]

Meanwhile Charlie has the tiniest beady eyes.

[@NickJamNG]

might not be entirely intentional, but from a front-on view he looks the most like the smiling friends logo, but colors wise charlie is closer.

[@ExpandDong420]

@@NickJamNG and that's why they're partners

[@LeatherNinja]

And how Charlie has beady soulless eyes because he's a rust player

[@Freak-And-Oddity]

That one clip of hoops being paused and the word "cock" slowly moving up onto the screen as rock music played is funnier than the entirety of hoops combined

[@Ett.Gammalt.Bergtroll]

Only time I bust out laughing at anything Hoops-related.

[@namemcnamerton4249]

The vice grip garage music makes it.

[@thesuccessmindset8608]

This literally had me dying 😂😂😂

[@botondhetyey159]

It's like how that Duke Nukem meme was soulless and unfunny, but the absurdist meme reneissance around it is amazing.

[@vlassispolitis-a]

There's nothing to combine

[@shiraso7706]

it's like the whole thing was animated by the guy who made "GET OUT OF MY CAR NOW"

[@UwULilyKitsune]

it was (well not entirely alone but hes the guy)

[@shiraso7706]

OMG seriously?? thx for the info :D@@UwULilyKitsune

[@UwULilyKitsune]

@@shiraso7706 im pleasantly surprised this wasnt a woosh thing, but yeah, psychicpebbles is one of the creators of the show and voice actor of charlie, he also used to be on oney plays, funny guy

[@shiraso7706]

loll nah i was being serious i really didn't know but i love this animation so much i couldn't help but notice how similar it was to his style! thanks for letting me know, i love this show even more now!@@UwULilyKitsune

[@spongekitkat0422]

The fact that the different art styles are from the creators that I watched during their og youtube cartoon days, is absolutely amazing. 10 yrs ago, like I'd never imagined that a random youtube animator would get a show on adultswim. The more I watch this show, the more I recognize another youtuber animator I'm a huge fan of

[@guldmattbb473]

Something I think is nice about Charlie as a character is that his realistic and down to earth personality actually does help with his job. They could’ve easily made him just cynical and not care at all, but they actually show he does have his own method at helping cheer people up. Pim is more about optimism and positive affirmations with his style, whereas Charlie usually tries to more focus on fixing an area of the person’s life. While Pim tries to help Shrimp get Shrimpina back, for example, Charlie tries to help him improve his appeal by taking him to the gym or helping him pick out new clothes. Or you see him try to explain to Satan that vaping and eating fast food all the time is hurting his happiness since he’s becoming so reliant on quick dopamine fixes, whereas I’m sure Pim would’ve instead tried to help him remember what makes him happy and why he loves doing his job if he was the one in that situation. It’s kinda cool seeing how their approaches to making people smile differ based on their personalities, but both have genuinely good methods in doing so that match well with what we know about them

[@gargles5270]

i love this analysis 💖

[@D0NU75]

Yeah basically a good foil can go a long way. Most good villains and heroes have this relationship as well, they both have a goal but completely different methods that more often than not clash; Reed Richards wants world peace, Dr Doom wants world order. Superman wants to empower people to make a better world, Lex Luthor uses his power over people to construct the better world he wants. Or the most classic example everyone knows, Batman and Joker playing around each other to prove a point; that people is defined by hardship. Sadly nowadays these challenging interactions get lost in political correctness because "writers" often like to bias their characters so much that we are told who are the bad ones and who are the good ones but we are never **shown** why.

[@WobblesandBean]

Pim is the guy at the office who loves his job WAY too much. Charlie is the guy who just shows up to get a paycheck.

[@sovviedan6791]

20:12 This show's idea of a great running gag is literally so boring and unfunny that the magenta word cock slowly appearing to a sick guitar riff is significantly funnier

[@Crosroad]

To be fair that’s a high bar to clear, “magenta word cock slowly appearing to guitar riff” is a pretty good one

[@wendigoe]

still not funny tho but you are right

[@NamePending878]

@@wendigoe it's not supposed to be

[@yates3815]

I mean it's magenta

[@cashbanooka5642]

I'd be laughing my ass off at a cock with guitar solo just because my humor is more broken than Cyberpunk 2077 at launch

[@AmbrociousXP]

Zach (Psychicpebbles) (yellow guy with a huge nose) did one hell of an excellent job in this show. Looking forward to a season 2-20.

[@ga1actic_muffin]

Describing Charlie as a "Rust player" is the most perfect description of his character. Nothing more said is needed lol

[@divfede]

"And Alan just wants his fucking cheese." Don't know why but I just laughed so much

[@standardhuman8675]

he just wanted his cHEEESEEE

[@bloodood406]

“I just wanted my _CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE.”_

[@Dog.This_Identifier_Is_Shit.]

Ah yes, Alan our beloved

[@Ahhh_01]

Why would you laugh? What's soooo funni about Alan wanting his FUCKING cheese back!?

[@Nobody-qk4xu]

You're laughing, Alan wants his fucking cheese and you're laughing

[@yurtthesilentgod1225]

Thank goodness this show was made. Frog man moving around always killed me.

[@hectorbarrera8046]

And that lady in the end.

[@kyon813]

Hello, heh heh...

[@mercury2157]

@@hectorbarrera8046 and the producer

[@spookyghost2689]

If Charlie had said “I’m almost there, I’m really glad I won’t be seeing any more of Jeremy” then it would be on the level of the Chicago party aunt clip about the bathroom

[@mrrobs673]

15:45 every turn Glep does on the cube, doesn’t change anything, that also made the scene funny for me

[@B1gSc4ry]

My favorite scene is when Glep is sleeping on the bean bag. He looks so relaxed and makes me feel relaxed lmao

[@WonderlustThing]

Glep, the Shrimp, Mr. Frog, Alan and Jeremy are my favorite lol

[@I_am_a_cat_]

Anything with Glep is the best

[@gormpus]

He's such a cutey pie in that scene

[@draggyboi2681]

I also like that in the episode with Mr. Frog, the reason he got into all that trouble to begin with WASN'T that he TRIED to eat that TMZ reporter But that he FAILED to eat the TMZ reporter Which I find infinitely funnier

[@bloodhoundo9320]

Imagine if he actually ate him, and people just go ‘Oh.’

[@LordVader1094]

@@bloodhoundo9320 I mean it's a TMZ reporter, it's entirely justified.

[@bloodhoundo9320]

@@LordVader1094 true.

[@chriswestergaard4506]

REMEMBER: The audience cheered when Mr Frog ate the TV producer

[@gargles5270]

the shock blanket on the tmz reporter was a beautiful touch

[@EJaDav]

That pink “Cock” text gag was funnier then the entirety of Hoops

[@RaynmanPlays]

19:58 This sounds like the setup for a different joke about flexibility, and if the writers had any flexibility, maybe the punchline would have actually been funny.

[@brevin630]

I find it very funny that you say "the five Smiling Friends", and you'd expect one of them to be the boss, but no, its Smormu, the guy who dies in the same episode as hes introduced.

[@standardhuman8675]

it could not be undone!

[@loudris442]

@@standardhuman8675 Smormu is her to stay

[@renatogomezfaundez8019]

i like how the frowning friends episode shows how nihilism tends to lead to facist ideologies for some strange reason

[@CollinMcLean]

Well not quite. One of the biggest figures in the philosophical school of Nihilism was Nietzsche, who in his mid 40s suffered a fall and lost much of his mental faculties. Now for clarification Nietzsche was anti-nationalism, anti-authoritarianism, and was against antisemitism, he would've hated everything about the Nazi Regime had he lived to see it. However he was in the care of his sister towards the end of his life. She heavily edited his later writings and published them to promote a German national identity to the point that it was full of contradictions. This resulted in Nietzsche's work being co-opted by German nationalist after WWI and eventually Hitler... and also apparently Richard Nixon...

[@ptolem139]

@@CollinMcLean Nietzsche was vehemently anti nihilism. He literally constantly spoke out against it. And fascists also tend to be extremely against nihilism.

[@chickennuggetpaw]

I do like it’s commentary on nihilism though, as I very much disagree with almost everything about nihilism. Like, the whole premise of nihilism is that nothing in life really matters, (which I do half-believe) but wouldn’t that mean that therefore people shouldn’t worry so much about the meaning of life and just try to be good people? Not that nothing matters therefore let’s reject all principles and not care anymore. Maybe my definition of nihilism is confused, but most of the encounters I’ve had with nihilism are people using it as an excuse to do whatever they want with no consequences.

[@dearthunderstorm4062]

“Nietzsche is a nihilist”

[@CollinMcLean]

​@@chickennuggetpaw You actually kind of inadvertently got the idea right, sort of, philosophy is a pretty jumbled mess but I'd say you're in the ballpark. What you're normally encountering is a bastardized version of edgelord Nihilism, the "I identify with Rick Sanchez" brand of nihilism. That is to nihilism what "survival of the fittest" is to Darwin's theory of evolution, entirely wrong but so close to the idea that it would be indistinguishable to someone who only takes a surface level glance.

[@remyrat3992]

Smiling Friends is fr just the Amazing World of Gumball but as an adult swim cartoon with some memes and it's amazing.

[@Hlecktro]

Watching Jeremy doubling over in pain after Charlie punches him is the funniest shit ever.

[@ryukrocks8843]

Not gonna lie, the scenes of them just sitting in the break room and talking like normal people are some of the funniest to me, it just feels so real. Like something you would just hear in an everyday situation but It just throws me.

[@raddaradda3996]

Then you'd love the podcast the creator/voice of Charlie was on. SleepyCabin

[@robertlee2092]

I don’t know why but one of my favourite line deliveries in the show is the very normal looking woman saying “My name is Jennifer!” after Pim asks her if her name is Shrimpina.

[@dickenba11s]

the way she looses her accent IMMEDIATELY always gets me its so perfect

[@kyon813]

"I Have Never Met This Woman. Where Is Shrimpina?" "I dunno, man, I dunn--at home, maybe?"

[@kreatona4219]

My favorite delivery is "Her name is shrimpina... she'd be a shrimp"

[@thrillcollectors]

I love the detail of the little sound queue that happens whenever they get someone to smile. It kinda makes it seem magical

[@KcinTelliam4595]

Incredible editing. Matching up your VO with the BRoll lip flap is pretty genius.

[@jennyholiday88]

Ah yes- Neilism; the enlightened form of being in which one accepts Neil Cicierega as God

[@standardhuman8675]

so, the one correct belief? (/lh)

[@gran.kahuna]

I would like to join your church

[@LorePlayingGame]

Fuck, I thought it was about Neil Breen ! You're telling me his movies aren't autobiographic ?

[@jennyholiday88]

@@LorePlayingGame while Neil Breen is god, Neil Cicerga is the only one who could kill god

[@gargles5270]

my favorite part of the smormu joke is “this cannot be undone!”. the delivery is perfect, his stupid “dada dee dada doo”, this show is just a fucking work of art

[@kyon813]

How Charlie _immediately_ gets sick of it and just dips while Shrimp and not!Shrimpina are still making out

[@SevenThirteen]

Not to mention at the end credits the "in loving memory" bit IS smormu who apparently died of asphyxiation

[@grezledragon]

stumbled across this like a week ago and just want to say the gag of jeremy caught me so well that i now use him as a thought-stopper. it's very hard to stay focused on my depression spiral with the noise of BLELHELHELHEEH interrupting as abruptly as he does in the show

[@stephanniemorin]

Thats...actually pretty effective

[@who_be_dis8356]

The artstyle choices kinda remind me of Amazing World of Gumball, in that the artstyle varies based on the charecters portrayed.

[@ellagage1256]

I love the scene where Pim's hair strand grows for literally no reason for like half a second, and Charlie notices it but isn't really sure if it happened or not. All the humour is in the way it's animated

[@JoesephRobinetteBidenJr]

Where???

[@ellagage1256]

@@JoesephRobinetteBidenJr Same scene being shown in the thumbnail kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHOtqoGLlL6fprs happens around 0:15

[@JoesephRobinetteBidenJr]

@@ellagage1256 ty

[@bfgfanatic1747]

It's actually an exposed nerve ending.

[@Whightknight16]

That isn't hair it's just an exposed nerve ending

[@DruidPC]

What I like about Smiling Friends is that it's like The Amazing World of Gumball for adults, also it's made by a friend group who are all genuinely friends, instead of a random set of people who barely know each other shoved together, and it shows.

[@yoswayd5520]

When Smiling Friends came out I watched it all that night on adult swim and wasn’t able to sleep because of how much I kept thinking about it. I wasn’t even tired that next day because of how happy I was

[@axson8]

The fact that the Jeremy Joke exists because Zach wanted to see a 2007 grainy video of Jimmy neutrons dad being punched by a ex-marine to the point of him snoring is big comedy.

[@th3d3wd3r]

Plus the obnoxious alien shouting "duh duh duh" while flailing his hands in your face. Really what this story shows is how much of a fucking monster Tomar is.

[@chucky_music]

Evidence pls

[@pissfrog]

@@chucky_music you’re asking someone to sift through hours of let’s play content to find you a clip

[@chucky_music]

@@pissfrog yes

[@amneenja5720]

​@@pissfrog did you find it

[@wtflol3657]

You mentioned only two layers of the Smormu joke. There's still a few, and they're all goddamn hilarious. - The fact you just have to text "Smormu" to vote for him and you have to type the long-winded "No I really really really don't want Smormu" to vote against him means the poll is rigged. Despite this, it's still a hilariously close vote. - The "I'm with her" shirt Smormu wears plus the election result being the electoral college is a hard jab against Hillary Clinton - As another jab to Hillary Clinton AND as another nod that the poll was rigged, Smormu LOST the electoral vote, but the announcer says he won anyways because he led the popular vote. - The announcer straight up says "This cannot be undone" as if Smormu being added was now an unavoidable calamity that is already in motion - Despite ALL of this, Smormu fucking dies in the end credits and is shown in the "In loving memory" running gag at the end of the credits, meaning this entire fucking thing was completely and utterly pointless. God this fucking show is amazing.

[@avian1799]

Plus the Smormu Memorial Shot featured a Photo of his literal corpse, as if they didn’t have enough respect for him to use a picture of him being alive

[@janinecat1865]

There is more deep lore in the Oney Plays universe

[@Dovah_Slayer]

Oh yeah I remembered that

[@maxkordon]

@@Dovah_Slayer sick dude

[@kokubo399]

wait how is it a jab against hillary clinton if she lost

[@blu7384]

7:20 this shot with no context alone is funnier than the hundreds of copy paste adult comedy animated series

[@navyntune8158]

You forgot to mention that Smormu immediately fucking dies offscreen after he's introduced

[@christopherauzenne5023]

26:00 another thing that adds to the smormu joke, the announcer says the change cannot be undone but after the end credits we see a "in memory of" for smormu meaning he died somewhere between the end credits which are less then 30 seconds and the image they picked of him is his not freshly dead corps from the morgue showing as little respect for him

[@BigMikeMcBastard]

RIP in Peace Smormu fly fly

[@lavender_XP]

smormu james carter, more than a friend he was family to me fly high smormu, fly high

[@Electricdynamite]

"The five smiling friends Pim, Charlie, Glep, Alan and Smormu." he gets it.

[@benitoswagolini3410]

Smormu! You voted and we listened!

[@LoganWH8]

R.I.P. Smormu, gone but not forgotten.

[@nickthomas7983]

This killed me

[@ayakkoblake2887]

@@benitoswagolini3410 This cannot be undone

[@benitoswagolini3410]

@@ayakkoblake2887 smormu is here to stay!

[@KIDdyW25]

Eyyy, I appreciate the Jeopardy clip there when talking about the Smormu joke. I loved that show, and was so sad to find out there was never any physical sales of the series that I could get and no streaming service had it in its catalogue. (Although, there is a sneaky KZbin channel that has the whole series so I’m happy)

[@sirusd.mankey1838]

I think smiling friends, amazing world of gumball, chowder, flapjack and a few others are so memorable because of how they experiment and take risks with comedic timing and art style respectively. Taking a lot of inspiration from shows like courage the cowardly dog and grim adventures of billy and Mandy.

[@ChatterboxFM]

What I love most about this series is how genuine Pim, Charlie, Alan, and Glep feel. I know it sounds fucking weird, especially from an incredibly creative (and funny) shit-post of a show, but they all seem to enjoy each other’s company. Like nothing feels mean-spirited in their daily interactions with each other.

[@daboshi]

Don’t forget about Smormu

[@ChatterboxFM]

@@daboshi THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE

[@chickennuggetpaw]

I know right! They found the right balance where the characters are able to rag on each other a little without it coming off like they hate each other. They interact like real minimum wage employees would.

[@sulsulii810]

I just finished the series and this is definitely best exemplified in the Brazil episode. Like, you can tell Alan and Charlie are upset Pim didn’t book the hotel, but you also believe them when they say they’re not mad at him. They can see their friend apologetic and distressed about something he genuinely didn’t understand, and they can’t be upset at him because of that.

[@michaelhegwood9977]

"I've seen way worse stuff on the internet" is something that needs to be in every obnoxious full of itself piece of art

[@wordsoflove8787]

The Smormu joke is even funnier when you consider the end-credits gag of him just fucking dying and how they use a picture of him straight out of the morgue for it. God I love this show.

[@ibendover4817]

Fun fact... smiling friends was partially funded by taxfunds in victoria, Australia as part of one of their film programs, but was geoblocked from being streamed in Australia which is kinda funny. We had to use a vpn to watch it.

[@mad_the_monk]

Such a good show - so glad Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack made such a masterpiece - they deserve all the success they have!

[@fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish]

smiling friends is just as bad as paradise pd how do people like it

[@chasesallegory738]

@@fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish Actually baiting

[@miserirken]

@@fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish maidenless behaviour.

[@singingat]

@@fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish _🤡_

[@fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish]

@@chasesallegory738 no im not the show sucks