The Oblongs
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The Oblongs is a cartoon television program, intended mostly for adults and teenagers. It was created by Angus Oblong and is very loosely based on a series of characters he introduced in a picturebook entitled Creepy Susie & 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children.
The show centers around the antics of a family who live in a poor valley community, and as a result of extreme pollution and radiation, are all severely handicapped and deformed. The pollution is the direct result of the lavish lifestyle of a rich community known as "the Hills", who continue to exploit and harm the valley residents, with little regard for their safety or well being.
The show was heavily criticised for its apparent mocking of the disabled, but the show's producers have rejected such accusations, saying that The Oblongs instead portrays the disabled in an honest, non-patronizing manner. Indeed, the show rarely focuses on the character's disablities and instead is mostly about the Oblong family's adventures in dealing with common problems of modern living. Much of the humor comes not from the fact that the characters are handicapped, but rather from their often overly eager attempts to overcome their physical disadvantages. As well, the Oblongs are portrayed as a generally happy family, and usually display good values.
It was aired in the Fall of 2001 on The WB; it was not very popular, and only lasted one season. (When shown in Australia in 2003, the show was pulled in the middle of the first episode.) Later, it was picked up and shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim segment and Teletoon. It is aired on TBS Superstation starting 2005.
Characters
- Bob Oblong, the father, who was born without any arms or legs and works at a poison factory. He can drive vehicles like any other person. Voice: Will Ferrell
- Pickles Oblong, the chain-smoking, alcoholic mother, who was originally a Hill resident, but moved to the valley after meeting Bob. All her hair has since fallen out, and she is now regarded as an outcast by her former Hill friends. Voice: Jean Smart
- Milo Oblong, the middle child, who is afflicted with numerous mental and social conditions, including everything from attention deficit disorder to diabetes. Voice: Pamela Segall
- Chip and Biff Oblong, teenage conjoined twins who are attached at the waist. Voices: Randy and Jason Sklar
- Beth Oblong, the youngest child, who has an odd pink pickle-shaped tumor growing out of her head. Voice: Jeannie Elias
Other characters include George Klimer, Bob's rich Hill boss, The Debbies, a gang of annoying and similar-looking teenage girls, and Suzie, Helga (an Eric Cartman-like character), Mikey, and Peggy, Milo's odd and unpopular friends.
External links
- The Oblongs (http://www.angusoblong.net/theoblongs.html) - Official website.