Pickle and Peanut: Bad, but not as bad as you think. Plus, a new archetype!

10:22 AM · May 21, 2021 "friendship is between a man and a man"

Pickle and Peanut... I've seen this cartoon get so much flack. It's the worst cartoon ever. It's as bad as Teen Titans Go, or Problem Solverz, or that cartoon that you, specifically, hate. And I don't think it's really that deserved...

I don't like Pickle and Peanut, but I don't hate it either.

The best way to describe Pickle and Peanut is 2010s stoner comedy for kids, and really, that alone should tell you if you're going to like the show or not.

9:58 AM · May 21, 2021 "Peanuts friend the drug dealer"
10:23 AM · May 21, 2021 "this show is kind of gross ngl but i wasn't expecting it to be about two friendly stoners"
4:33 PM · May 21, 2021 "pickle and peanut feels like it fits that genre of like. weird alien race learning about human culture but like. they're kind of zooted while doing so."
3:38 PM · May 24, 2021 "scalding take but pickle and peanut could be an adult cartoon if you just change a little of the language. themes are already pretty "adult" by which i mean a 12 year old would think WOW"

For me, it's a bit of a mixed bag. If you recall from my review of Clerks, I'm a bit hot and cold on stoner comedies myself, even though I'm a huge stoner. (Honestly, when I'm stoned, I'd rather be watching something kind of subdued, like King of the Hill or a certain Disney Junior cartoon we haven't touched upon yet.)

I think one of the biggest criticisms it received, at least in the youtube reviewer communities where it was most panned, is how it panders to young children and what they think is cool, but personally? I found that to be one of the show's most charming aspects.

9:52 AM · May 21, 2021 "i love the pickle and peanut theme like it's so fucking out of date it's like im watching scooby doo"

And at the same time, is there a single show here that isn't pandering to the youths in some way? Kids love superheroes. And princesses. And magic. And talking animals. And action. And memes. Hell, this is the channel known for its nonsensical IP ties! There's stuff like Descendants and 7D that play into the relative fanservice idea I see often. Stuff that plays with themes like Twisted Wonderland. And stuff that is only vaguely related like the Mighty Ducks. Hell, I just made a post about Miles from Tomorrowland and its own vague ties to Tomorrowland. Maybe a young child won't realize the fanservice, but the Disney Adult parents who love Magic Kingdom certainly will!

The other big issue I see discussed in Pickle and Peanut is grossout, which I won't necessarily deny, but it's less grossout in the traditional sense, and more a 2010s sort of grossout that deals in crappy CGI. Think about that time. This was the era of Jimmy Neutron Happy Family Happy Hour, and that's kind of the vibe I got from some of the grossout in Pickle and Peanut. Maybe also combined with the sort of zoomed in grossout you see in Spongebob and Flapjack.

10:00 AM · May 21, 2021 "Dude gave his falcon pecs"
10:30 AM · May 21, 2021 "this so called sweet boy horrifies me"

 

 

 

 

 

 

11:02 AM · May 21, 2021 "CAR WITH HUMAN FACE."
4:53 PM · May 21, 2021 "there's so much i like and dislike about pickle and peanut. it's got a timon and pumba kind of vibe but like. better....most of the shows i like and hate aspects of go in C but im not sure with pickle and peanut. the aspects of it i hate give me real visceral disgust"
7:18 AM · May 22, 2021 "how do i describe the way humans are drawn in pickle and peanut without alienating people"
3:03 PM · May 24, 2021 "pickle and peanut grosses me out and then i see something cute like how this show does its distance shots for the main characters"

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few jokes rubbed me the wrong way and made me feel sick, but at the same time, I don't really mind that much. They're just not jokes for me. Except the one joke where an episode starts off with Pickle and Peanut getting accused of pedophilia. That one sucked.

3:34 PM · May 24, 2021 "pickle and peanut has made me feel such intense emotions we go from a really funny little ep with danny pudi as a youtuber who jumps over bikes making friends to a weird thinly veiled mistaken for pedophiles joke?"

I will admit though, "Bike Jumper" is a hell of an episode. Pickle and Peanut meet their hero, a relatively unpopular youtuber named Bike Jumper who jumpers over bikes. But when Bike Jumper gets injured, Peanut has to take the reigns. It's a pretty sweet episode, and it really shows off how nice of guys Pickle and Peanut can be. 

Honestly, they kind of reminded me of Timon and Pumbaa, or even Shnookums and Meat!

7:20 AM · May 22, 2021 "the way pickle and peanut is character wise is basically like a better shnookums and meat. it's a similar dynamic but both are a little more subdued and i think they all fear god"
7:20 AM · May 22, 2021 "actually. shnookums and meat fear god pickle and peanut fear eternity or the lack of a god."
7:21 AM · May 22, 2021 "the point is i've become less believing in a god since this watch started and this represents it."

If you recall, in the Doug post, I discussed an archetype I called the Doug archetype, which describes a type of protagonist Disney made in the late 90s into the aughts. I think there's a similar sort of archetype for when it's two characters, which I've called "The Timon and Pumbaa."

12:38 PM · May 22, 2021 "god i am rotating pickle and peanut in my mind like it is a very sound duo to be shown on disney it fits well with their other duos and i find myself comparing and contrasting..."
12:39 PM · May 22, 2021 "i think similar to the doug there's another concept that may best be described as "the timon and pumbaa""
12:41 PM · May 22, 2021
"-two (generally) male characters
-one is generally smaller/skinnier/weaker and "the ideas guy." shows genuine care for the other, even if a bit selfish
-the other is big, not necessarily stupid, but thinks differently. the more sensitive one
-uncool and hated
-tormented by god"

And yeah, they fit the bill. Honestly, it's a little surprising how uncool these guys are in universe, because they seem like pretty friendly and chill dudes, but they're really treated like shit... And I have to wonder... is it supposed to be relatable? Is a kid supposed to relate to this? Because for an adult like me it just throws me for a loop and has for a while.

3:44 PM · May 19, 2021 "why do characters in disney shows have to be bullied they have No reason to be bullied. it's stupid. i blame doug."
3:46 PM · May 19, 2021 "what do you have to be bullied for when you are the savior of a planet. what do you have to be bullied for when you're like. a college or older aged adult (presumably). what do you have to be bullied for when you are literally kim possible?"

Pickle and Peanut is also the third cartoon created by Noah Z Jones for Disney. I haven't really made as big a deal about him as I have Craig Gerber or Jim Jinkins for example, but I think it's worth noting. Pickle and Peanut is definitely the weakest of the three, but you can really see his humor from the other two shine through, though not quite as held up by the crew as it is in the other two shows

4:08 PM · May 19, 2021 "pickle and peanut DOES have a lot of the energy fish hooks has.... you know how i point out the stylistic similarities to WOY in both dt17 and spop..... i think fish hooks has something similar w/ pickle and peanut and the 7d"
4:10 PM · May 19, 2021 "pickle and peanut does make me wish i was watching fish hooks tho so i dont think i can rank it higher than c tier going forward."

It's worth noting Noah Z Jones also created Almost Naked Animals. I have never seen the show, but take it as you will! And maybe let me know if it's worth checking out, considering my varied opinions of his shows.

also uh gender.

10:25 AM · May 21, 2021 "peanut thinks about gender in a cis way"
10:27 AM · May 21, 2021 "peanut will dress like super gnc and wear a wig and makeup for fun but will yell at anyone who calls him anything but a boy and i wish it was saying something more than peanut is mistaken for a woman"
11:06 AM · May 23, 2021 "god you COULD make a trans argument for pickle and peanut i HATE IT but you could."

Overall Rating of Pickle and Peanut: D Tier