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Aqua Teen Hunger Force
The Aqua Teen Hunger Force logo
Genre	Animation Comedy
Created by	Matt Maiellaro Dave Willis
Voices of	Dana Snyder Carey Means Dave Willis
Narrated by	Schoolly D (2000-2003)
Theme music composer	Schoolly D
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	68 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Keith Crofford Mike Lazzo
Producer(s)	Matt Maiellaro Dave Willis Jay Wade Edwards
Running time	Approx. 11 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Adult Swim, Teletoon
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original run	December 30, 2000 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Aqua Teen Hunger Force (also known as ATHF) is an American animated television series shown on Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim late-night programming block, as well as Teletoon in Canada. A would-be spinoff of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, ATHF is one of the four original Williams Street series that premiered on December 30, 2000 before Adult Swim officially debuted (the others were Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law). ATHF is the longest running original series on the network.^[1] In 2007, an ATHF movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, was released at selected theaters.

The show is about three anthropomorphic fast food items and their life together in South Jersey. The Aqua Teens were originally billed as a detective crime fighting unit. However, the crime-solving aspect of the show was quickly abandoned. There is very little continuity between episodes; almost all recurring cast members have died at least once. The focus is instead on character interaction and a pervasive form of sarcastic and surreal humor. More gross out, sexual and morbid humor were added as the series progressed.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Title 1.3 Cold openings 2 Characters 2.1 Main characters 2.2 Secondary characters 3 Episodes 4 Movie Film for Theaters 5 Boston bomb scare 6 Music 7 Video games 8 Cameos and appearances 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is directed by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro, and produced by Williams Street. Much of the dialog is supplemented with adlibs and improvisation by the voice talent.^[2] The show is fully scripted but adlibs are included in the final episodes and the shows are animated to include this improvisation. Noted 1980s rapper Schoolly D performs the theme song (which he wrote in his limousine on the way to the recording studio ^[3]) and provided periodic running commentaries on early episodes. Many, if not all, of the crew and cast members formerly worked on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.^[1] A new season of 10 episodes has been announced to air in January 2008.^[4]

The Aqua Teens were originally created for an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast called "Baffler Meal" as the mascots for a fictional fast-food chain called Burger Trench. It featured a prototypical version of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force that resembled the future characters, but differed in appearance, personality, and voice except for Meatwad.^[5]

"Baffler Meal" did not air for several years (It was not even animated or produced until after ATHF became popular); instead, the Space Ghost episode was re-written as "Kentucky Nightmare," while the Aqua Teens debuted in "Rabbot," the pilot episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Although originally Adult Swim did not feel that the show would do very well, they allowed the show to be produced (because of a need for original programming). A full season, consisting of six episodes (Counting "Rabbot") of ATHF was put into production shortly thereafter. It is now one of Adult Swim's most popular shows.

The characters are loosely based on the similarly titled Hanna-Barbera show, Teen Force. Frylock was inspired by the character Elektra, who is able to shoot energy bolts from her head. Meatwad, portrayed as the youngest in reference to Kid Comet, is likewise able to morph into a brown, spherical shape. Shake is a toned-down version of Moleculelad, and could potentially use his contents to 'surround enemies and hold them in place.' The two most popular antagonists of the show, the Mooninites, are derived from their predecessors, the Astromites.

The title of the show is based off of the characters originally portrayed in the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast cartoon Baffler Meal. The characters were written as corporate mascots for a fast food chain called "Burger Trench". Though the word "aqua" seems entirely superfluous, the remainder of the name "Teen Hunger Force" refers to the squad's mission to conquer hunger in teens (teenagers being the demographic to which they were marketed).

In early episodes, the trio were identified by Master Shake as the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" solving crimes for money. Shortly into its run, the premise and the use of the name by the characters was dropped, although the premise was originally added to appease Cartoon Network network heads, who "didn't want to air a show about food just going around and doing random stuff."^[6] In the show itself Frylock mentions they stopped because "that wasn't making us a whole lot of money".^[7]

During the first two seasons, episodes cold opened with a glimpse into the laboratory of Dr. Weird. He and his assistant Steve use the first several seconds of the show to create monsters, disasters, and random silliness, generally accompanied by the phrase "Gentlemen, behold!" as Dr. Weird unveils his latest accomplishment. In earlier episodes of the first season, the monsters formed the basis for the plot, but as the crime-fighting element of the program disappeared, the Dr. Weird segment became a non sequitur opening gag.

In the third season, Dr. Weird was dropped in favor of segments from the pilot episode of Spacecataz, an unaired spin-off created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro.^[8] These segments featured the Mooninites (Ignignokt and Err) and the Plutonians (Emory and Oglethorpe) clashing with each other, trading insults, gestures, and practical jokes. The full Spacecataz pilot is available as a special feature on the Volume Four DVD box-set.

Character	Description
Master Shake (Dana Snyder)	Commonly "Shake," or occassionally "Cup", is a lazy, stingy, simple-minded, mean-spirited, illiterate, sadistic, and self-centered milkshake in the form of a white cup with a pink straw and two yellow chicken gloves. He often gets enjoyment out of tormenting Meatwad, swimming in Carl's pool, and watching TV. His special power is that he is able to shoot pistachio[9] milkshake onto the ground, suck liquids (up to 85 gallons) using his straw, and is very proficient with firearms and bows. Also, almost everything he throws to the ground after picking up (with the principal exception of tennis rackets) tends to explode, although none of the team seem to notice most of the time.
Frylock (Carey Means)	A floating red box of French fries sporting a "van dyck" beard, dental braces, and a blue mystic jewel embedded in his back. In the movie, it is revealed that there is a VCR behind the jewel. He uses his fries to grip things and occasionally as a fry radar or 'Frydar.' He is also able to shoot all of his fries at a target simultaneously (referred to once as "The Defense of Idahocules" in commentary). Frylock is scientifically-minded and conducts experiments in his room, which contains his library, supercomputer (which Shake purchased, but avoided actually paying for), cloner, and various other lab equipment. He is the most intellectual of the ATHF characters, and also attempts to provide the others with some sense of morality. His jewel gives him various powers, such as the ability to fly, and shoot lasers, fireballs, lightning, and even fire-extinguisher foam from his eyes. Shake often annoys Frylock, who acts as a parent to Meatwad. In the movie, it is revealed that Frylock is actually a lesbian woman trapped in a man's body/persona.
Meatwad (Dave Willis)	A mostly peaceful, childishly simple-minded mass of compressed meat that was not approved for human consumption. Meatwad rolls and hops to get from one place to another, often picking up whatever dirt or debris happens to be in his way. He has also displayed shapeshifting abilities, and can morph into a hot dog, an igloo, a bridge, a "Samurai Lincoln" (Intended to be Wayne Gretzky), a potted flower, a hand displaying the middle finger, and various other objects. He can also extend meaty appendages in order to manipulate objects. He is often the victim of Shake's abuse and practical jokes. He usually sleeps on a grill or brushed nickel colander, but occasionally sleeps on a bed of sand. He is also known to make "dolls" out of household items, such as Dewey the paper towel roll, Vanessa the apple, Jeffy the garden hose, and Boxy Brown, a cardboard box decorated with the face of a generic blaxploitation protagonist. One episode reveals he is mentally disabled and in another he claims he is addicted to "hardcore crack". Another episode shows he has the capacity for genius, though the same reveals that his brain is a plastic toy. In the movie, it's revealed Meatwad's brain is made out of spray-can cheese similar to Easy Cheese. In episode 44, he claims that he doesn't defecate, saying "It's like the Thunderdome in here: only, two men enter, no man leaves."
Carl Brutananadilewski (Dave Willis)	The sarcastic next door neighbor of the Aqua Teens. Carl has a love for classic rock (specifically Ted Nugent, as seen in the episode Gee Whiz featuring Ted Nugent, as well as Loverboy and Foreigner, both referenced in the episode Revenge of the Mooninites, and believes "More Than a Feeling" is the world's greatest song.), he also loves to order tons of hot wings, jalapeños, and beer, as well as the occasional ordering of Chinese Takeout. Carl has a strong passion for the New York Giants and has dozens of pornographic magazines in his bedroom. He generally dislikes the Aqua Teens and sees them as freaks. He is disgusted especially by Meatwad and annoyed by Shake, but still tolerates them even when they get on his nerves. He typically gets involved in scams concerning Meatwad or Shake, as in the episode Moon Master, and sometimes depends on Frylock for help. Carl has a false sense of pride in his decently cut lawn, car, and pool, all of which are often used by the trespassing Aqua Teens. On one occasion, Carl's house was possessed and bleeding from the walls (like the Amityville Horror) and he sold the house to heavy metal musician Glenn Danzig. He is visited by misfortune in almost every episode, and is occasionally seen completely dead. He is usually seen suffering horribly; i.e. having bug eggs hatching in his stomach, having his skin ripped off, having his fingers chopped off, shooting himself in the foot and bleeding for hours in his living room next to an apathetic Master Shake, being raped by the artificial dog Handbanana or being shot in the shoulder with a flaming arrow by Ted Nugent. Carl is apparently impotent, given the August 2007 implication in a highly-run commercial featuring him and the Force, but his impotence is, like many other aspects of the gang's history, merely a gag. It is shown that he and his father used to work in what is hinted to be carpet making when he was only 8, shown to be having a rather dilapidated house on Christmas, where he gets a piece of carpet that is to be boiled and eaten, thus explaining his eating of carpets on occasion. [1] He dropped out of high school in his senior year, 1982, because, according to their XM radio show, the school refused to play "I Want to Rock and Roll All Night" at his senior prom, but he was failing anyway.

Character	Description
Dr. Weird (C. Martin Croker)	A mad scientist who lives in an abandoned mental asylum on the perpetually rainy Jersey Shore. Dressed in a colorful outfit reminiscent of 1960s cartoon villains, replete with a glass space helmet that heats his hair (which Dr. Weird calls his "Hair-arium"), he starts many shows by presenting his latest creation with his catch phrase "Gentlemen, behold!" to his lone lab assistant Steve (and occasionally his Hispanic janitor Javier, and once even a swamp creature). His first nonsensical inventions shown include a giant rabbit robot called the "Rabbot" and a rainbow-making machine that functions as a powerful tractor beam (which he introduced only as "this thing"). Although in early episodes Dr. Weird's inventions provided a point of focus for the episode, this ended midway through the first season, and after that point were simply comic non sequiturs. In Frylock's room, a photo of a younger Dr. Weird with brown hair and Frylock can be seen in the background; the Aqua Teen movie reveals several possible connections between these two characters. While Dr. Weird is an original character, the outside shots of his psychiatric hospital is actually a Nepalese Palace from the tv show Jonny Quest (episode 25).
Steve (C. Martin Croker)	Dr. Weird's assistant. Red haired, wearing a lab coat, and always pictured holding a test tube, Steve becomes aware of Dr. Weird's insanity over the course of the first two seasons of the series, but remains his assistant nonetheless. Over the course of the series, Steve has had his brain and spine removed, has been assaulted twice by animated corn, and has walked out on Dr. Weird's experiments numerous times. Since the Dr. Weird openings are no longer used, Steve's plot development did not continue, until the movie was released. The film also marks his most recent appearance.
Mooninites (Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro)	The Mooninites, Ignignokt and Err are two-dimensional aliens voiced by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro respectively. They are both similar in appearance, but Ignignokt is larger and green, while Err is smaller and pink; both resemble blocky, Atari 2600-style pixel graphics. Ignignokt, as the leader of the Mooninites, concocts various plans that never cease to annoy the Aqua Teens and Carl. When these plans don't work and he is endangered, he makes a hasty retreat. He makes reference to rock-and-roll music numerous times. Err is known for his trash talk. He regularly coerces Meatwad into going along with Ignignokt's schemes. He has said that the reason he acts the way he does is because he does not have a father and needs attention.
Plutonians (Andy Merrill and Mike Schatz)	The Plutonians, Oglethorpe and Emory are two spiked aliens from Pluto. Oglethorpe is orange and fatter, while Emory is green and taller. They are named after two Atlanta-based universities. They are seen feuding with the Mooninites throughout the series. Oglethorpe sports a heavy Austrian accent. He also speaks German. He claims to be a genius, but is actually just a buffoon with access to 'advanced technology'. He plans to conquer Earth, through such nonsensical plans as sending a Master Shake clone to "de-terraform" the Earth and stealing the Aqua Teens' cable through a Stargate. Emory appears to be far more intelligent and logical than Oglethorpe, but, being the soft-spoken sort, goes along with his hare-brained schemes.
MC Pee Pants (Chris Ward IV)	MC Pee Pants is a mentally insane, eight-foot spider who wears a shower cap and a diaper. He is known for his overly convoluted schemes, all of which use rap as a cover for his criminal tendencies. He is frequently killed, after which he is reincarnated by Satan in a new form with another convoluted scheme. Thus far he's been a cow (Sir Loin), an old man, and briefly a vampire (Little Brittle), an earthworm and, finally, a fly in the aqua teen movie.

Main article: List of Aqua Teen Hunger Force episodes

There have been 68 episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force produced over four seasons. All episodes run for about 11.5 minutes, with the exception of "Deleted Scenes", which is approximately 23 minutes. When reruns for "Deleted Scenes" are broadcast, it is split into two separate episodes to fit with its 15 minute timeslot.

Main article: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters

A feature film based on the show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, was released on April 13, 2007. The movie follows the origins of the Aqua Teens, which includes an exercise machine, Neil Peart of the band Rush, and a watermelon slice. The film also introduces a fourth Aqua Teen, a chicken nugget named "Chicken Bittle" (voiced by Bruce Campbell). The Plutonians and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past, recurring characters, both make appearances in the movie, as well as the Mooninites, Dr. Weird, and MC Pee Pants.^[10]

Main article: 2007 Boston Mooninite Scare

On January 31 2007, LED displays depicting the Mooninites were installed throughout ten different cities, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia by Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28 as part of an elaborate national guerrilla marketing campaign. The LEDs were considered suspicious, prompting authorities in Boston, Massachusetts to close down major road and waterways to investigate. Turner Broadcasting System later admitted placing the LEDs in ten major cities (including Boston), and apologized for the misunderstanding. Despite the uproar, Berdovsky and Stevens mocked the critics and the media in interviews despite being charged with "placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct".^[11] Turner Broadcasting has paid one million dollars to the Boston Police Department to cover the cost of their investigation and another million in good will funding. These actions were made to settle any criminal and civil claims, and the general manager of Cartoon Network has stepped down as a result of the incident. Boston was the only city out of 10 in which the LED displays (which resembled Lite-Brites) were seen as any matter of concern. They had also been up for weeks before the panic.^[12]

The Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song (for the opening credits) was written and performed by Schoolly D; it is said that he wrote this song in his limousine on the way to the recording studio to perform it. The theme song for the ending credits is just a sample of Dana Snyder aka Master Shake saying "Dancing is forbidden," which he said on the pilot episode; it can also be heard in the background during the opening theme music, and is sometimes closed captioned as "dancing is stupid" or "make finger puppets". Schoolly D's son performs the music for the end credits for most episodes.

The Mooninites have their own theme music which recurs on the closing credits of several episodes that feature them. Also performed by Schoolly D, each of the three individual verses is featured on the credits of three different episodes.

On The Mouse and The Mask in 2005, MF DOOM and Danger Mouse (collectively called DANGERDOOM) expanded on the theme of ATHF characters in the track "ATHF." Another track from the record, "Vats of Urine," features a cameo with the Mooninites and their normal, egotistical banter. A hidden track at the end of the CD contains Meatwad rapping a verse from MF DOOM's "Beef Rapp".

The rapper mc chris plays the voice of MC Pee Pants, Sir Loin, and Little Brittle, and wrote a few songs under these aliases for the show.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am is a PlayStation 2 game published by Midway Games and was released November of 2007.^[13] In an interview for The Feed on G4, ATHF creator Dave Willis confirmed that there is an Aqua Teen video game in production. The game will be an "extreme combat golf" where you can play golf while battling villains that have appeared on the show, including Carl's gigantic crabs, the Brownie Monsters and the Mooninites.^[14]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Destruct-O-Thon is a mobile game released on December 7, 2004 by Glu. The object was to hit an object from the show across a course resembling the street the Aqua Teens live on, hitting other objects along the way (such as hitting a stick of dynamite into Carl's car), creating momentum and choosing an angle using only the 5 key.^[15]

The characters in ATHF have made cameo appearances in a number of other television shows, and the show itself has appeared on televisions within other shows as well.

• In Adult Swim's "5 Minutes To Kill Yourself" there is a trophy in the shape of Master Shake.

• At the end of the Sealab 2021 episode "Murphy Murph and the Feng Shui Bunch", it is revealed that the episode was actually a video game being played by Master Shake and Meatwad. A scene from "Rabbot" is also played on a television in the episode "Predator".

• In the Minoriteam episode "Tremendous Class", Non-Stop is awakened by an alarm clock that looks and sounds like Master Shake.

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force can be seen on televisions in the crime scenes of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episodes "Formalities" and "Spark of Life".

• ESPN's SportsCenter anchors Scott Van Pelt and Stuart Scott have repeated lines from the show during various commentary on sporting highlights.

• A deleted scene in the film The Ring shows Aidan watching the episode "Rabbot".

• In "Johnny Cakes", an episode of The Sopranos, A.J. Soprano is seen watching an episode of the show.^[16]

• Carl and Meatwad appeared on VH1's Best Week Ever and congratulated them on their 100th episode.^[17]

• A short clip was shown on Adult Swim indicating about how Master Shake became the unofficial "leader." A ballot was taken between the 3 characters, with them to list names except themselves. Meatwad voted for Shake, Frylock voted for Meatwad, and Shake, ignorantly, voted for himself.

• In "Brakstreet: Men in the Band", an episode of The Brak Show, Meatwad can be seen riding by on a scooter twice while Brak is walking down the road rapping.

• Meatwad makes an appearance in a Dodge commercial, in which he is coughed up by a passenger in the vehicle who is choking, splatters against the windshield, and says "Sweet!"^[18]

• The Aqua Teens appear in a 1-800-Call-ATT commercial, in which Shake is wearing a red wig to make people think that he is Carrot Top, the spokesman for the service.^[19]

• In the MMORPG World of Warcraft, There is a quest entitled "Rescue OOX-17/TN!" wherein the player is asked to rescue a Robot Chicken and return it to its creator, "Oglethorp Obnoticus", A reference to Oglethorpe the Plutonian, and Obnoticus, the Disco-ball full of wisdom.

• Oglethorpe and Emery (clearly a reference to Emory) can be found in the popular MMORPG Everquest 2 in a Gnome house within the Steamfont Mountains zone. ^[20]

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVDs
• List of Aqua Teen Hunger Force actors
• List of Aqua Teen Hunger Force episodes
• Cult television

Official sites

• Official site
• Official UK website
• Official site of the ATHF movie

Unofficial sites

• Aqua Teen Central
• Aqua Teen Adventures
• Aqua Teen Wiki

Interviews

• The Sound of Young America - interview with Dave Willis April 24, 2007
• interview with meatwad on Synthesis.net
• The Kittenpants News - interview with Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro, December 5, 2004
• The Onion A.V. Club - interview with Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis, 2005-06-14
• A Typical Web - interview with Dana Snyder, 2005-07-20
• Master Shake on New Movie - interview with Master Shake, Dana Snyder, 2007-04-20

v • d • e Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Characters	Master Shake • Frylock • Meatwad • Carl • Mooninites • Villains • Others
Media	DVDs • Episodes • Colon Movie Film for Theaters (the Soundtrack) • Zombie Ninja Pro-Am • Baffler Meal • Spacecataz
Misc.	Actors • 2007 Boston Mooninite scare
Cast and Crew	Dave Willis • Matt Maiellaro • Dana Snyder • Carey Means