Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Adult Swim Infomercials into the ol’ VCR.
I’m sure this isn’t a surprise to anyone, but Adult Swim heavily shaped my sense of humor. In fact, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast is still one of my favorite shows of all-time. I’ve also dreamed of working at Adult Swim because not only is their marketing incredible, but their content is unmatched IMO.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a die hard fan of every single piece of content they produce, but boy howdy, do I respect it. I was initially going to do a piece dedicated to Adult Swim. But, there’s just way too much content and territory to tackle in one piece.
That’s why, my dear friends, this is the first entry in a three-part series where we’re going to break down Adult Swim Infomercials, the history of Adult Swim and the shows they’ve blessed us with over the years, and the work of Alan Resnick, both inside and outside of Adult Swim (and yes, this is just an excuse for me to talk about Space Ghost ad nauseam).
Video source: Adult Swim
So today, we’re just going to focus on the core, 32 Adult Swim Infomercials currently streaming on Max (you can also find most of them for free on YouTube, and I’ve linked them accordingly).
You may be asking, “But, Baillee, what are Adult Swim Infomercials, how did they originate, and what are your exact thoughts about the similarities between horror and comedy?”
Well, friends, you’ve come to the right place.
From what my research found, Adult Swim Infomercials became a regular part of Adult Swim’s programming in 2013, with the most recent being in 2022 with the Adult Swim Yule Log.
“Oh my god, there’s a whole movie hidden in the fireplace!”
However, it seems like they unofficially started all the way back in 2009 with David Cross and H. Jon Benjamin’s Paid Programming. Paid Programming seems to have been intended as a pilot, but Adult Swim didn’t pick it up for a series run, similar to another Infomercial we’ll discuss later.
There are also a couple of other iterations of the Adult Swim Infomercials we’ve come to know and love, including one I remember watching called Swords, Knives, Very Sharp Objects and Cutlery, and some sort of other Infomercial for the show NTSF:SD:SUV:HISS, which we’ll talk about more in our next piece.
For all intents and purposes, the most popular and well-known Adult Swim Infomercials kicked off in 2013 with Broomshakalaka, so that’s where we’re going to start in today’s piece.
The Adult Swim Infomercials deserve the spotlight for a number of reasons. First off, I’m truly blown away by all of the comedians that not only wrote, but acted in these. Some of the best comedic writers, performers, and stand ups have been involved with these short films, and it shows.
To this day, “Celery Man” makes me laugh harder than most videos on the internet.
Secondly, the Adult Swim Infomercials perfectly toe the line between horror and comedy. I’m a firm believer that horror and comedy are neighbors. Each genre serves to invoke a specific emotion from your audience, be it fear or laughter. That’s why comedians are, oftentimes, excellent horror creators, and vice versa.
Last but not least, the Adult Swim Infomercials make me wish I was either back in college so that I could write analytical essays about them, or a professor who could discuss them with my students. They’re such a wonderful case study in screenwriting, be it comedy or horror, and there’s a lot to dissect in each and every one.
Honestly, I maintain that Unedited Footage of a Bear is one of the best horror shorts I’ve ever seen with Too Many Cooks being a close second.
Okay, fine, I’ll get a Smarf tattoo.
I could spend all day writing pages about each short, but I’m not going to do that to all of you. Instead, we’ll dive more into Alan Resnick’s in this piece, and I’m going to give a couple of bullet points about each. But, I did take the time to pick my favorite 10, and I’ll throw that list out at the very end.
The only other piece of business we have to discuss are the websites listed throughout the Infomercials. Most of these websites did work at one point, but most of them are now defunct and/or redirect to the Adult Swim website, so I wouldn’t advise visiting them.
Without further ado, here is your master list of the Adult Swim Infomercials, my thoughts, and my 10 favorites.
Broomshakalaka
- The transition from the opening to the actual Infomercial made me cackle.
- I’m so sad I missed this one when it was out because it’s brilliant.
- We love a Randall Park moment.
Video source: Adult Swim
For-Profit Online University
- NICOLE BYER.
- Watching this after knowing how some online colleges operate is wild.
CW/TW: su*c*d*, gun violence
Video source: Adult Swim
Live Forever as You Are Now with Alan Resnick
We’ll revisit this short in the Alan Resnick piece, but I feel like this is a big preview of what’s to come, particularly There Are People In This House. Keep what avatars look like without skin in mind for later. That’s all I’ll say.
Video source: Adult Swim
Fartcopter
- Who is this small child with a clearly fake accent?
- The thing I really appreciate about the Adult Swim Infomercials is their ability to change the tone so quickly.
- Horror and humor are next door neighbors, and content like this proves it.
- Grammy’s letter in the intervention DESTROYED ME.
CW/TW: gun violence, images of surgical procedures
Video source: Adult Swim
The Salad Mixxxer
- First and foremost, Porcelaine is an icon (I love Betsy Sodaro).
- Secondly, the moment I saw the Salad Mixxer, I put my hand over my mouth and said, “Oh no.”
- Thirdly, I know this is just a string of vibrator, dick, and masturbation jokes, but gd it, if I didn’t laugh my ass off for most of it. However, I do feel like the beginning is stronger than the end. We GET the joke; we don’t need to see it spelled out.
Video source: Adult Swim
(Note: Alpha Chow and Goth Fitness are in the same Infomercial on Max, but are separate on YouTube)
Alpha Chow
- The line “To turn your Jack Russel into a JACKED Russell” is *chef’s kiss*.
- I would have absolutely LOVED to have been in the writers’ room for this one.
Video source: Adult Swim
Goth Fitness
- I LOVE Missi Pyle and Mike Mitchell both.
- I feel like Goth Fitness could’ve easily been on a modern sketch show.
- It’s honestly pretty tame compared to the other Infomercials, but it’s definitely still a fun ride.
Video source: Adult Swim
Too Many Cooks
- This is probably my favorite of all the Infomercials.
- Between the meta commentary, the satire, the references, and the blend of comedy and horror, this checks all of my boxes.
Video source: Adult Swim
Newbridge Tourism Board Presents: “We’re Newbridge, We’re Comin’ To Get Ya!”
- RIP Gilbert Gottfried.
- I think this one is a sleeper hit!
- This one gives big Parks and Rec vibes but with that Adult Swim stank on it.
Video source: Adult Swim
In Search of Miracle Man
- Having grown up with extremely religious grandparents who watched religious TV stations all the time, this is TOO REAL.
- Also, the traveling through history segment is too good.
Video source: Adult Swim
Smart Pipe
- I didn’t realize how prophetic some of the Adult Swim Infomercials are, and this is definitely one of them.
- Not only is this a wonderful piece of satire about parasocial relationships, our government, and data mining, but uh, at times, it’s scarily accurate.
CW/TW: they say the words “child p*rn” and “p*d*phile” but it’s satirical in nature and, in no way, is anything shown
Video source: Adult Swim
Book of Christ
- Y’ALLL.
- “Dear Bible, I’ve never told anyone this before…” sent me.
- Like In Search of Miracle Man, this was 2real4me.
CW/TW: there is a mention of Hamas in this Infomercial that might be triggering, given the current state of affairs in Palestine. Also, obviously, Free Palestine
Video source: Adult Swim
Frank Pierre Presents: Pierre Resort & Casino
- I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when they contacted Ray Wise about this.
- All of the commentary on Indigenous people and how they’re exploited within the casino and resort spaces is spot on.
CW/TW: JFK’s assassination depicted in a drawing, gore
Video source: Adult Swim
Unedited Footage of a Bear
- This is another one of my personal favorites.
- We’ll do a full breakdown of this one in the Alan Resnick piece and talk about how this connects with his other pieces of content.
- I maintain this is one of the best horror shorts of the last 10 years.
Video source: Adult Swim
This House Has People In It
- I know I keep saying this, but I can’t wait to get to the Alan Resnick piece because there’s so much to dive into here. However, I think this Infomercial holds up on its own, whether you have the additional context or not.
Video source: Adult Swim
M.O.P.Z.
- This is another Infomercial I forgot about enjoying so much.
- It has those WNUF Halloween Special vibes that I love so much.
- From a production standpoint, I think this is one of the most impressively shot Infomercials out of the bunch.
Video source: Adult Swim
Giles Vanderhoot
- This is giving BIG I Think You Should Leave vibes.
- I’ll never be disappointed at the sight of Michael Showalter because he’s a comedic genius.
- This is another one of my personal favorites.
Video source: Adult Swim
Live at the Necropolis: Lords of Synth
- This is another one that’s directed by Alan Resnick, so we’ll come back to it in his piece.
- Honestly, I’d love to see what Alan Resnick could do with a feature-length film.
- This one is really captivating.
Video source: Adult Swim
NewsHits
- God, I LOVE Mary Holland.
- There are a lot of things I like in this one, and I love the overarching story, but a couple of the jokes just need to be punched up.
Video source: Adult Swim
Mulchtown
- This feels like a more absurd episode of Documentary Now!
- This is also one of my least favorites.
CW/TW: dead animals (only clearly fake corpse of a bear, and insinuated killing of a turtle, plus talk of killing animals), and a gun being shot (it’s at a bag of carrots, and only goo and carrots come out of it)
Video source: Adult Swim
The Suplex Duplex Complex
- Okay, this one’s FUN.
- I feel like they told everyone to just have a good time on set.
Video source: Adult Swim
Wet Shapes
- I feel like this Informercial is the most Adult Swim Infomercial I’ve ever seen, and I love it.
Video source: Adult Swim
Coyote Suit
- This is another one that made me laugh out loud.
- As someone who watches things like The Great Christmas Light Fight in her spare time, the satire just got me.
- I also feel like these parents would get along really well with the crew of Flipanthropy.
Video source: Adult Swim
A Message From The Future (AKA Nuclear Political Ad and Farm to Table)
- Again, the hits just keep on coming. These satirical political ads are on point, and they keep getting better and better.
- The Brain one is my fave.
- Like Smart Pipe, this just hits different in 2023.
Video source: Adult Swim
Cool Dad
- This one is next level.
- The plant trailer is the BEST.
- The deconstruction of the 90s bad dad trope is magnificent.
- I need to watch Liar, Liar now.
Video source: Adult Swim
Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle Walkthrough
- Big Inside vibes.
- As someone who watches A LOT of YouTube, this is painfully accurate.
- I never thought I’d say this, but it gets a little too meta.
CW/TW: gun violence, su*c*d*l ideation
Video source: Adult Swim
Food: The Source of Life
- Okay, I know this about a carrot that has been used in a variety of horrific and, uh, innovative ways, but I was enthralled the entire time.
- I feel like this could’ve been a Stephen King short story from his coke days.
Video source: Greg Hess’s Vimeo
Pervert Everything
- I think it’s very telling that this is only one of three Infomercials I don’t really like.
- I like a lot of weird things and abstract art, but this one just didn’t hit for me like the others have.
Video source: Alec Lambert’s Vimeo
Flayaway
- Okay, as soon as I saw Sarah Squirm (aka Sarah Sherman), I knew we were in for a weird time.
- I was still down to clown though. 🤷
- It’s like Mr. Meaty by the way of Tim and Eric.
- I’ll shoot you straight — it’s a lot. Just know that going in.
Video source: Adult Swim
When Panties Fly
- A fun fact about me is that I HATE the word “panties.” I’ll say underwear, boxers, underpants (a la Cory Matthews from Boy Meets World), but I HATE the word “panties.”
- But, like Pervert Everything, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this one.
Video source: Adult Swim
Piggy
- The Fast and Furious scene made me laugh really hard.
- This one isn’t my favorite, but it’s watchable.
CW/TW: gun violence
Note: I can’t find the video for this one anywhere outside of Max.
Skeleton Landlord
- Outside of the excessive cum jokes at the beginning, I actually enjoyed this one.
- Tbh, I’d watch a full series of this.
- Update: It looks like this was actually supposed to be a pilot but never went beyond Infomercials/the Development Meeting pitch.
Video source: Adult Swim
Wormholes
- As someone who works in marketing and also suffers from insomnia, anxiety, and depression, this was so relatable; I’ll go down rabbit holes like no one’s business.
CW/TW: su*c*d*l ideation
Video source: Benjamin Berman’s Vimeo
My Favorite Adult Swim Infomercials
Okay, I know 32 is a big number. I also know everyone isn’t as dedicated to the world of pop culture as I am, so I wanted to give you a place to start. I feel like these 10 Infomercials really represent the heart and soul of the Adult Swim Infomercial, and if you don’t like these, this might not be the content for you.
- Too Many Cooks
- Newbridge Tourism Board Presents: “We’re Newbridge, We’re Comin’ To Get Ya!”
- Unedited Footage of a Bear
- This House Has People In It
- M.O.P.Z.
- Giles Vanderhoot
- Wet Shapes
- Coyote Suit
- Cool Dad
- Skeleton Landlord
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