Gawker: Family Guy

Family Guy Creator To Make Burger King Mascot Even More Disturbing

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:17:32 EDT

Seth MacFarlane's plan to take over the internet is even grander than we thought. In June we told you about the Family Guy creator's new project, Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, which will be an internet show syndicated through Google AdSense. Each episode will only be two minutes plus an ad, and he gets a cut of ad revenue, so he looked to be positioned to make a boatload of cash. But one single boatload obviously wasn't enough for the intermittently cool MacFarlane; he's going to do all the freaking ads himself:

Burger King is the chief advertiser, and—in a cartoon marketing move the likes of which have not been seen since Homer Simpson started eating Butterfingers—MacFarlane will be creating the ads, like so:

In one, blue velvet curtains withdraw to reveal an ornate movie screen. The fast-food company’s King mascot, a mute character with a creepy smile, bursts through the center of the screen and runs away. Following him through the ripped screen are menacing-looking Mayans who hurl poison darts in the mascot’s direction. It ends with the Burger King logo.

The Simpsons maintained its credibility after ad deals by keeping the show funny. Can MacFarlane do the same? Given the nature of his fan base I predict he can, although his haters are legion.

[NYT]

Seth MacFarlane Will Now Take Over The Internet

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:30:35 EDT

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, still remembers when his show got pulled from Fox. Then it came back, and now it's one of the network's biggest hits. But even though the FCC lets him make edgy jokes now, it will never allow him to make edgy enough jokes. So MacFarlane is teaming up with Google to distribute a new, top secret internet show that will change everything and make him the most fabulously wealthy poop joke maven the world has ever seen.

MacFarlane's new show is called Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy. The twist: it will consist solely of two-minute clips distributed online via Google AdSense, making it completely unavoidable if you are in the young, dumb male demographic. And the ads come free!:

Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane's target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a "Cavalcade" video clip.
Advertising will be incorporated into the clips in varying ways. In some cases, there will be "preroll" ads, which ask viewers to sit through a TV-style commercial before getting to the video. Some advertisers may opt for a banner to be placed at the bottom of the video clip or a simple "brought to you by" note at the beginning.

Mr. MacFarlane, who will receive a percentage of the ad revenue, has created a stable of new characters to star in the series, which will be served up in 50 two-minute episodes.

Notice that now you are forced to watch an ad for every two minutes of showtime. Fifty new episodes. A cut of revenue. Targeted distribution. Low production costs. A popular product.

Seth MacFarlane is about to get (more) staggeringly rich.

[NYT]

[UPDATE: Gawd Google is so slow getting this story out, sez Valleywag.]

Are Consumers Ready For A Cartoon Edgier Than Charlie Brown?

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:31:43 EDT

Is it a mark of progress that our national ads can now feature characters that are far more foul-mouthed and offensive to white bread America than in times past? I'm inclined to say yes. The Times considers the rise of Family Guy characters as beloved ad icons, even for wholesome brands like Coke and Subway. But hey, sometimes they say things on that show that are funny! Times are changing, you see, and these cartoon characters are just acceptable enough to squeeze into the mainstream under the rubric of "edgy." Since this is a hugely popular TV show on the Fox Network that is just the next in a long line of "edgy" cultural moments, you could correctly call this an antiquated discussion (even for the olds). The real question is: will Americans stand for a fat, ignorant cartoon father telling them how to eat their meat?

The Subway chain of sandwich shops used Peter Griffin — a working-class guy with a New England accent — in a campaign at the end of last year that included television commercials and signs in stores.

The ads promoted a new menu item, the Subway Feast, that would appeal to the character if he were real, because it is “a large sandwich with lots of meat[.]"

Considering the advertising history of a man I like to call "Homer Simpson," I think they'll be safe here. Just keep Bill fucking Engvall out of it.

[NYT]

Family Guy's Top Ten Newscasts

ian spiegelman — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:00:35 EDT

The folks at Adult Swim have compiled another one of their handy little collections. This time, it's the news, as it exists in the twisted cartoon universe of Family Guy. Of course, they won't let me embed them, so you can watch them here. Meanwhile, perfect excuse to post a Family Guy clip of my own! After the jump.

We Interrupt Family Guy To Bring You This Annoying Message

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:46:00 EDT

Ads! Everything is ads! They're creeping into the borders of the shows we actually like now. Check out what TBS is doing: allowing Bill Engvall (a comedian who is not funny, plugging a show that is not funny) to stride in from the bottom of the screen and pause Family Guy (a show that is funny). Stop that! Click to watch the madness. But do not watch the Bill Engvall Show. [via Kottke]

Savaging Matthew McConaughey For Fun And Profit

Ryan Tate — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:27:50 EDT

From tonight's episode, here's Fox's Family Guy roasting actor Matthew McConaughey to a crisp. The character Stewie tells the perpetually shirtless McConaughey he hasn't made anything worthwhile since Dazed And Confused and "you need to go away." McConaughey takes this as a compliment on his ability to make lots of money on "terrible films." It goes from there. (Thanks to Gawker video wizard Richard Blakeley for the late-night find.)

The internet is so dead that— HOW DEAD ...

Choire — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:51:00 EST

The internet is so dead that— HOW DEAD IS IT? It's SO DEAD that Dwight Garner is now posting "Family Guy" clips from YouTube on the New York Times book blog. ONE OF US, ONE OF US. [Papercuts]