I was slightly under fifteen years old during this cartoon show's very brief run, and never even heard of it until a few years later. When it first came out, I wasn't familiar with too many shows out there at all, and the few I was familiar with would have been more well-known than this one. However, in recent years, being such a big cartoon fan, I decided to check out "The Oblongs..." not too long ago. After doing so, I thought it was horrible (or at least a lot of it was)! I have since tried it again, and this time, it wasn't as bad, but certainly not good enough for me to want to watch any episodes again.
The show takes place in a valley community. The residents of this community are deformed due to chemical waste coming from the hill, where rich snobs who tend to discriminate the valley people live. One of the families in the valley is the Oblongs. The parents are Bob (a man without any arms or legs who works in a poison factory, and has to do things with his mouth) and Pickles (a former hill resident who moved down to the valley when she fell in love with Bob, and has since lost all her hair, so she now wears a wig). They have several offspring, including Milo, a hyperactive boy with more than one disorder. Milo's friends are Helga Phugly (an overweight girl who loves to eat and claims she is very popular, though she's sadly living in denial), Peggy Weggy (a girl with no bottom jaw and one breast who cannot help but spit while she talks), Creepy Susie (an odd goth girl who seems to float instead of walk), and Mikey Butts (a boy with long, floppy buttocks). The oldest siblings in the Oblong family are conjoined twins named Biff and Chip who often get into fights with each other. The youngest in the family is Beth, who has a tumor growing out of the top of her head.
"The Oblongs" is an irreverent cartoon, and definitely could offend some people, due the fact that its a comedy show featuring so many characters with disabilities and/or deformities. However, if I were to bash the show solely for that, it would be hypocritical, seeing how many times "South Park" has made me laugh, and I can't think of anything more irreverent than that! Yes, I understand the concept of pushing the boundaries in comedy, even if it's shocking at times, but I still do NOT find "The Oblongs..." very funny. This show has made me smile occasionally, but VERY rarely did it ever make me laugh. I guess I used to be disgusted by gags like the alien taking Milo's brain out through his nose (I was still a little grossed out by that the second time), and rodents living in the folds of Helga's fat. I also think Helga as a character really got on my nerves the first time, but not as much the second. I can't remember everything that made the show horrible for me the first time, but I was basically indifferent to most of the gags the second time, though some parts do stand out as lame, such as the quote, "You're not certified to drink your own urine!"
The length of a show's run doesn't necessarily determine its quality, and some good shows have definitely been cut too short. Personally, I don't think this show is one of them, though some clearly do, and I respect those people. The show seems to have gotten more of a following since its cancellation. Obviously, the short-lived series isn't for those who are easily offended and can't stand political incorrectness. I'm not one of those people, and I had seen controversial, irreverent cartoons before by the time I first saw "The Oblongs", and yet, I've still never quite been able to get this show. So, if you like cartoons aimed at adults/adolescents that tend to push the boundaries, you might like this one, or you might not. Even if you seem to have the right tastes for the show, you might still be disgusted, like I once was! Being indifferent to it is probably rare.
The show takes place in a valley community. The residents of this community are deformed due to chemical waste coming from the hill, where rich snobs who tend to discriminate the valley people live. One of the families in the valley is the Oblongs. The parents are Bob (a man without any arms or legs who works in a poison factory, and has to do things with his mouth) and Pickles (a former hill resident who moved down to the valley when she fell in love with Bob, and has since lost all her hair, so she now wears a wig). They have several offspring, including Milo, a hyperactive boy with more than one disorder. Milo's friends are Helga Phugly (an overweight girl who loves to eat and claims she is very popular, though she's sadly living in denial), Peggy Weggy (a girl with no bottom jaw and one breast who cannot help but spit while she talks), Creepy Susie (an odd goth girl who seems to float instead of walk), and Mikey Butts (a boy with long, floppy buttocks). The oldest siblings in the Oblong family are conjoined twins named Biff and Chip who often get into fights with each other. The youngest in the family is Beth, who has a tumor growing out of the top of her head.
"The Oblongs" is an irreverent cartoon, and definitely could offend some people, due the fact that its a comedy show featuring so many characters with disabilities and/or deformities. However, if I were to bash the show solely for that, it would be hypocritical, seeing how many times "South Park" has made me laugh, and I can't think of anything more irreverent than that! Yes, I understand the concept of pushing the boundaries in comedy, even if it's shocking at times, but I still do NOT find "The Oblongs..." very funny. This show has made me smile occasionally, but VERY rarely did it ever make me laugh. I guess I used to be disgusted by gags like the alien taking Milo's brain out through his nose (I was still a little grossed out by that the second time), and rodents living in the folds of Helga's fat. I also think Helga as a character really got on my nerves the first time, but not as much the second. I can't remember everything that made the show horrible for me the first time, but I was basically indifferent to most of the gags the second time, though some parts do stand out as lame, such as the quote, "You're not certified to drink your own urine!"
The length of a show's run doesn't necessarily determine its quality, and some good shows have definitely been cut too short. Personally, I don't think this show is one of them, though some clearly do, and I respect those people. The show seems to have gotten more of a following since its cancellation. Obviously, the short-lived series isn't for those who are easily offended and can't stand political incorrectness. I'm not one of those people, and I had seen controversial, irreverent cartoons before by the time I first saw "The Oblongs", and yet, I've still never quite been able to get this show. So, if you like cartoons aimed at adults/adolescents that tend to push the boundaries, you might like this one, or you might not. Even if you seem to have the right tastes for the show, you might still be disgusted, like I once was! Being indifferent to it is probably rare.