''Robot Chicken'' is an American

adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

stop-motion animated Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhib ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

television series created by

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor. His film debut was '' The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films in the 1980s, including '' Radio Days'' ( ...

and

Matthew Senreich Matthew Ian Senreich (; born June 17, 1974) is an American screenwriter, television producer, director, and voice actor best known for his work with animated television series ''Robot Chicken'', which he co-created with business partner and close ...

for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

's nighttime programming block

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

. The twelve-minute show consists of short unrelated sketches usually satirizing

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

characters or celebrities. Toys are employed as the players, animated via stop motion and supplemented by

claymation Claymation, sometimes called clay animation or plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine cl ...

. The voice cast changes every episode, and features many celebrity cameos. The writers, most prominently Green, also provide many of the voices. ''Robot Chicken'' has won two

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...

s and six

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Production history

''Robot Chicken'' was conceptually preceded by ''

Twisted ToyFare Theatre ''Twisted ToyFare Theatre'' (''TTT'') was a popular, humorous comic strip in the monthly magazine '' ToyFare''. Publication history Originally titled ''Twisted Mego Theatre'', it predominantly featured scale action figures made by the Mego Cor ...

'', a humorous photo

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

appearing in '' ToyFare''.

, an editor for ''ToyFare'', got in touch with actor

when Senreich learned that Green had made

action figures An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game, television program, or sport; fictional or historical. These fig ...

of castmates from ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' and asked to photograph them. Months later, Green asked Senreich to collaborate on an animated short for ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'', featuring toy versions of himself and O'Brien. This led to the 12-episode

stop-motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animation, animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appe ...

series ''Sweet J Presents'' on the

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

website Screenblast.com in 2001. Conan O'Brien is voiced by ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' creator

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...

in the first ''Sweet J'' episode ("Conan's Big Fun"). Continuing the concept of the web series, the show creators pitched ''Robot Chicken'' as a television series, the name being inspired by a dish on the menu at a

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

restaurant, Kung Pao Bistro, where Green and Senreich had dined (other ideas for the series' name included ''Junk in the Trunk'', ''The Deep End'', and ''Toyz in the Attic''; some of these would be reworked into episode titles for the first season). Some television networks and sketch shows rejected the series, including

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

, ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...

'', ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', and even

. However, someone at that network passed the pitch along to its nighttime programming block,

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

, around the same time that Seth MacFarlane told Green and Senreich to pitch the show to the channel. On February 20, 2005, the series premiered on Adult Swim. The show was created, written, and produced by Green and Senreich and produced by

ShadowMachine Films ShadowMachine is an American animation studio and production company specialized in film, television, commercials and music videos. Since its early days producing the stop-motion animation show ''Robot Chicken'', the company has been producing ...

(Seasons 1–5) and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios in association with Stoop!d Monkey,

Williams Street Williams Street Productions, LLC, formerly known as Ghost Planet Industries, is an American animation and live action television production studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a unit of Warner Bros. ...

Sony Pictures Digital Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc. (previously known as Columbia TriStar Interactive, Sony Pictures Interactive Network, and Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment) is a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Operating under the trade name Sony ...

(Seasons 1–5) and

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

(Seasons 6–10). The program aired a 30-minute episode dedicated to ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' that premiered June 17, 2007, in the U.S., featuring the voices of ''Star Wars'' notables

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American retired actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars ...

, and

Ahmed Best Ahmed Best (born August 19, 1973) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for providing the voice and motion capture for the character Jar Jar Binks in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Best likewise collaborated with director Georg ...

. The ''Star Wars'' episode was nominated for a 2008

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

Award as Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour). The series was renewed for a 20-episode third season, which ran from August 12, 2007, to October 5, 2008. After an eight-month hiatus during the third season, the show returned on September 7, 2008, to air the remaining 5 episodes. The series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on December 7, 2008, and ended on December 6, 2009. In early 2010, the show was renewed for a fifth and sixth season (40 more episodes total). The fifth season premiered on December 12, 2010. The second group of episodes began broadcasting on October 23, 2011. The 100th episode aired on January 15, 2012. In May 2012, Adult Swim announced they were picking up a sixth season of ''Robot Chicken'', which began airing in September 2012. The seventh season premiered on April 13, 2014. The eight season premiered on October 25, 2015. The ninth season premiered on December 10, 2017. Season 10 premiered on September 29, 2019, containing the 200th episode. Season 11 premiered on September 6, 2021. Following the 2020 cancellation of ''

The Venture Bros. ''The Venture Bros.'' is an American adult animated action comedy television series created by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. Following a pilot episode on February 16, 2003, the s ...

'', ''Robot Chicken'' became Adult Swim's longest running series, until it was surpassed by ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also branded with different #Alternative titles, alternative titles for seasons 8–11), is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night progra ...

'' after its renewal in 2023. After not having released new episodes since April 2022, Green announced in a live-streamed interview that, while a new full season of ''Robot Chicken'' would likely not be ready in time for the following year, a new half-hour ''Robot Chicken'' special is slated for release sometime in 2025. In a later interview, Green announced that ''Robot Chicken'' will be moving away from 20-episode seasons and towards doing specials. ''The Robot Chicken Self-Discovery Special'' will be released in summer 2025 in honor of the series' 20th anniversary.

Format

''Robot Chicken'' employs stop-motion animation of toys, primarily

, as well as

and sometimes other objects, such as socks, paper bags, and popsicle sticks. Custom action figures made in the likeness of celebrities are used to portray them. Each episode is composed of short unrelated sketches varying from a few seconds to a few minutes long. Between each sketch is a moment of static, resembling the act of

channel surfing Channel surfing (also known as channel hopping or zapping) is the practice of quickly scanning through different television channels or radio frequencies to find something interesting to watch or listen to. Modern viewers, who may have cable o ...

on an

analog TV Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, phase and frequency of an analog ...

. The show mocks

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

, referencing toys, movies, television, games, popular fads, and more obscure references like anime cartoons and older television programs, much in the same vein as comedy sketch shows like ''Saturday Night Live''. A recurring motif involves fantastical characters being placed in mundane or adult situations (such as

Stretch Armstrong Stretch Armstrong is a large, gel-filled action figure that was first sold in 1976 by Kenner. It looks like a short muscular man with blond hair wearing black trunks, but can be stretched from its normal size of about to . The doll is mad ...

requiring a corn syrup transplant after losing his abilities due to age,

Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, also known in Japan as is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Transformers'' franchise. Generally depicted as a brave and noble leader, Optimus Prime is the supreme commander of the Autobots in their fight ag ...

performing a

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

PSA PSA, PsA, Psa, or psa may refer to: Biology and medicine * Posterior spinal artery * Primary systemic amyloidosis, a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins * Prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme used as a blood tracer for pro ...

, and

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

experiencing

sexual dysfunction Sexual dysfunction is difficulty experienced by an individual or partners during any stage of normal sexual activity, including physical pleasure, desire, preference, arousal, or orgasm. The World Health Organization defines sexual dysfunction ...

). ''Robot Chicken'' features a rotating ensemble cast of recurring performers and cameos. Its most frequent performers include Seth Green, Matthew Senreich,

Breckin Meyer Breckin Meyer (born May 7, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his work on the Adult Swim animated sketch series ''Robot Chicken'', which has earned him two Annie Awards and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Meyer gained tract ...

Tom Root Thomas R. Root (born September 20, 1973) is an American screenwriting, writer, television producer, producer, television director, director and voice acting, voice actor for ''Robot Chicken''. Early life Root was born in Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa Ci ...

, and

Dan Milano Dan Milano is an American voice actor, puppeteer, writer and director. He was one of the creators of the Fox sitcom '' Greg the Bunny'' and performed the title character Greg. He is also one of the voice actors and writers of '' Robot Chick ...

Original characters

''Robot Chicken'' primarily features satirical versions of celebrities and existing popular characters in its sketches, but it has also debuted some original characters created for the show. * Robot Chicken (vocal effects provided by

) is the show's titular character. He is a cyborg chicken with a red laser eye. First seen as a roadkill chicken on Highway 9W while he originally lived on Old Man McLauchlin's farm, the Mad Scientist revives him as a cyborg and experiments on him by forcing him to watch sketches on numerous TV monitors. In the 100th episode, he gets freed by a maid and later kills his creator after he kidnaps his wife. He later revives the Mad Scientist as a cyborg and reverses the roles, forcing him to watch sketches. * The Mad Scientist (voiced by

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

) is a scientist who revived the Robot Chicken. He has wild white hair and a diabolical grin. His real name is revealed to be Fritz Huhnmörder (German for 'chicken murderer') in the season 3 episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn". He was killed by the Robot Chicken after the events of the 100th episode only for him to be revived as a cyborg in the sixth season's opening sequence. The Robot Chicken then gets his revenge by forcing the Mad Scientist to watch the same sketches that he had been previously forced to watch. In the season 10 episode "Fila Ogden in: Maggie's Got a Full Load" with the ''

''-styled opening, the Mad Scientist's nickname is Rick Sanchez, named after another Adult Swim mad scientist character due to his resemblance to the same character. He actually has five kids, in which they include his crazed son, a teenage daughter who is goth, an 8-year-old daughter, and infant twins: a boy named Damien, and a girl named Rhiannon. Additionally, he also has a wife named Kathrine. It also reveals that the Mad Scientist's birthday is on January 21. * The Nerd (voiced by Seth Green) is a 26-year-old nerdy man with square-framed glasses who

lisp Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...

s. He appears in many episodes and often ends up in wild situations in famous media. Although his name was mentioned as "Gary" in the season 1 episode "Joint Point", recent Adult Swim commercials for some later episodes give his name as "Arthur Kensington, Jr.". He dies in the season 9 finale only for him to get revived as a cyborg in the tenth season's opening sequence. Despite his transformation into a cyborg, sometime in between the season 10 finale and the season 11 premiere, he was finally restored to normal. * Cluckerella (vocal effects provided by Seth Green) is the Robot Chicken's wife. She wears a dress and has blonde hair and red lipstick. She gets kidnapped by the Mad Scientist during the 100th episode, causing the Robot Chicken to go to the lab and kill him to rescue her. In the season 7 finale, it is revealed that Cluckerella has left him. * Mad Scientist's Son (voiced by

Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the action comedy series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck'' (2007–2012), and as Captain Marvel (DC Comics), the titular character in the superher ...

) is the Mad Scientist's 32-year-old twisted son, who steals his cyborg-making tools as part of a plot to kidnap all living U.S. presidents for ransom. However, he ends up being defeated by the Robot Chicken and the Mad Scientist, who then forces him to watch the sketches as punishment. According to the script of the season 7 finale, his real name is revealed to be Tony Huhnmörder-Anderson. * Bitch Pudding (voiced by

Katee Sackhoff Katee Sackhoff (born April 8, 1980) is an American actress known for being Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on ''Battlestar Galactica'' (2004–2009), Niko Breckenridge on '' Another Life'' (2019–2021), Victoria "Vic" Moretti on '' Longmire' ...

) is an

original character An original character (OC) typically refers to a type fictional character created by someone that is not affiliated with a company, or by a member of a fandom. They are a non-canonical character created by the author of fan fiction, a fan artist ...

addition to the ''

Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * Strawberry Shortcake, a cartoon character and franchise created by American Greetings ** Strawberry Shortcake (TV series), ''Strawberry Sho ...

'' universe. Bitch Pudding is a foul-mouthed, crass and violent 18-year-old woman and a former resident of Pastryville who has a penchant for insulting, tormenting, and sometimes even killing others. In her debut appearance in the season 4 episode "P.S. Yes, in That Way", she seems to be 8 years old for early episodes, but in later episodes to show her as a young adult when she gets a growth spurt. In season 7, she became the first of the series' recurring characters to have their own first single storyline special, titled the "Bitch Pudding Special". * Unicorn (voiced by

George Lowe George Edward Lowe (November 10, 1957 – March 2, 2025) was an American voice actor and comedian whose voice roles included Space Ghost on the animated series ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' and its spin-off, '' Cartoon Planet''. He continued ...

) is a white homosexual

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

who is a complete pervert. In his debut appearance in the season 2 episode "Suck It", he appears before the Nerd, who had just daydreamed about unicorns being real. When his magic horn is polished, it gives "magical unicorn mayonnaise". * Humping Robot is a mute robot looking for love, who is first seen humping a

washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a machine designed to laundry, launder clothing. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water. Other ways of doing laundry include dry cleaning (which uses ...

in the season 1 episode "Atta Toy". He has also been seen humping church bells, jukeboxes, and slot machines, among other metallic objects. In the season 3 episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn", he is revealed to be a father of his unknown robotic family, according to the gravestone of him. * Bloopers Host (voiced by

Jamie Kaler Jamie Kaler (born September 14, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has gained fame by portraying the character Mike Callahan on the TBS comedy ''My Boys''. Career Kaler hosted '' America: Facts vs. Fiction'' on American Heroes ...

) is the host of the "Bloopers!" sketches, which parodies the early years of ''

America's Funniest Home Videos ''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on a recurring segment on the Japanese variety show '' Fun TV with Kato-chan and ...

'', sometimes substituting home videos for humorous television and film outtakes. At the end of almost every sketch he appears in, he commits

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in various ways, including hanging himself, swallowing whiskey and pills, putting a toaster in a bathtub, and suffocating himself with a plastic bag. * Mo-Larr: Eternian Dentist (voiced by

Michael Ian Black Michael Ian Black ( né Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including ''The State'', '' Viva Variety'', '' Stella'', '' Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp'', ...

) is an original character addition to the show's ''

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince A ...

'' parodies. Mo-Larr is the resident

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

of Eternia. He is willing to resort to drastic measures in order to perform his dental work on unwilling patients such as

Skeletor Skeletor () is a fictional supervillain and the main antagonist of the ''Masters of the Universe'' franchise created by Mattel, serving as the archenemy of He-Man and usually depicted as a skull-faced, blue-skinned Magic_(supernatural)#Magicians, ...

, even going so far as to ensnare

Beast Man The Masters of the Universe franchise, created in 1982 as a toyline by American company Mattel, contained many characters in its various incarnations as a toyline, the television series ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'', a German series ...

in dental floss and stick a dental drill into Grizzlor's eye. His real name is revealed to be Moe Larrstein in the season 5 episode "Terms of Endaredevil". * Composite Santa Claus (voiced by

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. He made his film debut with a leading role in '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakout role as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopath ...

) is a genocidal monster who is half

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

, half

snowman A snowman is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes wit ...

, and is based on

Composite Superman The Composite Superman is a supervillain, an enemy of Superman and Batman. There have been several versions of the character; the original version first appeared in ''World's Finest Comics'' #142 (June 1964) and was created by Edmond Hamilton and ...

. In the season 4 episode "In a DVD Factory", his backstory is revealed: he was created by a diabolical scientist from the combined DNA of Santa and

Frosty the Snowman "Frosty the Snowman" is a song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante in that year. It was written after the success of Autry's ...

. After he awakens, he shoots the scientist and his two assistants with an automatic rifle, killing the latter two, and goes on a rampage, waging war on all non-Gentile religions. Whenever he is defeated, he refers to the method or substance used as his "only weakness". * Little Drummer Boy (voiced by Seth Green) is an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

version of the popular character of the same name. His drums can summon demons when beaten. He debuted in the "A Very Dragon Ball Z Christmas" sketch. * Daniel (voiced by Seth Green) is a negative-minded teenage nerd who hosts a web series where he complains about inaccuracies in media – and not even ''Robot Chicken'' is immune from his criticism. Daniel's nickname is "Gyro-Robo". He masturbates frequently and is often targeted by the local bully, Munson. * Munson (voiced by

) is a jerkish teenager who bullies nerds, especially Daniel. * Gary the Stormtrooper (voiced by

Donald Faison Donald Adeosun Faison (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/ NBC comedy-drama '' Scrubs'' (2001–2010), and a supporting role as Murray in both the film '' Cluel ...

) is a fictional addition to the cast for the show's ''

'' parodies. Gary is a clumsy, bit incompetent and well-meaning 29-year-old stormtrooper who usually messes things up due to his clumsiness. Despite that, he is able to make his work right. In the special '' Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II'', he is revealed to be a married family man who lives with his wife Beverly and his young daughter Jessica, who according to his wife, hardly ever sees him due to his work; but is making efforts to be involved more in her life. In the special '' Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III'', it is also revealed that his family lives on

Alderaan Alderaan ( ) is an Earth-like fictional planet featured in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It is blue-green in appearance, depicted as a terrestrial planet with humanoid inhabitants, and characterized by a peaceful culture. It is the home planet o ...

. * Aliens (voiced by Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, Adam Talbott,

, and

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

) are a race of wacky

grey alien Grey aliens, also referred to as Zeta Reticulans, Roswell Greys, or simply, Greys, are purported extraterrestrial beings. They are frequently featured in claims of close encounter and alien abduction. Greys are typically described as having ...

s who have a tendency to bungle their plans and efforts, usually resulting in them letting out a frustrated scream of "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" * Gummy Bear (voiced by

Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (October 11, 1985 – February 26, 2025) was an American actress. After beginning her career in television commercials at age three, she made her television debut in her first credited role on the Nickelodeon ser ...

) is an anthropomorphic

gummy bear Gummy bears (German: ''Gummibär'') are small, fruit gum candies, similar to a jelly baby in some English-speaking countries. The candy is roughly long and shaped in the form of a bear. The gummy bear is one of many gummies, popular gelat ...

who is doomed to scream in pain from stepping on a bear trap. In her debut appearance in the season 3 episode "Tapping a Hero", she doesn't mind the taste of her own leg after she bites it off to free herself only to step on another bear trap again.

Episodes

Syndication

All ''Robot Chicken'' episodes from seasons 1-11 are available on

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

. The show is streamed censored on the service until

Season 5 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

. The show aired on TBS for a short time in October 2014.

Advertising

''Robot Chicken'' has partnered with various brands to produce television advertisements, including

KFC KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's se ...

in 2015,

Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...

in 2017, and most recently,

Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...

Pop-Tarts Pop-Tarts (stylized as pop•tarts) is an American brand of toaster pastries (not tarts) produced and distributed by Kellanova (formerly Kellogg's) since 1964. The pastry consists of a sweet filling sealed inside two layers of thin, rectang ...

in 2023.

Home media

Revolver Entertainment Revolver Entertainment is a film distributor in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Justin Marciano founded it in 1997 in the UK and Revolver UK entered administration in April 2013. Justin's brother, Seb Marciano formed Revolver En ...

have released the first four seasons and all three ''Star Wars'' specials on DVD in the United Kingdom. A box set including the first three seasons and a box set including all three ''Star Wars'' specials have also been released.

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...

has released the first nine seasons of ''Robot Chicken'' and specials on DVD in Australia and New Zealand. Adult Swim released ''Robot Chicken: The Complete Series'' for digital purchase on iTunes and

Vudu Fandango at Home (formerly known as Vudu) is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand re ...

in July 2023.

International broadcast

The series airs in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

as part of E4's

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

block, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

(previously

Teletoon Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...

Teletoon at Night Teletoon at Night was a late night programming block that aired on Teletoon. It primarily carried adult animation and other programming targeting teen and adult audiences. Teletoon had carried programming targeting teen and adult audiences du ...

block from 2006 to 2019) and also in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Télétoon Télétoon (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment that broadcasts animated series aimed at kids, teens, and adults. Its name is a portmanteau of " télévision" and "cartoon". Télé ...

Télétoon la nuit Télétoon la nuit (branded as TÉLÉTOON la Nuit; formerly Le détour sur Télétoon and Télétoon Dechaîne!, then Télétoon Détour) is a Canadian French language late night programming block that targets older teen and adult audiences whic ...

block, in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

The Comedy Channel The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) was an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020. History A joint venture between Artist Services ( ...

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

block, in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

on 2x2's Adult Swim block, in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on WarnerTV Comedy's Adult Swim block (previously

TNT Serie WarnerTV Serie (formerly TNT Serie) is a German pay television channel dedicated to broadcast television series. The channel changed its name to WarnerTV Serie on 25 September 2021, after an announcement made on 14 June that year. Distribution ...

's Adult Swim block from 2009 to 2017), and in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

on the I.Sat Adult Swim block (after the Adult Swim block was canceled from Cartoon Network Latin America in 2008).

References

External links

* *
''Robot Chicken'' – Star Wars Review
at ''

Variety.com ''Variety'' is an American trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933, ''Daily Variety'' was launched, based in ...