Here's where things get a little grim! From past experiences to influences for the show's jokes, here are 10 interesting facts about this darkly comedic CN classic.
#10: Billy & Mandy go way back
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| Now we know why Billy's so stupid! |
Back when he was in college, series creator Maxwell Atoms made a short film called "Billy & Mandy in Trepanation of the Skull and You", which is all about the titular duo learning about trepanation and ends with Billy going through the operation. Like many early pilots, this short is way different from the show it would spawn; Featuring completely different versions of the main characters, absolutely zero supernatural elements, a different animation reminiscent of 1950s educational shorts and some bloodshed at the end.
#9: Cartoon Cartoon Graveyard
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| Gone but not forgotten! |
Near the end of the intro sequence is a shot of a graveyard with zombie hands sticking out of the dirt. If you remove the zombie hands and grainy film effect, you'll find that the three front most graves have the names of past CN shows Robot Jones, Time Squad and Evil Con Carne. Speaking of which...
#8: Grim & Evil
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| Thank you viewers who voted for this in The Big Pick back in the 2000s! |
When this show first started airing, it and Evil Con Carne were one show called Grim & Evil. In between the Billy and Mandy episodes an episode of Evil Con Carne would air, similarly to the Dial M for Monkey and Justice Friends episodes of Dexter's Lab. After a while both programs were split into their own shows and while Billy and Mandy went on to be one of CN's longest running shows, Evil Con Carne only managed two seasons before it's cancellation.
#7: There was almost some spinoffs
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| Another victim of network executives... |
There were a few spinoffs that were planned, but for one reason or another never got the greenlight. One of these is Underfist, which got a half hour pilot that aired in2018, but never got expanded beyond that. At one point Craig McCracken and C.H. Greenblatt considered making a show called "Cheeseburger", which would've starred Fred Fred Burger and Cheese from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The network liked the idea, but scheduling conflicts forced them to cancel the series.
#6: Autism reveal
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| Yeah I'd believe it. |
In 2021 series creator Maxwell Atoms, who was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, confirmed that the three main characters all have different forms of autism.
#5: Reverse speech in the credits
At one point during the ending credits, there is a bit of backwards speech. If you reverse this soundbite you'll an unidentified guy saying "No no no this is the end of the show. You're watching it backwards!"
#4: Nickelodeon strikes again!
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| Yeah, nobody wants cartoons starring death. |
Just like other CN shows I talked about in the past, this cartoon was originally pitched to rival channel Nickelodeon. The reason this time was while they liked the pitch, executives thought that no would would greenlight a show that starred the Grim Reaper.
#3: Movie parodies out the wazoo
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| This one just blew my mind! |
This series is loaded with references to old, often obscure movies. For example: Recurring character Hoss Delgado is modeled after Snake Plissken from Escape from New York, while his transforming weapon arm is a reference Ash Williams from the Evil Dead series. This show's version of Dracula is modeled after the protagonist of Blacula. The official pilot episode of the show was loosely based on the movie The Seventh Seal.
#2: Milkman
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| The inner machinations of Billy's mind are an enigma! |
Before he made this show, Maxwell Atoms worked on Cow and Chicken. While working on that show he thought of making a show called Milkman. This show would've starred Billy and Mandy going on adventures with Milkman, a living milk carton who saves the missing children depicted on his back.
#1: A fourth movie?!
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| Friggin cartoon execs! |
Back in 2021, series creator Maxwell Atoms pitched a revival movie to Cartoon Network that sadly never got greenlit. You can read about it on Atoms' Patreon page linked below, but in short it was gonna feature older versions of the main trio exploring a multiverse. There would've been a twist revealing that the show's negative continuity took place in different universes.
I know a cartoon about death might not be the most appropriate things to discuss on Memorial Day, but you gotta admit this show was great. Do you know something I didn't or think I made like Billy and messed up somewhere? If so, leave your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading and have a happy Memorial Day.
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