How’s life treating you there, friend? Feeling down in the proverbial dumps? Well, the SMILING FRIENDS are coming to cheer you up — whether you want them to or not! Adult Sim’s newest animated series just published its 90-second trailer…here’s all we know about these happy meddling blobs.
“Smiling Friends” is the name of a small company devoted to bringing happiness to the world, and the series revolves around their two best employees. Pim is a perky pink little man with mismatched eyes and inextinguishable enthusiasm. Charlie is the large yellow dude who is half nose and half hopelessly skeptical that any of Pim’s plans can work.
Other characters in the series include, according to AS, “meticulous Allan who keeps things in order, mysterious Glep, and the unpredictable billionaire Boss who founded the company.” Smiling Friends was co-created by Michael Cusack (YOLO: Crystal Fantasy) and Zach Hadel (Hellbenders) and animated by Princess Bento Studio.
Adult Swim cartoons tend to come in two flavors these days: the more ambitious half-hour editions with higher-budgeted animation (Rick & Morty, Tuca & Bertie, Birdgirl) and the quarter-hour, low-budget varieties with simplistic designs that are easier to animate with a small crew (Lazor Wulf, this). The smaller shows seem to have a harder time succeeding, but Smiling Friends has an ace up its sleeve…it’s already been tested before the public.
The Smiling Friends pilot debuted on Adult Swim during April Fool’s Day 2020 and has racked up seven million views on their YouTube channel…more than enough for AS to be convinced to give the show a shot. (For those wondering, the Pibby pilot has done about as well.) Can Pim and Charlie retain that level of interest in their full series?
We’ll find out shortly. The first two episodes of Smiling Friends are set to premiere January 9 at midnight on Adult Swim. Have a happy day.