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What's the work?[]
Smiling Friends is an animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, produced by Adult Swim. The show centers around a the titular company called Smiling Friends Inc. whose mission is to bring happiness to their clients. The main characters, Pim and Charlie, go on bizarre and often surreal adventures as they try to help people in increasingly absurd situations, alongside deuteragonists Allan Red and Glep, and their boss, Mr. Boss.
Who are they?[]
Pim Pimling is one of the two main protagonists. He is a happy-go-lucky critter at Smiling Friends Inc. who is extremely positive, albeit somewhat naive, and loves to make his clients happy.
Gwimbly is a one-shot character. He's a retired and washed up video game mascot from the early 90s platformer era (Crash Bandicoot, Conker the Squirrel, etc) who wants to star in video games again
Mr. Boss is the overarching protagonist in the series and runs the charity of Smiling Friends Inc. He is quite eccentric, and has mental issues that spring up sometimes, but loves his job and employees all the same
What makes them Shonen Heroes?[]
Pim Pimling[]
Basic Traits
- Heroic/Honorable: He tries to make all of his clients smile. He tries (and inadvertently suceeeds) to stop Desmond from committing suicide, stopped Oscar's tyranny over Spamtopia where everyone was executed if they looked him in the eye, and he tries to help the victims of the Frowning Friends get over their cynicism
- Energetic: He is super energetic, especially when he learns he will embark on a quest. In one episode he he runs out of Mr. Boss's office in a frenzy saying "let's get out there and make people smile!!!"
- Stubborn: Sometimes he gets a bit upset at Charlie for criticizing him and his outlook
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: He wants to make the world a better place for everything and everyone.
- Hard-Working: He never gives up on his goals and loves his job, especially compared to Charlie is far lazier and more cynical.
- Unintelligent: He's not outright stupid but he is naive, and sometimes acts foolishly like when he yelled "I LOVE KIDS!!!" in public without realizing how it might come across.
- Optimistic: One of his defining traits, Pim is a foil to his partner Charlie and always tries to see the best in everything and everyone. He refused to give up on the depressed Desmond despite Charlie saying he was too far gone.
- Idealistic: Pim has a romanticized view of the world due to his optimism and sometimes lacks a realistic outlook.
- Determined: He never gives up on any quest or client.
- Self-Sacrificing: Pim dedicates his time to helping other people rather than himself
- Resilient: Even when he is arrested by the Frowning Friends he refuses to give up and still calls them out on their nihilist propaganda
- Youthful: Despite being 33 years old, he has a youthful attitude and energy
Bonus Traits
- Believes in the Power of Friendship: He values his friendship with Charlie greatly
- Possesses Plot Armor: He is one of the main characters and could never die due to the narrative of the show, even surviving when Oscar was going to execute him.
- Spiky Hair/Pompadour/Unnatural Hairstyle: His single strand of "hair" is actually an exposed nerve ending
- Has Rivals/Mentors: His mentor is Mr. Boss and his rivals are the Frowning Friends.
- Has an Idol: His idol is Mr. Boss in some respects
- Mischievous: He pulls a scare prank on Charlie in "Erm, the Boss Finds Love?" and laughs about it
- Forgiving: He forgives Oscar for attempting to execute him and inflicting harm on the population and consoles him about his eye insecurity
- Is a Primary-Color Champion: He wears a white shirt and blue pants
- Is a Challenge Seeker: He enjoys the thrill of finding new ways to help people and loves experiencing new things
- Is an Underdog: He's treated like a scapegoat sometimes due to his unwavering optimism in the face of the absurd Smiling Friends universe
- Is a True Hero: He is fully dedicated to helping other people and rarely acts in selfish ways
- Is a Mascot with Attitude: He is fun-loving, optimistic, and energetic
Gwimbly[]
Basic Traits
- Heroic/Honorable: In his video game series, he fights against Count Groxia, who is a typical Bowser-like villain trying to take over the world and steal all of Gwimbly's collectable creamed corn.
- Courageous/Reckless: He fights against Groxia despite him being far more powerful and also stands up to the IGBG CEO for mocking him.
- Energetic: He likes energetically performing his "victory dance" and almost passed out while doing it because he's too frail in his old days.
- Stubborn: He refuses to give up on getting back into the video game industry even when the CEO rebukes him
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: In-game he wants to defeat the tyrannical Count Groxia and outside he wants to put himself back into the spotlight again.
- Hard-Working: He doesn't give up on his goal despite numerous setbacks.
- Unintelligent: He is quite dimwitted due to convincing himself that he is still "thriving" and almost passing himself out while doing his dance.
- Optimistic: He doesn't led his negative circumstances dissuade him.
- Idealistic: He thinks he can get back into the spotlight even though his era is over.
- Determined: He doesn't give up despite all of the obstacles, including his old company
- Confident/Cocky: He is quite egotistical and cocky as he insists that he is still entitled and the forver mascot of Incredible Groundbreaking Games
- Unpredictable: Despite being a cutesy video game protagonist, he is quite wrathful and threatened to kill the CEO saying "I swear to God, if I had my Gwimbly GUN ON ME RIGHT NOW, I'D-"
- Resilient: He is resilient and tries to get back up even after falling into destitution and poverty
- Youthful: He tries to capture his youthful and energetic personality despite being old.
Bonus Traits
- Believes in the Power of Friendship: He loves his deceased friend Mr. Millipede, calls him his "trusty sidekick" and is upset when he dies, likening him to a brother
- Short-Tempered: He is wrathful and threatened to kill his old CEO with a "Gwimbly gun"
- Big Eater/Drinker: He is obsessed with creamed corn which is his signature collectable item in the game, like coins for Mario
- Rebellious: He refuses to accept that he is washed up and rebels against his old company
- Tragic Past: He was a successful and beloved mascot who fell into poverty and destitution, and he didn't even learn that his old best pal died
- Forgiving: He forgives Allan despite Allan having sprayed him with "dirty brown water" just to get him off the property.
- Is a Primary-Color Champion: His fur is yellow
- Is a Challenge Seeker: He likes the excitement of starring in his games
- Is a Delinquent: He is portrayed as chaotic and impulsive and willing to spit at Allan or threaten to kill his old boss, and is mostly an outcast
- Is an Underdog: He's a poor and downtrodden individual who is treated like he doesn't matter anymore
- Is a Mascot with Attitude: He is optimistic, irritable, goofy, wrathful, etc. and has a lot of attitude
Mr. Boss[]
Basic Traits
- Heroic/Honorable: He runs a benevolent charity that improves and even saves many lives. He also stopped the Frowning Friends from spreading nihilism and committing genocide on Puerto Ricans
- Courageous/Reckless: He storms into Frowning Friends Inc. with no hesitation.
- Energetic: He is quite energetic and charismatic
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: He wants to make everyone smile with his business
- Hard-Working: Mr. Boss works hard to make sure his charity is successful
- Optimistic: He is optimistic and expects good outcomes, especially in his employees who he encourages
- Determined: He doesn't give up ever in the series
- Unpredictable: Infamously, he is very eccentric and even dissociative to the point where he has moments of mania and extremely bizarre behavior.
- Self-Sacrificing: He spends his time helping others with his business
- Youthful: Despite being elderly, he is fun-loving, charismatic and youthful. He also enjoys video games in his office
Bonus Traits
- Believes in the Power of Friendship: He views all of his employees as his friends and values what they do
- Possesses Plot Armor: He's the overarching character in the show, and like Pim, survived Oscar's attempt to execute them.
- Spiky Hair/Pompadour/Unnatural Hairstyle: He is balding with dark grey natural hair surrounding his bald spot, but he wears a mismatched light grey toupee to cover it.
- Unnatural Hair Color: His hair and toupee are not matched in color
- Short-Tempered: He can get angry at times, especially during his moments of mania
- Has Rivals/Mentors: The Frowning Friends are his rivals
- Big Eater/Drinker: He's shown to enjoy eating and in one instance slurped up a plate of spaghetti with sauce all around his mouth
- Mischievous: He pulls a scare prank on Charlie and also pretended at one point that Pim and Charlie had to assist pedophile Jared Fogle and make him smile when it was just a joke.
- Forgiving: When Gnarly of the Frowning Friends started crying after Mr Boss pointed a gun at him, he forgives him and tells him that he should be happy that his idea drove him to jealousy, even when Gnarly had threatened to spread nihilism and genocide on Puerto Ricans
- Is a Primary-Color Champion: His suit is navy blue and his tie is yellow
- Is a Neglectful Parent: He gave Charlie and Allan his son Jason to take care of, which resulted in him undergoing metamorphasis with the duo thinking he died. Jason later begins spreading toxic dust around the office and turning feral.
- Is a True Hero: He lives to help others with his charity
- Is a Mascot with Attitude: He has many lovable traits and genuinely considers his employees friends. He is very charismatic and has goofy antics.
Caution categories?
- On & Off: Mr. Boss is a mentally unstable individual who has moments of maniacal behavior where he develops homicidal urges or exhibits questionable behavior, and its sometimes played for grotesque humor which might detract from his aura
- However, he is not truly evil and is mostly portrayed as a well-intentioned and charitable person. He is shown arguing with his split-personality in "Frowning Friends" despite succumbing to it, showing that he doesn't wish to be evil and it is mostly unintentional.
- His character is defined by his lovability, if eccentric, rather than being truly villainous.
Verdict?[]
Yes to Pim and Gwimbly, Tentative yes to Mr. Boss in my opinion, he might be too antiheroic/disconcerting. But as always, you decide.