They came up with a short named Banjo Frenzy which featured a dinosaur (an earlier version of Lumpy) killing three woodland animals (earlier versions of Cuddles, Giggles, and Toothy) with a banjo. In 1999 Mondo gave Aubrey Ankrum, Rhode Montijo and Kenn Navarro a chance to do a short for them. The drawing (of Cuddles) made several employees laugh. He then drew a yellow rabbit that bore some resemblance to Cuddles on a piece of paper and wrote "Resistance Is Futile" underneath it. While working on Mondo Mini Shows, Rhode Montijo drew on a little piece of scrap paper a character who would later become Shifty. According to the website, the idea for Happy Tree Friends was conceived by Rhode Montijo when he drew a yellow rabbit, slightly resembling the character Cuddles, on a piece of paper and wrote "Resistance Is Futile" underneath it. Though it is obvious what each character's reaction is, their words can barely be understood, the exceptions to this are Pop and Lumpy they have garbled speech as well, but can actually be understood on most occasions.
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The show is nearly free of dialogue however, when the characters do speak, their words are severely garbled. The show is so violent, it was banned in Russia! - While the violence of these deaths is comparable to that of The Itchy & Scratchy Show (the short cartoon featured on The Simpsons), the portrayal of death in Happy Tree Friends is more graphic and anatomically correct, depicting bloodshed and dismemberment in more vivid, exaggerated detail. Notwithstanding the cute appearance of its characters, the show is extremely violent, with almost every episode featuring blood, gore, and violent deaths. As indicated on the official site, the show is "not recommended for small children". Since its debut the show has become a popular internet phenomenon and has won a cult following.
#HAPPY TREE FRIENDS WIKI SERIES#
Happy Tree Friends is a cartoon series by Mondo Media and Aardman Animations, created by Kenn Navarro, Aubrey Ankrum, Rhode Montijo and Warren Graff.