History WesternAnimation / SmilingFriends

* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Glep seems to mostly just hang around the offices without doing anything helpful. Charlie admits in the Gwimbly episode that he has no idea what he actually does.

** When the titular Gwimbly from "Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)" fulfills a Cameo request, Gwimbly goes from a pixellated 3D sprite to photo realistic CG, as does the background behind him.

* ClusterBleepBomb: When Mr. Frog goes onto the Jimmy Fallon show to explain his recent misconduct, he says something so offensive (and presumably racist) it's covered by one long bleep that lasts several seconds; we never get any context as to who it was pointed at, but seeing even ''[[UnfazedEveryman Charlie]]'' was left in gawking, silent shock, it was definitely pretty awful.

%%* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler:Allan just wanted his cheese.]]

* FourFingeredHand: The extra detail of a fifth digit is only added for select instances where a human's hand is in focus. One example is Desmond holding his revolver.

** The results of the poll for Smormu to become the fifth Smiling Friend in "Shrimp's Odyssey".
** [[spoiler:Grandfather Glep]] having a picture of himself in the Oval Office on the wall of his cabin in "Charlie Dies and Doesn't Come Back".

* GagNose: Several characters have a prominent nose, a common trait in the Psychicpebbles character design.

* HorrorComedy: While the show is primarily trying to make you laugh, it's also not above scaring the absolute ''shit'' out of you. This is a CreatorThumbprint of Zach Hadel.

** ''The Mr. Frog Show'' has been running for 47 seasons and has made its star ''one of the richest men in the world.'' Its producer expects Glep's first episode on it to get 200 million viewers, giving it [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_watched_television_broadcasts_in_the_United_States#Most_watched_broadcasts_of_all_time twice the viewership]] of Super Bowl XLIX (the most viewed TV event of all time). Ignoring the nonexistent quality of the show and how such a one-note production could possibly last so many decades, no actor in the real world even makes the world's top one thousand wealthiest people.[[note]]Forbes lists the top five actors by net worth as of 2022 as Jerry Seinfeld, Tyler Perry, Shak Rukh Khan, Tom Cruise, and George Clooney, none of whom crack the billionaire mark. There are about 3,000 billionaires alive as of the same year.[[/note]]

* DarkParody: Of WeHelpTheHelpless cartoons like ''Franchise/CareBears'', where instead of cheering up a moody kid or solving a friendship problem, the characters have to deal with serious, real-life issues that a lot of people have, such as trying to prevent a man from committing suicide in the pilot for starters, and the theme continues there. Ironically, the closest client to coming close to the "moody kid" staple is Satan himself, and even then, his issues are still realistic, given that he's lost all motivation in ruling hell and has gotten himself addicted to short lived dopamine hits through eating junk food, vaping, and gaming.

* {{Gorn}}: Make no mistake; while it hasn't reached WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} or WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}} levels yet, ''Smiling Friends'' is still VERY violent. BloodyHilarious jokes, gruesome deaths and graphic injuries are extremely common throughout, to the point where even the main characters aren't always safe.

* {{Gorn}}: Make no mistake; while it hasn't reached WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse or WesternAnimation/Superjail levels yet, ''Smiling Friends'' is still VERY violent. BloodyHilarious jokes, gruesome deaths and graphic injuries are extremely common throughout, to the point where even the main characters aren't always safe.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Surprisingly lies in the middle, which is fairly idealistic for an [[Creator/AdultSwim [adult swim]]] cartoon. The Smiling Friends organization is genuinely interested in making people happy despite the Boss's creepy moments, but run into difficulties due to the bizarre and occasionally horrifying nature of the world they live in. The protagonist Pim and Charlie represent two opposing sides, with Pim often being too idealistic for his own good while Charlie is often cynical in a defeatist fashion. Despite their difficulties, they always do manage to reach their assigned goal, but generally in a strange, darkly humorous or accidental fashion. "Frowning Friends" best displays the show's status in the center by having the Aesop that extreme cynicism is just as silly and useless as extreme idealism.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Music/JamesTaylor Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself, because I love you. Yes, I do.]]''[[note]]From left to right: [[WhiteCollarWorker Alan]], [[IntelligibleUnintelligible Glep]], [[{{Keet}} Pim]], and [[StraightMan Charlie]][[/note]]]]

The series focuses on the titular Smiling Friends, a charity dedicated to bringing happiness to the world. Cynical Charlie (Hadel) and star employee Pim (Cusack) are tasked with out-calls to help cheer people up, along with the meticulous Alan (Cusack) who keeps things in order, mysterious Glep (Hadel), and the unpredictable billionaire Boss (Marc M.) who founded the charity.

* AerithAndBob: There are two Aeriths (Pim and Glep) and two Bobs (Charlie and Alan) in Smiling Friends' workforce.

** When Charlie punches Jeremy in the gut for shrieking in his face a second time, Jeremy goes from jittery two frame animation to a smooth and seemingly rotoscoped collapse as the he wheezes.

* BigGuyLittleGuy: Charlie and Pim. There's also Alan and Glep, the lanky red thing with a tie and the small green character that [[TheUnintelligible speaks gibberish]].

* CastOfSnowflakes: Not only does each character have a unique design, but many are drawn in radically different art styles: Charlie, Alan, Glep, and Pim are all simplistic {{cartoon creature}}s, the boss and Desmond are drawn with overly-detailed anatomy, Desmond's mother and the guy living in the wall are sparsely animated ''doodles'' and one character is even {{rotoscop|ing}}ed. The only "normal"-looking character is Dave. Rather humorously, Desmond has 4 fingers on his right hand and 5 fingers on the hand holding the gun. [[spoiler:When he ditches the gun, he has 4 fingers on each hand and his art style becomes less detailed in general.]]
* CheatedAngle: Alan and Glep always have their noses parallel to the viewer, leaving only one eye visible. Charlie often has both eyes visible, but his nose can block one from the right angle.

* ClosetSublet: Alan finds a hole behind the fridge that leads to an entire walled-up section of the building. Turns out some guy is living there, and gets hyper-defensive about both his residency and [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown whatever he was looking at on his computer]].

%%* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler:Alan just wanted his cheese.]]

** Played with. Charlie and Alan are contently sharing a laugh together until [[spoiler:the alien bursts from the TV screen to thank the audience for watching, much to their horror.]]

* {{Fingore}}: Alan finds his seventy-fourth paperclip when the bliblie stabs his finger with its bent point. [[spoiler:And then the Bliblies crucify him.]]

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Charlie is the Phlegmatic, Pim is the Sanguine, Alan is the Melancholic, and Glep is the Choleric.

** The first episode ends [[spoiler:with the dancing creature from the TV breaking out of the screen, [[MotorMouth rapidly saying "Hello, thank you for watching!"]], with Charlie and Alan [[OhCrap panicking about it and arguing about who should grab it]].]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Alan is set up as an obnoxious, ObsessivelyOrganized snob, but is shown to also be genuinely affectionate with Charlie at the end. Before that, he comforts the Bliblie who stole his cheese when he sees how frightened it is... unfortunately leaving him vulnerable to [[KillerRabbit what turns out to be a violent pest]].

* VacationEpisode: [[spoiler:Subverted with "The Smiling Friends Go To Brazil", where thanks to Pim forgetting to book hotel rooms, he, Charlie, Alan and Glep decide to cut their losses and catch the next flight home, with the implication that the plane crashing at the end is stranding them at the airport even longer.]]

* WorldOfJerkass: Every character we see who doesn't work for the titular service is, appropriately enough, either unpleasant, miserable, or a bully. It seems logical that Smiling Faces would be necessary.

** Jimmy Fallon's infamously fake laughing is parodied when he inappropriately cracks up at Mr. Frog mentioning his life's current difficulty. There's also him constantly shifting his position every so often and slamming his desk as well, exaggerations of his real-life behaviours.

* Insane Groundbreaking Games' CEO having no interest in making a new Gwimbly game, but considering making him a skin in Troglor's game is a jab at video game publishers who insist on holding on to dormant IP's despite having no interest in doing anything with them beyond [[TheCameo cameos]].

''Smiling Friends'' is an animated series for Creator/AdultSwim, created in collaboration between noted online animators [[https://www.youtube.com/user/psychicpebbles Zach "Psychicpebbles" Hadel]] (''Hellbenders'', ''WebVideo/OneyPlays'') and [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkHPqmBsJkws8HbPP1cd_NA Michael Cusack]] (''YOLO: Crystal Fantasy'' & the ''Recap/RickAndMortyBushworldAdventures'' special).

The show's pilot, "Desmond's Big Day Out", debuted on [[AprilFoolsDay April 1st, 2020]]. In May 2021, ''Smiling Friends'' was picked up as a full series with its first season airing with nine episodes.[[note]]The pilot, seven additional episodes, and an extra episode released on August 6, 2022.[[/note]] The first season premiered on January 9, 2022, before coming to HBO Max on February 9. That same day, the show was picked up for a second season, set to premiere on April 1st 2024.

The show's pilot, "Desmond's Big Day Out", debuted on [[AprilFoolsDay April 1st, 2020]]. In May 2021, ''Smiling Friends'' was picked up as a full series with its first season airing with nine episodes.[[note]]The pilot, seven additional episodes, and an extra episode released on August 6, 2022.[[/note]] The first season premiered on January 9, 2022, before coming to HBO Max on February 9. That same day, the show was picked up for a second season, set to premiere in 2024.

* AnAesop:
** While it's still played for laughs, the pilot has a plain message that that helping someone out of suicidal depression isn't as simple as cheering them up.
** The show overall has the recurring motif of the Smiling Friends' simplistic and idealistic methods of cheering people up failing due to their clients' issues being far too complex and deep-seated for them to handle with their limited skillsets. They frequently only succeed in their assignments through accident, coincidence, or factors out of their control, and often with at least one person dying horribly in the process. On the other hand, their clients often solve their problems by themselves through taking necessary action against them, which shows how serious life issues need to be faced head-on instead of running away.
** ''Frowning Friends'' has the message that while it's important to be aware of the issues with the world, [[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers unrelenting cynicism is just as unhealthy and useless as unrealistic idealism]], especially if you [[DirtyCoward lack the fortitude to genuinely stand by said cynicism]].

* ArtisticLicenseChemistry: The claim made in "Frowning Friends" that all of Earth's helium will run out within 30 years is only half true; it's not the helium ''itself'' which is running out, but its ''reserves''; helium is still being mined and produced at a low rate, but the lions' share of that which is on the market is taken from reserve storage, since the mining process (and yes, it is ''mined'',) is an expensive and arduous endeavour, meaning most just prefer to take it out of storage than try to fund making more of it. As a result, the current production is ''vastly'' outnumbered by the demand, and by the 2050's at earliest we will start to proverbially scrape at the bottom of those helium tanks at the current production rate, which will in turn affect helium prices worldwide. So, while, yes, there will be a point in a few decades in which helium may no longer be as easily obtained as it is now, 3d Squelton can rest easy knowing that we are by no means about to see Earth completely depleted of the gas.

* TheOner: "The Smiling Friend Go to Brazil!" is (apart from the intro) shot in one continous take.

The show's pilot, "Desmond's Big Day Out", debuted on [[AprilFoolsDay April 1st, 2020]]. In May 2021, ''Smiling Friends'' was picked up as a full series with its first season airing with nine episodes.[[note]]The pilot, seven additional episodes, and an extra episode released on August 6, 2022.[[/note]] The first season premiered on January 9, 2022, before coming to HBO Max on February 9. That same day, the show was picked up for a second season.

The show's pilot, "Desmond's Big Day Out", debuted on [[AprilFoolsDay April 1st, 2020]]. In May 2021, ''Smiling Friends'' was picked up as a full series with its first season airing with nine episodes.[[note]]The pilot, seven additional ones, and an extra released on August 6 2022.[[/note]] The first season premiered on January 9th, 2022, before coming to HBO Max on 9th February. That same day, the show was picked up for a second season.

* WorldOfJerkass: Appropriately enough, every character we see who doesn't work for the titular service is either hostile, depressed, or a bully. Is it any wonder Smiling Faces needs to exist?

* FictionalEarth: "Charlie Dies and Doesn't Come Back" shows that the planet the series takes place on ''is'' Earth (geographically at least; North and South America are clearly visible), and real-world references sometimes come up, but the world is quite divergent from ours in many ways. In addition to being the host of a FantasyKitchenSink which none of the "normal" human characters blink an eye at, several episodes show that a ringed gas giant is visible from SM!Earth (even in daytime), making its solar system completely fictional. Many of its sapient inhabitants are also of a species called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JOcnkOQRvw&t=6m25s "Critters"]], which by [[https://twitter.com/michaelrcusack/status/1248755425467498496?lang=en Word of God]] is the species that the main characters belong to (a few characters also call them such).

** A variety of dirty PunnyNames in the credits of Mr. Frog.
** Smormu narrowly winning the popular vote to become the fifth Smiling Friend.
** [[spoiler:Grandfather Glep]] having a picture of himself in the Oval Office on the wall of his cabin.

** "Frowning Friends": The Frowning Friends are defeated when the Boss, who was trying to killing them during a psychotic break, exposes them as hypocrites and then redeem themselves when the Boss makes them feel happy again. However, [[spoiler:they are still killed by the sudden arrival of the Renaissance Men]].

* MundaneSolution: Charlie and Pim's first quest in the Enchanted Forest is to help a tree spirit with a thorn in its side, who is complaining of immense pain. Pim tries to think of it like a riddle or metaphor, while [[OnlySaneMan Charlie]] just says that the thorn should be removed. Sure enough, Mip removes the thorn and the trees' pain is cured.

* PoliticalOvercorrectness: The Forest Demon is brutally beaten, dismembered, and ''partially eaten'' all because the partygoers thought he was wearing blackface. Oddly enough, the people getting mad about this [[HypocriticalHumor attacked the forest demon just by the color of his skin]]

** Early in "Shrimp's Odyssey", Charlie comments on Pim's terrible eyesight, which Pim blows off. Much later in the episode, [[spoiler:it's revealed that Pim got the address of Shrimpina mixed up with the address of a random café worker named Jennifer. The former works at 153 Meep Boulevard, while the latter works at 15'''8''' Meep Boulevard, meaning Pim's poor eyesight caused him to confuse the two]]. As well, Charlie's attempts to toughen Shrimp up by forcing him to bench 100 pounds goes horribly wrong when the latter can barely lift the barbell and shatters his shoulder.

** Rex claims that the new Mr. Frog Show premiere starring Glep costed $250 million to produce. It consists, more or less, of Glep in a shoddy costume.

* FictionalEarth: "Charlies Dies" shows that the planet the series takes place on ''is'' Earth (geographically at least; North and South America are clearly visible), and real-world references sometimes come up, but the world is quite divergent from ours in many ways. In addition to being the host of a FantasyKitchenSink which none of the "normal" human characters blink an eye at, several episodes show that a ringed gas giant is visible from SM!Earth (even in daytime), making its solar system completely fictional. Many of its sapient inhabitants are also of a species called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JOcnkOQRvw&t=6m25s "Critters"]], which by [[https://twitter.com/michaelrcusack/status/1248755425467498496?lang=en Word of God]] is the species that the main characters belong to (a few characters also call them such).

* FreezeFrameBonus: There are many things that are moving so fast or seen so briefly you'd have to pause to see them.

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Amy's boyfriend abruptly tosses his cookies in the middle of dinner.