Om Nom Stories is a series of short subjects (about a minute each) made by ZeptoLab as a tie-in to their popular Cut the Rope series of video games. As the name may suggest, the star of the series is Om Nom, the cute little green monster from the Cut the Rope games.
The series started with a pilot episode, released in December 2011, in which Om Nom pops out of an iPad into the real world. After coming across a tennis ball and trying to eat it (but finding it less than palatable), he comes across a grocery bag and searches it for candy, finally coming up with a lollipop. As he's digging in the bag, he draws the attentions of the family's cat, who chases him around the house. Om Nom escapes back into the iPad, blowing a raspberry at the cat. Here it is, for those who care to watch.
In the first season, Om Nom lives at the real world house of a boy named Evan, who (as in the comics) is his caretaker. Over the course of the season, Om Nom takes his first bath, tries out different foods, watches a scary movie, meets Santa Claus, and other things. It aired from October 24 to December 27, 2012.
The second season, the "Time Travel" arc, is a tie-in to Cut the Rope: Time Travel, and features Om Nom traveling through time meeting his ancestors in various eras. It aired from April 17 to December 11, 2013.
The third season, the "Unexpected Adventure" arc, is a tie-in to Cut the Rope 2. The episode kicks off with spiders stealing Om Nom's candy. As Om Nom chases his candy down, he accidentally gets tangled up in the spiders' getaway hot-air balloon. He falls off, and begins his trek home, meeting other friendly monsters along the way. It aired from December 13, 2013 to December 8, 2014.
The fourth season, the "Magic" arc, is a tie-in to Cut the Rope: Magic. It aired from March 5 to July 22, 2016.
The fifth season is the "Around the World" arc. It’s the first arc to not be centered on a game, and shows Om Nom’s adventures around the world. It aired from August 19, 2016 to December 30, 2016.
The sixth season is the "Video Blog" arc. It shows Om Nom on his way to become a video blogger. It aired from January 27 to June 30, 2017.
The seventh season is the "Dream Job" arc, which involves Om Nom trying out several jobs to his liking. It begun airing in August 18, 2017.
This series provides examples of:
- All Just a Dream: Subverted for the "Time Travel" arc. The episode ends with Om Nom on top of a history book, breathing a sigh of relief at the thought that it was all a dream. And then he looks over and sees a very familiar crown...
- Played straight in the Season 4 episode "Mad Tea Party". After a bunch of mishaps with an anthropomorphic version of Om Nom's candy, he wakes up back at the picnic area with the candy right next to him. Om Nom fears it might come back to life again, thankfully, it didn't. And he resorts to eating it whole.
- An Ice Person: Om Nelle's crown (actually the Superhero's belt) in the Super Noms arc.
- Call-Back: The intro to the Nibble Nom story arc shows Nibble Nom arriving at Om Nom and Om Nelle's house in a cardboard box, just as we met Om Nom himself at the very beginning.
- Character Development: Om Nom goes from a seemingly simple pet who only eats candy to an adventurous character who's done various jobs, was a superhero, and is now a parent to Nibble Nom.
- Clothes Make the Superman: Once the washing machine falls into the yard, Om Nom and Nelle find it has a glove that can move things, and a tiara that can freeze things, they use these to become heroes.
- Continuity Nod: The original Telekinesis power-up for Om Nom, in Experiments, was a glove with two holes cut in the eyes. In the Super Noms arc, Om Nom obtains a superhero's glove that grants telekinesis when a washing machine is jettisoned from the hero's ship.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The first season counts as this, with Om Nom being in the real world as the "pet" of the child Evan.
- The Faceless: We don't see Evan's face in the films.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Every episode has a star hidden somewhere in one of the scenes.
- In the Magic arc, each episode has a hidden item from the next installment.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: Episode 3 of season 3 opens with Om Nom hopping across some lily pads to get at a candy, but then he sees some bubbles rising out of the water. He ducks his head in, and sees Lick with his tongue trapped under a rock. Om Nom has to choose between saving Lick or going for the candy, which is floating away. He saves Lick. It turns out Om Nom can't swim himself, just sinks in the water. Lick uses his tongue to pull Om Nom out, depositing him on the lily pad with the candy.
- Literal Bookworm: Om Nom and Om Nelle visit the library in "Bookworm". Om Nom is enthusiastic about getting to read a particular book, but upon opening it finds that it is mostly consumed by a pesky purple worm. Said worm proceeds to openly antagonize Om Nom and eat even more books until Om Nelle freezes the both of them.
- Mind over Matter: Om Nom's glove has the ability to lift things big and small.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Om Nom himself, as well as the new friends he encounters during the "Unexpected Adventure" arc.
- Roger Rabbit Effect: The pilot, all of the episodes of season 1, and the first and last episode of season 2, feature Om Nom in the real world (even if for just one scene, in the case of the last season 2 ep).
- Shout-Out: During season six On Nom and Om Nelle fight a rat who makes pizza and knows martial arts. Could he have four students who are turtles.
- Stable Time Loop / Been There, Shaped History: Found in a couple episodes of season 2. (Note: to differentiate between Om Nom and his ancestors, Om Nom will be called Present Om Nom for these couple examples.)
- In the "Stone Age" episode, after Prehistoric Om Nom rescues Present Om Nom, Present Om Nom thanks him by making him a lollipop, which Prehistoric Om Nom had evidently never had - a large pile of bones suggests he mostly ate meat. After taking one lick, Prehistoric Om Nom loves it. The episode closes with Prehistoric Om Nom contentedly munching the lollipop as Present Om Nom chuckles. It's no great conceptual leap - Present Om Nom giving Prehistoric Om Nom that lollipop means all of Om Nom's ancestors like candy.
- In the "Ancient Greece" episode, Present Om Nom accidentally eats the (candy-shaped) shield held by a Venus de Milo statue made by Greek Om Nom. As he's trying different replacements, Present Om Nom bumps the statue, causing the helmet to fall off, knocking the statue's arms off. Present Om Nom is shocked and ashamed at first, but Greek Om Nom approves heartily.
- Smurfette Principle:
- As in Cut The Rope, Toss is the only female character in the "Unexpected Adventures" arc.
- An episode of the Magic arc introduces a female Om Nom as Little Red Riding Hood, as well as her grandma. She is later introduced in the Season 5 episode "At The Fair", and also has an official name: Om Nelle.
- Stone Punk: In "Prehistoric Nom", Om Nom and Om Nelle live in a world where technology is just stone, sticks and creatures. For example, Om Nom and Om Nelle's hats aren't a glove and tiara, there animals, Om Nom's being a lizard with an Overly-Long Tongue, and for Om Nelle a fish that spews out water.
- Suddenly Voiced: In the season 14 and "Super Noms" arc finale, "Magic Mic," Om Nom, Om Nelle, and the Spider all come into contact with the Superhero's microphone-shaped translation device, letting them speak. It doesn't stick, especially as the Nibble Nom arc began next season.
- Trademark Favorite Food: As in the games, Om Nom loves his candy.
- However, in episode 3 of season 1 ("Favorite Food"), Evan has Om Nom try out other foods, and discovers that Om Nom also likes cake and donuts.
- The "Around the World" arc has Om Nom discovering a different dessert from each country he visits.
- By "Super Noms" Om Nom seems to have switched to apples as the candies are phased out.
- World Tour: The "Around The World" arc revolves around Om Nom going all over the globe, sampling new foods, and making new friends from Brazil, China, Paris, Mexico, Italy, London, Canada, Australia, Russia, even New York.
- Villain Decay: The Evil Spider goes from an No-Nonsense Nemesis who's come close to destroying the Super Noms, to a Friendly Enemy who's playing a magic card game with Om Nom and Nibble Nom in season 27.
- Worm in an Apple: Om Nom collects apples in his yard in "Wormy Apple!". A worm threatens the harvest, which Om Nom takes issue with. The worm tricks Om Nom into getting into a fight with a dog and Om Nom himself angers a muscular civilian while chasing the worm. The worm eventually enlists the dog to save Om Nom from the irate civilian, after which Om Nom gives the worm all the apples it can eat.note
