A 2010 Animated Web Series created by HotDiggedyDemon, Wacky Game Jokez 4 Kidz! (abbreviated WGJ4K) is a video game-based comedy show that centres around Mickey the Dick, a cynical, belligerent street thug from the slums of New York City who is kidnapped by the corporation Video Game Videos (VGV) (for reasons never explicitly stated) and is forced into being the creator of an online video game parody series, alongside his production crew in the form of hardcore gamers Eric and June.
What makes this an unbearable punishment for Mickey is the fact that he has a massive disdain for anything related to video games, and frequently expresses this by tormenting his co-workers, destroying equipment, not co-operating with orders and generally acting like, yes, a dick, much to the chagrin of his boss, who is equally no stranger to Mickey's abuse.
The ten-episode series can be found on Newgrounds or on Hot Diggedy Demon's YouTube channel. Despite the story ending on a very ambiguous note, creator Max Gilardi has no intent on reviving the series for a second season or shorts. Instead he dumped the storyboards for the scrapped season 2 here.
This series provides examples of:
- Affectionate Parody: Of video game parodies/tributes themselves.
- Anthropic Principle: Discussed in the mailbag episode:Mickey: If the premise of my situation is that I'm trapped, then I'm trapped! If you know what the definition of "trapped" is, then logically you can infer that something is keeping me here!
- Anti-Hero: Surprisingly, Mickey comes off as this during one of his Mailbag segments (the one with multiple guest appearances).
- Armor-Piercing Question: "Was there ever a time when you were not a dick?" Mickey pauses while reading it, before denying it, and then immediately changes the subject entirely.
- Book Dumb: More like Book Oblivious, mixed with Obfuscating Stupidity. The show features a review of a The Legend of Zelda video game, but the "game" is actually a printed copy of Lord of the Flies.
- Neither Eric nor June seems to know what a book is, referring to books as "those paper things with words in them".
- *Bleep*-dammit!: Parodied in the mailbag episode. When Mickey drops "Goddammit", "God" is bleeped but "dammit" goes right through.
- Brick Joke: In one of the Fourth-Wall Mail Slot episodes, Mickey's head is changed for the head of the cat from VGV's Vanity Plate. Then, at the end of the episode (which is one of the longest episodes in the series, running over 10 minutes), the cat in the Vanity Plate has Mickey's head.
- Cliffhanger: The series finale creates a lot of new questions and resolves nothing.
- Cluster F-Bomb: "Retard" and "faggot" are probably Mickey's favorite words. He can be rather creative with his extensive use of swearing though.
- Comic Trio: The main characters.
- Deadpan Snarker: Mickey, being the Only Sane Man and Surrounded by Idiots, makes quite a lot of sarcastic comments.
- Deconstructive Parody: Of other video game parody series.
- Depraved Kids' Show Host: The video game videos Mickey is forced to host are intended for children, but he openly swears, makes sexual remarks and assaults his coworkers on camera due to not giving a fuck about the show or anyone watching it.
- The Ditz: June isn't very bright.
- Driven to Suicide: In the finale, Bossman pulls a gun on Mickey. Mickey dares him to do it, going as far as screaming "Kill me!"
- Evil, Inc.: VGV, Video Game Videos. It is stated in the theme song that VGV is an "Evil Corporation". In season one they're more a Designated Villain, since Mickey "confirms" that making video game videos for the Internet is what makes them evil. Season two would have shown them being actually evil, by using slave labor.
- Expository Theme Tune: The theme song explains the series' premise of Mickey being a thug who was kidnapped by VGV and forced to make video game videos for the Internet.
- Fourth-Wall Mail Slot: A whole episode dedicated to it.
- Gamer Chick: June. She even has the phrase written on her shirt.
- Geek: Eric.
- Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!: Double Subverted.Mickey: Shoot me! I'd rather be dead than spend one more minute cracking jokes about Master Chief!
- Hurricane of Puns: The Robert Burgless episode contains this.
- Jerkass: Mickey the Dick, true to his name, is a pretty antagonistic and mean-spirited douchebag.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Although in its way to being explained in the season finale, we assume Mickey's background makes him deserve the suffering his "job" causes him.
- Meaningful Name: June/Eric. As in, "generic".
- The New Rock & Roll: Mickey thinks of video games as the worst thing in existence.
- Non-Indicative Name: It is most definitely not a show for kids about wacky game jokes.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Mickey the Dick has a habit of using homophobic and ableist slurs, such as openly referring to June and Eric as "retards" and using the word "gay" in a negative context.
- Robot Buddy: Eric claims to be a robot, so that would technically make him a robotic friend of Mickey's.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When hosting a segment on the top 10 hottest girls in video games, Mickey immediately walks out of the recording after reading the first entry, Candy Kong.
- The Short Guy with Glasses: Eric.
- Ship Tease: Brought up in the fanart special thanks to an artist, but the ship is immediately sunk by Mickey.Mickey: Ew! Why are me and June hugging in this one? I wouldn't hug June with a gun to my head. (June starts to gets visibly upset) Not in a million years would I do that.
- Shout-Out: The series contains a shot-for-shot remake of the ending of There Will Be Blood, of all things.
- Spiteful Spit: The first episode has Mickey the Dick spit in Bossman's face to underscore how little he respects him.
- Straw Character: Robert Burgless, believe it or not.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: June's response to a fan asking whether she's the same June from KaBlam! is to just roll with it.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Mickey the Dick has a very low opinion of his camera crew June and Eric's intelligence.
- Take That!:
- Apparently toward the culture behind video games (but NOT toward video games themselves).
- Panic! At the Disco gets a brief jab in the episode "Tough Guy Front." Mickey and Eric apparently got into an argument about who actually liked the band.
- Troll: The Boss and Eric (as well as a fan in the fan mail episode) think Mickey acts like a dick just to elicit a reaction. Mickey denies it, though it is partly true.
- Two Gamers on a Couch: Subverted. Even when there are three main characters, we have only two gamers on the couch; June and Eric. Mickey is not a gamer at all.
- Ultimate Job Security: Mickey. For all the terrible things he does, it's surprising that VGV hasn't triggered the bomb on his leg yet.
- Somewhat justified, since Mickey really has no choice but to do their bidding.
- Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Mickey is the main character and a completely spiteful prick.
- Villain Protagonist: Mickey is a misanthropic Jerkass who used to spend his free time mugging old ladies. He would qualify as an anti-hero if he ever opposed VGV instead of begrudgingly working for them.
- Wham Line: The final line of the series.Eric: Mickey, do you ever wonder why you were kidnapped by VGV?
Mickey: What do you mean?
Eric: Like, it could have been anybody. There are hundreds of crooks in New York.
Mickey: So, like, why me, specifically?
Eric: Yeah.
Mickey: No. I never wonder that.
Eric: Really? How come?
Mickey: Because I know why.
[fade to black] - What Do You Mean, It's for Kids? : In-Universe. Despite what the name implies, the show functions more like a gaming YouTube channel rather than an actual kids show, and has a lot of content not really suited for its supposed demographic. It references adult games like Metal Gear Solid and Bayonetta, has Demographically Inappropriate Humor (such as a penis joke at one point), and the intro to "Top 10 Hottest Game Chicks" has the camera zooming in on various female video game characters' boobs and asses. That's not even getting into the fact that Mickey is able to swear and drink on camera with no repercussions, and while he does get in trouble whenever he assaults anyone on-set, it's moreso due to insubordination rather than because he's doing it in front of an audience of children.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: Lampshaded in "Top 10 Hottest Game Chicks", where Bossman insists on the Z's in the title while Comically Missing the Point of the argument with Mickey.