Dave the Barbarian

When I saw the opening of "Dave the Barbarian" for the first time, I thought it was just another badly-drawn, lame cartoon show that's supposed to be funny. But I was too lazy to change the channel, so I kept watching. I was surprised to find out that this show is exactly my cup of tea. I mean, that episode was about evil lederhosen; need I say more? Other gems of this show include an overly cute and overly chronically depressed magic pony and a diabolic villain named Chuckles the Silly Pig. And at the end of the episode, when other Disney cartoons reveal their corny, moral lesson, the characters in "Dave the Barbarian" say things like, "I always thought strength was everything. But in the end, what really counted was reading the washing instructions." So if you have a whacky sense of humour á la Monty Python, and are looking for something to watch with your child that both of you will enjoy, I recommend Dave the Barbarian. This is one show I'd like to have on DVD!

I've just finished nostalgia watching this and this truly is a hidden gem.

I suppose there is a subtle intelligence in developing the characters that balance each other out and generate conflict but what I remember is the rich sense of place and time in which they weave vibrant pastiches of the ancient legend paradigm and also the delightfully absurd humor.

Few shows even attempt to match the freewheeling and bizarre non-sequitur of Spongebob; they often just settle for being loud and brash but Dave the Barbarian takes surreal and disarming humor and applies it like a virtuouso.

"Using a squirrel, some string and a megaphone Dave is able to fashion a megaphone"

And later: "Hi, I bet you'd all like to know why I tied a squirrel to a megaphone. Well, goodnight".

Dave by himself is a simply concept: You'd think he'd be tough but he's really not. But they do not waste the concept. He is a delightful block of joy and makes sensitivity and an appreciation for handicrafts cool.

He juxtaposes with his vicious but puny sister fang and the main villain is so much fun.

The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy!

Repetition is lazy writing but it is funny every time and he is a perfect combination of meaningful threat and goofball.

Oh, and Twinkle the Marvel Horse deserves a shout out.

This is an amazing cartoon! Having two kids and getting a healthy dose of animation daily, this is one of the most hilarious and entertaining cartoons out there. Not an adult theme, but quite a few quips that adults can appreciate, this show is truly wasted in its time slot. It belongs in Saturday morning or after-school in mass syndication. Each character fills a completely opposite role. Phobic brute, tiny horror, beauty queen, crazy wizard, lazy pet. It's been done before, but not with such pizazz. Even the "evil" characters are highly interesting. More than once I've been stuck in front of the TV at the worst times, unable to peel my eyes from the screen and a smile so big it hurts.

I admit to a certain prejudice here since I lived with a live action version of Fang for 9 years, but Dave may in fact be the most underrated animated series of the past 20 years. Sarcastic, witty and sly, Dave skewers modern fantasy and it's fandom with a zeal not often seen outside an episode of South Park. Dave,a beautiful steroid enhanced muscle man with the heart of the Cowardly Lion, and his two sisters, Fang, a tiny redhead with a big voice and a habit of getting her own way come hell or high water, and Candy, the fairy tale princess left in charge of the kingdom while mom and dad are off fighting evil, deal with Candy's addiction to shopping, defeat the Dark Lord Chuckles (a cute little piggie), engage in sibling rivalry, and in general just struggle to grow up and accept responsibility.

My best guess as to the lack of an audience for this gem is that the targeted demographic, the average fantasy fan and SciFi addict, lacks even a vestigial sense of humor. Dealing with the target group in a sarcastic manner only works if the members of that group are able to engage in enough abstract reasoning to appreciate being made the butt of the joke.

We chanced upon this cartoon while surfing channels at bedtime, and now the whole family is hooked, from Daddy and me, in our forties, down to our 2-year-old son. All of us giggle madly.

This cartoon is reminiscent of old Bullwinkle cartoons, George of the Jungle, and Animaniacs, with a dash of Ren & Stimpy thrown in for good measure. It's silly manic fun, and you have to love any cartoon that can send a toddler and a preschooler (and their parents) into fits of mad giggling over evil lederhosen. Purely priceless. Watch it once -- either you'll get it and be hooked, or you'll never get it. This is a cartoon the whole family can have fun with because it works on a lot of different levels.