Radda Radda

I've gotten a chuckle or two out of a new children's show on Cartoon Network called "Chowder." The image above is of the cast.

I don't like the show in general, that is, I won't watch it without the kids, like I do "The Backyardigans" (Yeti, Yeti, whooa!), "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" (It's hot ... in Topeka) or "Peep and the Big Wide World" (You had beaver help!).

"Chowder" has many of the quirks I despise in modern cartoons. These annoyances include an overemphasis of farting and vomit, and the tendency to make the characters loud and obnoxious.

"Chowder," though, does have a character called Schnitzel, a rock monster who works in the main character's kitchen. He's on the far left of the picture above. I like Schnitzel because he has many of my characteristics (he's easily annoyed and wants annoying people to leave him alone!) and only says one word -- Radda. (Just like me)

Yep. Just radda. Radda, radda.

But the show's writers pack so many nuances into his tone when he says, "Radda," it's hilarious. My favorite was when Schnitzel was trying to cash his paycheck at the bank and ran into so many obstacles that his frustration passed beyond anger to helplessness. I empathisized. I saw myself at the local post office, waiting in a long line as customers asked inane and impossible things of the one person behind the counter. I laughed so hard that my kids thought I had finally snapped.

Also, the voice of Schnitzel is the same guy who does Bender (another of my favorite animated characters, "Bite my shiny metal ass!") on "Futurama."

The other interesting thing about "Chowder" is the animation. The color in the characters is contantly moving. This took some getting used to but is cool to watch.

Thought: Radda, radda! Go Bills!