2007 was the year for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Despite having a strong cult following, the show has always been a niche commodity. But in early 2007, the world was finally talking about Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
It's just that the circumstances surrounding its newfound popularity weren't very flattering. In a viral marketing campaign, several signs depicting Mooninites (Atari 2600 pixelated space monsters) were lit up around Boston and several other US cities, causing a bomb scare and fears of international terrorism. Despite being up for several weeks and in many metropolitan areas, Boston was the only city that feared the Mooninites.
Looking back on it, the whole event seems absurd. For those who have seen the show and recognized the characters, it seems even more absurd. Despite its crude and surreal adult humor, Aqua Teen Hunger Force isn't the type of show you would associate with terrorism. The Mooninites might be more menacing than the show's three main characters, Frylock, Master Shake, and Meatwad, may have thought.
Volume 5 of the show was released on DVD this month, and it brings all fourteen episodes from season four together in one place. The DVD highlights the shows that aired before the fateful Mooninite scare in the streets of Boston, and shows the crew at their peak. The jokes are even more absurd than before, but are put together with a better sense of continuity.
The show's creators have finally found their edge in season four, developing the recurring characters further and adding more of an edge to the comedy that rivals shows like South Park. They also bring in voice-overs by Will Forte, Mike Judge, George Lowe (who voiced Space Ghost on Cartoon Network's other classic, Space Ghost Coast to Coast), Patton Oswalt as a younger milkshake who is reportedly Master Shake's son.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 5 also takes more risks, creating a collection of shows that are more engaging for the young adult audience, even if they are for more mature audiences. In "Dickesode," for example, the slacker landlord Carl gets a surprise when his Wong Burger cup ("Just rip it and win!") says that "tonight you will get your dick ripped off." Mr. Wongburger, the evil owner of Wong Burger, is collecting dicks to create a spaceship to his mother planet. The DVD also includes the uncensored version of this episode. In "Grim Reaper Gutters," porn star Tera Patrick makes a cameo appearance as herself, to Carl's excitement. Even though the show is still packed with crude and low-brow humor, the number of celebrity appearances shows that it's becoming more popular.
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