''Code Monkeys'' is an American
adult
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
animated television program by
Adam de la Peña
Adam de la Peña is an American actor, comedy writer, producer, and director.
Career
De la Peña started his career writing for ''The Man Show''. From there he continued to work with Jimmy Kimmel's Jackhole Productions, writing for ''Crank Y ...
. Set in the early 1980s, it follows the adventures of fictional
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
company GameaVision. The show ran for two seasons, from 2007 to 2008, on
G4 and
G4 Canada
G4 was a Canadian English-language specialty television channel owned by Rogers Media. The name was licensed from NBCUniversal, whose parent company Comcast formerly owned a minority stake in the channel. Based on the U.S subscription networks T ...
.
Plot
The plot of ''Code Monkeys'' revolves around the fictitious video game company GameaVision (a play on companies like
Activision and
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a home video game console released by Mattel, Mattel Electronics in 1979. The name is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Development began in 1977, the same year as the launch of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. I ...
) and its eccentric employees, mainly the
slacker Dave and his high-strung friend Jerry. The entire series takes place in the
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...
city of
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California.
Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the nort ...
during the 1980s. ''Code Monkeys'' relies on
crude humor and
stoner comedy to convey the numerous references to video games, past and present, but mostly games from the
8-bit era
In the history of video games, the third generation of game consoles, commonly referred to as the 8-bit era, began on July 15, 1983 with the Japanese release of two systems: Nintendo's Family Computer (commonly abbreviated to ''Famicom'') and Se ...
. This also extends to cameos from well known video game developers, who appear in the show pitching their ideas to GameaVision for the games that would later make them famous, usually to be rejected, insulted, and sometimes injured or killed off.
Episode structure
''Code Monkeys'' is presented as though it were an 8-bit video game. In keeping with this format, characters, backgrounds and other objects are rendered with an
8-bit color
8-bit color graphics are a method of storing image information in a computer's memory or in an image file, so that each pixel is represented by 8 bits (1 byte). The maximum number of colors that can be displayed at any one time is 256 or 28.
Color ...
palette, occasionally leading to trouble animating specific objects. Most episodes begin with a screen flashing "PLAYER 1 START!"; episodes end with a black "
Game Over" screen, with a "
kill screen
''Kill Screen'' (stylized as ''KILL SCREEN'') was a print and online magazine founded in 2009 by Jamin Warren and Chris Dahlen and owned by Kill Screen Media, Inc. It focused on video games and culture, but also included articles based on ent ...
" appearing after the production company logo in the first season. Before each commercial break, a small pause box typically appears in the middle of the screen which freezes the scene. On the two occasions when Jerry "dies", a "Game Over/Continue?" box appears, with the "player" contemplating selecting "No", but then choosing "Yes" to continue the episode. Near the end of "Todd Loses His Mind", the episode "
crashes" abruptly, forcing the "player" to eject the "game cartridge" to blow dust off its connectors, and the episode is reset to its beginning, thus negating everything that happened in the episode. The show also features status bars at the top and bottom of the frame, which display a running counter of points earned by the characters doing video game-like actions in each episode, a health meter for the current characters, narrative
aside
An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention, the audience is to realize that the character's speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly (in charact ...
s based on certain characters' actions or dialogue, and other humorous sayings or pictures based on an episode's story line. Characters also use similar methods to show emotions, such as air humping (usually to exaggerate sexuality or awesomeness), or throwing up the
sign of the horns
The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb.
Religious and supersti ...
. The show is entirely computer animated, with the exception of the "game crash" scene in "Todd Loses His Mind", and is done in-house at the G4 studios in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The original music for the show, video game-styled underscore, is composed by
Jon and Al Kaplan. Other music prominently featured in the series includes music by Los Angeles heavy metal group Tinhorn.
Jonathan Coulton's song
Code Monkey serves as the
theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
of the show.
Characters
*Dave (voiced by
Adam de la Peña
Adam de la Peña is an American actor, comedy writer, producer, and director.
Career
De la Peña started his career writing for ''The Man Show''. From there he continued to work with Jimmy Kimmel's Jackhole Productions, writing for ''Crank Y ...
) — Dave is the lead character of the show and the de facto lead programmer at GameaVision. A constant slacker, he focuses his attention more on playing games than actually making them. Dave is also a frequent
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
user; he claimed that most of his game ideas were conceived while he was high. Dave often grosses out his co-workers by either throwing up in front of them, having his pants down at inopportune moments, humping random people or objects, or performing other lewd acts. A rampant
hedonist, the only things that seem to motivate Dave are money, drugs, and sex. Most of the show's and characters' predicaments are caused by Dave's erratic and impulsive actions. While he considers Jerry to be his best friend, Dave often insults him and manipulates his emotions. Despite his quirks, Dave has a flair to all of his actions and is a competent game programmer.
*Jerry (voiced by Matt Mariska) — Jerry is the show's other main character and Dave's best friend, fellow programmer, and office-mate. Unlike Dave, Jerry is hard-working, responsible, and tidy. However, usually under Dave's negative influence, Jerry will succumb to sinful pleasures, often with disastrous outcomes. Jerry's running gags throughout the series deal with his
unrequited crush on fellow programmer Mary (who constantly rejects him), fixing the damage Dave causes,
wetting himself when nervous or threatened, and his insecurities and weak will.
*Bob "Big" T. Larrity (voiced by
Andy Sipes
Andy Sipes (sometimes credited as Andrew Sipes) is a writer, actor, editor, producer and art director.
Career
Andy Sipes is an editor and actor, known for Dallas & Robo (2018), Supercon (2018) and Code Monkeys (2007).
As an actor, Sipes' voice ...
) — Mr. Larrity is the current head of GameaVision, a
Texan
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...
billionaire who bought the company from
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname "Woz", is an American electronics engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, inventor, and technology entrepreneur. In 1976, with business partner Steve Jobs, he c ...
, despite the fact that he knows nothing about video games, only that they're sure to make him rich. Larrity often employs various illegal methods to make his fortune. In addition to being ignorant, Larrity is violent, manic, bigoted, and misogynistic. Despite his apparent stupidity, Larrity can be quite cunning and manipulative. He treats his employees with no respect, but still cares about them to some degree, particularly for Dave, Jerry, and Benny who he sees as his surrogate sons. Larrity and Black Steve also share a begrudging respect for each other over their shooting prowess.
*Dean Larrity (voiced by
Andy Sipes
Andy Sipes (sometimes credited as Andrew Sipes) is a writer, actor, editor, producer and art director.
Career
Andy Sipes is an editor and actor, known for Dallas & Robo (2018), Supercon (2018) and Code Monkeys (2007).
As an actor, Sipes' voice ...
) — Dean is Mr. Larrity's extremely muscular son. He is appointed by his father as GameaVision's Head Supervisor. Dean has limited interaction with the other employees, doesn't participate in any of the programming, and doesn't even seem to do any actual work, aside from helping his dad cover up his illegal activities. He often uses violence to solve problems.
*Todd (voiced by
Dana Snyder
Dana Snyder is an American actor. He is known for his voice roles of Master Shake in ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', Granny Cuyler in ''Squidbillies'', Baby Ball on '' Ballmastrz: 9009'', and other roles in various Adult Swim television shows. His o ...
) — Todd is GameaVision's resident fantasy game designer, an
obese 33-year-old geek who is always seen wearing a
horned helmet. Todd's
narcissism
Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.
Narcissism exists on a co ...
, use of
pretentious language, and eccentricity, often blurring the lines between his ''
Dungeons & Dragons''-inspired fantasy and reality, makes him the most despised employee at the company; other characters often refer to him as "creepy" and "douche". Todd also lives with his mother, with whom he has a (very) near-
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
uous relationship.
*Black Steve (voiced by Tony Strickland) — Black Steve is GameaVision's
accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy.
Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...
and, as his nickname would imply, he is the
only black person working at the company. He is foul-mouthed, ill-tempered and racist against white people. Despite his position, Black Steve has contributed games to the company, mostly themed to his prejudice towards white people. He is apparently fluent in Japanese and conversational Arabic. He is also a former
pro wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
known as "The Black Shadow" as well as graduate of
Dartmouth Dartmouth may refer to:
Places
* Dartmouth, Devon, England
** Dartmouth Harbour
* Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States
* Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
* Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia
Institutions
* Dartmouth College, Ivy League university i ...
. Though bigoted towards whites, Black Steve does coexist with his co-workers and even has garnered Larrity's respect due to his violent temper and love of guns.
*Mary (voiced by Gretchen McNeil) — Mary is GameaVision's sole female programmer, and consequently isn't taken seriously by any of the other
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...
employees, with the exception of Jerry, who has a major crush on her but is rebuffed due to his friendship with Dave and overall spinelessness. Compared to her boss and co-workers, Mary is considered to be the most level-headed employee at GameaVision. She is often accused of being a
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
because of her strong beliefs in
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
; a majority of the games she designs are targeted at girls or revolve around women's issues in some way.
*Clare (voiced by Suzanne Keilly) — Clare is GameaVision's
receptionist
A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title ''receptionist'' is attributed to ...
. The antithesis to Mary, Clare is airheaded, self-centered, self-conscious, and
sexually promiscuous
Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different Sexual partner, partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as pro ...
, even going as far as partaking in
BDSM
BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...
-related activities. However, like Mary, Clare is often treated with little to no respect by her co-workers.
*Benny (voiced by
Dana Snyder
Dana Snyder is an American actor. He is known for his voice roles of Master Shake in ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', Granny Cuyler in ''Squidbillies'', Baby Ball on '' Ballmastrz: 9009'', and other roles in various Adult Swim television shows. His o ...
) — Benny is a
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
n child,
illegally adopted by Larrity to test the company's games. He is fed a diet of
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...
s,
Pixy Stix
Pixy Stix are a sweet and sour colored powdered candy usually packaged in a wrapper that resembles a drinking straw.
The candy is usually poured into the mouth from the wrapper, which is made out of plastic or paper. Pixy Stix contain dextrose ...
, bags of pure sugar, and
amphetamine
Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...
s to stunt his growth and keep him game-testing nonstop. As a result, Benny is constantly hyper and usually spends his time roaming through the building's ventilation and plumbing systems, making a side living selling things to employees. No game can be shipped without Benny's approval, which causes the programmers, namely Dave and Jerry, to repeatedly bribe him with (often illegal) treats and toys. He is often accompanied by a taciturn, muscular bodyguard.
*Clarence (voiced by Lionel Tubbins) — Clarence is GameaVision's audio designer.
Flamboyantly gay, he wears sparkly jumpsuits, sings effectively all of his dialogue, and constantly makes blatant references to gay sex. He has also demonstrated the abilities to levitate and pass through walls, using "gay magic" which can be toggled on and off, possibly a play on the "fairy" pejorative of homosexuality. Occasionally, Clarence pitches homosexually-themed games to the company.
History
While working on the pilot of ''
Minoriteam
''Minoriteam'' is an American adult animated television series on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It ran from 2005 to 2006, with a total of one season and 20 episodes. The show was not renewed for another season and wa ...
'' for
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
and
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
,
Adam de la Peña
Adam de la Peña is an American actor, comedy writer, producer, and director.
Career
De la Peña started his career writing for ''The Man Show''. From there he continued to work with Jimmy Kimmel's Jackhole Productions, writing for ''Crank Y ...
began writing a script for what would become ''Code Monkeys''. The original title for the show was ''Dave And Jerry VS The World'', but the name was changed to ''Code Monkeys'' after receiving the rights to use the
Jonathan Coulton song of the same name. After making a seven-minute animation test, he began shopping for a network to broadcast the show. He settled with G4 because he thought they understood the premise of the show the most. G4 allowed him to make a full-length pilot and subsequently picked up the show for 13 episodes and after a successful first season ratings-wise, the show was picked up for a second season.
Several months before ''Code Monkeys'' began airing, G4 launched an advertising campaign for the show in which GameaVision was presented as a real game company. There were two commercial advertisements for the fictitious games "Crosswalk" and "Barfight", the games "Sir Eats-A-Lot" and "Floating Space Rocks" were featured in a ''"
Cheat!
''Cheat!'' is a TV show on G4 that provided cheat codes, strategies, and other hidden features for video games. The show was hosted by Kristin Adams (née Holt), who replaced original host Cory Rouse in January 2005. ''Cheat!'' last aired Febr ...
G-Spot"'' segment, and "Barfight" was featured in an episode of ''
Attack of the Show
''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program and that aired on G4 (American TV network), G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally a ...
''. G4 created a website for GameaVision's, featuring two playable games: "
2 Card Monte", which cannot be won; and "
Hangman", which contains fewer than 10 words, all of which are meant to insult the player. These playable games can be found on both discs of the ''Code Monkeys DVD'', both having a separate ''
Flash game
A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer.
Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on co ...
link,'' including each their own individual ''
SWF files''.
On February 27, 2017, Adam De La Pena tweeted "And then there's this....gameavision.com", hinting at the show's return. As of 2021, the same year that G4 relaunched, nothing has come to materialize.
Episodes
Season 1 (2007)
Season 2 (2008)
Reception
According to the president of G4, the first season was a huge success for the network. During its first season the show was watched by more than 20 million people.
[ Since its inception, ''Code Monkeys'' has received mixed reviews. Virginia Heffernan of '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called the show a "promising idea ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
gags old in a ''South Park'' deadpan">South_Park.html" ;"title="old in a ''South Park">old in a ''South Park'' deadpan dialect that] has a fast free-for-all quality, as if they were produced by a zealous Galaga player with his palm down flat on the "fire" button." Scott Jon Siegel of Joystiq agreed, saying that "''Code Monkeys'' has potential, utsquanders it." He went on to say that "there was hope that G4 could deliver something actually watchable. 'Code Monkeys''isn't." Jake Swearingen of Wired magazine
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...
stated that the show would appeal to "anyone who spent their youth blowing dust out of Nintendo cartridges and developing Contra-induced carpal tunnel syndrome." Furthermore, he compared ''Code Monkeys'' to arcade games of the 1980s, stating " ch like the classics it riffs on, ''Code'' quickly veers into the wildly surreal." Andy Grieser of Zap2it called the show "the funniest ... animation this side of ''South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
''." He called the graphics "instant nostalgia for thirty-somethings." Will Harris of Bullz-Eye.com gave the show a 3.5/5 and commented that Code Monkeys is a "twisted little show", but that it's "not for all tastes."
Streaming
The series is available for streaming on Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
.
Home media
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
, partnering with G4, released a two-disc DVD set of the first season of ''Code Monkeys'' on August 5, 2008 in Region 1.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2000s American adult animated television series
2000s American animated comedy television series
2007 American television series debuts
2008 American television series endings
American adult animated comedy television series
American flash adult animated television series
English-language television shows
G4 (American TV network) original programming
Television shows about video games
Television series set in the 1980s