Round 1: Violence vs. Gore (Part 1)
Ask yourself this question: Is "Happy Tree Friends" more violence or gore?

If you think it’s probably more gore and if that explains why it actually turns you off…

Think again. Why do you feel this way?

What is this telling? Is violence more acceptable over gore?

Let’s just put it this way. Personally, I feel that violence is becoming a common feat these days. We see violence depicted in media all the time and we think nothing of it. This is worrying as it is as though this constant exposure over time is leading us to see violence as a natural occurrence… and eventually, desensitizing us to violence?

So in which case, is violence becoming a part of our culture? So is it just a matter of getting used to?

In that case, the popularity of "Happy Tree Friends" is perturbing…

One would think the show's content would turn many viewers away from the program. But ratings and product sales tell a different story. “Even through a blood-covered window, it's easy to see the growing popularity of these creations. Every week, 5 million people watch the episodes over the Internet. Almost a million are subscribed to the mailing list.”

With the connectivity of media today, it has definitely help to speed up the spread of the cult culture of "Happy Tree Friends". Since the show's humble origins on the Internet, it has moved on to its television debut on MTV's Downloaded, a program showcasing the best in animated shorts from the Internet, DVD release, it has now spread to the G4 television network where millions of viewers watch the show regularly, and soon… "Happy Tree Friends" will march its way onto game consoles, handheld systems and almost certainly the PC.

What is this telling? There will come a day when even gore might stomp its way into our culture and be acceptable as mainstream?

Watch out! That day might be just be imminent…

As Cuddles would put it – “Resistance is futile.”

Labels: cultural anxieties, Faustina, Genres, Media, personal opinion

A random thought

I was just thinking about how much and what kind of influence does the media (websites, television programs) have on us.

In the case of Happy Tree Friends, will people really turn violent after watching too much of it?

Labels: geckying, random, technology

Life Full of HTF
It makes me wonder how life would be like, full of HTF…

HTF Mimobots(Thumbdrive), HTF Volume 1. TV Series




In my bag lies:





Giggles Death Mints, Cuddles Happy Lips (Lip Balm)




If this describes a number of people, I really cannot help but worry about what actually runs in their minds. This is enough to prove that they are HTF fanatics, and with these gory-looking items around, they are constanly being reminded of the violence and gore. I believe HTF in this case has gone beyond the pure function of entertainment or stress release.

I would feel intimidated by someone like this.

Views, anyone?



*Pictures from Happy Tree Friends Official Store at (http://happytreefriends.fanfire.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/fanfire.woa/wa/artist?artistName=Happy+Tree+Friends&sourceCode=HTFWEB)

Labels: HTF merchandise, personal opinion, SinYee

HTF: A resistance movement?
I'm very undecided on this point. But I can definitely point out that it has created a call for greater media discernment and media literacy where parents are concerned. Shocked parents who have raised issues with media stations regarding the 'appropriate-ness' of broadcasting TV episodes of HTF definitely have placed the issue onto the agenda where it previously had been unaware of.

Labels: anti-culture, emily, resistance

Wait and see. The end is ALWAYS imminent…
An episode of "Happy Tree Friends" = Gore factor with the sweet, cuteness of cuddly animals

Happy Tree Friends are cuddly animals whose adventures always end up going wrong.

Each episode start with a familiar, non-threatening scene: the characters playing on a merry-go-round to going camping and even having fun at a carnival. At first everything is peaceful and happy, but that's when the ultra-violence begins, and things end up going horribly wrong: the playground equipment spinning so fast it splatters the terrified riders against nearby trees; the vending machine toppling, squishing its helpless customer…

Whatever the circumstances the "Friends" find themselves in, the outcome are obvious… random objects will soon aid in the gory demise of an adorable, yet ill-fated, creature.

However, in order to fulfill their commitment to some modicum of actual thought, they have provided helpful quips such as "Smiles are always free!" and "Don't forget to floss!" at the end of each episode.

Here’s another episode for you:

In this episode titled "I Get a Trick Out of You," Lumpy performs magic on Cuddles, but accidentally cuts both the box and the creature in half. On the way to the hospital, the "magician" falls out of the back of the ambulance but manages to grab a hold of the box on the way out, stretching Cuddles' intestines and innards hundreds of feet down the road.

Screaming in pain, Cuddles is finally stitched up before Lumpy comes to visit…

Happy Tree Friends – I Get a Trick Out of You



Each episode of "Happy Tree Friends" seems to be addressing certain anxieties in society.

Death is an example that is constantly played out. In fact, in every episode – although we somewhat know the ending, that is, the characters are going to end up dead in a violent and abrupt manner; the suspense is when and how the death will occur.

When we are watching, we are anticipating death and therefore anxious in how and when it is to occur…

Our lives are not in our control, and are in fact subjected to other forces, the environment, “stupid characters” that end up ruining our lives?

Humans are anxious about what it cannot control…

Projection of these anxieties by projecting it as cartoons and mainstream media such as TV, signifying we can deal better?

Is that really the case?

Labels: cultural anxieties, Faustina, I Get a Trick Out of You. Personal Opinion, motifs

Moral Values
Even though HTF is a cartoon, it does not have the usual ‘living happily after’ ending. However, it still follows a format similar to that of a childhood story – that there’s always a moral value at the end. Some of these moral values include ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the water’ and ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Very often, the moral value is pretty much senseless and has no direct link to the content (incidents) shown on the videos.

It seems that it has been put there just for the sake of putting it there. I feel that there is a contradiction for the moral value to be there. The content of HTF includes mainly violence and gore, which does not complement the value at the end, resulting in a stark contrast. Since it does not really complement what the video is putting across, what is the purpose of the moral value?

Could it be a reminder? A reminder from the producers that we should still remain good and proper even after watching all these violence on the videos? To pull people back to reality, to relieve them of the guilt by being so involved in watching such violence?

Or could it just be a kind of irony that the producers want to bring out? Violence and Gore versus Good and Proper.

I feel that when the producers include such values at the end of the video, it results in a ‘mocking effect’. Especially for those addicted to HTF, it seems like the producers are mocking them for enjoying the show, that the producers have actually stumbled onto their ‘dirty little secret’ of enjoying the sadistic nature of their videos.

When I first started watching the videos, I thought the presence of the moral values is an irony. I tried to link them to the ‘direct’ content that I have watched but usually to no avail. Then, I get curious about what the producers can come up with at the end of the video – what kind of senseless values will they post up. Eventually, I kind of ignored the existence of the moral values after a long time. Since it does not make any sense to me, I block them out. I’ll ‘x’ the window before the moral values could even pop out. When this happens to the audience, the producers’ intent will be unsuccessful. The reminders and the irony that the producers are trying to bring out gradually loses its appeal as they do not make any sense.

Yet, it could also be the producers’ intent to have senseless moral values at the end to portray how absurd the situation is. How absurd that people actually find their videos entertaining despite its grotesque content.

Labels: cultural anxieties, geckying, moral values

A personal opinion

Honestly, I have a very strong aversion to watching something as gruesome as these web clips. Watching a medley of these episodes make me cringe and leave me awash with an unsettling feeling. I seem to feel a little of the excruciating pain with every whimper, groan and outburst in pain. The sound effects do not help either. A burning question that runs through my mind – why must the characters resort to such silly, extreme measures to get themselves out of a sticky situation, i.e. decapitation, maiming oneself? Oddly, as twisted and exaggerated as the turn of events are, it seems perfectly acceptable up to this point that I could be in the position of these animated fuzzy animals with sadistic displays of torture. This point absolutely confounds me. How is it possible that I can identify with the positions of these characters?

Perhaps it is the urbanscape, or rather, a deep-set form of human paranoia embedded in the narrative that I identify with. These clips feature potential (though not imminent) dangers - of technology, of our fellow man, of nature (or rather, man'€™s attempts to tame/alter nature) - posed in urban life. The setting of each clip - more often than not - is within a cultural context that I comprehend and live in everyday; whether it is the park, or the diner, gym, etc. these are all part and parcel of the urban jungle we live in and take for granted. Yet, these places become sites for the most tragic accidents. In 'Ipso Fatso', the technology that we take for granted to be reliable and accident-free runs amok due to human error when Disco Bear squirts water onto the treadmill. In 'Flippin' Burgers', a casual day out at the fastfood restaurant goes horribly wrong when Flippy, the psychologically scarred veteran goes deranged at the sight of Giggles covered with what he mistakes as blood and triggers him into a bloodthirsty rampage for more bloodshed. This is echoed further in 'This is your knife" where Flippy gets flashbacks to war scenes and ends up killing everyone else. It seems to suggest soldiers who have gone out to war have developed a taste for blood that may not be tamed and danger lurks not from outside but within us. Lumpy, in 'Out on a Limb' ends up having his leg pinned down (which he eventually maims) by the very tree he had tried to chop down; an overt action by humans to control his environment (nature).

(On a sidenote, my ability to identify with an American export such as "Happy Tree Friends" also reflects how globalised we are as a world. It also shows what Iwabuchi terms as cultural closeness between Singapore and the US, but that is something I will have to take up separately.)

The next question then pops into my head - €“why do people still watch such episodes? Why would anyone want to put themselves in the uncomfortable position that I am in right now? By ignoring the disclaimers and warnings and going ahead to watch the episodes anything -“ am I asking for it? Could there by a functional purpose to these clips? Exactly what messages are being perpetuated that could be of cultural use? Here are some possible messages one could gather from watching one of these clips:

Msg#1 Power relations - the capitalist is always privileged above the poor little man.

In 'Meat me for lunch', the crooks pay dearly for stealing food in an effort to feed themselves, for they end up on the menu as minced meat. The efforts on part of the creators for using the pun in the title is definitely not lost here.

Furthermore, power relations play a part in this episode.

The clip reinforces a capitalist work ethic by suggesting one must support oneself via legitimate means and not resort to stealing. Therefore, one who subverts this through the criminal act of stealing must be punished and naturally so - the crooks end up in the sad predicament as a result of their actions. Hence, violence is justified somewhat because the crooks get their just deserts.

Yet, the butcher (Lumpy) isn't punished for committing something as unethical as selling this freshly minced meat in the pursuit of legitimately earning one's keep, as illustrated by Petunia chomping down a hotdog she has obviously procured from the shop. It would seem that the law is on the side of the (unscrupulous) bourgeoisie/capitalist, who sets out to capture the greatest profit by selling whatever commodity he has to offer without any regard for ethics and morals. And the consumer is none the wiser about this horrible, unethical act - or at least till it is too late, when you find an eye in your mouth.

Msg#1a Economics over moral/ethical concerns

The fact that Lumpy goes unpunished and is allowed to carry out this unscrupulous manner of conducting business also suggests a privileging of economic concerns over and above moral/ethical concerns of cannibalism. It seems anything and everything goes so long this priority of accumlating capital is upheld.

Msg#2 Power relations - gender inequality

The portrayal of Petunia as the dupe consumer (dominated position) as opposed to the dominant position of Lumpy the unscrupulous capitalist seems to reflect a patriarchal discourse that is dominant in our society today whereby females are slighted based on the socially constructed stereotypes relating to their gender.

The cultural repertoire circulating in society today regarding gender stereotypes present both males and females at polarities - males are superior to females because they are more rational and by that basis, intellectual compared to the irrational, sensitive and emotive female. Certainly, that is the view perpetuated here, as the conniving male butcher gets away with his capitalist scheme and tricks the unsuspecting consumer based on a trust (that morals and ethics are upheld) that is taken for granted.

Further, the association of the male with an occupation such as the butcher suggests a type of masculinity - violence, macho-ness and ruggardness - an occupation of which the female cannot occupy because she lacks these traits.

Having identified these messages, it would seem that these web clips though graphic and violent, do reinforce the current accepted norms and values of society, albeit indirectly, by testing the boundaries of morals, norms and values through exaggeration. Then, one would have to consider the following: Are these messages really important? Do they really affect the audience? One knows all too well of parents refusing to let their children watch HTF or even protesting to the media to regulate these episodes. However, over time one only remembers Happy Tree Friends episodes to be gruesome and forget the details. Hardly anyone remembers specific episodes, at most, they remember HTF episodes depict events that are socially disdained and frowned upon. As Joke Hermes's study reminds us, while we can identify certain encoded messages within the cultural text, we should not be too quick to forget the fallacy of meaningfulness and assume that these texts do have an effect on the audience. Do we really become violent after watching too many of these episodes? Does watching so much violence over time make one become immune to it? Or are these certain assumptions part of an ideology that seek to discipline our behaviour? That perhaps, should be the focus of another audience ethnographic study.

Labels: cultural anxieties, emily, Flippin' Burgers, Ipso Fatso, Meat me for Lunch, Out on a Limb, personal opinion, power relations, This is your Knife

Read 'Em and Weap

While the main theme that Happy Tree Friends is dealing with is violence and gore, I feel that this episode actually provokes more emotion than the rest. Its sadistic nature goes beyond the usual motif of cute little characters getting killed in horrible methods. Why do I say so?

In this episode of Read 'Em and Weap, Pop and cub are the main characters. Pop read a horror story as cub’s bedtime story, resulting in cub being possessed. Cub goes on a rampage and starts to eat people. Finally, the priest Lumpy arrived and managed to conduct an exorcism to rid the evil in cub. However, Pop does not know that Lumpy has succeeded and killed his son by accident.

Coming from an Asian society whereby relationships are valued strongly, I felt repulsive after watching this. People may argue that Pop was trying to get rid of the evil in our society, that he’s actually doing his part as a citizen, but, how could he have the heart to kill his son so easily? Is there another method that could actually solve the problem instead? Lumpy managed to purge the evil out cub without violence, so does it mean that there’s an alternative? And when all things fail, do we have to resort to violence as the ultimatum?

If we read about a case in the newspaper about parents killing their own children, we feel disgusted. How could parents kill their own blood? Yet, when this situation is manifested in the cartoon, people do not even give a second thought about it. Why is this so? Maybe people would think that cartoons are meant to be taken lightly, that we should not confuse the virtual and the reality. But doesn’t this actually reflect the sadistic nature of humans, their indulgence in violence and perverted fantasies?

E.F.M. Durban and John Bowlby have argued that human beings are inherently violent. And this gives as some insight to the establishment of such a website (cartoon) and its growing popularity. It is scary to think that violence is within us, that all the time, we are actually suppressing this emotion. This leads us to another question. What will happen when all these emotions are released one day?

Labels: cultural anxieties, geck ying, personal opinion

‘Out on a Limb’ -- Popularity of HTF
It really makes me wonder what it is that makes the Happy Tree Friends series so popular, to the extent that fan clubs and online stores selling a whole range of HTF products have been established, in addition to a handful of websites featuring HTF online games and podcasts. Looking at an episode with one of the highest view count and ratings (reference to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO7Q1tMGE7g) – ‘Out on a Limb’, the following few factors might be the attraction.


Violence and Gore

The gore within the scenes is no doubt the main appeal. In this episode, Lumpy’s right leg was stuck under a fallen tree (which he himself chopped), and tried to free himself by amputating his right leg, all with a spoon. Lumpy let out cries of agony as he slowly cut his limb of bit by bit with the tiny spoon. As much as how this is awfully disturbing to some, it appears to be entertaining to others who need an outlet for the pent-up frustrations or displeasure, or simply those who are psychopathic. Many see violence and bloodshed in shows as a high level of entertainment though considerably fearful of them in real life, and hence cartoons being a less realistic option possess a higher appeal.



Amusement derived from the stupidity of the characters

Right from the start of the episode when Lumpy made the tree fall on himself, a whole chain of hilarious happenings were sparked off. First, the axe actually flew off when he tried to cut a branch to free himself, and then he finally realised that he had dismembered the wrong leg, after all the agony he went through. This inevitably provokes tremendous laughter despite the pre-existing disturbing elements. Humour coupled with violence and gore, makes HTF no doubt a compelling source of entertainment.


Absurdity

Cartoons itself is absurd, but HTF is even more absurd, with all possible and impossible misfortunes befalling on the characters. Lumpy can actually get moronic to the extent where he did not realise that he cut off the wrong leg, not to mention that he could have used other methods to escape (like using the spoon to dig a hole in the ground) than to mutilate himself. It is, however, such absurdity, things absent in real life, which draws audience to the shows.


Quoting a few YouTube viewers:
"lol thats sick but its soo irresistably funny!" – dd23432
"Its so funny but it looked so painful! I Laughed softly with a sad and painful Tear in my eye!Its funny but it hurts! " – bloodybird2k6
"This makes me SICK!I hate it, but I love it too HTF 4EVA! " – MeaganWood

"these are all bloody cartoons they are not even happy tree friends they are more like bloody tree friends! cause every single episode has blood! Why did mondo even make this?" – princessperky276

The last comment received a rating of -4, so does that actually mean that people are charmed by HTF, that they no longer see anything wrong in the violence and bloodshed, and are even cheering for it?




*Picture captured from video "Happy Tree Friends - Out On a Limb" by MondoMedia on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO7Q1tMGE7g

Labels: cultural anxieties, Out on a Limb, personal opinion, SinYee

Can you love it?
They're cute-looking little critters, and they come in the kinds of pretty colors that would be right at home in kiddie cartoons or on children's birthday greeting cards. They have names such as Cuddles (a bright yellow rabbit), Giggles (pink pussy cat with bow), Petunia (blue skunk with orange flower) and Lumpy (who looks like Bullwinkle's loopy cousin). They chirp away, sounding a bit like demented chipmunks, and they appear in an array of short adventures that end with wholesome helpful advice slogans such as "Don't forget to floss!", "Eat your vegies!" and "Take your vitamins!"

But appearances are deceptive…

Take “Havin' a Ball”, in which Pop (father) & Cub's (son) game of catch takes an unexpected turn when Pop is run over and falls off a cliff. His descent is interrupted by the rotor-blades of a helicopter (carrying Lumpy), and he lands in a vermillion splat. Cub tries to retrieve the ball, but he's squashed flat by Lumpy, who in turn is squashed flatter still by the stricken helicopter. There are no survivors…

Happy Tree Friends – Havin' a Ball



The experience of watching "Happy Tree Friends" is an awkward one. Sitting through a few episodes got me thinking, “Why am I even watching this”? It just feels wrong… It’s like watching one horrible accident after another.

"Happy Tree Friends" is really one of those things where viewers either immediately love it or hate it. But it also one of those things you have to see to believe.

After some time, you get really “disgusted” by all that you see and it’s like, you just tell yourself that’s enough gore for a day.

I’m always curious as to who actually likes to watch all these… Even my 15-year-old brother and 19-year sister find the gore disconcerting. Interesting right? To think I thought teenage boys would be so into it. I know I’m bad. Stereotyping…

I find it really fascinating or should I say disturbed when I actually hear people tell me that despite the gore, they tend to continue watching it, because they’ll be curious about what would happen next, what other possible scenario and horrible death sequence could the authors actually come up with…

Hmm… probably that’s one of the main driving forces behind "Happy Tree Friends” that prompts people to watch?

I caught this on the “Happy Tree Friends” website. It really set me thinking so I thought I’d just share:

Comedy served up just the way you like it
short, funny, free… and loaded with unnecessary violence, racial insensitivity, misguided politics and screwed up values.

What is it all telling? You tell me? In fact, I haven’t quite recovered from the gore…

Labels: Faustina, Havin' a Ball, personal opinion

Characterisation as reflective of stereotyped personalities
Here's a general introduction to the characters featured on "Happy Tree Friends":
note - All images and character descriptions are from the Happy Tree Friends website (http://happytreefriends.atomfilms.com/about_the_show/characters.html)

	Cuddles There's nothing softer than this cute rabbit's fur. and unfortunately there's always lots of it flying around in every Cuddles episode.
	Giggles Shy and sweet, this little chipmunk's trademark is her bubbly personality and giggly attitude. You'll want to squeeze her to death!
	Handy There's no job too big for this amputee, beaver carpenter. He's always eager to lend a helping. limb and proves that you can do anything with the right attitude.
	Lumpy Always the odd-man-out, this dim-witted blue moose is all heart and all thumbs.
	Toothy The only thing bigger than this freckle-faced beaver's tail his big 'ol buckteeth. He always ends up biting off more than he can chew.
	Nutty This jittery squirrel with the wobbly eye always gets into sticky situations because of his sweet-toothed cravings.
	Petunia This sweet smelling skunk never raises a stink. You won't have to hold your nose around this friendly critter. Note - wears a pine scented deodorizer around her neck.
	Sniffles This brainy anteater loves to eat ants! Any way you add it up; he's always getting his nose intro trouble.
	Splendid It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a. flying squirrel! This hero of the skies is always ready to swoop in for the rescue. Not knowing his own strength, he always does more wrong than right.
	Flaky Whenever there's prickly situation, this dandruff-laden porcupine is sure to be far, far away.
	The Mole Keep your eye out for this blind mole. He manages to work his way out of the most perilous situations. (Note: The Mole actually has a mole.)
	Disco Bear This funky bear has soul to spare! Always groovin' it's trouble when he's movin.'
	Russell Batten down the hatches when this sea otter pirate comes aboard. He's got a great right hook!
	Mime If actions speak louder than words then this silent deer never stops talking. His annoying actions will leave you speechless.
	Lifty The kleptomaniac raccoon brothers and masters of the five finger discount, Lifty and Shifty would steal your heart and sell it back to you.
	Shifty The kleptomaniac raccoon brothers and masters of the five finger discount, Lifty and Shifty would steal your heart and sell it back to you.
	Cro-Marmot Literally, the first "inanimate character." This ancient mammal is frozen in ice but manages to get around the block.
	Flippy Emotionally tattered, this bear veteran will warm your home and leave no witnesses.
	Pop This fatherly bear teaches us that there's always room for "inability" in parental "responsibility."
	Cub Innocent and cute, Pop has his hands full trying to keep this 'lil tyke from crawling into trouble.

Some reflections on characterisation:

		cultural anxiety: fear of being socially inept
excluded from mainstream society because of their... a lack of fashion-forwardness: Disco Bear in "Ipso Fatso" tries to impress girls with this retro-disco vibe and antics but fails miserably as each time he tries to charm them, they reject him out flat either by rolling their eyes or dismissing him. the failure to adhere to society's idea of beauty: Flaky's insecurity due to his dandruff leads to disaster Disco Bear and Cro-Marmot representative of forms of 'backward' thinking?
	cultural anxiety: deep concern with outer appearances - socially constructed beauty!
Petunia constantly wears a pine scented deodorizer around her neck: the perfectly preened girl represents a need to be perfectly preened and smell good Flaky has a problem with dandruff which is the cause of his insecurities: the oddball with a problem with dandruff a binary opposite to Petunia stereotype: females are more concerned and success at maintaining and keeping up with standards of beauty compared to males
	cultural anxiety: intellectual differences - the brainy nerds vs. the clueless ignoramus
binary opposites - intellectual differences intellectual differences don't matter in terms of ensuring survival - they all die/get maimed anyway - albeit sometimes because of the actions of the less smart/intellectual. a reminder that we all face the same fate or an elitist view of society?
	cultural anxiety: power relations - the psychotics
Nutty the (sugar) junkie and Flippy the psychologically scarred soldier represent the mentally and psychologically unstable in society. the psychologically scarred war veteran to remind us of the horrors of war and its unintended effects? a re-examination of politics - considering the wars that the US has/is engaged in and its effects - are we choosing the right leaders? by going to war, it are we a violent, belligerent society or is it a trickle down effect of the actions of people in power (ie. Bush) on the people? is it sending out the message that we should make love and not war? the junkie: are we using things and abusing ourselves to make us feel happy as a form of escapism? addictions: not just chemicals (i.e. sugar or drugs), a warning against the lack of moderation? are we an extreme society? is life too stressful? or are we geared too much towards hedonism (that we're pushed to the edge)? who and what is defined as happiness?
	the father and son
an avenue to explore patriarchal relationships. Choice of a father figure instead of a mother reflects patriarchal state of society reflective of a belief in the inadequacies of fathers to take care of children as compared to a mother? If we look at episodes like "And the Kitchen Sink" and "Read 'Em and Weep", we see the failure of Pop (the father) to take good care of Cub (the child; who ends up either dead or maimed), even though every action he undertakes is has his child's interests at heart. It would seem that leaving a child in the care of his father is a bad idea since he lacks a very sensitive side to him.
	the disadvantaged
are we as a society also blind and silent? the Mole's role in most episodes is rather silly; woven into the story to unwittingly like mere pawns to forward the plot. a reminder of the marginalised positions of the blind and silent? strung along like puppets of those in power/control?
		the good vs. the evil
another binary opposite - hero vs. the crooks what is wrong and what is right? We read - "This hero of the skies is always ready to swoop in for the rescue. Not knowing his own strength, he always does more wrong than right." a reminder to reflect and rethink the (moral) boundaries we have established for ourselves?

An additional note: feel free to comment/dispute anything that i might've taken too far. .

Labels: characterisation, cultural anxieties, emily

Emily
As lucid, elegant and socially engaged as Lumpy, she's a slow motion accident in progress. .


Faustina
The freckled-faced with buckteeth. She has a really short-term memory. A very forgetful girl… Sorry, where was I again?


Sin Yee
The girl who is always there for help. But erm, the WRONG help, making things worse?


Geck Ying
The Escapist. Self centred and indecisive. Think twice before you seek her for help. It's more trouble than it’s worth.



- Characterisation as Reflective of Stereotyped Personalities
- Can You Love It?
- ‘Out on a Limb’ -- Popularity of HTF
- Read 'Em and Weap
- A Personal Opinion
- Moral Values
- Wait and See. The End is ALWAYS Imminent...
- HTF: A Resistance Movement?
- Life Full of HTF
- A Random Thought
- Round 1: Violence vs. Gore (Part 1)
- HTF and Genres
- Warning -- CARTOON VIOLENCE
- Round 2: Violence vs. Gore
- Cultural Anxieties
- On Cruelty Towards Animals
- We Call It Cartoons...But It's No Longer For Children?
- Crew
- Ipso Fatso
- Is Television Still Ahead of the Race?
- Interview With the Creators



October 2007
November 2007



Happy Tree Friends Official Website
Happy Tree Friends Online Games
MondoMedia on YouTube
HTF on Wikipedia