Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series

Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series
URL	Website
Genre	Animated, Dark humor, Absurdist humor, Non-canon fiction
Format	Animated series
Created by	Shaun McKinnon
Starring	Mike Stoklasa
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	18 (and 1 special) (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	2–6 minutes
Production company(s)	789 Films RedLetterMedia
Broadcast
Original channel	YouTube (2011 – 2014) Blip (2012 – 2014)
Picture format	4:3 480p (EDTV)
Original run	September 4, 2011 (2011-09-04) – October 27, 2014 (2014-10-27)
Chronology
Related shows	The Grabowskis Mr. Plinkett Reviews Half in the Bag Game Station 2.0 Best of the Worst

Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series is an Australian animated web series created by Shaun McKinnon. Initially a fan-made spin-off to the Harry S. Plinkett character, the series premiered September 4, 2011 on the 789 Films YouTube channel and was added to the RedLetterMedia catalog on August 19, 2012. McKinnon handled all facets of production, including writing, animation, timing, and audio editing and recording, with little assistance from the Red Letter Media crew, which resulted in long delays between episode releases. In December 2014, the animated shorts were removed from the RedLetterMedia YouTube channel and on August 20, 2015, all animated shorts became inaccessible due to the closure of Blip.

The shorts focus on the non-canon everyday adventures of Harry S. Plinkett, utilizing audio from RedLetterMedia productions and a variety of other sources. The series features a rotating supporting cast primarily derived from other RedLetterMedia productions.

Premise

Harry S. Plinkett is a grumpy old man and alleged murderer, whose mundane life is often interrupted by bizarre, supernatural, and sometimes imaginary events that lead to surreal adventures.

Characters

• Harry S. Plinkett (Mike Stoklasa and Shaun McKinnon) is an elderly man who narrates each episode and is often seen in a wheelchair. His ordinary daily routines are punctuated by surreal adventures, which often end in violence and death. He enjoys pizza rolls and ejaculating on storm drains. He has a romantic history with Bea Arthur, but is currently and unsuccessfully looking for someone compatible. He has been kidnapped, nearly murdered, and beaten on multiple occasions.
• Bea Arthur (Mike Stoklasa) is Mr. Plinkett's former flame, recently returned from the netherworld of the Force. Their unresolved romantic history leads her to concoct an outlandish plot to reunite the two. She also works at the local cafe.
• George Lucas (George Lucas, archive audio) is a filmmaker living in Mr. Plinkett's neighborhood. He is shot by Mr. Plinkett during Halloween.
• Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Shaun McKinnon and Patrick Stewart, archive audio) is the captain of the USS Enterprise-D. Plinkett is initially abducted by Picard's crew and later encounters Picard looking for treasures in the sewers.
• Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes, archive audio) is the Enterprise first officer. Riker and the rest of the TNG crew kidnap Plinkett under Bea's orders.
• Emperor Palpatine (Mike Stoklasa) is a Sith Lord turned Disney stooge, who also wants to kidnap Plinkett.
• Johnny is a neglected boy whom Plinkett abducts with good intentions.
• Bertie is a young boy who owns Plinkett memorabilia. He is chased by a scarecrow creature and later falls off the roof while trying to see Santa's reindeer.
• Jimmy Stewart, the Costco clerk (Jimmy Stewart, archive audio) is a man frustrated by unrealized dreams who attempts to murder Plinkett.
• Mike (Mike Stoklasa) and Jay (Jay Bauman) are two sleazy VCR repairman who review movies and episodes of the animated series.

Episodes

¹ Only actors directly associated with RedLetterMedia productions are listed.
² The 789 Films YouTube channel was shut down in January 2013. As a result, YouTube links for the 789 Films-released season one of Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series are dead and listed only for archival purposes.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		DVD release date
			Season premiere	Season finale	Region 0
	1	6	September 14, 2011 (2011-09-14)	July 26, 2012 (2012-07-26)	N/A
	2	6	October 30, 2012 (2012-10-30)	July 25, 2013 (2013-07-25)	N/A
	3	5	September 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)	May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12)	N/A
	4	2	October 28, 2014 (2014-10-28)	December 24, 2014 (2014-12-24)	N/A
	Specials	1	January 8, 2013 (2013-01-08)	TBA	N/A

Season 1 (2011-2012)

³ Episodes in season 1 were retitled and reordered after the series was picked up by RedLetterMedia. The episodes below are listed with the revised titles and episode order.

No. in season	No. in season	Title	Airdate	Guest stars	Editor	Links
1	1	"Mr. Plinkett Meets The TNG Crew"	September 14, 2011 (2011-09-14)		Shaun McKinnon
		After an unwelcome visit from an old friend, Mr. Plinkett is abducted by the TNG crew.
2	2	"Mr. Plinkett Meets Half in the Bag"	November 19, 2011 (2011-11-19)	Jay Bauman, Jack Packard	Shaun McKinnon
		Trapped on board the Enterprise-D, Mr. Plinkett is confronted by an old flame and tensions quickly escalate.
3	3	"Mr. Plinkett Meets Space Cop"	April 15, 2012 (2012-04-15)	Gillian Bellinger, Rich Evans	Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett discovers his local sewer system leads to a Mayan temple.
4	4	"Picture in the Paper"	June 13, 2012 (2012-06-13)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett's trip to the department of motor vehicles goes awry when he is questioned about the disappearance of a local boy.
5	5	"Christmas with Mr. Plinkett"	December 11, 2011 (2011-12-11)	Rich Evans	Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett spends his Christmas holiday reading fan mail.
6	6	"The Dark Plinkett Rises"	July 26, 2012 (2012-07-26)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett sneaks into a showing of The Dark Knight Rises, but his disruptive behavior irritates Christian Bale.

Season 2 (2012-2013)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Airdate	Guest stars	Editor	Links
7	1	"Mr. Plinkett's Halloween Spooktacular!"	October 30, 2012 (2012-10-30)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett tells a spooky story about a little boy who goes trick-or-treating and accidentally awakens a supernatural creature.
8	2	"Mr. Plinkett Gets Shot Out Back for Ruining Christmas"	December 23, 2012 (2012-12-23)		Shaun McKinnon
		After witnessing a despondent Santa Claus's horrific suicide, Mr. Plinkett must save Christmas.
9	3	"It's A Wonderful Plinkett"	February 11, 2013 (2013-02-11)		Shaun McKinnon
		After declining a Costco membership, Mr. Plinkett becomes the target of a murder plot.
10	4	"The Plinkett Menace"	May 4, 2013 (2013-05-04)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett is kidnapped by Emperor Palpatine, who has a sinister plan for him.
11	5	"Plinkett into Darkness"	June 12, 2013 (2013-06-12)	Jay Bauman, Rich Evans	Shaun McKinnon
		VCR repairmen Mike and Jay from Half in the Bag review the Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series episode, "Plinkett into Darkness."
12	6	"Plinkett Goes on a Date"	July 25, 2013 (2013-07-25)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett asks a woman out on a date, but his dating skills are rusty.

Season 3 (2013-2014)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Airdate	Guest stars	Editor	Links
13	1	"Complaining at the Post Office about the Price of Stamps"	September 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett's visit to the post office induces a hallucination.
14	2	"Back to the Plinkett"	October 12, 2013 (2013-10-12)		Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett accidentally becomes a time traveler, and uses the opportunity to change the course of film history.
15	3	"The Ghost of Christmas Plinkett"	December 10, 2013 (2013-12-10)		Shaun McKinnon
		The Care Boars revive Mr. Plinkett's dead wife, hoping to reunite her with Mr. Plinkett in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, all she wants for Christmas is revenge.
16	4	"When Harry Met Harry"	February 4, 2014 (2014-02-04)	Rich Evans	Shaun McKinnon
		Mr. Plinkett extorts money from another Mr. Plinkett.
17	5	"Catnapped"	May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12)		Shaun McKinnon
		When his cat is abducted by a Green Goose crime ring, Mr. Plinkett uncovers a strange plot involving cartoon animals.

Season 4 (2014)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Airdate	Guest stars	Editor	Links
18	1	"Trick or Plinkett"	October 28, 2014 (2014-10-28)		Shaun McKinnon
		On Halloween night, Mr. Plinkett encounters a supernatural visitor.
19	2	"Christmas bEVErly"	December 24, 2014 (2014-12-24)		Shaun McKinnon
		Afraid to be alone on Christmas, Mr. Plinkett calls a dating hotline, but his date is more dangerous than he could imagine.

Specials

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Airdate	Guest stars	Editor	Links
1	8/9	"Drawing Plinkett, Meeting RedLetterMedia"	January 8, 2013 (2013-01-08)	Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman	Shaun McKinnon
		Shaun McKinnon hosts a special episode giving a behind-the-scenes look at the animation process for the Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series cartoons.

Production

Conception and Development

The first season of Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series consisted of cartoon shorts independently produced and released by 789 Films. The shorts were animated audio mashups, combining existing Mr. Plinkett dialogue with other sources to create a unique story, a technique used in all episodes of the series thus far. The six original episodes were well received by both Mike Stoklasa and Jay Bauman, and were regularly promoted by RedLetterMedia as they were released. Animated series creator Shaun McKinnon later met with Stoklasa to get his blessing for creating additional cartoons.

In August 2012, the existing Mr. Plinkett cartoons were officially added to the RedLetterMedia catalog. New episodes, starting with "Mr. Plinkett's Halloween Spooktacular!," were released through the RedLetterMedia website and YouTube channel rather than through the 789 Films channel.

Animation

For each cartoon, audio is captured from various RedLetterMedia productions along with other sources and edited together into a unified script. The cartoons are hand-drawn and digitally transferred to computer for further animation. The pilot episode exhibited exaggerated line boil, which was minimized in favor of a smoother and more subdued animation style for subsequent episodes.

External Links

• Mr. Plinkett: The Animated Series on RedLetterMedia
• 789 Films channel on YouTube
• 789 Films channel (closed) on YouTube