Emily Carter
Cow and Chicken is a cartoon series that focuses on the adventures of two anthropomorphic animal siblings: Cow and her older brother, Chicken. The series draws on eccentric and surreal humor, with the main characters always ordering pork butts and taters in the cafeteria and their enemy, the Red Guy, always showing his butt. One of the show's running gags is that Cow and Chicken's parents are only ever depicted as a pair of legs, with no upper bodies. However, in the pilot episode, the parents' faces are briefly shown, and in another episode, their upper bodies are revealed to be kept in a closet. The show's creators have stated that the decision to depict the parents as only legs was made to keep the focus on the smaller characters, and that the legs were originally only intended to be temporary.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nature of the show | Eccentric, surreal, grotesque, and repulsive humor |
| Main characters | Cow and Chicken, two unlikely yet somehow biological anthropomorphic animal siblings |
| Parents | Delirious human parents, only their legs and waist are shown |
| Face reveal | In the pilot episode and in the episode "Cow and Chicken Reclining" |
| Red Guy | A comical version of the Devil, a flamboyant enemy |
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What You'll Learn
Cow and Chicken's parents were only legs
Cow and Chicken is a cartoon series that follows the adventures of two unlikely yet somehow biological anthropomorphic animal siblings: Cow and her older brother, Chicken. The two are often caught in escapades with their flamboyant enemy, the Red Guy, a comical version of the Devil. The series draws on eccentric, surreal, grotesque, and repulsive humor.
In the show, Cow and Chicken's parents are depicted as having no upper bodies, and only their legs and waists are shown on screen. The decision to portray the parents this way was made by the producer, who wanted to keep the attention on the small characters, such as Cow, Chicken, and the Red Guy. This style of animation is similar to that of Ren and Stimpy, where the parental figures are also just legs, and both shows shared a storyboard artist, writer, and director in Bob Camp.
There is some speculation about whether or not Cow and Chicken's parents truly are just legs. In one episode, "Cow and Chicken Reclining," Chicken pulls two top halves of a woman and a man out of a closet, which may or may not be the upper halves of their parents' bodies. In another episode, "The Day I Was Born," Dad's hands are shown, indicating that he does have an upper body. Additionally, in the Halloween episode, Chicken is shown wearing his dad's shirt and suit, which would imply that his dad has an upper body.
Despite these inconsistencies, the portrayal of Cow and Chicken's parents as only legs remains a unique and memorable aspect of the show, adding to its eccentric and surreal humor.
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The parents' faces were revealed in the pilot episode
Cow and Chicken is a cartoon series created by David Feiss for his daughter. The series follows the adventures of two unlikely yet somehow biological anthropomorphic animal siblings: the sweet-natured Cow and her older brother, the cynical Chicken. The two are often caught in escapades with their flamboyant enemy, the Red Guy, a comical version of the Devil.
In the series, Cow and Chicken's parents, Mom and Dad, are typically only shown on screen from the waist down, with their legs and waist being visible. The characters use their feet as hands and have no visible upper bodies. This style of animation was chosen by the producer of Cow and Chicken, who wanted to keep the attention on the smaller characters, and it was originally intended only for the pilot episodes. However, the idea was well-liked and it was kept for the rest of the series.
Despite the typical portrayal of Cow and Chicken's parents as only having legs, there is one notable exception to this. In the episode "Cow and Chicken Reclining", Chicken pulls various items out of a closet, including what appear to be the upper halves of Mom and Dad's bodies. This is the only time we see what Mom and Dad's faces looked like, but Cow refers to them as a "science project", leaving it ambiguous as to whether these upper bodies truly belong to her parents.
In another episode, "The Day I Was Born", Dad's hands are shown, marking one of the rare occasions where a body part other than his legs is visible. Additionally, in the Halloween episode, Chicken is shown wearing Dad's shirt and suit, implying that Dad has an upper body.
The pilot episode of Cow and Chicken revealed the faces of the parents, and there are reports of a commercial for the show that also showed their faces. However, their true form remains a mystery, with some viewers speculating that they are deformed or that the upper bodies seen in the closet are not actually theirs.
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The parents' upper bodies were seen in the closet
In the surreal and eccentric Cartoon Network show Cow and Chicken, the parents are typically depicted as a pair of legs, with no upper bodies. This is a spoof on older shows where the plot is directed toward the smaller characters, and the Nanny's upper body is never shown. The show's creators have never directly addressed whether the parents are actually just a pair of legs, and the characters' dialogue is not meant to be taken as canon.
However, in one episode, "Cow and Chicken Reclining", there is a scene where Chicken pulls things out of the closet, including the upper halves of a man and a woman, which some viewers interpret as the parents' true bodies. This is the only time we see what the parents' faces look like, but Cow refers to the upper bodies as "My science project!". It is unclear whether these upper bodies are the parents' actual bodies, or whether Cow has created them as part of a science project to give her parents upper bodies.
There is also some speculation that the parents' true forms are revealed in the pilot episode, and one viewer recalls a scene where Dad is reading a newspaper, and the paper moves to reveal nothing above his waist. However, this viewer acknowledges that their memory of the episode may not be entirely accurate.
The show's creators have stated that the parents were originally drawn as just a pair of legs to keep the attention on the smaller characters, and this idea was continued beyond the pilot episodes.
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The show's creator, David Feiss, worked with Hanna-Barbera
The creator of Cow and Chicken, David Feiss, began his career working for Hanna-Barbera in the late 1970s. He received his first credit for the 1981 adult animated film Heavy Metal. He gained notoriety throughout the late 1980s and 1990s as an animator for Jetsons: The Movie, Once Upon a Forest, The Town Santa Forgot, and The Ren & Stimpy Show, among others.
In 1995, Cartoon Network launched an animated series called What a Cartoon!, which featured a showcase of animated shorts from up-and-coming animators. Feiss' pilot, "No Smoking", was among the first shorts broadcast on the network and follows the unconventional sibling rivalry between Cow and Chicken, as well as their human parents.
Feiss later returned to Hanna-Barbera and created the Cartoon Network original series Cow and Chicken. He stated that The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends was the primary influence for his work. On his shows, David directed every episode and also worked as a writer, with his writing credits usually in collaboration with Michael Ryan.
Feiss has continued to work in the animation industry on projects such as The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Dave the Barbarian, Open Season, Despicable Me 2, The Grinch, The Willoughbys, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
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The parents' identities remain a joke
The identities of Cow and Chicken's parents remain a joke in the show. The parents are only ever shown from the waist down, with no upper bodies. In one episode, Cow and Chicken pull out the top halves of a man and woman from the closet, but it is unclear if these are their actual bodies. In another episode, Cow has a dream in which her parents walk into her room, but the camera zooms up to show nothing above their hips. The show's creator, David Feiss, has stated that the parents were drawn as just a pair of legs to keep the attention on the smaller characters.
The parents' identities are further obscured by the fact that they are referred to simply as "Mom" and "Dad," and their voices are provided by actors Dee Bradley Baker and Candi Milo, respectively. The father is identified by his green pants and brown loafers, while the mother is referred to as "Mama" by Cow and Chicken. In one episode, Chicken dresses up in his father's shirt and suit for Halloween, raising questions about the existence of the father's upper body.
The show's surreal and eccentric humor extends to the parents, whose actions rely on their legs and feet, spoofing older shows where the focus was on smaller characters, such as "Muppet Babies." The parents' lack of upper bodies is played for laughs, with jokes made about their inability to eat, drink, or sign their faces. The show never directly addresses the parents' identities or their lack of upper bodies, leaving it as an ongoing joke for the audience to ponder.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Dad and Mom are Cow and Chicken's real parents.
Typically, only the legs and waist of Cow and Chicken's parents are shown on screen. In the pilot episode, their faces are shown. In another episode, their upper bodies are shown in a closet.
Cow and Chicken are anthropomorphic animal siblings.
The show's creator, David Feiss, has stated that the design choice to only show the parents' legs and waists was a joke based on older shows where the plot was directed toward the smaller characters.
