The first time I watched Ed, Edd n Eddy, I was hooked.
It felt different from other cartoons — edgy, subversive, and weirdly sophisticated for a show centered around haphazard “scams” and slapstick humor.
The cul-de-sac and alleyways of fictional Peach Creek seemed real and comfortable compared to the sanitized streets of other cartoon suburbia. Broken fences, copious amounts of cardboard, and a close proximity to the Park n’ Flush trailer park more accurately reflected my surroundings, while the upbeat jazz soundtrack gave them an air of charm and nostalgia rather than despair.
The characters themselves radiated energy that I hadn’t seen reflected elsewhere: manic and ambitious, cheesy yet philosophical, and constantly moving thanks to the boiling lines that contained their unusually-proportioned features.
It was the first show I’d ever watched that felt like home.
My cousins and I never missed an episode — we’d watch it at their house, since they had cable — and would frequently find excuses to include our favorite quotes into daily conversation (my younger cousin was particularly fond of Ed’s “GRAVY” and “buttered toast” interjections.)
Sure, the style may not have been for everyone, and the plot often followed the same formula of elaborately composed scams followed by failure, and ultimately humiliation. But the goal of each scam was realistic, even if the means to the sugary end was misguided by Eddy’s cynicism, Edd’s passivity, and Ed’s oafishness.
None of the Eds were a typical protagonist, but their Three Stooges routines and constant struggles to scrape together some cash made them endearing anyways.
Oh, and have I mentioned how freaking quotable this show is? A steady stream of memes inspired by the show prove the internet agrees, although I’m still waiting for one featuring my favorite line from the series:
“The way to a man’s heart is through his arteries!” — Lee Kanker
In addition to being responsible for approximately 70% of my humor and general worldview as an adult, Ed, Edd n Eddy is a masterclass in having a cohesive creative vision for a work of art.
Danny Antonucci designed the characters, wrote episodes, and even whistled the theme song. His ability to pull from his childhood experiences into every character helped to make them not only hilarious, but relatable.
The decision to make all the kids in the cul-de-sac weird seemed especially significant when I was young. Rolf’s outlandish traditions, Johnny’s interactions with Plank, and Double D’s extensively labeled bedroom seemed to level the playing field, hinting at the fact that no one really feels like they belong.
While the Eds may be outcasts, they’re not friendless — they have each other. And while their quest for jawbreakers may more closely resemble Tantalus’s punishment than the typical outcome of hard work in TV shows, the message that ill-gotten gains never come easy (or at all), actually stuck.
Antonucci’s clarity for the show ensured the series remained appropriately off-the-wall throughout 6 seasons and a movie, and helped guide it to numerous awards. But the same vision that helped make the show great also lead to its conclusion. Following the 2009 feature Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show, the series ended, despite an offer to continue from Cartoon Network.
This past year saw rumors swirl about a possible Ed, Edd n Eddy reboot following the announcement of Thundercats Roar, but voice actor Erin Fitzgerald (the talent behind both Nazz Von Bartonschmeer and May Kanker in the show), shut the idea down on Twitter, citing Antonucci’s decision to leave the series as a “complete work of art.”
Like his fateful decision to fax the concept directly to studios in the first place, it was the right call. Ed, Edd n Eddy had the longest run of any Cartoon Network original show. Its legacy of simple humor, complicated scams, and just-out-of-reach jawbreakers will live on in its 60-plus episodes and increasingly numerous memes. Life has many doors, and Ed, Edd n Eddy will always make passing through them — or gazing out them — that much better.
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