The Boondocks

I admit it I am a cartoon girl. I remember watching them as a child and I had many different favorites. As I got older I still enjoyed cartoons watching different types of cartoons. I even watch some cartoon shows with my kids although not all of them are good and there are some that I absolutely refuse to watch. However more recently my tastes have matured. Hey there is a maturity level to watching cartoons. I have moved on from cartoons for kids to cartoon shows for adults. There are several cartoon shows that I watch on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim but my all time favorite cartoon is The Boondocks.

I became a fan of The Boondocks when it was a cartoon strip and then I was in front of the television for the first episode of the animated series. The Boondocks comic strip was created in 1996 by Aaron McGruder but actually made its national debut in 1999. I was hooked from the first strip. The animated series premiered on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim in 2005. I knew I would love the show and I did. As a cartoon strip The Boondocks was funny and as an animated show the cartoon was ten times better.

The premise of the cartoon is a political social satire of society and stereotypes seen through an African American family. The main characters are the Freeman family; two young boys who are being raised by their grandfather. There is Ten-year-old Huey, his brother eight-year-old Riley and their Grandfather Robert Freeman. The Boondocks started causing controversy as a comic strip with its political and social views and that controversy carried over to the show and ultimately brought forth more controversial issues such as the use of the “N” word and the satire on stereotypes. This controversy led to some episodes being banned from television.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Huey Freeman – (Voice of Regina King born January 15, 1971 in Los Angeles, California)

Huey is the narrator of the show at times and the most mature character even at age 10. Huey is a martial artist, a bit of a pessimist and has very strong political views.

Riley Freeman – (Voice of Regina King)

Riley is the polar opposite of his older brother Huey. As an eight-year-old Riley embodies everything that is wrong with misguided black youths. Riley is constantly getting into trouble in some way while trying to mimic popular rap culture.

Robert Granddad Freeman – (Voice of John Witherspoon born January 27, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan)

Granddad is the legal guardian of the two boys. He moves the family to the suburbs for better living. Granddad is constantly looking for a young wife especially through online social sites. Granddad is also always in conflict with the boys while trying to live the suburbia lifestyle.

OTHER CHARACTERS:

Tom Dubois – (Voice of Cedric Yarbrough born March 20, 1973 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Tom is the head of the Dubois family and lives across the street from the Freemans. Tom is an African American attorney that is married to a white woman and is treated as the “Uncle Tom” character since he has distanced himself from blacks.

Sarah Dubois – (Voice of Jill Talley born December 19, 1962 (1962-12-19) in Chicago Illinois)

Sarah is Tom’s white wife. Sarah pokes fun at their interracial relationship and has an easier time with it than Tom.

Jazmine Dubois – (Voice of Gabby Soleil born May 25, 1995 in Mission Viejo, California)

Jazmine is the biracial child of Tom and Sarah and is both paranoid and naïve. Both Huey and Riley make fun of Jazmine because of the way she thinks and acts.

There are several other reoccurring characters that add to the stereotypes and political views of the show some of which are rappers and pimps. The Boondocks truly pokes fun at all stereotypes and is only shown on Adult Swim late at night because of the use of language and other adult content.