Let’s all take a moment to think about the annoying orange. What memories come to mind, and why do those specific memories come to mind?
For me, the first thought that came to mind was “wait, the first video came out in 2009?! I feel so old!” and then “what was I doing with my life watching those videos? It’s sad I even remember them…but wait…The Annoying Orange is hilarious”. I’m sure some of you can relate to one of these thoughts, I mean seriously, this talking fruit series came out 4 years ago and is still going strong! And why on earth is it so funny?
Ever since I watched the first video back in the good ol’ days (aka my freshman year of high school) I’ve wondered why The Annoying Orange is so funny, but never really came up with specific reasons or did the research. So let’s break it up and see what we find.
1). The plot: When you watch the videos, you see there are clear main characters, and as the series progressed more characters were introduced. Like “Passion” the passion fruit. Of course the orange forever stayed the main character and was present every episode. But was there any specific character that was particularly funnier than the rest? No, not necessarily. Even the annoying orange isn’t exactly funny. The only constant thing that seems to occur in the videos is the orange harasses other fruits, they become fed up with him, then he gives them a two second warning of their death, for example, he yells “hey, knife!” then a hand with a knife comes out of nowhere and chops up his friend, for example, an apple. I think the reason there is some humor in this is because Dane Boedigheimer (the creater/writer of the series) makes each “fruit murder” seem horrific. This I believe is why it’s funny. Dane takes such a normal activity and makes it so much more dramatic than it is. Even young children can understand that there is no wrong in cutting up fruit, and that you’re not actually killing it.
2). The orange himself: What does the orange even do other than pester other fruit? The answer: Not really anything! So what exactly is so funny about watching a piece of fruit harass other foods you might ask. Absolutely everything!!! It may sound stupid but, oh wait, it is. Everything about the YouTube series is absolutely pointless. I think the reason we find it so funny is because the orange truly is annoying, and there is a sort of almost sympathy for the foods that have to deal with him. There is some relatability to each character. And the annoying voice the orange has, just….I don’t think I even have to explain….
3). Reasons for watching: So in the end, if you haven’t figured out why you found the orange funny, here are a few more theories:
A). It’s just good clean fun, i.e. it’s not complicated, offensive or inappropriate. At the end of the day, or during a study break, you just want to watch something to make you laugh, and unlike other comedy shows out there the annoying orange is child friendly and not offensive to specific religions, ages, races, political parties etc. Shows like Family Guy have some pretty intense jokes that can offend certain social groups, but with the orange, it’s not making fun of anyone. Everyone watching realizes they’re watching a talking fruit.
B). It’s about talking fruit. Honestly, what’s not hilarious about watching fruit with human like faces associate with each other? The personification of inanimate objects is generally funny, and for some reason society likes to think fruit is funny, so when you put those two things together you have a recipe for hilarity.
C). I really don’t know. Other than it being extremely pointless, yet completely hilarious, my personal reason for watching the series is non existent, even I couldn’t tell you why I watch it….
But in the meantime let’s have a flashback, and watch the first episode! Please fruitfully enjoy 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN5PoW7_kdA
Sources:
http://www.internetservice.net/2010/10-reasons-people-watch-the-annoying-orange-videos/