"He Was Sort of Created From the Heart Rather Than From the Wallet"

March 2, 2023 3:55 PM

It became something much bigger. This spoof of an abrasively stupid children’s tv character became the most popular thing on British tv; a dark mirror to Barney the Dinosaur, who was at his apex at the time. ‘Blobby was a reaction to that,’ says Denson, ‘to say, “Well, what would England have, if it was shite?”’ from Mr Blobby Has a Cold

Mr Blobby
Mr Blobby
Mr. Blobby full interview - BBC News
Top 10 WTF Mr Blobby Moments
Mr Blobby Music Video [1993 Christmas Number 1]

Previously

posted by chavenet (24 comments total)

‘Once I’m in the costume for a minute or so, I don’t really quite think like myself.’

My military experience in one sentence.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:58 PM on March 2, 2023 [9 favorites]

One part-time and now defrocked Blobby, who was trained by Killerby to play Blobby

What on earth do you have to do to be defrocked from Blobby Orders?
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:03 PM on March 2, 2023 [5 favorites]

My heart went out to whatever poor soil had to compile that Blobby joke book.
posted by Fuchsoid at 4:37 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]

What on earth do you have to do to be defrocked from Blobby Orders?

Evolve to exoskeletal.
posted by y2karl at 4:40 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]

All time best link: Jack Whitehall vs. Mr. Blobby
posted by mmoncur at 6:53 PM on March 2, 2023 [14 favorites]

Part of me believes that none of this actually happened or is real. It's like a British fever dream.
posted by emjaybee at 7:42 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

As an American, I had no idea about Mr. Blobby. His appearance on the Big Fat Quiz mmoncur's link) was my introduction and i was immediately hooked!

What on earth do you have to do to be defrocked from Blobby Orders?

Deblobbed, surely?
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:45 PM on March 2, 2023 [3 favorites]

Incidentally, "freelance rampage" is the name of my new sockpuppet.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:46 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]

"Our money's on the Blob for his sheer lack of humanity"
posted by doctornemo at 8:02 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]

I approve of this message.
posted by blob at 9:48 PM on March 2, 2023 [5 favorites]

came here for the jack whitehall reference and was not disappointed.
posted by ovenmitt at 9:49 PM on March 2, 2023 [3 favorites]

‘Once I’m in the costume for a minute or so, I don’t really quite think like myself.’

My military experience in one sentence.

we're born naked and the rest is drag
posted by JauntyFedora at 11:15 PM on March 2, 2023 [4 favorites]

Deblobbed, surely?

I think that might be part of the reproduction cycle mentioned in the article.
posted by biffa at 1:44 AM on March 3, 2023 [3 favorites]

Blade Runner but Mr Blobby is there.

HERE TO FUCK.
posted by pw201 at 2:14 AM on March 3, 2023 [3 favorites]

Matthew Highton puts Blobby in the Matrix (and Terminator, and other things in the thread).
posted by pw201 at 2:59 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

I ran into Mr Blobby when attempting to learn a bit about British entertainment of the 90s. So I can accurately say Well, what would England have, if it was shite? is a redundant phrase. For anyone interested in why American culture dominates and British TV culture is relegated to cozy mysteries, Dr. Who, and Bake Off knock offs (some of which are actually really good) on the world stage need only look at Noel's House Party.

Japanese game shows and humor broadcasts are cruel to the contestants and performers. British ones are cruel to the audience (and sometimes the performers, but not in the same way). Mr. Blobby is the apotheosis of this, a shit character created for the express purpose of having a shit character because they, for some reason, needed more shit characters. This isn't the gentle (if lousy) mocking of Death to Smoochy. This is Pennywise interpreted through the bureaucracy of Brazil. Worthless, making everyone's day just a little worse, and at heart slightly terrifying, as you know that one wrong move by the poor fucker inside the costume will result in a trip to the A&E, if not the morgue.

For all that American culture has to apologize for (Who wants to marry a millionaire, The Apprentice, Cops, etc.), Mr. Blobby is worse than all but one. And that's only because Mr. Blobby is not responsible for Boris Johnson, but the Apprentice is responsible for Donald Trump.
posted by Hactar at 5:12 AM on March 3, 2023 [3 favorites]

i actually like mr blobby. i liked my blobby as a kid as well and was excited to meet him at a shopping centre. i like how all his things like his suitcases are blobby things, that he speaks blobby language, that he's from a blobby world that's only hinted at. i like the incongruence of him trying to move through a world that's not designed for him and colliding with it and making it seem unfamilar. and from what i remember people mostly aren't that angry with him, or if they are, the camera and framing isnt angry. he's a weird alien who isn't even treated like an alien. he's out of place but somehow not treated like he's out of place. he's a nightmare without being made palatable or sentimental to make up for it. he's not the weird one other people become weird by their reaction to him.
posted by mosswinter at 5:34 AM on March 3, 2023 [5 favorites]

This is Pennywise interpreted through the bureaucracy of Brazil.

my only exposure to mr. blobby has been references on MeFi

your appraisal is perfect for me. i think of all the awful things that have been spawned to not just capture but devour our attention and this is one of them. the only redeeming quality is the lack of any lie: no attempt to put lipstick on this pig.
posted by elkevelvet at 7:07 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

After seeing this insanity and reading about a Blobby pin, I realized that I needed a Blobby pin, went looking, and found one for around $5. Why? A dada symbol of chaos that almost no one here in San Francisco will recognize.
posted by njohnson23 at 7:20 AM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

All time best link: Jack Whitehall vs. Mr. Blobby

I cannot remember the last time I laughed this hard.
posted by bendy at 11:36 AM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

In watching that music video, there appeared to be a Mrs. Blobby and a baby Blobby… Are we all anxiously awaiting the coming of Son or Daughter of Blobby?
posted by njohnson23 at 1:59 PM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

In a nice bit of symmetry, Mr Blobby's, well, not creator exactly, but owner of the chracter, at least, Noel Edmonds is apparently also quite shit.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 2:41 PM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

Edmonds is well established as a shitstain. One pleasant surprise in the article was that he has apparently fucked off to New Zealand.
posted by biffa at 5:03 PM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Apparently Mr Blobby was for sale on ebay a month ago.
posted by WhackyparseThis at 10:38 PM on March 3, 2023