It’s Devil’s Night, the day before Halloween. Plenty of time for a surprise scare. In this case, the unexpected release of a new Adult Swim short cartoon and concept trailer for something called Come and Learn with Pibby!
The short starts normal enough for any kindergarten style children’s animation. Pibby is a cartoon girl who loves her friends and teaching in her saccharine world… until a mysterious dark blob of ink and glitches invades. Absorbing everything and destroying her home as it devours her dear friend Bun Bun right in front of her. Just before she’s about to meet a similar fate… Pibby finds herself in the credits of her own show! As the trailer progresses, Pibby is forced to contend with the apocalyptic horrors that not only destroyed her world, but is spreading out and annihilating and absorbing all manner of animated worlds and characters. Including cameos by characters both trying to survive and meeting a grim fate including Fred Flintstone and Adventure Time’s Finn and Jake. Ending with Pibby and her reluctant allies trying to defend themselves from the invading horror.
The short/trailer created by animator Dodge Greenley presents a thrilling and terrifying concept. Our beloved cartoon heroes in an existential battle for survival against some unknowable eldritch entity. The short has been released in an apparent attempt to gauge interest by Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, so if you want more, definitely say it and spread it around. The idea of classic cartoon characters on the menu for some sort of otherworldy monster is a hook, but it looks like Pibby will have to grow and learn in ways beyond her marketed audience could have conceived. Seeing ‘red water’ for the first time and trying to encourage her new friends by saying they need to learn to become heroes.
Come and Learn with Pibby! is a definitely pleasant pre-Halloween treat, and it’s currently available to watch below.
