How a birthday gift for a mother launched a cult animation career
In short: In 2005, Jason Steele was broke and displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Seeking a way to give his mother a birthday present despite having no money, he created a surrealist short about a pessimistic unicorn. That single video, Charlie the Unicorn, would eventually amass millions of views and define an era of internet humor.
The series, produced by FilmCow, centers on Charlie, a lethargic and cynical unicorn who is relentlessly badgered by two companions—a blue unicorn and a pink unicorn—to travel to the magical Candy Mountain. While the journey appears bright and cheerful, the humor is deeply surreal and dark, a style Steele notes was inspired by his fan of musician Logan Whitehurst. The plot often takes unexpected turns; in the original short, Charlie's quest ends with him waking up in a meadow to find that his companions have stolen one of his kidneys.
The production was a feat of independent animation, utilizing Adobe Photoshop for designs, Adobe Flash for animation, and GarageBand for music. Interestingly, the musical number 'The Candy Mountain Cave' was performed by Steele himself, voicing an anthropomorphic letter 'Y' from the mountain's marquee sign, because he found it too difficult to sing the rapid melody in the voices of the two unicorns. The characters of the blue and pink unicorns remained largely mysterious, with Steele intentionally withholding their names and genders to increase their intrigue.
The cultural impact of the series has been significant. In 2010, Time magazine ranked it as one of YouTube's 50 best videos, noting its ability to earn a cult following without making sense. By March 2010, the video had reached 46 million views. The franchise expanded into sequels, merchandising with retailers like Hot Topic and CafePress, and even a Kickstarter campaign in 2016 that raised over $200,000 to fund a thirty-minute finale.
The series' legacy is also tied to linguistic quirks. The inclusion of a Magical Liopleurodon, who communicates in unintelligible gurgles, led many viewers to adopt an incorrect pronunciation of the genus name, a phenomenon Steele noted following the video's rise in popularity.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Charlie the Unicorn
- Also: Wikidata — Charlie the Unicorn · CC0
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/entertainment-charlie-the-unicorn.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Musical films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics
