12 oz. Mouse S1-3 and Specials

Adult Swim’s animation style is unique – and never more so than in seasons 1-3 of “psychological thriller” animation series 12 oz. Mouse. It looks like something a seven-year-old would draw and the humour is dry. But that’s the beauty of the show – it’s simple, funny, outrageous sometimes, and will have you chuckling at the inappropriate jokes.

12 oz. Mouse centres on green-furred, beer-drinking oddball character Mouse Fitzgerald (voiced by show creator Matt Maiellaro). He takes random jobs – everything from painting, to being a spy or a hitman – so that he can earn bucks for beer. Mouse is accompanied in his day-to-day goings by his sniper bestie friend Skillet the chinchilla, who isn’t even an animated character – he looks like he was cut from a page of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

All three seasons are on Showmax, including the three special episodes. There’s no continuity between episodes, so you can jump right in anywhere you like. You can’t watch this half-asleep though – the dialogue is unexpected so you need to concentrate to keep up.

12 oz Mouse: Spider-Man Special

Matt Maiellaro, creator of adult animated horror-comedy series 12 oz. Mouse, wasn’t entirely happy with an episode called Spider in S2, so he has created an alternate version called The Spider-Man Special. There’s no actual Spider-Man. In fact, there isn’t even a spider – this creature has seven legs, two eyes and vampire teeth.

If you’ve watched the original episode, this is what you’ll miss when you watch the special: Rhoda and Shark’s discussion, which eliminates Golden Joe completely because he’s never mentioned; Mosquitor has less screen time, meaning less dripping blood; and Mouse Fitzgerald’s conversation with Shark is shortened to just the phrase: “Don’t look under your ice box”.

What the 11-minute special does have now, is Mouse and his chinchilla bestie Skillet playing a rock song, with Skillet’s drum solo lasting just under 4 minutes. The humour is drier than the Sahara Desert and the best thing about it is Skillet shooting laser beams from his eyes to break free from his captor.

Did you know? Matt made this episode before the original episode aired and the producers agreed to air it straight after Spider was broadcast in 2005.

12 oz Mouse: Invictus Special

Matt Maiellaro, creator of surreal adult animated series 12 oz. Mouse, has a wild imagination and that’s why he’s sent his green-furred, beer-drinking character Mouse Fitzgerald (whom Matt voices) on a zany adventure. In the Invictus special, Mouse meets a talking bee who convinces him to save his best friends. The problem is that he has to go into a simulated world to do that. No stress, though – because Mouse is taking his chinchilla bestie Skillet along for the ride.

The 21-minute episode isn’t only longer than the original series’ episodes (like the other two specials), it’s a lot gorier, too: Mouse and his bee pal get covered in blood after using a chainsaw. The special also chimes in on social issues like gender expression when Shark ends up dressed like a girl with ponytails and lipstick.

The storyline is great, but that longer runtime makes it feel a little drawn out – a couple of scenes could’ve been cut and it wouldn’t have changed the story.

12 oz Mouse: Enter the Sandmouse Special

Surreal adult comedy 12 oz. Mouse heads to the desert for its one and only webisode. And the only thing drier than the desert setting is the script – Mouse Fitzgerald’s (voiced by series creator Matt Maiellaro) lines in this special are better than anything scripted for the three-season series.”

Golden Joe and Peanut Cop go missing during their trip, leaving Mouse and his chinchilla bestie Skillet alone in the desert. Instead of trying to find their way home, the pair make a new home among the sand dunes. That’s the normal section, but now here’s where it gets “interesting”. Mouse and his pal Lee go into Mouse’s hut, leaving Skillet to spy on them. If there’s one thing Skillet knows, it’s trouble – and he knows that while Lee looks like a human woman (with 5pm stubble), she’s a she-wolf and the only way to stop her is a bullet to the brain.

At five minutes, it’s shorter than most of the episodes but just as funny and entertaining.