Animated "The Faces of Tumblr" pilot picked up, to air on MTV in 2012.
MTV and Tumblr have announced another step in their growing partnership: an animated sitcom based on the popular “face memes” of Tumblr. Tumblr founder and creator David Karp (his blog can be found here) is the mastermind behind this collaboration, which will feature many icons familiar to the Tumblr userbase, such as “U Mad,” “Forever Alone,” “Me Gusta,” and others. Karp has taken credit for the creation of the icons so the project can move forward easier.
“I’m really excited about this project,” Karp says. “Every time I see something done using these faces, it always has tens of thousands of notes. I couldn’t resist. I had to take it to the next level. I’m sure that Tumblr will certainly feel they are a part of something special now.”
The project is still in its formative stages at the moment, so no voice actors have been cast nor has an animation studio been tied to the project. However, that hasn’t stopped speculation.
“I’d love to get Gilbert Gottfried for the “U Mad” face. I think it fits him perfect,” Karp said, laughing. “But another thing I’d like to do is get the Tumblr userbase really involved. I’m planning to hold an online casting call and have people record lines. Think of the possibilities! This show could be someone’s big break. That’s magical.”
The premise of the show revolves around the faces (“We’re going to upgrade them from stick figures”) living together in an apartment building and getting into what Karp calls “hilarious shenanigans.” The idea for the pilot involves “U Mad” setting up a blind date for “Forever Alone” that ends up backfiring when the date turns out to be “Me Gusta.”
“I can’t wait,” Karp says. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Reception to the project has been mixed. Donald Glover (blog can be found here), who plays Troy Barnes on NBC’s Community, says, “This idea is really great, you know? It’s an opportunity for someone to get their foot in the door. I would have killed for an opportunity like this, man. This show’s going to be golden, I know it.”
Not everyone shares Karp and Glover’s enthusiasm. James Urbaniak (blog can be found here), most famous for his voice acting role as Dr. Venture on Cartoon Network’s The Venture Bros., chided the project when notified about it.
“This is stupid,” Urbaniak says. “Think of all the money being put into this project. That money could be put to so many better uses. Feed a hungry family. Build a house. Renovate a school. It’s absurd.”
Regardless of what anyone thinks, The Faces of Tumblr is set to air its pilot episode in Spring of 2012.
Wow Jesus Christ why isn’t 4chan hacking the fucking shit out of MTV for nabbing their memes and attributing them to Tumblr? We get the point, Sony’s fucking shit, now let’s move on to more serious issues shall we
Are you shitting me here
4chan get your shit together
whyyyyyyyyyyy
Yeah, see, nobody owns memes - not even the people that create them. Man, that’s what memes are.
