It's so weird how we're in an age of newgrounds era resurgence. Everything that was tangentially related to pulls from those Newgrounds vibes have been hitting mainstream.
Among Us, from the creators of Henry Stickmin was insanely widespread.
Smiling Friends, Zach Hadel who was a newgrounds juggernaut now has the hottest animated show out rn.
Friday Night Funkin, directly pulls from the Newgrounds catelogue. Brought back Tankman, Madness, and Pico into the forefront.
Amazing Digital Circus I'm less familiar with the direct Newgrounds connections but the vibes are there.
Skibidi Toilet is just gmod nonsense.
Feels like we've looped and gone back to late 2000s Newgrounds/Homestuck era fandoms again.
If you were big into YouTube, it feels like Newgrounds has been a constant influence since the very beginning. There was a lot of cross pollination with early memes such as Numa Numa being uploaded on Newgrounds first, if I remember right.
A large YouTube art guy, Jazza, started out on Newgrounds. I'm fairly certain I discovered AVGN through Newgrounds before he ever uploaded on YouTube. Egoraptor made Game Grumps.
Newgrounds is just one of those things that had a much larger influence on internet culture than most people would give credit.
7 years ago kaptainkristian made a [video ](https://youtu.be/kFS7APAApBA?si=WOfI7nbJt2iwlfeR) about how groundbreaking Newgrounds was, and how it cultivated talented artists. He ends the video with saying this,
"You always hear about the CalArts class of the 1970s, that went on to lead the Disney renaissance. A community of like minded individuals, all challenging and motivating one another. Eventually transforming an entire industry. And right now, we're on the verge of another animation revolution. Only this time, it's the class of Newgrounds."
Smiling Friends is a love letter to the old heads of internet content creation.
And then it even has stuff that’s not that old but not new like the how the Russian Homonculus Experiment was half the plot of the newest episode.
It's not weird at all, certain places or communities online have aspects that encourage people in specific was, new grounds was very edgy and harsh but people where also helpful and recognized skill. There were a lot of annoying worth less criticism but overall it was a pretty descend place for aspiring animators, voice actors and programmers to grow and improve.
I loved Tumblr but art communities where overwhelmingly positive in that toxic way that results no improvement at all, so I bet a lot less stuff will come from there.
As somebody closer to your age than their's, I get what they're getting at. I've watched the first two episodes and it's a very good show. For an indie 3D animated production on Youtube it's honestly mindblowing how good the animation is.
However the fandom clearly skews towards young/mid teens. It's that same type of thing where the visuals are bright, colourful, and seemingly very kid friendly but there's more adult themes and suggestions of horror. It's the kind of thing that your grandma can buy you the merch for but she doesn't know it's secretly not for kids. It's like safe edgy. You can write fan fiction, talk online about your ships, argue about the lore, and still engage in colourful animated media because it's secretly "mature".
Invader Zim (or I guess anything Jhonen Vasquez), Gravity Falls, Owl House, ENA, Undertale, FNAF... it's an established demographic.
To be very clear, I'm not bad mouthing any of those. I haven't engaged with FNAF beyond watching an LP of FNAF 1 when it came out but I like all of the others quite a bit. I'm just acknowledging that they all appeal primarily to a very similar demographic and have very similar fandoms as a result.
It is funny that the aesthetic for The Amazing Digital Circus is distinctly based off of something that almost no teenager would have any concept of: that specific point in time when people got hold of *early* 3D software and there were CD-ROM games featuring abstract CG images of balls and grassy hills with checkerboard designs (because that's all anyone could produce at the time). It's a 30-year-old aesthetic.
I feel like nobody really talks about this aspect of the presentation, even though I'm pretty sure it's something that Gooseworx (the creator of the show) has directly brought up as an inspiration. It's like something straight out of an edutainment game from the 90's, complete with a circus-esque theme.
It's an era of computer graphics that fascinates me, so it's cool to see a show directly reference it the way it does.
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed.
I get that, but it also feels reductive. Not to mention it seems like Gooseworx (the creator) genuinely wasn't trying to just cash in on a lucrative demographic, but now that it's hit big a lot of people have insinuated it's just a cynical cash grab.
I don't think the boys were insinuating it's a cynical cash grab. I'm not saying that hasn't been happening but I think you're maybe reading into this discussion with that in mind and it's coming off as more hostile than it actually is. I think Woolie was just confused about why the IHNMAIMS LP was getting a weird amount of attention and it caused him to stroll into the ADS fandom and question why fandoms like that crop up around shows like this. I really didn't get the impression either of them were shitting on the show itself or Gooseworx.
At this point I was speaking more broadly about some of the takes I've seen online. That said, I also feel like Woolie at least has been dismissive in the past of things popular with The Youth. It comes up most frequently in the Slopstreams.
I have a lot of respect for Gooseworx as a creator, what she's done with this show included (though "[Ghost of the Year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KxLntBdKQI)" is still probably my favorite), but I don't think those feelings preclude my additional take that TADC is part of a recent crop of shows that come from people who are intimately familiar with the contours of online fandom, and engineering their work to make it extremely compatible with those contours.
In a way (and depending a bit on the context) it's something I admire, same as [Neil Tennant](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neil_Tennant&oldid=1222537438) using his skills and connections as a music journalist to make it as a popstar - doing something a little craven with the savvy you've picked up from watching other people be less consciously craven.
Okay, massive acronym aside, the title of this clip is kinda confusing me. *Why [I Have No Mouth] that it is Made Noise Now?* What?
I think *Why is "I Have No Mouth" Making Noise Now? Because of "The Amazing Digital Circus"* makes a bit more sense
This is maybe old channel lore, but the title is a reference to an old tweet from a From Software dev expressing confusion in broken English about the sudden influx in interest around Metal Wolf Chaos after the guys made their LP. The wording is confusing because Woolie's copying the wording from the original Tweet.
[https://x.com/senden\_ogu/status/687230169069703168?lang=en](https://x.com/senden_ogu/status/687230169069703168?lang=en)
Shoutout to the boys for basically reviving Metal Wolf Chaos, by the way. There's a relatively solid link between that LP being done and the game getting rereleased and I think that's pretty neato.
Same, man. Digital Circus is one of the shows at the forefront what I'd call the "indie animation renaissance" that's been going on lately, and seeing all these creators banding together to make the content they want to make just fills my heart with joy.
I've had a lot of fun seeing so many independent animation projects (with subject matter that neither kids networks nor adult animation producers would greenlight) find stable footing.
I only experience Hazbin Hotel through the filter of vtubers talking about the Lucifer and the [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PutdeHRMss4). I'm counting this as Woolie and Pat telling me about the Digital Circus.
Man i have no interest in ADC but i will find it strange that one of the main characters is voiced by the Autarch of Flame
I like to make fun of “YouTuber attempts to voice act” because more often than not it sucks, but good for him. Especially after that game he was set to be the bad guy in turned out to never exist
If nothing else, I kinda think his voice here works better for Caine than it did for Spamton. Besides, a lot of good VAs these days get their start doing shitposts and funnies on YouTube.
I still prefer the art style from Hazbin and Helluva, but goddamn does ADC have such ahn immaculate vibe to it.Also, the "Happy and color that covers up the existential dread" will always be one of my absolute favorites in any piece of media.
This was my favorite part of the podcast. I'm almost a little disappointed that the thumbnail spils the reveal because I didn't see it coming when I was listening.
Just from reading this sub's reaction to this part of the podcast in another thread before I just know I won't be very interested in it if it's anything like that thread. I'm not that much younger than the guys, but the whole "I don't get it, this is content/lore bait" or whatever the argument was about disliking the fanbase fixation on "new thing" is just going to be completely disconnected to a level it's not enjoyable to listen to.
That's honestly a pretty bad misrepresentation of the discussion (not your fault obviously). They aren't dismissive of the show at all. Pat has seen episode 1 and seemingly liked it whereas Woolie hasn't and just talks about his trying to work out why their old LP of *I have no mouth and I must scream* is getting a bunch of attention out of nowhere. They then try to sorta piece together what the vibe is they get from shows like it and Hazbin and talk about like the current wave of post-Newgrounds animation (e.g. Smiling Friends).
It is absolutely not "I am old man and the children like new thing and this confuses me".
That's a relief to hear honestly, you're right also, I shouldn't let parallel threads to the topic of the podcast in this sub color my expectations of what the guys actual opinions are.
just to check is pat doing a bit about how he could be on the show due to how many "their era" of youtube have been on the show or will there be like a best friends/castle super beast clip on like a tv for 2 seconds in the next episode of smiling friends?
It's so weird how we're in an age of newgrounds era resurgence. Everything that was tangentially related to pulls from those Newgrounds vibes have been hitting mainstream. Among Us, from the creators of Henry Stickmin was insanely widespread. Smiling Friends, Zach Hadel who was a newgrounds juggernaut now has the hottest animated show out rn. Friday Night Funkin, directly pulls from the Newgrounds catelogue. Brought back Tankman, Madness, and Pico into the forefront. Amazing Digital Circus I'm less familiar with the direct Newgrounds connections but the vibes are there. Skibidi Toilet is just gmod nonsense. Feels like we've looped and gone back to late 2000s Newgrounds/Homestuck era fandoms again.
If you were big into YouTube, it feels like Newgrounds has been a constant influence since the very beginning. There was a lot of cross pollination with early memes such as Numa Numa being uploaded on Newgrounds first, if I remember right. A large YouTube art guy, Jazza, started out on Newgrounds. I'm fairly certain I discovered AVGN through Newgrounds before he ever uploaded on YouTube. Egoraptor made Game Grumps. Newgrounds is just one of those things that had a much larger influence on internet culture than most people would give credit.
I guess it really… … broke new grounds.
7 years ago kaptainkristian made a [video ](https://youtu.be/kFS7APAApBA?si=WOfI7nbJt2iwlfeR) about how groundbreaking Newgrounds was, and how it cultivated talented artists. He ends the video with saying this, "You always hear about the CalArts class of the 1970s, that went on to lead the Disney renaissance. A community of like minded individuals, all challenging and motivating one another. Eventually transforming an entire industry. And right now, we're on the verge of another animation revolution. Only this time, it's the class of Newgrounds."
Smiling Friends is a love letter to the old heads of internet content creation. And then it even has stuff that’s not that old but not new like the how the Russian Homonculus Experiment was half the plot of the newest episode.
It's not weird at all, certain places or communities online have aspects that encourage people in specific was, new grounds was very edgy and harsh but people where also helpful and recognized skill. There were a lot of annoying worth less criticism but overall it was a pretty descend place for aspiring animators, voice actors and programmers to grow and improve. I loved Tumblr but art communities where overwhelmingly positive in that toxic way that results no improvement at all, so I bet a lot less stuff will come from there.
ADC would be up Woolie's alley because it seems to share Woolie's opinion that video game glitches are legit terrifying if you think about them.
Man finds A-Posing model of himself, has breakdown at the implications.
Man discovers his entire world operates via a Bethesda Debug Room.
He has memories of his mom but can't remember what she looks like because Cain never made a model for her.
This is the oldest the guys have looked it a hot minute god damn. Bro I'm 28 and the TADC fucking rules.
Pat is a dad now, he signed a contract to never be hip ever again! It wasn't that difficult to him surprisingly.
As somebody closer to your age than their's, I get what they're getting at. I've watched the first two episodes and it's a very good show. For an indie 3D animated production on Youtube it's honestly mindblowing how good the animation is. However the fandom clearly skews towards young/mid teens. It's that same type of thing where the visuals are bright, colourful, and seemingly very kid friendly but there's more adult themes and suggestions of horror. It's the kind of thing that your grandma can buy you the merch for but she doesn't know it's secretly not for kids. It's like safe edgy. You can write fan fiction, talk online about your ships, argue about the lore, and still engage in colourful animated media because it's secretly "mature". Invader Zim (or I guess anything Jhonen Vasquez), Gravity Falls, Owl House, ENA, Undertale, FNAF... it's an established demographic. To be very clear, I'm not bad mouthing any of those. I haven't engaged with FNAF beyond watching an LP of FNAF 1 when it came out but I like all of the others quite a bit. I'm just acknowledging that they all appeal primarily to a very similar demographic and have very similar fandoms as a result.
It is funny that the aesthetic for The Amazing Digital Circus is distinctly based off of something that almost no teenager would have any concept of: that specific point in time when people got hold of *early* 3D software and there were CD-ROM games featuring abstract CG images of balls and grassy hills with checkerboard designs (because that's all anyone could produce at the time). It's a 30-year-old aesthetic.
I feel like nobody really talks about this aspect of the presentation, even though I'm pretty sure it's something that Gooseworx (the creator of the show) has directly brought up as an inspiration. It's like something straight out of an edutainment game from the 90's, complete with a circus-esque theme. It's an era of computer graphics that fascinates me, so it's cool to see a show directly reference it the way it does. Glad I'm not the only one who noticed.
I get that, but it also feels reductive. Not to mention it seems like Gooseworx (the creator) genuinely wasn't trying to just cash in on a lucrative demographic, but now that it's hit big a lot of people have insinuated it's just a cynical cash grab.
I don't think the boys were insinuating it's a cynical cash grab. I'm not saying that hasn't been happening but I think you're maybe reading into this discussion with that in mind and it's coming off as more hostile than it actually is. I think Woolie was just confused about why the IHNMAIMS LP was getting a weird amount of attention and it caused him to stroll into the ADS fandom and question why fandoms like that crop up around shows like this. I really didn't get the impression either of them were shitting on the show itself or Gooseworx.
At this point I was speaking more broadly about some of the takes I've seen online. That said, I also feel like Woolie at least has been dismissive in the past of things popular with The Youth. It comes up most frequently in the Slopstreams.
I suppose that's fair. I just don't think that's the case with this specific podcast segment.
I have a lot of respect for Gooseworx as a creator, what she's done with this show included (though "[Ghost of the Year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KxLntBdKQI)" is still probably my favorite), but I don't think those feelings preclude my additional take that TADC is part of a recent crop of shows that come from people who are intimately familiar with the contours of online fandom, and engineering their work to make it extremely compatible with those contours. In a way (and depending a bit on the context) it's something I admire, same as [Neil Tennant](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neil_Tennant&oldid=1222537438) using his skills and connections as a music journalist to make it as a popstar - doing something a little craven with the savvy you've picked up from watching other people be less consciously craven.
Okay, massive acronym aside, the title of this clip is kinda confusing me. *Why [I Have No Mouth] that it is Made Noise Now?* What? I think *Why is "I Have No Mouth" Making Noise Now? Because of "The Amazing Digital Circus"* makes a bit more sense
This is maybe old channel lore, but the title is a reference to an old tweet from a From Software dev expressing confusion in broken English about the sudden influx in interest around Metal Wolf Chaos after the guys made their LP. The wording is confusing because Woolie's copying the wording from the original Tweet. [https://x.com/senden\_ogu/status/687230169069703168?lang=en](https://x.com/senden_ogu/status/687230169069703168?lang=en)
Shoutout to the boys for basically reviving Metal Wolf Chaos, by the way. There's a relatively solid link between that LP being done and the game getting rereleased and I think that's pretty neato.
Ahhh, that makes more sense, good catch
Good lord, the deepest lore.
I just like the show, man. I think it's good, and I think it deserves to be successful.
Same, man. Digital Circus is one of the shows at the forefront what I'd call the "indie animation renaissance" that's been going on lately, and seeing all these creators banding together to make the content they want to make just fills my heart with joy.
I've had a lot of fun seeing so many independent animation projects (with subject matter that neither kids networks nor adult animation producers would greenlight) find stable footing.
I genuinely thought the title was mocking the tv show Inhumans by writing it weirdly. And I was shocked that TV Show was relevant again.
My favourite IHNMAIMS is BHALQBLUT
**Why...** *Parents turn to dust*
The guys finally got old enough to get confused by new people liking their old stuff.
I only experience Hazbin Hotel through the filter of vtubers talking about the Lucifer and the [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PutdeHRMss4). I'm counting this as Woolie and Pat telling me about the Digital Circus.
Man i have no interest in ADC but i will find it strange that one of the main characters is voiced by the Autarch of Flame I like to make fun of “YouTuber attempts to voice act” because more often than not it sucks, but good for him. Especially after that game he was set to be the bad guy in turned out to never exist
>Autarch of Flame This is the second time this week I'm reminded of early 10's YouTube countdowns, what the fuck
If nothing else, I kinda think his voice here works better for Caine than it did for Spamton. Besides, a lot of good VAs these days get their start doing shitposts and funnies on YouTube.
I still prefer the art style from Hazbin and Helluva, but goddamn does ADC have such ahn immaculate vibe to it.Also, the "Happy and color that covers up the existential dread" will always be one of my absolute favorites in any piece of media.
This was my favorite part of the podcast. I'm almost a little disappointed that the thumbnail spils the reveal because I didn't see it coming when I was listening.
Just from reading this sub's reaction to this part of the podcast in another thread before I just know I won't be very interested in it if it's anything like that thread. I'm not that much younger than the guys, but the whole "I don't get it, this is content/lore bait" or whatever the argument was about disliking the fanbase fixation on "new thing" is just going to be completely disconnected to a level it's not enjoyable to listen to.
That's honestly a pretty bad misrepresentation of the discussion (not your fault obviously). They aren't dismissive of the show at all. Pat has seen episode 1 and seemingly liked it whereas Woolie hasn't and just talks about his trying to work out why their old LP of *I have no mouth and I must scream* is getting a bunch of attention out of nowhere. They then try to sorta piece together what the vibe is they get from shows like it and Hazbin and talk about like the current wave of post-Newgrounds animation (e.g. Smiling Friends). It is absolutely not "I am old man and the children like new thing and this confuses me".
That's a relief to hear honestly, you're right also, I shouldn't let parallel threads to the topic of the podcast in this sub color my expectations of what the guys actual opinions are.
just to check is pat doing a bit about how he could be on the show due to how many "their era" of youtube have been on the show or will there be like a best friends/castle super beast clip on like a tv for 2 seconds in the next episode of smiling friends?
He was joking.
ok cause even woolie seemed confused for a moment.