Aahana Swrup
In the Netflix animated comedy show, ‘Exploding Kittens,’ the narrative equips absurdist humor and charts a unique story about a careless God’s path to mending his relationship with humanity. Naturally, within this universe, the best way for Heaven to ensure God connects with humans is to send him on a mission to bring a dysfunctional human family— The Higginses— together. All the while, his omnipotency is kept in check by entrapping him in the body of a cat, who only retains some of his godly powers. Once topside, God-cat realizes his hellish counterpart, Beelzebub, is in a similar predicament, having been banished to Earth to work on her evilness. Consequently, the battle between Heaven and Hell is brought to Earth through two overpowered felines.
The show remains true to its outlandish premise with an equally outlandish and quirky narrative that writes itself through dry wit, reference humor, and escalated situations. As such, several spoof jokes weasel their way into the show, alluding to some pop-culture fixture from real life.
Steal Truck Driver Drive Seventeen is a Spoof of Grand Theft Auto
One of the first most prominent references in the show arrives through Travis’ character. As a teenage boy who became a viral meme due to his childhood participation in a talent show, Travis Higgins’ world more-or-less exists on the inside of his computer screen. He wants to gain internet fame as a streamer to overshadow his past faux pas, which seems to be an unassailable giant in his digital footprint’s legacy. As a result, he finds an escape in his favorite online Role-Playing game, Steal Truck Driver Drive Seventeen.
The game is an obvious parody of the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ franchise, where stealing vehicles, forming gangs, and committing various crimes remain the central themes of its gameplay. The title parallels its regular versions, exaggerating the level of expansion within the franchise by presenting Steal Truck Driver Drive as having seventeen different installments. On the other hand, when it comes to actual gameplay, the fictionalized video game replicates the feel of ‘Grand Theft Auto Online,’ where players can equip a multiplayer mode to play in the same world.
The reference establishes a perception of Travis’ character, allocating him a spot as a “gamer” in social clique hierarchies. Considering the popularity of ‘Grand Theft Auto’ in mainstream media, the narrative easily benefits from parodying the franchise through Steal Truck Driver Drive. Moreover, rather than just a one-off reference, the game also finds significance within the plot as it jumpstarts a storyline between Travis and his mother, Abbie, who uses the game to secretly play-pretend as his therapist.
Shane and Chuggers is a Spoof of Chuck E. Cheese
Travis’ age and inevitable connection to pop culture come in handy again in episode three, ‘Shane & Chuggers,’ in which the eponymous store becomes a central instrument within the storyline. The episode revolves around Travis’ half-birthday party, which he wishes to celebrate at the most fun (albeit kind of gross) restaurant in town. Since the boy’s actual birthday falls on Christmas, he’s gotten used to his family’s negligence over his special day. For the same reason, when Abbie pretends to have planned a huge party for his half-birthday, it carries a big meaning for the kid. Eventually, Abbie ends up sending Travis out for a day with God-cat to distract him while she haphazardly throws together a party.
Consequently, God-cat and Travis end up in Shane and Chuggers, a fast-food/arcade hybrid establishment that is particularly popular among kids. God-cat was hoping to use the opportunity to showcase the beauty of his creation to supervisory Cherubs, Aslaneus & Craig. Therefore, the joke is on him when the angels are instead faced with one of the more chaotic human creations.
Shane and Chuggers’ general layout, popularity with kids, and rodent mascot seem to be clear references to Chuck E. Cheese, the real-life chain restaurant that is a hotspot for family-oriented and fun-focused birthday parties. Since the place is geared towards children, a general perception persists in culture regarding the restaurant’s relative “grossness” and lack of appeal for adults. Nevertheless, as even God-cat concedes in regard to the parodied restaurant, such places can be fun if one submits themselves to their environment.
Jefflon Bezmusk is a Spoof of Jeff Bezoz and Elon Musk
Perhaps the most on-the-nose reference to reality in ‘Exploding Kittens’ comes from their episodic side character, Jefflon Bezmusk. The character’s name is a clear portmanteau for Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, two of the world’s wealthiest people whose cultural identity remains tied to their relevance within “memes.” While Bezos and Musk’s wealth and their businesses make them touchstones within the current culture, they also often garner criticism and ridicule from certain groups within the general public.
Most notably, Musk’s involvement with X, formerly known as Twitter, and space travel has been the butt of many jokes on the internet. On the other hand, Bezos remains infamous for the harsh working environments that people employed by his company often face. The show makes jokes about all these instances by projecting them on Jefflon Bezmusk’s character, confirming his relation to both real-life businessmen.
Of course, Jefflon Bezmusk isn’t the first character to spoof either Bezos or Musk. In recent years, talk shows, such as ”Live With Jimmy Kimmel” and ”The Problem With Jon Stewart,” have parodied Bezos in respective segments. Likewise, Rian Johnson’s ”Glass Onion’‘pokes fun at Musk through its fictionalized referential character, Miles Bron. ‘’xploding KKittens’employs Jefflon Bezmusk for much of the same purpose, using him as a humorous tool in an overarching storyline.
Read More: Exploding Kittens: Why Did Heaven Send God to Earth?
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