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This popular show named its characters after Gilligan's Island stars!
This cartoon smash was inspired by the antics of this three-hour tour.
If you haven't caught it yet, television sensation Bob's Burgers is one of TV's most popular adult animated shows on television. For anyone unfamiliar with the primetime-slotted show, Bob's Burger revolves around the lives of the Belchers, a working-class family that owns a small burger restaurant in a boardwalk city.
Pessimistic Bob and enthusiastic Linda Belcher do their best to balance work, family and the crazy antics that happen in their daily life while supporting their three children. The Belcher kids are trying just as hard as their parents; hormonal-yet-gentle Tina, silly and passionate Gene, and evil genius-in-bunny-ears Louise. Together, they create a loving if not zany family that is doing their best to get through the day together.
Bob's Burgers has a knack for making some pretty fantastic pop culture references in the show. Movies, television shows, musicians, and even major events are not safe from being included in the script, but there is one easter egg that has been sneaking under the radar since the original airing of the show. Have you noticed anything about the names of these beloved characters?
It's rumored that the names of the characters are an allusion to the actors of Gilligan's Island. Characters Tina and Louise, most noticeably, pay homage to actress Tina Louise, the actress who portrayed movie star Ginger Grant. Tina and Louise Belcher also have personalities that complement their namesake; if you combine Louise's creative problem-solving schemes with Tina's genuine care for those around her, it's almost like the actress has been split right between these two sisters.
FOXThe other place you can see this is with the main character's name. The "Bob" in Bob Belcher is a reference to Gilligan himself, Bob Denver. He also shares some of the same qualities as Denver's character; well-meaning but bumbling, and maybe a little overzealous when he comes up with a plan.
At a Bob's Burgers Panel at the 2014 New York Comic-Con, a fan asked the cartoon's creators if Tina and Louise were named in honor of Tina Louise. Eugene Mirman, the comic who voices middle child Gene, responded, "What are you, a Gilligan's Island truther?"
It's these insane easter eggs that make television so much more than entertaining; anytime a new show can tip its hat to a prior success like this is an endearing and encouraging reason to keep on watching the shows that inspired what is so enjoyable today.
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10 Comments
BB is just too gross, and the chinless characters too ugly…it’s been funny, but not enough…
Really? Who knew?
Most of the characters in the film are named after characters from West Side Story (1961),
The Brady Bunch (1969) and The Munsters (1964).
Gene rocks a Casio SK-5 and Bob gets addicted to Burgertime.
