The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, created by Maxwell Atoms, is an animated series that currently airs on Cartoon Network in the U.S. The two main plot characters, Billy and Mandy, have obliged the Grim Reaper to be their best friend forever after having won a bet over a sick hamster. Billy is voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz, while Mandy is voiced by Grey DeLisle. The show's existence is largely the result of a viewer poll. An Internet and call-in event, called the Big Pick was held August 24-25, 2000. The three final choices were The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?, and Longhair and Doubledome. Out of the three, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy won. The first season appeared on The Cartoon Network (CN) in 2001.
Originally labelled Grim and Evil, the series was a combination of two shows in one. In each show a segment of Evil Con Carne was put between two Grim cartoons. In 2003, CN decided to give each short its own full length show. Evil Con Carne was subsequently cancelled. It re-aired in a late-night slot in the United States on Friday, August 5, 2005 with the newly-created intro and end credits.
The fictional universe of The Grim Adventures
Most of the show is set in Billy and Mandy's hometown of Endsville, a typical "Anytown, USA" in an indeterminate location. The age of the town is also indeterminate, as it has appeared in flashbacks of Billy's dad's youth (The Taking Tree), the early 1900s (Who Killed Who?), and medieval times (Billy and Mandy's Jacked Up Halloween). Grim ostensibly comes from the Underworld, so the show makes frequent forays onto his turf. Grim's scythe is able to produce cosmic rifts through which the characters can visit different planes of existence, including afterlife variations like nirvana, Asgard and Lower Heck. Billy and Mandy have traveled with Grim to places like the Halls of Time (where they accidentally flip over their hourglasses and age backwards), the Circus of Fear (where real human children are considered part of the freak show), and even the Underworld's lunch room (which is open to "staph" only). Grim's scythe can also summon monsters, supernatural creatures and various Underworld inhabitants to Endsville.
The GA universe, in addition to frequently violating the laws of physics, also contains a number of historical variations. Abraham Lincoln is President and a personal friend of Billy. Also, the world police organization is not the United Nations, but the League of Nations (disbanded in 1946 in reality).
A unique aspect of the show is that episodes often end with the destruction or alteration of the world, or with the disappearance or horrific transformation of the main characters. These changes do not carry over to the next episode, however. Often the episode will end with no resolution at all. For example, in Halls of Time, Billy, Mandy, Grim and Irwin all disappear forever when their hourglasses in the halls of time are turned upside down. In Chocolate Sailor, Billy is turned into a large quantity of chocolate syrup, and in Sickly Sweet, Mandy is turned into a giant monster by an evil mask. Because the producers can compromise the safety of the characters in each episode, the show can avoid the cliché that good always triumphs over evil.
The GA universe is also the Evil Con Carne universe: the characters meet, briefly, in the episode Chicken Ball Z (a parody of Dragon Ball Z.) In the third season episode Skarred For Life, General Skarr, at least, finally meets the GA characters in what could be seen as a full crossover.
From time to time, the main characters surprise with aphorisms unusual for quick-draw (even semi-adult) type animation, such as: "Evolution takes no prisoners" (Mandy), "Money is the root of all evil" (Mandy), "Hope is wasted on the hopeless" (Mandy), "Romance is for the weak-minded" (Mandy), "Mind control doesn't work on people who think" (Eris), "Man's lonliness is but his fear of life" (Grim).
The series is noted for its parodies, notably Harry Potter, and for quote references, like "Scooby-Doo" and "The Wizard of Oz". Another frequent subject of parody is the Dune series by Frank Herbert, from entire episodes to off-hand references to the Gom Jobbar in a beauty pageant segment. In Big Trouble in Billy's Basement, the "Bad Book" recalls the Necronomicon of H.P. Lovecraft, with Billy needing Grim's scythe to summon "Yogg Sawhaw" (Yog-Sothoth). The horror film The Ring was fully parodied in Are you Chupacabra to See Me. Parodies of Stephen King have also been noted in the show; in the episode Tricycle of Terror, Billy is given a possessed tricycle, a plotline similar to King's novel "Christine", in which a nerdy boy buys a possessed car. Pop culture references abound in both the visuals and the dialogue, with everything from the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings films, to the game show Press Your Luck and the Keebler Elves from television, to literary references from Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare making appearences in the GA universe.
One controversial premise is the baseless sexism of the boys (a premise found in other shows like The Powerpuff Girls and many others): Billy and Irwin tell Mandy that she cannot do something with them because she is a girl; they then demonstrate their own ineptitude or she shows her superiority.
- There are instances in which the fourth wall is broken:
- In Educating Grim, Billy says: "But in this episode, you do!"
- In the end of Wishbones part one, the wishing skull says: "Let's watch some commercials and get back to the show!"
- At the end of Look What's Coming For Dinner, Grim mentions that "This is a kids show" when Hoss Delgado kisses Eris.
- In He's Not Dead, He's my Mascot, Mandy walks out of the episode.
- In Duck!, Grim comments, "I predict this cell will be filled in about four hours!" When it's filled in two hours, Grim exclaims "Man he's working fast!" and we see Hector and Boskov from Evil Con Carne, and Hector remarks, "I'm not even on this stupid show anymore!", a clear reference to the fact that the two shows were formally tied into each other.
Episode List
Season One
- 1. Billy and Mandy / Evil Con Carne / Skeletons in the Water Closet
- 2. Opposite Day / Emotional Skarr / Look Alive!
- 3. Mortal Dilemma / Evil Goes Wild / Get Out of My Head
- 4. Smell of Vengeance (1) / Fiend Is Like Friend Without "r" / Smell of Vengeance (2)
- 5. Devolver (1) / Recipe for Disaster / Devolver (2)
- 6. Tiptoe Through the Tulips (1) / Dumb Wish / Tiptoe Through the Tulips (2)
- 7. Grim Vs. Mom / Bring Me the Head of Hector Con Carne / Tastes like Chicken
- 8. Grim or Gregory / Search and Estroy / Something Stupid Comes This Way
- 9. A Grim Surprise / Everyone Loves Uncle Bob / Beast and Barbarians
- 10. Hoss Delgado: Spectral Exterminator / Evil on Trial / To Eris Human
- 11. Billy's Growth Spurt / The Time Hole Incident / Billy and the Bully
- 12. Big Trouble in Billy's Basement / Christmas Con Carne / Tickle Me Mandy
- 13. Little Rock of Horror / The Pie Who Loved Me / Dream a Little Dream
Season Two
(June 2003 - August 2003)
- 14. Toadblatt's School of Sorcery / Educating Grim / It's Hokey Mon!
- 15. Night of the Living Grim / Brownievil (1) / Brownievil (2)
- 16. Really Odd Couple / Creating Chaos / Mandy the Merciless
- 17. Who Killed Who? / Tween Wolf
- 18. Grim in Love / Love is Evol Spelled Backwards / Crushed
- 19. The Crawling Niceness / Smarten Up / The Grim Show
- 20. Son of Nergal / Sister Grim / Go Kart 3000!
- 21. Terror of the Black Night / Grim For A Day / Halls of Time
- 22. Chicken Ball Z / Max Courage
Special
Season Three
- 24. Spider's Little Daddy / Tricycle of Terror
- 25. Dumb Luck / No Body Loves Grim
- 26. Li'l Porkchop / Skarred for Life
- 27. House of Pain / A Grim Prophecy / Mandy Bites Dog
- 28. Nursery Crimes / My Peeps
- 29. Nigel Planter And The Chamber Pot of Secrets / Circus of Fear
- 30. Bully Boogie / Here Thar Be Dwarves
- 31. Which Came First? / Substitute Teacher
- 32. Super Zero / Sickly Sweet
- 33. Bearded Billy / The Nerve
- 34. Test of Time / A Kick in the Asgard
- 35. Attack of the Clowns / Complete and Utter Chaos (aka Billy Gets Dumber)
- 36. Whatever Happened to Billy Whatshisname? / Just the Two of Pus
- 37. Ultimate Evil (Evil Con Carne episode) / Five O'Clock Shadows
- 38. Chocolate Sailor / The Good, The Bad and The Toothless
- 39. Toys Will Be Toys / That's My Mummy
- 40. The Secret Snake Club
Season Four
(April 2005 - )
- 41. He's Not Dead, He's My Mascot / Hog Wild
- 42. The Bad News Ghouls / House of No Tomorrow
- 43. Happy Huggy Stuffy Bears / Decoder Ring
- 44. Wild Parts / The Problem With Billy
- 45. Wishbones
- 46. Dream Mutt / Scythe For Sale
- 47. Jeffy's Web / Irwin Get's A Clue
- 48. Duck! / Aren't You Chupacabra To See Me
- 49. Zip Your Fly / Puddle Jumping
- 50. Runaway Pants / Scythe 2.0
- 51. The Firebird Sweet / The Bubble With Billy
- 52. Billy Idiot / Home Of The Ancients
- 53. My Fair Mandy
- 54. One Crazy Summoner / Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
- 55. Mommy Fiercest / The Taking Tree
- 56. Reap Walking / The Loser from the Earth's Core
Main characters
Billy
Billy (diminutive for William as we learn in the episode "Smarten Up") is an astonishingly incompetent red-headed child with an oversized nose. With an I.Q. of -5, he exemplifies the concept of "ignorance is bliss." Prone to surprising (if nonsensical) fits of rage, he is a hyperactive, nose-picking, flatulent child with a knack for causing disasters by experimenting with Grim's various supernatural items. He has a fondness for video games (as seen in My Peeps and Beasts and Barbarians), gut-busting junk food (as seen in Billy's Growth Spurt), and playing in places where he shouldn't (including Grim's trunk, various parallel dimensions and his cat Milkshakes' "secret hut"). He suffers from arachnophobia, which causes him to react with fear and violence towards his giant spider "son" Jeff, and he has an irrational fear of clowns, which is only overcome after a conversation with his "Inner Frat Boy" in the episode Attack of the Clowns. In Whatever Happened to Billy Whatshisname?, Billy forms a deep hatred over a "replacement Billy" chosen by Mandy, a warped (as in ugly) version of Billy named Bobby who completely takes over Billy's life. He is voiced by actor Richard Steven Horvitz, who has also voiced Zim.
Mandy
Mandy is Billy's constant companion: a blonde, noseless girl with an acerbic attitude, evil personality, and often surprising intellect and knowledge of the supernatural. She is very rude to practically everybody, even her parents. Although she has been shown to disrespect almost everyone she meets, it is suggested that she cares at least a little bit, as she is usually the first to recommend rescue missions and solutions to supernatural problems. Mandy's relationship with Billy can be characterized as brother-sisterly: They argue, fight and insult each other, but they stick together. Their relationship is platonic, although it has been suggested that there is some kind of romantic attachment, mostly because of the improbability of clever, well-read Mandy preferring to spend her time in the company of an idiot like Billy. Mandy's relationship with Grim ranges from domineering to grudgingly respectful, although she frequently appoints him to perform humiliating chores and never lets him forget that she "owns" him. She is a fearless fighter who will stand up to schoolyard bullies (Billy and the Bully) and monsters from the underworld (Irwin Gets a Clue) without flinching (a fawning Irwin has aptly described her as a "tiny Valkyrie"). Mandy usually never smiles, aside from the occasional evil smirk. The only exceptions thus far have been during a fantasy sequence in Crushed which shows her falling in love with Billy's friend Piff, and in My Fair Mandy when she is performing as Dorothy Gale (complete with braided pigtails and blue gingham dress), singing "Over the Rainbow" for the talent portion of the school "Little Miss Scurvy" pageant. This smile is so anomalous that it causes reality to distort itself so that she, Billy and Grim are transported to a The Powerpuff Girls-like universe in which the three of them are recast as Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (in the end credits coda, we also see Irwin recast as Mojo Jojo, struggling to breathe in the villain's tightly-cinched costume). But, as in any episode, this is only temporary. Mandy seems to possess some sort of evil power, as evidenced by her encounter with General Skarr in the episode Skarred for Life and when searching for a replacement Billy in the episode Whatever Happened to Billy Whatshisname?. In both scenarios she reduces Skarr and Sperg to snivelling messes simply by the force of her presence. Only rarely has her character ever faltered from her dark norm: In the episode The Nerve, Mandy becomes downright meek when Billy magically steals her "nerve," although Mandy learns that her nerve is not what makes her "dark, foreboding, and charmingly cynical"; it is Mandy herself. In the episode Crushed she is shown suffering from the effects of love at first sight, including sweating palms, knocking knees, heart-filled fantasy sequences and, yes, even smiling. In the episode My Fair Mandy, Mandy shows honest and human concern over whether or not she is pretty. When told by her instructor she will never win without smiling and has no chance at winning the "Little Miss Scurvy" pageant, Mandy appears sincerely sad, complete with a saddened expression (as rare from her as a smile). Mandy is voiced by Grey Delisle, who lends a characteristic somber and gothic tone to this character which is similar to her portrayal of Yumi Yoshimura on Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi.
Grim
Grim - The Grim Reaper - who lost a bet to Billy and Mandy and is fated to be their "best friend" forever (effectively, their slave), a task he suffers with no small amount of disdain and mockery from other supernatural creatures. He is a scythe-wielding skeleton in a black hooded robe. His accent and some lines suggest he is Jamaican. Grim was apparently a child at the time of the neanderthal and he often brings up traumatic experiences from his youth, such as losing a crucial baseball game (The Bad News Ghouls), being bullied (Billy and the Bully, Bully Boogie), and failing to live up to his parents' expectations (A Grim Prophecy), and what the experiences have taught him. He has had several love interests, including a goth-girl named Malaria, Eris during her "valley girl phase," and Lubbermouth, a worm-like creature with "large, luscious lips" who had an unrequited crush on Grim during high school. Grim hates the servitude he has been placed in, constantly hoping that Billy and Mandy will die on one of the adventures the three go on. Despite this, he has shown some reluctant concern for Billy, who treats him far better than Mandy does. This fact has been somewhat confused, as he is always the first to suggest that they leave Billy when he's lost or kidnapped; while Mandy is the one to recommend his rescue. He clearly states in one episode that the reason he didn't rescue Billy earlier in the episode was because he (Grim) doesn't like him (Billy). Voiced by Greg Eagles.
Recurring Characters
Irwin
Irwin is Billy's sole male friend of his own age, a nerdish character who longs to gain the admiration (and affections) of Mandy (in the episode Scythe for Sale, in a attempt to make Mandy like him, he uses Grim's scythe to hypnotize her and make her his obedient love slave), and aspires to be cool (though he frequently fails in both goals, typically embarrassing himself). Despite his friendship with Billy, he also seems to harbor some subdued hatred or jealousy towards his incompetent friend, possibly due to the attention Billy receives from Mandy, not realizing that they both get the same disrespect from her. Frequently ends sentences with "yo". He is voiced by Vanessa Marshall.
Pud'n
A physically weak and easily terrified classmate of Billy and Mandy who is often either the victim, instigator, or both, of some terrible trauma. Pud'n is a red-headed, freckled, buck-toothed little boy who bursts into tears at the slightest provocation. He has a subscription to the "Super Mega Dork" magazine (as seen in the episode Substitute Teacher). He is voiced by Jane Carr.
Sperg
The local bully, often seen tormenting Billy, Irwin, or Pud'n. Sperg is a husky boy whose perferred method of terrorizing nerds is by administering wedgies. He has a heart-shaped tattoo that reads "Mom" on his arm and he is usually seen wearing a red hat with a red puffball on top, similar to the hat worn by Stan Marsh in South Park. He is sometimes the focus of gags based on his uncharacteristic love of dancing and "girly" music. He is terrified of Mandy, as seen in Billy and the Bully and Whatever Happened to Billy Whatshisname?. He plays guitar (a heart-shaped guitar, no less) in a band called Purple Filth (Battle of the Bands). He has acne problems (Just the Two of Pus), is a favorite student of Ms. Butterbean (Substitute Teacher) and is a gifted ice sculptor (Son of Nergal). He also has a pet dog named Black Bart (Puddle Jumping). He is voiced by Greg Eagles.
Mindy
The iconic "popular girl", obsessed with proving her worth to Mandy, who exhibits little care for the seemingly spoiled child. A popular quote from her is "in case you didn't know, that was sarcasm" after saying something sarcastic. She is voiced by Rachael MacFarlane.
Harold and Gladys
Billy's mom, Gladys, hates Grim to the point of psychotic obsession — she considers him a threat to her son's safety, an issue she obsesses over. She also gets very twitchy, and often doesn't take her medication. Billy's dad, Harold, strongly resembles his son in physique, personality, and intelligence. He is convinced, wrongly, that his son is a genius, despite evidence to the contrary. Harold also, seemingly wrongly, claims he was a ballet dancer in "Billy Idiot," much to his son's annoyance, but it turns out Harold really could ballet dance, and his skills save Billy's soul. In the episode "Mommie Fiercest," Gladys and Harold were made children again by accident with Grim's scythe. Whilst young Harold continued on as an idiot, Gladys (temporarily renamed "Corn" by Billy) fought with Mandy over control of Billy. They're later seen as adults again (with no memory of the ordeal), possibly by Grim restoring time for them. Their relationship seems to be a romantic and loving one despite their personality differences. Harold and Gladys met when they where 12 years old. Harold is also voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz, and Gladys is voiced by Jennifer Hale.
Mandy's Parents
Mandy's mother and father. They are very romantic with each other and often quite disturbed by and fearful of their daughter. Mandy's mother is also voiced by Vanessa Marshall and Mandy's father is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
Irwin's parents
Usually referred to as "Irwin's Mom" and "Irwin's Dad," with license plates on their respective cars that say the same thing. While Irwin's father is a normal middle-aged man named Dick, Irwin's mother is a mummy. She lives in a sarcophagus in the basement of Irwin's house, which for unexplained reasons looks like an Egyptian tomb. Their marriage is based on love despite the many improbable facets of their relationship (similar to Billy's parents). Irwin's father waves off questions as to how Irwin was conceived saying they are "questions which don't need to be answered." Irwin's father is voiced by Phil LaMarr and Irwin's mother is voiced (or groaned and mumbled, to be exact) by Vanessa Marshall.
Jeff
Billy's "son", a giant spider hatched from an egg found in Grim's trunk who came to believe through imprinting that Billy was his father. He is unusually kind and well-mannered, prone to giving gifts and apologizing profusely. His explanation is that he has an abnormally small "mean gland" which was temporarily increased with Mandy's help (Spider's Little Daddy). Billy is terrified of Jeff to the point of hatred, though Jeff is either blissfully unaware of this, or so loving that he ignores it. In the episode Jeffy's Web, it is suggested that Jeff is actually female, as he gives birth to hundreds of baby giant spiders. He was supposed to die 36 hours after laying his eggs, but a kind gesture by Grim ensures he'll be around to terrify Billy for a while. He is voiced by creator Maxwell Atoms, although he somewhat sounds like he is voiced by Wally Wingert.
Hoss Delgado
Hoss is a Spectral Exterminator, a hunter of paranormal creatures. Modeled after Ash, the protagonist of the famed Evil Dead horror movie trilogy, Hoss possesses only one hand with the other replaced with a mechanical hand that transforms into a fist, cannon, or (much like Ash) a chainsaw, amongst other things. Hoss also greatly resembles (hair, eyepatch and voice) Snake Plissken, the character portrayed by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. He first encountered Grim with the intent of exterminating him, believing that Billy and Mandy were being held hostage. After he learned the truth of their relationship, he congratulated the two children and left (apparently to battle a werewolf in Canada). He has since returned on several occasions to both aid and hamper (such as being convinced that a hair-covered Billy was a sasquatch) the citizens of Endsville, occasionally after being summoned for help. In the episode "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?", Hoss fell in love with Eris, but when he tried to take her in, Eris banished Hoss to the "Puppet Dimension." Hoss is voiced by Diedrich Bader.
Loosely inspired after the matron deity of the Discordianism religion, here portrayed as a vindictive blonde woman. She is a bitter rival to Grim, who delights in causing all kinds of chaos. She possesses the powerful Apple of Discord, a golden apple which can transform into any shape to perpetuate chaos. Her accent and mode of speech is prone to sudden shifts, from a stereotypical valley girl to a refined British woman (probably a reference to Madonna, known for her coquettishness and periodically reinventing herself). Eris is even drawn with a similar gap in her front teeth in her second appearance. Eris is also voiced by Rachael MacFarlane.
Nergal
Arch-nemesis to Billy, Mandy and Grim, he is a demonic creature who lives in the roasting center of the Earth. He is an all-black supernatural being with green eyes, a green mouth and teeth and green organs. Among his powers are electrified tentacles that sprout from the back of his head, the ability to make objects rise up and break through the Earth's surface, and control over miniature versions of himself called "Nerglings." In an attempt to make friends he has resorted to kidnapping (in Fiend is Like Friend Without the "R"), raising a carnival from the center of the Earth (in Something Stupid This Way Comes), and seducing Billy's aunt (in Love is Evol Spelled Backwards). He ends up marrying Billy's aunt (thus becoming Billy's "Uncle Nergal") and they have a son named Nergal Junior. Nergal is generally considered something of a loser (as seen in The Loser from the Earth's Core) and he often becomes histrionic over his failings. He has been mistaken for Tony Curtis (in Love is Evol Spelled Backwards). Nergal is voiced by Martin Jarvis.
Aunt Sis
Billy's mom Gladys' sister who babysits Billy on Valentine's Day. She is a sullen-looking woman with glasses, a large nose and a hairstyle similar to Gladys. She is a spinster (or a "splinter" according to Billy) who has experienced only four-and-a-half minutes of love in her "pathetic, lonely life." According to Billy's mom, Aunt Sis was in love with a John Travolta-like disco dancer named Dolphin Laygron 25 years ago, but he fell in love with another woman and broke Aunt Sis' heart (presumably the "happiest four-and-a-half minutes of her life" was the length of the song to which she and Dolphin danced). Aunt Sis is courted by Nergal (in Love is Evol Spelled Backwards) but resists his charms until Billy drops a beehive in his pants, causing him to leap around maniacally. Aunt Sis falls for Nergal's bee sting-inspired "dance moves" and they get married. She and Nergal have a son named Nergal Junior. She lives with Nergal and her son in the roasting center of the Earth, apparently without any ill effects from the heat. Aunt Sis is voiced by Grey Delisle.
Nergal Junior
Nergal's son by Billy's Aunt Sis, and thus Billy's half-demon cousin. He has the power to transform into other people, and most of the time appears in a borrowed form of a small geek (the geek he apparently "took care of" in the episode Son of Nergal). All of Junior's forms are darker in color than originally, and Junior always has green eyes and glasses no matter what form he's in. Junior has also transformed into a dog and a pair of magic pants (in Runaway Pants). He has an apparently horrific, gruesome true form that is never seen on-screen, although it is suggested in Son of Nergal that he has tentacles that sprout from the back of his head much like his father has. His arrival in the series is comically improbable, as he went from egg at the beginning of Son of Nergal to primary school age apparently in days. As an egg, Junior already wore glasses (but had no eyes), and could talk. In Son of Nergal, Mandy defeats Junior's out-of-control body-snatching by ripping the head off Junior's teddy bear (and only friend). The teddy bear was never seen again. Junior also showed his slightly evil tendencies by freezing everyone who was unkind to him in Son of Nergal and by terrorizing Sperg while in the form of Ms. Butterbean in Substitute Teacher. Nergal Junior is voiced by Debi Derryberry.
Nigel Planter
A spoof of Harry Potter, Nigel is a boy with glasses and an "L"-shaped scar on his forehead. He's a whiny, overconfident young wizard from Weaselthorpe House at Toadblatt's School of Sorcery. He was soundly beaten by a giant one-eyed dwarf after taking the credit for Mandy's acts of sabotage against Gunderstank House, a rival dormitory, in the episode Toadblatt's School of Sorcery. He was menaced by the evil wizard "Lord Moldybutt" in Nigel Planter and the Chamber Pot of Secrets, but was able to avoid his impending demise with Billy and Mandy's help. In the episode One Crazy Summoner, Nigel hits puberty and he develops a crush on "Herfeffenie Pfefferfeffer," the most beautiful witch at Toadblatt's. His love only backfires when he tries to use a love potion and enchanted chocolates on her. Herfeffenie (a spoof of Harry Potter's Hermione Granger) was soon stolen by "Dorko Malfly" (a spoof of Draco Malfoy). Although on fairly friendly terms with Billy, Nigel is not at all liked by Mandy, who has little patience for his attention-grabbing, constant whining and failed attempts to hit on her. He also has an antagonistic relationship with Dean Toadblatt, who would like to see him expelled. Nigel is voiced by Jake Thomas.
Minor Characters
Milkshakes
Milkshakes is Billy's cat, a rosy-pink feline who frequently is put into unusual situations by the supernatural events that occur in his owner's life. Whether possessed by Grim, mind-controlled by an intelligent parasite, or hanging by its claws from the branches of a tree, Milkshakes shakes it all off with a calm meow. His stoic attitude is at odds with that of his owner. Milkshakes' meow is done by Grey DeLisle.
Saliva
Saliva is Mandy's dog, although his behavior is closer to that of Billy, in that he appears to have lower-than average intelligence, motor skills, and awareness. Also like Billy, he can exhibit uncharacteristic rage on occasion. His name echoes his propensity for drooling.
General Skarr
A guest star from the Evil Con Carne program and animated shorts that spun off from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Retired from villainy, he moved into Billy and Mandy's neighborhood in the episode Skarred for Life. He shows a fondness for gardening (and a continued interest in world domination) in the episode Wishbones. He was also a judge in the Little Miss Scurvy pageant in the episode My Fair Mandy. Skarr is voiced by Armin Shimerman.
Billy's grandmother
Harold's mother and Billy's grandmother. She babysits Billy while he had a creature on his back. She likes to sleep. She is voiced by Florence Stanley.
Irwin's grandmother
Irwin's grandmother is Dick's mother. She appeared in the episode Duck!
Godfather Planter
Nigel Planter's godfather. He is voiced by Alex Rocco.
Ms. Butterbean
Billy and Mandy's teacher. A teacher who exhibits the kind of personality that says she's only teaching to get her paycheck. She is voiced by Renee Raudman.
Principal Goodvibes
The principal of Billy and Mandy's school. His name was legally changed to Goodvibes. He is voiced by Chris Cox.
Raven Ravencroft
A hostile bird who appears to have been assigned the host of two episodes, "Tricycle of Terror" and "My Fair Mandy." He wears a fez, a bathrobe, and carries a pipe (in "Tricycle of Terror") or a golden, jewel-encrusted goblet (in "My Fair Mandy"). Typically he sits by a fire in a library room decked out in Edwardian fashion, and comments on the episode at hand. He sometimes shouts out his dialogue at random moments with no expression on his face. Example: "...And what became of Grim and Mandy, you ask? Oh, who cares, they bore the snot out of me. THE, END!!!!!!!!!!!! " or maybe even, "Will Mandy win the pageant? Will she ever smile? I don't care. Instead, here's an important commercial message. IMPORTANT, COMMERCIAL, MESSAGE!!!!!! ." During these outbursts of screaming, the Raven is given an emphatic close-up. The Raven apprears to be a spoof of Poe's poem.
Piff
Billy's "new friend" in the episode Crushed. He is a ponytailed half-Goth, half-beatnik kid who wears all-black clothes, stylish sunglasses, a jaunty beret and a distinctive "HATE" belt buckle. He is silent through most of the episode, expressing himself only through his imperious attitude, the occasional raised eyebrow and how he applies his saliva to the situation (i.e. spitting or drooling). Mandy develops a debilitating crush on him. His real name is never revealed; "Piff" is the name given to him by Billy when Irwin points out that they have to call him something. Piff is voiced by Maxwell Atoms.
Granny Grim
Grim's grandmother (a skeleton with dreadlocks) who has a knack for concocting potions and remedies for various ailments. Her recipes include a stomachache remedy using "Screaming Mimis," Granny's Heebee-Jeebee Juice, and a love potion. In the episode Billy's Growth Spurt, Billy takes her stomach remedy which is supposed to expel toxins, but which ends up creating a parasitic mini-Billy named Yop Yop. Yop Yop melts when he drinks Heebee-Jeebee Juice, Granny Grim's antidote to her remedy. In the episode One Crazy Summoner, Nigel Planter twice summons Granny Grim, once to get her love potion and once to get her enchanted chocolates, in an attempt to win the heart of Herfeffine Pfefferfeffer. Granny Grim's potions never quite work the way they should, but Grim still turns to her for help occasionally. Granny Grim is voiced by Dawnn Lewis.
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy in Other Languages
- Irish: Bás agus Olcas. (Death and Evil)
- Polish: Mroczne przygody Billy'ego i Mandy
- Portuguese: As Terríveis Aventuras de Billy e Mandy (The Terrible Adventures of Billy and Mandy)
- Dutch: Billy & Mandy (also De grimmige avonturen van Billy en Mandy)
- Hungarian: Billy és Mandy Kalandjai a Kaszással
- Spanish: Las sombrías aventuras de Billy y Mandy.
Trivia
- "The Bad News Ghouls" (42a of Season Four) was written by Richard Steven Horvitz, the voice actor for Billy and Harold, Billy's father.
- "Educating Grim" (14b of Season Two) was written by Rachael MacFarlane, voice of Mindy/Eris and sister of Seth MacFarlane.
- In the episode Toadblatt's School of Sorcery, Dean Toadblatt quotes a verse of a song from The Wizard of Oz. The song is "We're off to See the Wizard".
- The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is the title of a song by Voltaire concerning a brain-eating meteor from the sky that lands on Earth and meets Billy (as seen in the episode "Little Rock of Horrors"). The song is alternatively titled Brains.
- The character Dean Toadblatt in "Toadblatt's School of Sorcery" and "Nigel Planter and the Chamberpot of Secrets" is a spoof of Dean Wormer from the movie Animal House and its spin-off tv show Delta House [1]. It is voiced by the same actor, John Vernon (1932-2005). [2]
- During the episode that involves zombies searching for brownies inside of Grims's skull, the undead can be seen exiting a flight named "Voorhees Air" Jason Voorhees was a serial killer in the popular horror series Friday the 13th.
- In the episode "Grim For a Day", a bird named Mr. Voorhees is seen in the episode, another nod to the Friday the 13th series.
- During the episode where we first meet Nergal Jr., an oppressive camp leader is named "Mr. Torrance". There was a character named Jack Torrance in the horror movie The Shining by Stanley Kubrick
- The episode "Wishbones" bears resemblances to the movie Donnie Darko, a major one being the presence of a manic talking bunny (Frank in Donnie Darko; the bunny that plagues Pud'n in "Wishbones") and similarity in their voices. They also share a similar line: Frank asks Donnie "Have you ever heard of time travel?", Pud'n's bunny asks Pud'n "Have you ever heard of tough love?"