Ruby Gloom

Have you ever watched Ruby Gloom? I bet most of you haven't. And shame on you. If you have a Netflix account, you better go search for it on their instant watch site, because it is there. Since I've had toddlers, my cartoon experiences haven't been that great. Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse , My Little Pony, Chuck and Friends, the list goes on and on. Each of my kids' shows have had their "this is for the poor parents forced to watch" moments. Ruby Gloom, on the other hand, knows full well that adults are looking and wants to keep them watching.

There's Ruby Gloom, our title character. She's just a little goth girl in her Victorian style mansion-house with a bunch of friends that easily could have been deemed "too awesome for the Addams Family." Ruby tries to maintain balance and sanity amongst her friends (neither one seem possible). She has an interesting cat named Doom Kitty that tries to help out in all the confusion. Unfortunately, no one really listens to Doom Kitty, would you?

 

If it was permitted for a cartoon to have a romantic relationship (without aging its audience), Skull Boy is Ruby's. You feel sorry for this mass of bones (literally, Skull Boy is just bones) as he tries to find out if he has any family. Kinda like a little orphan Annie...only 100x cooler. If you don't know who Annie is, don't worry about it. Just know that you feel sorry enough for Skull Boy to invest in his humorous search for his family.

Here's Iris. Yeah, ironic name, which is awesome. She fits the word "ditz", but she is one of Ruby's dearest friends, but definitely a big contrast to the title character.

Frank and Len are twins...of the Siamese sort. They share a body but have two heads. Together they make up a two-man band, kinda.

There's the appropriately named raven--Poe--who is this wise shrink that Ruby goes and sees. He even has siblings named Edgar and Allen. How more awesome could ravens get?

And then there's my favorite character: Misery. Misery is exactly what her name says. She has a touch of Eeyore syndrome, while maintaining the laissez-faire attitude of good ol' Lurch. Misery never smiles and walks around as if she's about to go to the funeral in the 1800s.

The show is just awesome with its witty writing and great characters. I'm sad it was on for such a short time, but glad that Netflix has let my kids find it so I can actually enjoy watching something for a change.

Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.