Bob’s Burgers is an animated series set in a small beach town in New England, but really, you hardly ever get out of the burger shop run by Bob, his wife and his 3 kids. Which is fine, because the kids are some of the strangest characters ever to appear on television and they could be drawn against a white background and it wouldn’t matter; you’d still be laughing.

In fact, the animation is not what anyone will want to watch Bob’s Burgers for. It’s very minimalist, and the characters are very odd-looking. But again, all you have to do is listen to them.

There’s an equally strange and hilarious cast of minor characters, like the mortician whose business is next door. (Next door to a burger joint, mind you.) Or the health inspector who’s Bob’s wife’s old flame and still carries a torch. And the contractor/handyman whose accent is so spot-on New England, it takes me right back to Providence in the 80s. (But that’s another story…)

There are also fantastic voice guest stars, like Kevin Kline, and Kenneth.

The episodes are zany, to match how odd the characters are, like the documentary filmmaker who brings a cow and ties it up outside the burger joint, trying to torture Bob and make him see how cruel he is to animals. Or the episode where Bob’s eldest daughter Tina takes capoeira, or as Bob calls it “sexy dance fighting”. Or the lobster festival Bob tries to sabotage because he’s allergic to shellfish.

They are all funny enough for me and my kids to watch a second & third time – and that’s saying something.

Now, this is an animated series, that is not meant for all kids. My 9 year old loves it, but remember – he’s got a 12-year-old brother. If your kids are younger, or have different sensibilities, this show might not be right for them. You, as a parent, get to decide that.

There are plenty of poop jokes, just FYI, like when Louise, the middle daughter, has her sister Tina believing that the cow in episode about the documentary film crew is speaking to her through emoticons left in the cow poop.

See what I mean? Hilarious! But not for everyone.

Louise is a pot-stirrer, that’s for sure, and in one episode she convinces the school counselor and all her friends at school that her father is dead, when in fact he is simply living in the crawl space between the walls of their house/burger joint – which he’s doing to avoid spending time with his in-laws, which is of course, another story.

Youngest child and only son Gene is a bit of a dolt, but good at heart, I suppose. And Bob’s wife, although referred to as “Nagatha Christie”, is nonetheless one of the most tolerant wives on TV, in my humble opinion.

I highly recommend checking out Bob’s Burgers on DVD. I think I saw it available on streaming Netflix as well, if you have that option.

{I was given a copy of Bob’s Burgers for review. Photos courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment.}

And here we go:

“If a Quiz is Quizzicle, what’s a Test?”

I leave you to your own imagination for the answer.