[[quoteright:282:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theoblongsfamily.jpg]]
->''"Oblongs, Oblongs''\\
''Down in the Valley where a chemical spill''\\
''Came from the people living up on the Hill''\\
''There's a family by the landfill with hazardous foam''\\
''In their happy, glowing home''\\
''Oblongs"''
-->--OpeningTheme

So the gist of ''The Oblongs'' is this: There's the eponymous family living in the extremely poor half of the town - in this case, the [[EnvironmentalSymbolism Valley portion]] of Hill Valley - where the air is toxic and the land befouled. There's Bob, the father, who has no arms or legs yet somehow hops his limbless torso around from place to place, handle things with his mouth, ''and'' drives a car; Marie Kay "Pickles" Oblong, the alcoholic, chain-smoking mother with a huge beehive wig who used to live in the Hills; Biff and Chip, the oldest and Siamese twin brothers; Milo, their heavily medicated little brother with a myriad of mental and social illnesses; and Beth, the youngest and only daughter, who is possibly the most "normal" of the family despite the large pinkish tumor growing out of her head.

The series covers the family's day to day lives, e.g. Bob working at [[EvilInc Globocide]], Milo, Biff and Chip getting mocked by the popular people, and Pickles stumbling in and out of intoxication and the occasional lusting over of her husband. The show pops up from time to time on Creator/AdultSwim, and is also available on DVD.

Apparently, series creator Angus Oblong [[CreatorBacklash hated the final version]] and claims show runner Jace Richdale and the rest of the writers froze him out of his own show. Despite this, he agreed to appear on the DVD release, albeit with his face obscured and his voice digitally altered for reasons known only to Oblong himself. On said DVD, Oblong claimed that while he actually thought the finished show was "OK", he had such little involvement that he would prefer people say that it was "based on his work" than "his show." Whether this is true or he was just being nice was anyone's guess.

''The Oblongs'' was loosely based on characters from ''Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children'' by Angus Oblong.

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!!Tropes:
* AbhorrentAdmirer: Helga on "Milo, Interrupted"[[note]]The episode where Milo secretly takes care of Helga after Helga reveals that she's been abandoned by her parents and Hill Valley hires a Bible-thumping old lady named Mrs. Hubbard to act as the town's MoralGuardian following a minor act of vandalism[[/note]].
* ActorAllusion: In one episode, Milo states that he's "not quite right." Milo was voiced by Pamela Segall Adlon, who also voiced [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill Bobby Hill]] (whom Hank Hill always labeled as being "not right" whenever Bobby had a hobby that was considered unmanly or totally stupid), and PajamaSam.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Biff, until Milo just went ahead and pointed it out: "You're a latent homosexual!"
** Ditto for bullies Jared and Blaine. Again, it's Milo who says what everyone's thinking: "Everyone says you have sex with each other!"
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Used with Milo when his father asks him if he has really gotten over his ADHD.
* AudienceMurmurs: Subverted in "Heroine Addict": Pickles keeps saying things that cause the audience to gasp. However, it's revealed that the gasps are actually coming from Milo's friend, Mikey, who has asthma.
* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his narcoleptic Scottie dog.
* BallsOfSteel: Painfully subverted when Mayor Bledsoe, whilst doing a number of macho exercises, dares Mr. Klimer to hit him in the testicles with his golf club. Once the blow is made, the mayor stands perfectly still before saying, in an even voice, "That hurts more than I thought it would."
* BigScrewedUpFamily
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Beth in "The Golden Child" and "Father of The Bribe".
* BlackHumor: So much so that the show has a BrokenBase
* BloodlessCarnage: In one episode, a man gets his head cut off with a jump rope, but there is absolutely no blood.
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Disfigured Debbie"]], when one of the Debbies fall in a thresher. Though, [[{{Squick}} thankfully]], [[GoryDiscretionShot only the blood splatters are seen]]
* BrainBleach: Seems to be what people need when they witness Bob's method of playing the piano or organ, [[GagPenis considering that he has no arms or legs]].
** Also when the Hill kids saw Helga naked ("Please, God! Someone poke my eyes out!").
* ButtMonkey: Mikey Cheeks for one, but really all the Valley people.
* CatsAreMean: "Father of The Bribe" had the city unleash a shipment of cats in heat when Biff and Chip refused to give back the bribe money.
* ClusterFBomb: Wonderfully subverted.
-->'''Bob:''' How could I have been such a fiddly-faddly fool? ''[aside to Pickles]'' Excuse the string of F-words.
* CompanionCube: Beth's "doll", Slowie, which is actually a redecorated bondage whip.
* CompositeCharacter: Some of the characters are combinations of different characters from the book.
** Bob is Bean the legless and tailless dog combined with the owner of Scottie the dog.
** Pickles is Waldo's mom combined with Rosie's mom.
** Biff and Chip are Jenny, Jenny, Jenny & Babette the Siamese quadruplets combined with Waldo.
* ConjoinedTwins: Biff and Chip, especially awkward because it's implied one of them is gay.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: George Klimer.
* CrapsackWorld: The Valley.
* CrazyPrepared: In "Father of The Bribe", Beth finds a switch and starts swinging it.
* CreepyChild: Beth
* CrossDressingVoices: Literally, with the always versatile Creator/BillyWest, who voiced pre-op transsexual barkeep Anita Bidet.
** And Pamela Segall Adlon, who voiced Milo (using the voice she would later use for Otto Osworth on Cartoon Network's short-lived series, ''TimeSquad'').
* DeadpanSnarker: Pickles ''owns'' this trope (particularly when she's dealing with her old friend, Pristine, who hates her for marrying Bob and giving up her life of being rich, pretty, and popular). Milo has his moments too. Creepy Susie does it in her own morbid way.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Pristine in the first episode says to Pickles "Well, gotta run. I don't want my daughter and her friends exposed to a drunken hosebag. Oh my gosh! Did I say that out loud?"
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Beth's growth caused a lot of speculation until WordOfGod had to finally say on his website "It's not a penis, guys."
* DoggedNiceGuy: Milo
* DorkHorseCandidate: How the "Disfigured Debbie" episode kicks off. Needless to say, it does not end well.
* DrJerk: Dr. Hofschneider.
* DumbBlonde: The Debbies.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Creepy Susie.
* TheEeyore: Creepy Susie.
* ElephantInTheLivingRoom: Bob's lack of limbs.
* ExpositoryThemeTune
* FanNickname: Milo's friends are called the "Clubhouse Kids".
* FiveManBand:
** Milo -- TheHero
** Peggy -- TheLancer
** Helga -- TheBigGuy
** Creepy Susie -- TheSmartGuy
** Mikey -- TheChick
* GirlPosse: The Debbies.
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Bob and Pickles. It's what keeps their marriage together, and [[ItMakesSenseInContext it helps Milo sleep]].
* GoshdangItToHeck: Bob Oblong, constantly.
* {{Goth}}: Creepy Susie seems to be a parody of the Gloomy Goth subtrope.
** More like Existentialist French i.e. Sartre.
* GroinAttack: Bob went to a strip club to celebrate a co-worker's BachelorParty, and wound up on stage with a dancer. Despite warnings that "My boys are on the ground floor"...well, ItMakesSenseInContext.
* HappilyMarried: Bob and Pickles.
* HasTwoDaddies: Peggy
* HeyItsThatVoice: Bob Oblong is voiced by ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' cast-member, WillFerrell (who was a cast member at the time the series ran)
** Another ''SNL'' cast member who does voice work on this show is Laraine Newman (the female member from the original 1970's cast who wasn't a Weekend Update anchor like Jane Curtin or a crowd-pleasing GenkiGirl like the dearly departed Gilda Radner). Newman voices Mrs. Hubbard (an old, white Bible thumper who was hired to crack down on juvenile delinquency as seen in "Milo, Interrupted") and the school nurse (or as Jawless Peggy calls her, "a godless butcher without a shred of legitimate medical training.")
** Helga's father is voiced by MarkHamill.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Bob in the first episode.
-->'''Pickles:''' Beth, honey, nobody likes a tattletale.
-->'''Bob:''' I do. They're an essential part of any family. You keep right on tattling, sweetie pie.
-->'''Beth:''' [[PornStash Daddy has a magazine with]] [[GirlOnGirlIsHot naked ladies hugging]].
-->'''Bob:''' Ehh, criminy.
* ImAHumanitarian: Helga's parents were forced to eat the other passengers of their plane after it crashed and the food ran out. Her mom even made Helga a necklace from their teeth. Helga gets noticeably freaked out when her dad mentions she "looks good enough to eat".
* InformedAttractiveness:
-->'''Helga''': "I'm here to have tea with my friends, the Debbies." [beat] "[[BlatantLies I'm beautiful and popular]]."
-->'''Mrs. Klimer''': "Come in, come in!"
* JerkAss: Pretty much everyone from the Hills, except for Pickles.
* JerkJock: Jared Klimer, and his little friend Blaine.
* KarmaHoudini: Due to the show's short run, we never really see those stuck-up Hill people get what they deserve, [[CrapsackWorld which may have been the point]].
** Though, in "Disfigured Debbie," one of the Debbies got shredded up in the thresher after beating Milo in student council elections. She did get what she deserved (even though she later [[spoiler: got plastic surgery to fix her face, returned to her circle of friends, and learned nothing from the experience]]).
** Another episode has a Debbie mauled by a bear during a nature hike through the city.
* LadyDrunk: Pickles.
* LittleMissSnarker: Beth is this on occasion.
* LogicBomb: In the first episode, we get this fun exchange.
-->'''Biff:''' Stay ''away'' from Yvette, or we'll beat you crapless! Comprende?
-->'''Milo:''' Everything but "comprende".
-->'''Biff:''' ''*{{beat}}*'' If you don't know what... aw, screw it, push him down!
* ManOfAThousandVoices: Creator/BillyWest (of course).
* MauriceLamarche: Recurring guest voice.
* MayContainEvil: Milo's Manic energy drink was popular because [[spoiler: it contained morphine from discarded medicine bottles found outside a hospital]].
* MeaningfulName: Hill Valley, which has the "hills" section and the "valley" section.
** NamesTheSame as the (table-flat) Hill Valley in ''Film/BackToTheFuture''.
** Also, Helga Phugly = Hella' fugly.
** Arguably, Creepy Susie.
* MobileSuitHuman: Bob for the BeachEpisode "My Name Is Robbie", then a [[ThreateningShark shark]].
* TheNapoleon: Sometimes Beth.
* NightmareFetishist: Creepy Susie.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Willy the exercise instructor in "Heroine Addict" is an obvious stand-in for Billy Blanks, founder of the then-trendy Tae Bo.
* NoMouth: Beth has no visible mouth, except when she's talking.
* NoodleIncident: Milo was suspended from school for doing something "unspeakable" with a fish stick. Pickles was about to spank him, but somehow it turned into a Hawaiian lu'au.
** Milo's story involving panda bears getting into a Dairy Queen and Milo needing a lawyer.
* TheNoseless: Fitting with Angus Oblong's art style, none of the characters have noses.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted with all six of the Debbies.
* OnlySaneMan: Beth is the most normal of the Oblongs, both in personality and appearance.
* OpeningTheme: By Music/TheyMightBeGiants.
* OurSloganIsTerrible: "The Restaurant That's Too Cool For a Sign." <--- "That sign doesn't count."
* PaperThinDisguise: All you need to do to infiltrate the Debbies is dress exactly like them. Helga is short, fat and ugly and she had them fooled completely -- until Helga [[BigEater scarfed down a platter of tea cakes and belched her wig clean off her head]].
** Same with Yvette, the alien girl, who was able to completely hide the fact that she was a Grey by wearing sunglasses.
* ParentalAbandonment: Helga's parents went on vacation and were stranded on an ice floe for a year (until [[spoiler: Milo rescued them to save Helga from being adopted by Mrs. Hubbard]]).
* PunnyName: Anita Bidet
* RunningGag: At least OnceAnEpisode Milo's friend Mikey ends up getting into a horrible accident.
* SadistTeacher: Principal Davis
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Canceled in its original run after five episodes on the WB. Attempts to keep it alive failed, though all 13 episodes eventually aired on Creator/AdultSwim, and a revival is said to be in the works.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: The credo of everyone living in the Hills.
* ShoutOut: [[Film/{{Heathers}} The Debbies]]
** Also, [[Film/BackToTheFuture Hill Valley.]]
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Velva The Warrior'', a very MerchandiseDriven parody of ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. With very... ''[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything interesting]]'' names. ("Placentor, no!")
* StepfordSmiler: Pristine Klimer.
* TagTeamTwins: Biff and Chip compete in the same sports at school.
** Although one episode had one of them competing in a wrestling tournament one-armed while another was bandaged up from injuries he incurred earlier in the episode (remember, they're conjoined...)
* TakeThat: Mayor Johnny "The Mayor" Bledsoe, a dig at pro-wrestlers-turned-elected-officials.
** A few subtle ones are done toward ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (the scene in "Heroine Addict" with the family getting their picture taken at the mall has them dressed as The Simpsons [with Pickles as Marge, Biff and Chip as Homer, Bob as Maggie, Milo as Bart, and Beth as Lisa) and the WB frog (the scene in "Flush, Flush Sweet Helga" where Helga sees a spider advancing on a frog in a top hat that's trapped in a spider web).
* ThickLineAnimation
* UrbanSegregation: Enforced at just about every corner.
* ValleyGirl: The Debbies. [[OneSteveLimit All six of them.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Beth.
* WordOfGay: In an interview with the voice actors, they confirmed that Biff is gay while Chip is straight.
* {{Workaholic}}: Bob Oblong.
* YouAreTheNewTrend: The family's lack of funds force Milo to go to school on a rainy day wearing a bucket on his head and a trash bag as a raincoat. The hill kids make fun of him, until the Fonzie [[CaptainErsatz stand in]] says he likes his bucket. Milo shows up at school the next day to find all of the hill kids wearing buckets and accusing ''him'' of copying ''them''. The rest of the plot focuses on his mother helping him stay one step ahead of them.
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