Western Animation / Monkey Dust

Paedofinder General: So! You confess that for nine months you imprisoned a naked child in your stomach before forcing him backwards through your genitalia for your own sick amusement!

Monkey Dust is a British, edgy Black Comedy, animated TV show comprising of short sketches of recurring characters. It showed between 2003-2005.

Themes throughout the show deal with paedophilia, murders, drugs, gay cottages, suicides and advertising.

Notable characters include:

• Ivan Dobsky: "The Meat Safe Murderer," a wrongly convicted man held in prison for ~25 years who has become completely dependent on the prison's rules, structure and brutality. Once released with the mental age of a four-year-old, he's unable to adapt to the changes since the 1970s, and is confused by the new currency and fashions, so he turns to his old friend "Mr. Hoppy" (a space hopper) for advice which almost always results in a murder and being back in prison.
• Divorced dad (with Timmy): Divorced father gets custody of his son for the night and tries to impress and please Timmy with his outdated knowledge of this son. Timmy will then go into a long list of why Roger (his mother's new boyfriend) is so great. Ends with the father committing suicide shortly before Timmy admits that he really loves his dad and Roger isn't that great after all. Also, Roger is implied to be Timmy's biological father.
• Internet Paedophile: An old, heavy smoking man attempts to lure a young girl to meet up to him under the guise of 13-year-old Benji. Often, he doesn't get the latest slang and lets slip his true age, or says something unusual to make the girl lose interest. He eventually meets up with the young girl... who turns out to be another paedophile.
• Geoff the first-time cottager: For those not in the know, a "cottage" is a public toilet where homosexuals meet for unattached sexual encounters, like oral. Geoff wants to be a "cottager," and is a bit nervous about the whole "sucking off another man's cock" for the first time. His inexperience in this activity leads him to fail in spectacular, embarrassing ways.
• Omar, Abdul and Shafiq, the incompetent terrorists: A group of British-born Muslims intent on bringing death to the infidels and to the decadent west. However the young bombers seem more interested in sports and TV programs than blowing themselves up. For them, terrorism is more of a leisure activity.
• The Classically Trained Actor: An everyday man called Guy who has the monotone voice and speech of a voice-over or a phone-answering-machine (even while having sex, being drunk, or angry). He usually does voiceovers too, but is often forced to do mini-cabbing because of financial reasons. He is married, and has two friends, one who does Sugar Bowl voiceovers in children's shows, and an old guy who does suspense-voices, like the "It was his destiny..." voice-over in western movies.
  Random caller: [misunderstood by the answering 'machine' voice menu several times after being in a waiting loop for the whole evening] Listen, can I just talk to a real fucking person?!
  Guy: I am a real, fucking, person.
• The Paedofinder General: A parody of Witchfinder General where a ghoulish, frightening man dressed in a cloak and a pointy hat goes around convicting and executing potential paedophiles on little grounds and with no authority or non-circumstantial evidence... and having his actions applauded by onlookers. Often a Take That! against the British media, especially the tabloids.
• Noodles the Rabbit: A fairly transparent Bugs Bunny Expy hired by a biochemicals company to test chemicals on, since his Amusing Injuries always heal instantly, letting them use him again, and again, and again.
• Clive: A man who is always late home and uses the plots of famous fictional stories as excuses for his wife, who always sees right through them. Eventually he gives in and admits the truth, which is always some revoltingly degrading and over-the-top sexual practice.
• David Baddiel: He resents the implication that as a famous comedian he's any less qualified to perform any given task than a trained professional.

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This program provides examples of:

• Abomination Accusation Attack: This trope is the Modus Operandi of the Paedofinder General.
• Aborted Arc: The Broody Woman sketches have no real conclusion. After stealing a man's sperm and believing she successfully inseminated herself the final sketch has Mandy in a breastfeeding class with a cat, seeming to imply that she wasn't successful.
• Absurdly Long Wait: As part of the show's Black Comedy approach to a Crapsack World, one scene has people waiting at a bus stop with a display reading "NEXT BUS: 3 MONTHS".
• All Gays Are Paedophiles: Deliberately invoked by the Paedofinder General when one skit has him accuse a gay couple of being paedophiles solely because they're gay. When he makes his rationalisation, he even states the trope name verbatim.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: The Paedofinder is green, for some reason.
• Amusing Injuries: Described by Ivan Dobsky as why he said 'he dunnit'. His confessions were signed under extreme, and creative duress.
  "I only said I done it so they would call off the monkey tattooist."
• America Won World War II: As see in the parodied Hollywood production of Ann Frank.
• Anachronism Stew: Par for the course, mocked in the Crusades segment with a modern day cap present, modern day stereotypical accents, references to American football and other Americanisms.
  • The film of Ivan Dobsky's life depicts musket-wielding Napoleonic redcoats occupying Ireland in 1974, and features Richard III as the King of England.
• Anvil on Head: Deconstructed in the final Noodles the Rabbit sketch where Noodles decides to turn the tables on the doctor that has been experimenting on him by dropping an anvil on his head. Unlike Noodles, the doctor is not subject to Cartoon Physics and Amusing Injuries and Reality swiftly ensues, much to the horror and grief of his colleagues witnessing his death.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: The Tony Blair segments in Series 3, where he makes various outrageous promises, on the lines of "A fluffy kitten for every small child, with a pink bow. Named Mittens. ... Everyone's neighbors to be Tom and Barbara, out of The Good Life ... The blind to see and the lame to walk ... Pubs that stay open after eleven."
• Art Shift: Several different animation companies worked on different sketches so the art style shifts with each new sketch.
• Artistic License – History: In-Universe with the film version of Ivan Dobsky's life. He is now the Oirish "Patrick O'Dobsky", having been sentenced to prison by Richard III for "a million yaaahs", where he is raped in the shower (Ivan disputes this part because in the actual event, there were more rapists and "they were not so tender and loving") and his only friend is his wisecracking pal Mr. Skatey (which earns an annoyed look from the actual Mr. Hoppy). Then the warden is changed to a blonde woman, who for some reason is still called Mr. Drummond, who then has sex with Ivan (which infuriates the real Mr. Drummond) and gives him a key to escape prison, after which he defeats Richard III with one punch, thus freeing Ire-land.
• Bad Liar:
  • Clive isn't just bad at lying, he's so outrageously bad that he gives Baron Munchausen a run for his money.
  • Inverted in when he is actually kidnapped by aliens. They splash him with alcohol and put lipstick on his collars, believing this to be Earthling tradition. When he gets home, he doesn't even bother trying, as he doesn't have a good track record.
• Bathroom Stall Graffiti: Which notably gets the First Time Cottager in trouble with the trading standards agency, for incorrectly advertising a "red hot quarter pounder."
• Berserk Button: Don't try and seperate Ivan Dobsky from Mr. Hoppy. Unless you have a death wish.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Ivan Dobsky is a childlike man who was falsely accused of a terrible crime, but just because he didn't actually commit the Meatsafe Murders doesn't mean that he isn't capable of acts of incredible violence should the situation call for it (which is generally when someone tells him he'd have to do something terrible to get sent back to prison).
• Black Comedy: It rivals South Park in terms of how dark it can get... and blows it away with how depressing it can get.
• Britain Is Only London:
  • Subverted and parodied by the sketch Curtisland, which mocks films like Notting Hill and Bridget Jones' Diary for presenting hyper idealised images of Britain.
  • Also parodied in the "Essex Man/London Man" sketches, where two identical men argue over the respective merits of Essex and London. The joke is that due to London "overspill" into neighbouring Essex, most of the UK considers them to be pretty much part of a whole.
• Bullying a Dragon: Harry Ferris, the Canal Killer, meets up with Ivan Dobsky after they are both released from prison. Harry scoffs that the Meatsafe Murders were "pussy" and decides to bring Ivan down to the Canal and try to kill him. Long story short, things don't go as planned for Harry.
• Companion Cube: Mr. Hoppy, a space hopper, for Ivan Dobsky, the Meatsafe Murderer (only he never done it). Mr. Hoppy however seems to have a mind of his own (making friends other than Ivan and even somehow growing arms and driving a vehicle at one point). An 70s Expy of Ivan, who actually did do his crime, gets his own "Mr. Pogo Stick" as a parody of their parody.
• Convicted by Public Opinion: The whole point of the Paedofinder General.
  By the power vested in me by hysterical Daily Mail readers, I find you... GUILTY OF PAEDOPHILIA!
• Crapsack World: The scenes where Clive slowly walks home through the decaying streets of modern Britain are so monumentally depressing they make the most cheerful of viewers suicidal.
  • The back-cover of the DVD actually refers to it as a "twilight-shrouded nightmare world".
• Crapsaccharine World: The intro presents modern-day Britain as this.
• Darker and Edgier: Series 3, almost impossibly, manages this to a certain extent. A lot of the material is more overtly satirical, and much gorier.
• Department of Redundancy Department: "There's some momma's son out there, cryin' for his momma!"
• Dissonant Serenity: The classically-trained actor, who does the same emotionless voiceover voice during everything from fierce argument to wild sex.
• Dwindling Party: "Roy of the Roasters" has members of Warchester F.C. getting arrested for rape, grevious bodily harm and drug possession on the way to an away match, until Roy Rogers is the only one left. He still manages to win 9-10.
• E = MC Hammer: Seen on the board when Geoff takes a Cottaging 101 class.
• Eagleland: There are some magnificent examples of how America portrays itself in Hollywood films.
  • Especially the film-parodies "produced by Jerry Bruckheimer", Anne Frank and The Crusades (both featuring a healthy wallop of Anachronism Stew)
• Evil Brit: Seen in the parodies of Hollywood films, notably with a very British Hitler whose location is 'The British Reich'.
• Face Framed in Shadow: The side of the room Clive's wife is on is always dimly lit, leaving her face mostly in shadow.
• Fan Disservice: Fran Chappell
• Fish out of Temporal Water: Ivan Dobsky, from being stuck in prison since the 70's and then suddenly released because the verdict was overturned in light of DNA evidence proving he never done it.
• Flock of Wolves: The Elderly Chatroom Paedophile's victim turns out to be another Elderly Chatroom Paedophile.
• Harmless Villain: Omar, Abdul and Shafiq, the incompetent terrorists
• Identical Grandson: In the Director sketch set in the future, the Director's grandson looks just like him except with hair.
• It's Been Done: Clive.
• It's for a Book: In the final episode we see the Paedofinder General browsing a child porn site. He claims to be doing "research."
• Insane Troll Logic: To call the Paedofinder's tortured reasoning to rationalize his accusations of people being paedophiles logical fallacies would be greatly generous. When a woman is getting pictures of her newborn baby developed, he accuses her of being a paedophile due based not only on the "child pornography" she's created, but also to "harbouring a small child inside your womb for 9 months before forcefully pushing him out through your urethra for your own sick amusement!"
  Paedofinder General: Your innocent daughter! Did you not induce your friend "Mister Whippy" to give her a sixty-nine?
  Father: It's a NINETY-Nine. (Note: A soft-serve ice cream cone with chocolate flakes)
  Paedofinder General: A NINETY-NINE!? Like a Sixty-nine, but thirty worse!
  • That same segment has him concluding that because French kissing is kissing with tongues, French Cricket is therefore "Cricket with tongues," and this relates to paedophilia... somehow.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: By the fifth Ivan Dobsky skit Mr. Jennings is sick of the routine and goes through the process of releasing Ivan from prison as fast as he can.
  Ivan Dobsky: I'm gonna miss you, Mr. Jennings! I've been here twenty-seven year!
  Mr. Jennings: Yes, yes, Ivan. You didn't do the Meatsafe Murders, DNA's proved you innocent, hundred and thirty thousand pound compensation, 70s memorabilia and one space hopper. Now fuck off.
• Le Film Artistique: Jean Boileau's Le Chapeau Du Mon Oncle
• Limited Wardrobe: Clive's wife never changes out of her bathrobe, except for her final appearance where she goes out to meet a friend in a turtleneck and a long jacket.
• Mail-Order Bride: A series of sketches focus on a mail order bride who legitimately loves all her husband's interests, but is kicked out when she reveals she wants fall in love before having sex.
• The Magazine Rule: A recurring sketch in Series 2 Episode 3 has magazines like Electricity Board Magazine, Travelcard Buyer, Directions Magazine (for those asking for directions), a magazines for widows, a magazine for people who give money to the homeless, and one for people who receive money given to the homeless.
• Misplaced Retribution: Whenever Ivan Dobsky is conned out of his money and wants to go back to jail he'll always murder some innocent person instead of the person who stole his money.
• Negative Continuity: Taken to extremes. One sketch features a character that commits suicide each week. Another features a character who, every week, is released from prison after being locked up for 25 years for a crime he didn't commit.
• No Name Given: Clive's long-suffering wife is never named.
• Oireland: Occurs in the Hollywood parody films complete with Leprechaun outfits.
  • Done best in the Diary of Anne Frank parody, in which the Hollywood studio turns the Jews into raucous Irish, and Nazis into the British. Featuring the line "Ah, we Jews like the craic too much" and Hitler as a Camp Gay Brit who actually calls the Nazi's "The British Reich". Also, "Patrick O'Dobsky" was sent to jail by the King of England...who's apparently Richard III.
  "That's for IRE-LAND!"
• Pædo Hunt: The Paedofinder General. Also, the sketch about a literally Paedohunting mob that happens to be completely bereft of competency. Though the man they randomly select as a paedophile based on the fact that he's...wearing a hat...turns out to actually "Quite fancy (His) 15 year old niece".
• Police Are Useless:
  • Parodied in a sketch where the police refuse to help a woman who has been burgled because "95% of burglars are never caught", despite the fact that the thief is literally still in the room.
  • Also in a recurring sketch in season 1 consisting of a media outlet interviewing an officer and a step-father about the ongoing investigation as to the step-daughters whereabouts. The step-father keeps slipping up, leaving blatant hints to murdering her each sketch.
  "May I just say a few words to express how very relieved I am, that someone has been blamed, er, correctly, I have no doubt, for this hideous murder! To kill your own child is a terrible thing! ...... as is this!"
• Recycled IN SPACE!: Some of the running-gags are taken here—the cab-driver in Series 2 literally goes to the third moon of Jupiter.
• The Renfield: Has a cameo—named 'Renfield', no less!—in Episode 11.
• Retired Monster: The kindly old German grandfather, who used to be a widely feared Nazi war criminal. So much so, that upon entering a retirement home for the first time, all of the elderly tennants start screaming in terror and having traumatic flashbacks. This apparently has happened at every single retirement home he's been to.
• Retirony: Shows up in the Jerry Brickhammer films "The Crusades" and "They All Come Home", where the same Mook is (respectively) "gonna come home to that farm in Iowa with the wife and Junior [who's on the way]" and "I'm getting married in the morning."
• Running Gag: Each set of sketches has this to some extent.
• Shout-Out:
  • To Brass Eye in the Dr Fox sketch of the first series finale.
  • The Paedofinder General takes his name from Witchfinder General, a 1968 film starring Vincent Price.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Arguably, the entire series is way off the deep end of the cynicism side of this scale.
• Slow-Loading Internet Image: Used when a pervert was trying to get an image to masturbate to, but it turned out that the young girl he was talking to had just sent a picture of her pet rabbit.
• Spiritual Successor: This was the closest thing to an animated version of Jam until The Shivering Truth came out over a decade later.
• Station Ident: Mocked (of course) by two men dressed in red having anal sex while the announcer proudly states over the backing of up-beat classical music "You're watching BBC 1".
• The Stoic: Clive's wife just sits in a chair with a blank expression as he gives his excuses. The most emotion she shows is when she's crying in bed in the first episode's montage.
• Sudden Name Change: For some reason Mr. Jennings from the Ivan Dobsky sketches was renamed to Mr. Drummond in series 3.
• Take That!: While The Paedofinder General is this towards the media scare regarding Pædo Hunt in the British press at the time, on separate occasions he mentions "The Sun" and "The Star", two tabloids notorious for this mentality, especially the latter.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich: Whenever Clive Pringle arrives home late (except for his final two appearances) there's an uneaten plate of bangers and mash on the table.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After two series of accidents, mishaps and general abuse, Geoff ends up accidentally bumping into and discovering one of his co-workers is also a cottager. He finally manages to do it, decides he doesn't like it, and they just cuddle each other, happily.
• Token Minority: Lafayette, the one black guy in "The Crusades".
  • Whether intentional or not (but seeing as they generally do their research, it is) the colour he wears is a real flag; a white cross on a black flag. It's the county flag of Cornwall.
• Toon Physics: Deconstructed with Noodles, who is used for animal experimentation. The ultimate deconstruction comes in his last appearance where he graphically crushes the chief scientist's head, killing him and orphaning his children.
• Translation Matchmaking: In Russia, it's called 38 Monkeys.
• Uncle Tomfoolery: "Mister Skatey", from the film version of Ivan Dobsky's life.
  Mister Skatey: Sheeit! We in the white man honkey prison! Sheeeit, motherfucker!#
• Villain Song: One of the Paedofinder General's segments has him sing a rendition of Fire by Arthur Brown while he executes a whole nightclub that he perceives to be paedophiles.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Despite murdering many random people on the basis of Insane Troll Logic, the Paedofinder General seems to be beloved by the public at large, who applaud his massacres cheerfully and ask for his autograph.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: The London/Essex guys. We see them sharing a bed in the Nocturne for S 2 E 1.
• Vocal Dissonance: The classically trained actor, who sounds like he is doing a voiceover regardless of his personal circumstances. He also has 'cheerful insurance' guy and 'deep action movie voice over' guy
  • The trainee pilots. The hideously deformed one with the terrible exam scores gets the job because of his reassuring voice.
• Where Were You Last Night?: Turned into a recurring gag with Clive, a character who disappears from his wife for extended amounts of time (usually an evening, sometimes as long as years) and, when questioned as to his whereabouts repeats the plot of a film, book or (in one memorable episode) nursery rhyme. The actual explanation is typically something immensely revolting, humiliating and sexual.
  Clive: And that, darling, is what really happened.
  Mrs. Pringle: That's actually the plot of "Hotel California" by the Eagles. Where have you been, Clive?
  Clive: ...I've been spit roasting a hooker with your dad.
• Would Hurt a Child: Despite shamelessly invoking Think of the Children!, the Paedofinder General has no qualms about hanging the children of one of his targets, on the basis that "Most victims of abuse grow up to abuse others! It's like werewolves."

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