Life's a Zoo was the ninteenth cartoon to air on Shut Up! Cartoons. The first episode came out on June 23, 2013, and the series concluded on November 3, 2013. This was the first cartoon to air on Sundays and to be longer than 10 minutes.
Life's a Zoo was originally a Canadian Stop-Motion TV series that aired on Teletoon. It was short lived, lasting for only 3 months with 2 seasons. It premiered on TV September 1st, 2008 and ended November 21st of the same year. It is possible that for this reason, because it did not originate from the YouTube channel itself, that the entire series was deleted from the Shut Up! Cartoons channel.
Description[]
Take 7 contestants, lock them in a mansion, jam in elements of all your favorite reality shows then watch the fur and feathers fly as this bunch battle for 15 minutes of reality fame.
Characters[]
- Ray - A spastic orangutan who often commits acts of random stupidity. He is shown to be loud-mouthed and has bloodshot eyes. He is a stoner, evidenced by the fact that he owns a bong. He claims that his parents went out partying a lot when he was a child, which made him very lonely. He also once ate an action figure, which never came out. He ate several more in an attempt to rescue it, and had to be hospitalized. The action figure eventually did come out after Ray was force-fed coffee. He was the fifth one eliminated in the second season. He bet on Jake after he was eliminated, and used the money he won to rebuild the mansion after Jake blew it up, therefore feeling entitled to own it.
- Jake Oswalt - A Canadian pig who constantly attempts schemes, believing himself to be a genius when it comes to reality show strategy. He joined Life's a Zoo by accidentally walking into the audition trailer thinking it was a sperm bank. In the episode "Welcome to the Jungle", it is implied that he still lives with his mother. In the episode "Scared Shirtless", it was also implied that he was bullied severely as a child. He has been shown to be egotistical and devious. He lusts after Minou, and constantly spies on her when she is showering. He also believes that she lusts after him just as much, and that they will have sex before the season ends, despite her disgust with him. He was the first one to be eliminated in the first season. In the second season, he began to lust after Bobbie. He was the sixth one eliminated in the second season, but won the house when Chi-Chi forfeited it. Unfortunately, he had rigged the house to explode when she won and could not prevent it from happening. He now works as Ray's servant in the rebuilt mansion.
- Morreski - An alcoholic Russian bear who wears a fez. He is always holding or at least near a bottle of vodka. He has a thick Russian accent. He is heard talking about his homeland many times over the series, and mentioning his wife, who is presumably very manly for a woman. He is also very protective of his mother, as shown in two instances when he swears and beats up Dr. D for saying something about her. Even though he is very laid back and drunk, he is wise and has strength. In the second season, he was the third one eliminated. He made a special appearance in the next episode to marry Jake and Ray and also appeared in the final episode. He is the most liked character on the show. He escaped the mansion before it exploded, but what happened to him next is unknown.
- Dr. D - A rapping penguin who wears a lot of bling and has a no nonsense attitude. He usually gives his opinion without caring about the consequences. He also wears a cap and sunglasses. In the second season, it is revealed that he is actually just a poser, his real name is Dewey Dewson, and he worked at a shoe store for seven years, being named employee of the month for the better part of. He was the second one eliminated in the second season. After being found out he went back to being Dewson, but tends to slip into his Dr. D persona when angry. What happened to him after he escaped the mansion explosion is unknown.
- Rico - A homosexual stereotype crocodilian with a Latino swish. It is revealed in the episode "Truth or Consequences" that the producers actually asked him to play up his gay lifestyle, including his Latino accent, since they wanted him to be more camp and he has since grown used to and embraced as part of himself. When he was young, his father actually tricked him into believing it was okay for him to come out, an action which resulted in his father throwing a fit and beating him. His father is still disappointed in him, as revealed in the episode "Truth or Consequences" when he attempts to appear silhouette/anonymous during a live interview, though mishaps off-stage cause him to be bumped into the light for all to see. He once "experimented" with being married to women, however, it did not work out. He was the fourth one eliminated in both the first and second season. What happened to him after he escaped the mansion explosion is unknown.
- Minou - A Jamaican model panther with a different hairstyle every episode (revealed in the episode "Self Helpless" to actually be from a collection of wigs). She is greedy and snotty, believing everyone else is beneath her, but the men are attracted to her nonetheless. She appears to be bulimic, once commenting that it's a great way to keep her tummy flat, and that bulimia came from sex. In the episode "Ray Against The Machine", it is revealed that she would have won the mansion before the original episode script was destroyed, despite the fact that she was eliminated in the episode "Live and Let Diet". She was the first one eliminated in the second season; she jumped out of a plane without a parachute in the first episode of season two, thinking it was just a "bravery test". She showed up later in the episode in a body cast only to be shoved out the front door. She appeared in the season finale, still in the body cast, and later escaped the mansion with the other characters. What happened to her after is unknown.
- Chi-Chi - An overweight panda from China. She teaches the fifth grade. She was sick in the first episode, but is now merely gluttonous. She is goodhearted, but usually shunned. Since she was two years old, her mother made her play an erhu all the time, saying it was better for her than being out and making friends. Her mother is deceased. She was the second one eliminated in the first season, in the episode "It's Not Easy Being Chi", however she bought her way back in. It is implied she may love Dr. D. In season one, she has slept with all of the male cast except for Jake and Claude. In the second season, she made it all the way to the final episode before being drugged comatose and losing her memory. Bobbie made her watch the entirety of the first season to refresh her memory while the other disqualified characters voted on whether she or Jake should win the mansion. She won the house, but turned it down because she was ashamed and disgusted with what the show had made her into. What happened to her after the destruction of the mansion is unknown, but it is suggested she went back to her home in China to get in touch with the "real her".
- Claude - A vulture who hosts the "show within a show". He often makes witty comments on the plot before and after every commercial break, as well as refereeing all the challenges. He is shown to be usually reading, or commenting how he wants to get a better gig.
- Bobbie - A California sea lion who hostess of the second season, replacing Claude. Despite her sweet demeanour, she is much tougher than Claude, and far more determined to find a winner for the show. In the episode "Truth or Consequences" it is revealed that she is in her fifties, has had plastic surgery, and has been married and divorced several times. It is unknown if she escaped with the other characters or died in the explosion.
Reception[]
The show received nothing but positive reviews. The show was so good that people demanded for a 2nd run of the show.
Openings[]
After every saying, Ian says, "SHUT UP!" followed by Jake saying "Cartoons".
- Welcome to the Jungle: "Hey! Old geyser! Hey, open the door!"
- Scared Shirtless: "And I'll find the crazy psycho and party with him!"
- Live and Let Diet: "Will the secret of the missing refrigerator be-"
- You Snooze, You Lose: "Aha! The old two by four to the-"
- Rayland: "No one can tell me to pick that up. It's my-"
- It's Not Easy Being Chi: "It's gonna be a celebrity stir fry."
- Dr. D Plays House: "Good day fellow losers."
- Teddy Bear's Picnic: "What the hell is going on?"
- Big Brother, Where Art Thou?: "If we had tin foil, we could wrap it around our head."
- Self Helpless: "You can't look at my eyes, you can't look at my eye!"
- Random Acts of Niceness: "And I borrowed your toothbrush, to clean your toilet!"
- 2D Or Not 2D: "Ay uh, is it me or is it getting colder in here?"
- Ray Against the Machine: "Woah woah woah! What in the name..."
- Unplugged and Rewired: Wait, you can have the car and two hundred dollars."
- The Breakfree Club: "You may know about the power of music..."
- Truth or Consequences: "A complex game about revealing you inner..."
- Chi's Having a Baby: "You have twenty seconds to comply."
- Holy Matrimony: "So uh, how about those Winnipeg Jets?"
- Chubby Chasers: "...if I get my way you beautiful..."
- The Final Finale: "My good-good friends, the reason you should..."
List of Episodes[]
| # | Season | Name | Length | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Welcome to the Jungle | 22:11 | June 23, 2013 |
| 2 | 1 | Scared Shirtless | 22:16 | June 30, 2013 |
| 3 | 1 | Live and Let Diet | 22:17 | July 7, 2013 |
| 4 | 1 | You Snooze, You Lose | 22:16 | July 14, 2013 |
| 5 | 1 | Rayland | 22:16 | July 21, 2013 |
| 6 | 1 | It's Not Easy Being Chi | 22:16 | July 28, 2013 |
| 7 | 1 | Dr. D Plays House | 22:16 | August 7, 2013 |
| 8 | 1 | Teddy Bear's Picnic | 22:15 | August 11, 2013 |
| 9 | 1 | Big Brother, Where Art Thou? | 22:16 | August 18, 2013 |
| 10 | 1 | Self Helpless | 22:15 | August 25, 2013 |
| 11 | 1 | Random Acts of Niceness | 22:15 | September 1, 2013 |
| 12 | 1 | 2D Or Not 2D | 22:06 | September 8, 2013 |
| 13 | 1 | Ray Against the Machine | 22:16 | September 15, 2013 |
| 14 | 1 | Unplugged and Rewired | 22:16 | September 23, 2013 |
| 15 | 1 | The Breakfree Club | 22:16 | September 29, 2013 |
| 16 | 1 | Truth or Consequences | 22:15 | October 6, 2013 |
| 17 | 1 | Chi's Having a Baby | 22:13 | October 13, 2013 |
| 18 | 1 | Holy Matrimony | 22:15 | October 20, 2013 |
| 19 | 1 | Chubby Chasers | 22:14 | October 27, 2013 |
| 20 | 1 | The Final Finale | 22:16 | November 3, 2013 |