Adultswim's "Tom Goes to the Mayor" Quiz

Answer: The Internet: it was a web cartoon

Though both creators of the show (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) attended Philadelphia's Temple University, "Tom Goes to the Mayor" (or "TGTTM") began existence as a web cartoon, not as a campus newspaper offering. The Cartoon Network's Adult Swim division green-lighted the show after it was brought to their attention by "Mr.Show's" Bob Odenkirk.

Answer: Tom Peters approaches his town's mayor with an idea to make money or help the town

The plots of the 30 episodes largely follow the formula of Tom showing up at the Mayor's office and trying to convince him to okay some scheme or other; generally the schemes were fairly altruistic (for example, saving a bird sanctuary, making the town's children safer, or creating a renewable power source).

Answer: The show's characters were actors in still photos; the photos were filtered to be blue-and-white

The animation was one source of outrage for non-fans of the show; since the characters didn't "move", some said that the show wasn't animated at all. The animation was accomplished by taking photos of the cast and filtering the photos with computer software. The resulting look is of sketches made of blue and white lines and shading (said to resemble mimeographing).

Answer: The song "Jefferton Alive", promoting the town of Jefferton

The song video "Jefferton Alive" is an all-too-believable example of the sort of promotional material a small town might produce on its own; it's so realistic that it can't even be considered parody. An enormous pride in strip-malls and all-you-can-eat buffets is conveyed by this short song and its images.

Answer: The Mayor

Tom's wife was named, and very ironically (she was "Joy"). The other two choices are invented.

The Mayor had another association with names, in addition to having no name of his own: a running gag in the series was that he couldn't remember Tom's name, despite its simplicity.

Answer: Her three sons from a previous relationship

In the first episode, the Mayor compliments Tom on his "fine boys" when Tom displays a family photo; Tom sheepishly admits he's only their stepfather. Later on we see Joy and the boys treating Tom with disdain and contempt, despite Tom's efforts to provide for them.

Answer: Jan and Wayne Skylar, the Married News Team

Jan and Wayne are prominently featured in the second Adult Swim series from Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!"

The Married News Team seems to elicit just as much emotion in their second show as they did in their first; a substantial proportion of outraged message-board postings concern the fact that a man in eyeshadow and lipstick was portraying half of the Team.

Answer: facing financial, legal, and/or bodily peril.

The many disasters Tom encountered have led some to theorize that the series doesn't portray a set of experiences, but instead shows just one day in the life of Tom, happening differently each time. The fact that the Mayor doesn't seem to recognize Tom or remember his name when they meet at the beginning of episodes, might lend some support to this theory.

Answer: Jack Black, Jeff Goldblum, and Sarah Silverman

Guest stars on "Tom Goes to the Mayor" contributed both their voices and their photographed looks--though their looks were often disguised by false facial hair, hats, or unusual hair-dos. Sarah Silverman was almost unrecognizable (visually), as she wore a fat-suit for her role; the nature of the blue/white filtering process also served to camouflage Sarah and other guest stars.

Answer: Gary Busey, Judd Hirsch, and Sir Mix-a-Lot

In an interview available at adultswim.com, Tim and Eric were asked how they got so many celebrities to appear on their show. They gave credit to their producer Bob Odenkirk (the comedian and star of "Mr. Show"), whose contacts and influence resulted in many stars being willing to give a new show a chance. As Tim said, "he's very respected."

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