About a month ago, I wrote a column about how much I loved Baymax from Big Hero 6 (2014). He is a character that has continued to resonate with me due to his matter-of-factness and his ability to have an endless source of knowledge to keep us healthy both physically and mentally. As it stands, few Disney characters of the 21st century have compared to the consistent enjoyment that I get watching him bluntly telling people that he doesn’t understand something. There’s maybe Moana, but that should show you how few and far between the upper echelon of characters ultimately is from this studio.
So I want to share with you a little secret. Since I’m already assuming that you have a Disney+ account, I want to encourage you to go over to the search bar. Maybe look by SERIES if you want to save some time. Scroll to the ‘B’ section and soon you’ll find this show called Big Hero 6: The Series. If you’re like me, you were already watching it on Disney XD. If you were unfortunate not to, then here’s your chance. Maybe The Series is too much for you to commit to. Popping on any of the shorts located next to it will suffice for quick fixes of pure joy.
While the show has a whole host of recurring characters, what ultimately makes it a fascinating extension of the film is how it introduces the supporting cast. For starters, there’s an empire called Krei Tech that has financed a lot of San Fransokyo’s technological advancements. There’s also a whole host of new supervillains that populate the city, taking turns coming to attack Big Hero 6 in between exams at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. Yes, even in the future it’s difficult to get an education without the occasional interruption.
On one side you have the ultimate worst characters in High Voltage: a 1980s-style mother-daughter dance troupe who… do little else. Their episodes are a real black hole
On the other is the ray of sunshine that is Noodle Burger Boy. Seeing as I’m rewatching the show on Disney+ right now, I find myself becoming endeared more and more to the antics of this rogue fast-food mascot who became programmed to follow a life of crime. He is by no means the most exceptionally powered character on the series, but I want to run something by you…
Imagine if you will if the fast-food conglomeration suddenly decided to turn evil and send out their mascots to commit mayhem. I’m not talking like The Hamburglar. The Hamburglar is a wimp compared to Noodle Burger Boy. What I’m talking about is what if The Taco Bell Chihuahua got a baseball bat and smashed up cars as they drove down the street?
¿Tu quieres Taco Bell?
¡Yo quiero caos!
That is what you get when an episode centers around Noodle Burger Boy. He may look cute, but that only subverts the expectation for when you cross his path. Much like Batman’s Condiment King, one of his noteworthy powers includes splaying his foe with mustard, ketchup, and pickles that fly at you like bullets. It’s questionable how harmful this approach to crime actually is, but it’s definitely messy. Considering that Krei Tech also made him out of military-grade metals (but without the weaponry), his ability to dropkick a foe may as well be a deadly weapon. And all while wearing a smile.
While I haven’t talked about it a whole lot, I have mentioned that I love mascots. There is something wonderful about thinking about this mythology within a brand, like they’re trying to make their story more meaningful. For a school, it makes more sense as this creation meant to liven up spirits and make you see the value in camaraderie. Then again, they also have cheerleaders and they tend to be more fun to watch. For me, there’s as much fun in questioning a mascot’s existence as there is enjoying the sometimes pointless endeavor to make them feel like more of a three-dimensional person.
That’s the gist of fast food mascots as well, though for some reason they haven’t appealed to me as much. The one that does come around from time to time is Bob’s Big Boy. Even if you don’t know him, you have an idea of him because his cherubic face and curly hair while holding up a plate of food has been satirized in a handful of places. That includes The Lard Lad on The Simpsons, and I personally believe that he’s the basis for Noodle Burger Boy. If not, the choice to wear overalls is quite a coincidence.
The existence of Noodle Burger Boy has everything to do with fictional establishment Noodle Burger. While I’m unsure if the regular hamburger exists in this American-Japanese hybrid world, I do know that Noodle Burger is as omnipresent as a McDonald’s. It feels like it’s everywhere and everyone knows about it.
They cater to selling “noodle burgers,” which were based on a real-life Ramen Burger recipe where the bun involves cooking noodles in such a way. As far as I can tell, the rest of the burger is the same. Still, it’s endearing to see how Big Hero 6: The Series has essentially created one of the few niche fast food establishments that doesn’t feel like it’s been done hundreds of times before. It feels familiar, and yet nothing about it is.
Then there’s Noodle Burger Boy, designed by Krei Tech as a mascot that also takes orders at everyone’s tables. One of the interesting features includes facial recognition that will memorize your order if you go there long enough. In his intended state, he is great. He has this chipper attitude, a smile painted onto the meaty portion of his face. He is friendly and unintimidating, servicing as a reason to give them your patronage. It almost doesn’t matter what they serve there, you just want to go and see the spectacle of the place.
Not only is he this shining beacon of hope, but he also has a pretty great theme song, filled to the brim with this upbeat rock styling that gets the point across:
I’d do anything for a Noodle Burger‘Cause Noodle Burgers are really swell, yeahIf I could, I’d marry Noodle Burger‘Cause Noodle Burger ring my bell
It’s the proper amount of cornball, and it has the least subtlety in a brand’s theme song since Pokémon told kids that they “gotta catch ‘em all.” By the end you want a noodle burger just because of the hypnotic use of lyrics, emphasizing the delicious nature of the pickles. Considering that it’s sung by Noodle Burger Boy, there’s plenty of interesting questions about whether it’s all a campy farce since a robot shouldn’t eat food and is so in love with the texture of it. So much can be defined about the good in him that his eventual slide into evil is all the more delightfully subversive. Even when this song comes on during a fight scene, you can’t help but smile a little, realizing that the poor bot is a victim of crosswire manipulation.
The whole series is full of memorable robotic characters. That’s just how a story based around science major students have to be. So while we have Baymax as the ultimate form of good, there is something tragic about Noodle Burger Boy’s arc. As a robot, he isn’t in control of the ultimate shift that he makes. One day, the ultimate bad guy Obake rewires his brain so that he turns to a life of crime, flying through the air with enhanced rockets. From afar he still looks like his joyful self, pushing a radio out of his side to blare his theme song.
But there’s something about him that is undeniably fun about watching him. There is no bigger complexity to his allegiance. He does evil, but he still has the heart of that fast food waiter, eagerly doing everything in his power to make you happy. He will annoy you with the pep in his step. You will believe that he may even be a double agent with the way that the room feels like they’re ready to throw him out of a window. He is unaware of his surroundings, even if he knows exactly what needs to be done.
To be fair, Big Hero 6: The Series is a show geared at children, so there are limitations as to what kind of jokes he will make. The fact that he can fit all of this psychopathic personality into a tinker toy design, itself nostalgic of a bygone era, is something that speaks to me. He is chaotic neutral, reflecting brand loyalty run amok – where the heart is in the right place but the head isn’t. He is a character rich with narrative trickery that even if he does the same thing over and over, he works as a Batman ’66 villain: so absurd that it restructures your brain. You can’t take it seriously. You just have to let the magic run its course.
Considering that this is a show based around a bunch of teenagers facing their various life issues, it makes sense to have a few villains who aren’t intimidating by nature. The show is ripe with them, and every time they undermine expectations and find loopholes to win the day. There’s also enough of a comedic levity that it never becomes too harrowing for the show. Noodle Burger Boy is this abstraction that works as one of their most intimidating foes, but also their most ridiculous.
I also just love the idea of writing fan fiction about him to try and create a richer story of who Noodle Burger Boy is and what his life would be like if he never turned to crime. What if he retired and lived the rest of his life in an apartment? His needs clearly aren’t the same as ours, and it only allows for a more creative view of a life. He is as much a figure parodying the American consumerism culture as he is the very idea of a friendly robot. In a world of ridiculous characters, I haven’t found one that hits the sweet spot quite like him. He is one of TV’s greatest robot characters, and it’s a bummer that most people didn’t get to meet him in the movie. You have to delve into the series and find his magic charm, ready to attack you with a smile.
If that doesn’t for you, then I guarantee that you’ll want a noodle burger afterward. I personally would love to make one to see how good things turn out. The only thing holding me back is the concern that all ingredients wouldn’t be available in stores right now.
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