A show that somehow has failed to get all the credit it deserves, Bob’s Burgers not only is one of the best animated shows of all time, but is, in fact, far better than many of its live-action peers. The show does so many things well, including being consistently funny, heartwarming when it needs to be, and remaining creative enough to keep fans guessing.
Considering how worthy of praise Bob’s Burgers truly is, it is a pretty massive shame that the show is not among the most celebrated and watched shows on television. That said, it's slightly under-the-radar run has given the series a little bit of a cultish feel, even though it is viewed by millions every week. Fortunately for fans who want to feel like they have a deeper connection to the Belcher family and their exploits, there are many fascinating facts about the series are not yet widely known.
In order for a piece of information to be considered for possible inclusion in this list, it must, first and foremost, relate to the animated show Bob’s Burgers in one way or another. On top of that, something about it needs to be astonishing enough that it is amazing when you really think about it, even if you were aware of it in the past. Of course, it should be noted that every person’s knowledge base is different, so huge fans may be aware of some things to come.
Here are 20 Crazy Details About Bob’s Burgers Even True Fans Missed.
Bob's Secret Tattoo
As the patriarch of the Belcher family, Bob is a pretty unusual father. For instance, there probably aren’t that many dads out there that have open feuds with someone else on their block. Fortunately, Bob is extremely permissive of his kid’s peculiarities. However, it would be a gigantic stretch if anyone tried to pretend like he is anything other than old-fashioned in most ways. With that in mind, it is surprising to learn that Bob Belcher has a tattoo on his lower back.
Nevertheless, there are scenes where Bob has bent over and ink of what appears to be a representation of his nose and mustache can clearly be seen.
The Belchers Appeared in an Episode of Archer
Actors who make a living providing their voice to animated projects tend to work an awful lot. As a perfect example of that, H. Jon Benjamin has been heard as a part of a long list of animated TV series and a few movies.
Benjamin voices the lead characters for Archer and Bob’s Burgers, arguably the two most notable shows he is a major part of.
That is why it is so delightful that in the fourth season premiere of Archer, the Belcher family made an appearance, to the delight of both show’s dedicated fans. The other Bob's Burgers voice actors reprised their roles as well.
Real-Life Sisters Voice Ollie and Andy Pesto
As a show that is defined by its sibling relationships, the entertaining ways in which the Belcher kids interact plays a major role in the success of Bob’s Burgers. On top of that, fans can also point to the connections shared by other siblings from the show like Gayle and Linda, Calvin and Felix Fischoeder, and Ollie and Andy Pesto.
When it comes to that last pair, brothers Ollie and Andy Pesto are voiced by a pair of women, though that is pretty common in the animation world. However, the actors that play them are more remarkable than the norm since they are Sarah and Laura Silverman, a pair of real-life sisters.
The King of the Hill References
Each Bob’s Burgers episode's opening credits sequence features a store and van that have different business names written on them. It makes perfect fodder for interesting references, as in the show’s seventh season episode "Aquaticism", when the opening features two references to King of the Hill.
First off, the van was transformed to be the same as the one used by Dale from King of the Hill’s extermination business.
On top of that, King of the Hill introduced a fictional video game named Pro-Pain! and Hank Hill sold propane, both of which are referenced in the storefront’s name: "Pro-Pain Accessories."
Bob and Louise Have Had Family Guy Cameos
To this day, Fox remains the network that is most responsible for the popularity of animated TV shows aimed at adult audiences. However, just because the people that run the network have green-lit many successful animated series does not mean the power brokers behind these series always get along well.
Able to stay above that fray, Bob’s Burgers have built connections to many Fox animated series, as already evidenced by the aforementioned reference to King of the Hill. The Belchers also crossed over into the realm of the Family Guy crew. Actually, Bob shared a scene with Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson, the father figure character from The Simpsons.
There Are Several Real-Life Bob’s Burgers
Focused on a clan that gets by due to their family restaurant, fans of Bob’s Burgers have spent a lot of time within their fictional business. With that in mind, it makes sense to think that millions of people would love to eat at Bob’s Burgers for real.
It should come as no surprise that in September 2018 three real-life Bob’s Burgers restaurants opened up in Atlanta, St. Louis, and Phoenix.
Set up to celebrate the show’s 150th episode and the premiere of its 9th season, sadly, they only opened for a short period of time but anyone that made it there was lucky, since their burgers were free. Still, it seems like a shame that official and permanent Bob’s Burgers have yet to pop up.
The Parks and Recreation Connection
It's an extremely competitive business, any actor who lands a notable role in a hit TV show has done something truly amazing. That said, once your time on a popular series comes to an end it can be equally difficult to land another part that keeps you in the spotlight, let alone employed at all. Fortunately for the cast of Parks and Recreation, it seems like playing a memorable character in that show makes you a shoo-in if you want to voice a Bob’s Burgers character.
14 different actors have landed roles in both Parks and Rec and Bob’s Burgers.
Included among that group are H. Jon Benjamin, Jenny Slate, Megan Mullally, Aziz Ansari, Billy Eichner, Keegan-Michael Key, Nick Offerman, Rob Huebel, Ben Schwartz, Henry Winkler, and Paul Rudd.
Tina Likes Paul Rudd Way Too Much
If you are aware of who Paul Rudd is, the chances are good that you enjoy his work as well. As a result, upon reading the name of this entry it may seem completely unremarkable that Tina Belcher likes the man. However, considering that in the world of Bob’s Burgers they have fictional celebrities like the guys from Boyz 4 Now, it is incredible that Tina knows who Paul is at all.
When the show put up a short video of Tina doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, she opted to call out Mister Rudd.
More than that, later on in an episode of Bob’s Burgers, Tina fantasized about her imaginary horse, Jericho. Funnily enough, Jericho had a familiar voice-- none other than Paul Rudd’s.
The Shark-Damaged Soft-Serve Ice Cream Machine
Proof positive of just how silly Bob’s Burgers can be at times, in the third season of the show there was an episode called "The Deepening" that got pretty out there. Featuring a story which leads to a scene that parodied the classic movie Jaws, the episode ended with a shark emerging from the floor of the Belcher’s family restaurant.
While most of the drama was focused on Teddy somehow surviving even though he ended up in the shark’s mouth just like Quint from Jaws, the restaurant’s soft-serve ice cream machine was also bitten. A throwaway moment that has mostly been forgotten about since then, the only remaining artifact of this incident is the ice cream machine still being noticeably dented, even seasons later, if you look for it.
The Show Probably Takes Place in New Jersey
Just like The Simpsons before it, Bob’s Burgers left fans wondering what state the Belchers and their family restaurant reside in. Of course, there was some evidence to consider like the main character’s accents, which show creator Loren Bouchard identified as having “so much East Coast" in them. However, that didn’t narrow things down too much and Bouchard also pointed out that the show featured “Victorian architecture from San Francisco.”
In the third season episode" It Snakes a Village", when the Belchers went on a trip, a sign revealed they were departing New Jersey.
While it technically is possible that they went way off course and into Jersey, in reality, a route like that would make no sense, so the sign seems pretty conclusive.
The Actors Record Their Dialogue Together
The exact process that voice actors go through to record their dialogue isn’t one fans get to see too often. Of course, behind-the-scenes footage is shared with the masses but that just provides a small window into a world that is largely closed off. However, that footage does make one thing clear: the vast majority of the time, voiceover actors spend their time speaking into a microphone with only crew members present.
Different than the norm in that department, the cast behind Bob’s Burgers record their dialogue together and even take part in table reads as a group. That said, some cast members reside in different states so they telecommute with the aide of a high-quality ISDN line.
The Show Brought Up A Real Hitch-Hiking Robot
The team behind Bob’s Burgers occasionally includes jokes that only a tiny fraction of its viewers will ever understand. As a fantastic example of that, an episode featured a storyline in which Tina telecommuted to school with the aid of a robot after an ankle injury. Eventually using that same robot to attend a beach party, the Belcher kids had to break it out of their school. This allmost went awry when a security guard sees the robot leave.
The kids convince the guard to let the robot go and he even warns it to “avoid Philly."
While that warning seemed odd, it was a reference to a real-life hitchhiking robot named HITCHbot that traveled North America until a mystery person in Philly destroyed it for some reason.
Tina Was Almost a Boy
It is simply amazing how many shows make pretty massive changes in the final days of their planning stages. This is especially true when it comes to the animated world. When a show like Bob’s Burgers begins it is locked into certain elements, including its main characters.
It is so amazing to think that originally the people behind Bob’s Burgers intended for the Belchers to have two sons and one daughter.
After all, it would have been a massive shame to miss out on how incredibly entertaining Tina Belcher is in favor of the show’s intended eldest child, a son named Daniel.
The Voice of Bob Doesn’t Read the Scripts Before the Recordings
Many of the best actors do extensive research and introspection prior to showing up on set. At the very least, it is imperative that they learn their lines so they can perform them once cameras roll. However, one of the fringe benefits of being a voice actor is that most of the time you don’t actually appear on screen, so things like looking your best are not important.
H. Jon Benjamin has said “I am so poor at planning that I don’t even read the scripts,” which is pretty mind-boggling. This is largel possible since he can perform his lines with the script in front of him, but his lack of preparation may actually add to his performance since it could make things more spontaneous.
Michael Madsen Voiced Kevin Costner Instead of Himself
In pne of the most entertaining Hollywood coincidences that we’ve ever read about, during the production of Bob’s Burgers second season there was an episode that included a Reservoir Dogs parody.
In an amazing quirk of fate, when it came time for the actors to record their parts, Michael Madsen was dropped off in front of the very same studio.
At first assuming that Madsen was there to voice his character from Reservoir Dogs, writers coaxed him into the studio but another actor had already been cast to play his part. As a result, they instead had Madsen do an impression of Kevin Costner’s character from Tin Cup, which is a movie the Belchers had on in the background in the same episode.
The Cast Are Encouraged to Improvise
As we touched on earlier in this list, when it comes time for the cast of Bob’s Burgers to record their lines for the show, they do so as a group, which is unusual for the industry. While some fans may wonder why producers jump through so many hoops to bring them together, there are several good reasons, including allowing the actors to react to one another’s performances. On top of that, it also allows the cast to improvise, which is something that they are encouraged to do.
In fact, H. Jon Benjamin revealed in an interview with Nerdist that “sometimes there are entire scenes that are improvised.” While he also stated those moments were “not necessarily used in the final show," it does put some of the show’s more spontaneous moments in a new light.
The Belchers Had a Simpsons Cameo
Here's the final Fox animated series that plays a part in this list through its Bob’s Burgers. It is only fitting that we touch on the granddaddy of them all last. One of the longest-running series of all-time, The Simpsons may not be at the zenith of its popularity any longer, but the show has become an institution in the television landscape.
It is incredibly meaningful that the Belchers family were chosen to be among a group of characters seen in an episode of The Simpsons entitled "Homerland".
They were also joined by the main characters from Family Guy and American Dad, minus Meg Griffin, of course. It was a really important moment for devoted fans of Fox Animation.
The Marx Brothers Connection
At times, it seems seems like you have to be a gigantic fan of all film and TV to be hired as a writer for animated shows. After all, the list of classic movies and shows that have been directly referenced by The Simpsons is so exhaustive that tracking them all would take weeks of work.
No stranger to paying tribute to the past, Bob’s Burgers has shown its love for the Marx Brothers.
In fact, the Belcher kids attend Wagstaff Middle School, which got its name from Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff, a character played by Groucho Marx in the 1932 comedy Horse Feathers. If that weren’t enough, Louise’s nemesis Logan attends Huxley High School, which is named after the university that Groucho’s character taught at in that same film.
The Gilligan’s Island Connection
Gilligan’s Island really couldn’t be any more different than Bob’s Burgers. For instance, the '60s sitcom was set on an island, didn’t feature a family, and most notably of all, was a live-action series while Bob’s Burgers is animated. Despite all that, however, it is abundantly clear that someone behind the scenes at Bob’s Burgers was heavily influenced by at least one cast member from that classic sitcom.
Actor Tina Louise was cast to play the beloved Gilligan’s Island character, Ginger, and, if you know anything about Bob’s Burgers, you're aware that the Belcher daughters are named Tina and Louise.
The Show’s Brand Has Been Extended A Lot
Taking advantage of merchandising opportunities can play a huge factor in whether or not a show makes a profit and continues airing. No slouch in that department, Bob’s Burgers has made loads of money by selling products related to the long-running series.
For instance, the show’s characters have inspired many toys, including Funko Pops. A CD of original music featured in Bob’s Burgers was released and a series of comic books also hit shelves. By far our favorite piece of merchandise, however, is The Bob's Burgers Burger Book: Real Recipes For Joke Burgers, which provides fans with lots of recipes inspired by Bob’s trademark Burger of the Day choices.
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