Netflix's BoJack Horseman is no typical cartoon. This unique animated series, which just ended its 6-season run, centers around a burnt-out former sitcom star who just so happens to be a horse. Voiced by Will Arnett, BoJack is a self-involved middle-aged man who spends most of his time intoxicated. He exists in a world where people and anthropomorphized animals co-exist, and everyone around him wrestles with life in "Hollywoo" in different ways.
The show is full of relatable, albeit fantastical, characters. It digs into the traumas, addictions, and nightmares that even the most famous people are immune from, ultimately making some salient points about the toxic nature of celebrity culture. This list brings together 10 such quotes, all of which question popular narratives about being rich and celebrated.
"The Puppets Clap When The Puppet-master Pulls The Strings." - J.D. Salinger
One of the most hilarious recurring roles on BoJack Horseman is the writer J.D. Salinger, a real-life reclusive author who penned iconic novels like The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger died in 2010, but on the show, it's posited he faked his own death.
When it's revealed he's still alive, BoJack's agent Princess Carolyn convinces him to work in television, and viewers find out his life-long dream has been to host a trivia show entitled Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things? Let's Find Out!. BoJack's friend and sometimes rival Mr. Peanutbutter hosts, and it turns out to be a hit.
"Your Skin Is Murdered Baby Soft." - Sarah Lynn
Sarah Lynn is a child actress who starred alongside BoJack in his hit sitcom Horsin' Around. She went on to become a world-famous pop star, but her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction bring her career to a grinding halt.
As a young woman navigating the unrealistic expectations of Hollywoo, Sarah Lynn represents the false glitz and glamour that lures in so many people. The tragic trajectory of her character, which ends when she overdoses in the middle of a binge with BoJack, also highlights the extra pressure put on women in an industry ruled by misogynistic men.
"I'm Responsible For My Own Happiness? I Can't Even Be Responsible For My Own Breakfast!" - BoJack
While BoJack is relatable and real, he is also pathetic and loathsome. He spends most of the final season in recovery from addiction, but the rest of the series revolves around his own inability to take responsibility for his own choices. The show includes numerous flashbacks to his abusive childhood, but none of these past traumas can justifying his problematic choices in the present
BoJack does whatever he can to avoid facing his own pain, and he drags numerous people through the gutter with him, including lovers and friends.
"Now, Lucky Me, I Get To Stay Here And Work On This Movie That's Going To Ruin My Career." - BoJack
Without doing any of the work required to reconcile with his complicated past, BoJack feels Hollywoo owes him a career revival throughout much of the show. He is given opportunity after opportunity to recast himself, yet he always finds a way to sabotage his chance at a genuine comeback.
His most promising venture is a film called Secretariat, a biopic about a famous thoroughbred racehorse who committed suicide despite appearing jovial in the public eye.
"Closure Is A Made-Up Thing By Steven Spielberg To Sell Movie Tickets. It, Like True Love And The Munich Olympics, Doesn't Exist In The Real World." - BoJack
In Season 1, BoJack shares these words of wisdom with his friend and ghostwriter Diane Nguyen. While he seems to live in denial a lot of the time, BoJack is known to occasionally speak the truth. This quote annihilates the concept of the Hollywood ending, one made popular by directors like Steven Spielberg.
The bit about the Munich Olympics is a reference to Spielberg's 2005 film Munich, which makes an action-packed spectacle of the terrible massacre that marked the 1972 event.
"All Those Perky Well-Adjusted People You See In Movies And TV Shows? I Don't Think They Exist." - Diane
BoJack and Diane seem to enjoy the type of wobbly dynamic wherein they can say whatever they want around each other without judgment. As the show progresses, though, Diane makes a lot of personal changes to her life that make her question her friendships with people like BoJack.
Even though Diane is in the middle of all the perky and well-adjusted acting coming out of Hollywoo, and even though she's married to the perkiest actor in the business, Mr. Peanutbutter, she sees right through all the pretense.
"It's Gonna Be Great, As It Always Is, From My Perspective." - Mr. Peanutbutter
The Labrador Mr. Peanutbutter makes a name for himself as a genuine and sincere actor, one whose traits match the natural characteristics of dogs like him. He prefers a head-in-the-clouds, optimistic perspective, even if everything around him is falling apart. While sweet, he represents the completely self-absorbed and aloof celebrity who becomes completely detached from reality.
When the show begins, Mr. Peanutbutter is married to Diane, but their marriage is fraught with conflict, and things come to a head when he decides to run for Governor of California despite having no concrete political beliefs. He eventually dates the much younger Pickles, who is also a dog, but he blows it after cheating on her with Diane.
"This Is A Situation Comedy. No One Watches The Show To Feel Feelings." - Herb Kazzaz
Herb is BoJack's comedy sidekick and the creator of Horsin' Around, the show that made a star out of BoJack. In order to become successful in Hollywoo, Herb and BoJack both made conscious choices to compromise the depth of their creative output for superficial sitcom laughs.
Eventually, BoJack sells Herb out to secure his own career, and Herb is fired from the show when he's outed as gay. Later in life, when Herb is dying from cancer, he reaches out to BoJack to bring closure to that part of his life.
"Laura! Clear Out My Schedule! I Have To Push A Boulder Up A Hill And Then Have It Roll Over Me Time And Time Again With No Regard For My Well-Being." - Princess Carolyn
Princess Carolyn is BoJack's ambitious and outgoing agent and on-again/off-again girlfriend. A hardworking and caring woman, she started from the bottom and forged her own path while trying to maintain a satisfying personal life.
Aside from her professional ambitions, Princess Carolyn wants to be a mother. After many miscarriages, she finally decides to adopt a young porcupine she names Ruthie. She's the quintessential career woman, someone who is expected to never sleep and never have time for anyone else other than her clients. Needless to say, she struggles with her work and life balance.
"Sometimes, Life Is Like The Second Season Of Friday Night Lights. You Gotta Push Through And Hope There's Better Stuff Ahead." - Princess Carolyn
Always optimistic and excited for the future, Princess Carolyn sees through the pretense of Hollywoo, yet also understands that it's the key to her livelihood. She eventually falls in love with her assistant, Judah, and accomplishes one of the true happy endings on the show.
However, the happy ending isn't by the book. It's on her own terms as a middle-aged woman with an adopted daughter and a popular management agency.