Lately my boyfriend and I have been obsessed with maybe one of the most underrated series of all time: King of the Hill. I know what you’re thinking: 1.) Holy s**t, you have a boyfriend? How did you pull that off? and 2.) “Are you serious? King of the Hill? The show about hicks? The show from the creator of Beavis and Butthead? The cartoon? What?”
Surprisingly, a lot of my girliest of gal pals love this show about four men who swig beer in an alley and share their love of football and America. And here’s why: it’s a well-written show, got dang, to quote Hank Hill. And yes, I meant “got.” That’s how he says it. The thing about this show is at first glance, it’s easy to miss the satire. It’s so real that at times you wonder, why is this even a cartoon? There’s nothing cartoonish about it. But then when you actually watch and listen, you realize that even though this show pokes fun about cliched hardcore Texans, it does so in a dignified way that doesn’t insult the characters and actually reveals a glimpse into the human condition. I’m serious. So here are the top ten things I learned from this show that isn’t as simple and, well, stupid as people think.
10.) It’s important to remain true to yourself, no matter how many times your father sighs and says, “That boy ain’t right.” By “that boy” I am referring to Bobby Hill, who is ironically voiced by the very talented Pamela Aldon who plays the utterly foul mouthed Marcy on Californication.
Pictured: Bobby Hill.
Bobby, despite being a cartoon, is the truest depiction of a young boy growing out of his teens in the most awkward way possible, resulting in embarrassing his parents and often himself, but with the sweetest, most giving, harmless intentions. “Bobby, I can’t have you disco dancing in the alley,” Hank says, while watching Bobby dance to boy band music. “People will think we didn’t teach you shame, and I know we did.”
And as hard as Bobby tries to please his dad, he never compromises who he is. Although Hank wishes Bobby were a tough football player to follow in his footsteps, Bobby is instead a soft cuddly practical joker. And he’s wonderful not in spite of it, but because of it.
9.) People smoke because they don’t know what to do with their hands.
At least, according to Dale Gribble. But I believe this.
8.) People just want to be loved and feel wanted. The greatest example of this is the character of Bill Dauterive, Hank’s hapless neighbor and best friend. Bill, once a great football star in high school, turned into an overweight, sad, desperate man. But he didn’t care that he lost his former glory. He cared most about losing his wife when she divorced him. He didn’t care that she took all his money. He just wanted her love.
Guys, it's like Shakespeare.
He’s not the only one. Often the most annoying characters on this show, like Hank’s neighbor Kahn, search for the same thing. Which is why the show is so good. They’re not caricatures. They’re fully developed characters.
7.) It’s the simple things that make our lives better.
Luanne, voiced by the late and talented Brittany Murphy, get excited over what would seem to many of us like minor things. Her boyfriend, Lucky (voiced by the amazing Tom Petty) has a giant truck that in Luanne’s eyes looks like a Ferrari. Or whatever cool cars the kids like these days. I don’t know. Smart cars? Anyway. Like Bobby, Luanne also has a sense of childlike wonder. She’s so naive, she looks to Bobby as a leader. But she’s so kind and sweet that you always root for her. Like the time she accidentally joined a cult, thinking it was just a super exclusive sorority. And she was so excited about it! Start to focus on the little things in your life that make you happy. I like Starbucks and kitties.
6.) Hank Hill hates Adam Sandler.
We see his point.
5.) Your parents do they best they know how. Hank is old fashioned when it comes to parenting. So old fashioned that when Bobby’s Christian Youth Group showed Bobby how to skateboard and their sweet Jesus tattoos, Hank freaked out and pulled Bobby out. And this was a group all about loving Jesus. Oh, Hank!
"Showing your love for Jesus? For the rest of your life and for others to see? That's crazy talk!"
Peggy’s problem is that she interferes too much. She loves her kid and her niece so much that she tries too hard to be a part of their lives.
She's also a style icon.
When Hank says things like, “Bobby, would you do me a favor and stand up? I just want to see if you can” and “6 AM and already the boy ain’t right” and also, “Bobby, if you weren’t my son, I’d hug you”, what he’s really saying is, “I love you and I want the best for you.”
He just doesn’t get it, that’s all.
HANK: What is this *smut* you’re listening to?
BOBBY: It’s not smut, dad, it’s Radio Disney.
4.) Some people are just really, really oblivious. Throughout a good chunk of the series, friend and neighbor to Hank, Dale Gribble, has a wife Nancy who cheated on him with her massage therapist, John Redcorn. But Dale ever caught on. He never came close, even when he was outside and saw Redcorn leaving their house through their bedroom window. And it’s not that he only sees what he wants to see, he’s just that oblivious. Even his kid is clearly not his own, but he thinks it’s because his real father is an alien. Dale is really into conspiracy theories.
But some things he says are dead-on.
Some people are just going to believe whatever they want to believe, no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. Unless they’re hurting themselves or others, don’t interfere. Some things they need to figure out on their own.
3.) Arlen is not a real place.
Nope.
2.) When we do things that we don’t want to do, we grow. There are so many episodes where Hank or Peggy force Bobby to play a certain sport, or attend an after school class, or do something outdoors.He complains but he always learns something in the end. And I know that’s because it’s a half hour show and they have to wrap it up, but it’s also true in life. We can all learn something from new experiences.
Not this though.
1.) Good friends stick by you no matter what. Even though Hank regularly refers to his friends as, “Jackasses” due to their antics, he’s always there to bail them out, and likewise. If something’s got Hank down, they stick with him. Except Dale sometimes, he’s kind of fickle.
It's pretty much like the cast of "Friends."
So when it comes to our friends, we could all be a little more like Hank: loyal, honest, and caring.
Yup.
Image credits: Hairstyle Designs, King of the Hill quotes, Spacious Planet, Basic Cravings, Wade Kwon, F***k Yeah Dale Gribble, Comic Vine, Movie Carpet,
I love this show… My fave is when after a tornado, Hank had the choice of covering his nudeness with the American Flag or a cactus plant… LOL he of course chose the cactus plant because it is so ‘anti-american to wear the flag! ahahaha BTW…Bobby is smarter than anybody on the show. I just love him.
i freakin love king of the hill!
bobby reminds me so much of my little bro, such an awkward kid.
great read, ill be on the lookout for more
I’m not from Texas but a small town in Massachusetts and I feel King of the Hill represents small town life in America quite well. If someone got a puppy, or an epic grill or a kick-ass truck half the town would show up to see it! I live in Southern California where it’s hard to impress anyone! I love Dale, I think he’s hilarious! Ladybird is an awesome dog. I’m glad they had entire episodes dedicated to her.
I love this show and enjoyed reading this. Heck, I am even “friends” with Hank Hill on FB. Not sure if there is a page for the other charcters because I got a friend request from Hank but if they are on there I’ll add them. It’s nice to pretend they’re real people haha.
How about a ten things you learned from Daria!? =] One of my favorite shows that I just rediscovered.
*sorry, Boomhauer.
I’m a Texan, and I absolutely love this show…and I think that Boomhower is my favorite. So deep, so pertinent-what are we as the world saying?
This is such a very wonderful and brilliant Top Ten. Oh goodness. I’m all aflutter!
This comment fills my heart with joy.
Thank you!
I LOVE KING OF THE HILL!
Who’s your favorite character?
hahah! Great post!!!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
and i believe we have a tom landry highway
It’s probably the best Highway Ever, tbh.
Arlen includes settings such as Rainey Street, where the Hills reside, and Strickland Propane, Hank’s employer. Also included are parodies of well-known businesses, such as Mega-Lo Mart (a parody of Walmart), Luly’s (a parody of Luby’s), and Bazooms (a parody of Hooters). In one episode, Luanne is seen wearing an “ACC” t-shirt. While this represents Arlen Community College, “ACC” also represents Austin Community College, the second largest institution of higher learning in Central Texas. Most of the children in the show attend Tom Landry Middle School (named after the former Dallas Cowboys coach). Not long before the series premiered, an Elementary School named after Tom Landry opened in Irving, Texas a suburb of Dallas and where the Dallas Cowboys have played. Likewise, the local elementary school is named after Roger Staubach. Early in the series, the school is referred to as being in the Heimlich County School District (according to markings on the school buses), though in later seasons this is changed to Arlen Independent School District. The school’s mascot is a longhorn steer. The local country club is the Nine Rivers Country Club, though this club’s membership is almost exclusively made up of Asian-Americans. The “Devil’s Bowl”, where Lucky races his truck, is actually a demolition derby located in the Dallas Suburb of Mesquite.
Wow. Thank you!
Mike Judge was a former resident of Garland, Texas, upon which the fictional community of Arlen was loosely based; however, the show was based more specifically on Richardson, Texas, a Dallas suburb, as Judge stated in a later interview. Mike Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script.
I always wondered what people outside of Texas thought about the show. Coming from Dallas (Arlen was based on a Dallas suburb), I’ve always felt a strong connection with King of the Hill. Awesome post!
And I’ve always wondered what people in Texas thought about it! The circle of life.
i wish bobby hill was my kid
I do too, he’s so got darn endearing. Little Bobby Hill man got some niceshoes and yeeryin little haircut man walking round brhegsh talkin’ bout, good kid, man.
arlen is supposed to be where i live. in garland, tx. arlen, tx is garland, tx lol. it’s funny to hear all of the references on that show and being like, “ohhhh, we live right by that!!” lol
This is amazing. Please tell me more!! I’m serious!
Hank Hill is seriously my idea of the perfect man.
Bobby, cut it with the Benihana talk.
That’s my purse! I don’t know you!
Yes. Oh heavens, yes to this.
One of my absolute favorite quotes from anything. Ever.
ok other than the brief mention ….
I did say that she was super talented AND I went through a breakdown of her character! But I get it, she really didn’t get enough props for her work on the show and as a voice actress in general. She was kind of amazing in this.
Almie, you know i LOVE you to pieces, but no Brittnay Murphy reference?