Parents' Guide to

Mary Shelley's Frankenhole

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Despite impressive animation, crude 'toon isn't for kids.

TV Cartoon Network Comedy 2010
Mary Shelley's Frankenhole Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 6 parent reviews

EJKorvette
EJKorvette Adult
March 21, 2012
age 18+

Definitely not kid-friendly and your typical 23-year-old slacker won't get it

Definitely NOT for kids! And not just because of the puppet violence, sex, and adult language they use. Most of the humor is way over kids' (and many adults') heads. Definitely not even for many adults. This show assumes the viewer is familiar enough with literature and history to truly appreciate a lot of the humor. Your children will watch it when they go away for college and hopefully will enjoy it then.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
RobAlister
RobAlister Adult
January 31, 2012
age 18+

It's OK

When you say "Despite impressive animation, crude 'toon isn't for kids" it kinda implies that somehow the animation makes a difference in what's appropriate. Cartoons are no longer just for kids. In fact they never were just for kids. It just ended up that way here in North America. I also agree with others that there isn't much violence in the show. As for the show itself it's pretty good. A few laughs here and there but it's not anything special.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Thanks to time-bending "Frankenholes" that connect the immortal Dr. Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Jeff Bryan Davis) and his assistants, Professor Polidori (Scott Adsit) and Ygor (Tigger Stamatopoulos), to the past, present, and future, it's now possible for the scientist to help iconic historical figures get the things they most desire in MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENHOLE. That can mean facilitating a reunion between Blanket Jackson (Mark Rivers) and his late pop star father, Michael Jackson (Britta Phillips) ... or helping founding father Thomas Jefferson (Adsit) better satisfy his slaves in bed. The doctor also has a wife and two sons, but their family dynamic is discombobulated.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (5):

Fans of the Adult Swim stop-motion series Moral Orel (a now-canceled but clever send-up of morality also created by Dino Stamatopoulos) will likely be disappointed in this unfocused parody of hero-worship and celebrity culture that doesn't quite measure up in the laughs department. But it's still worth a look, particularly for animation junkies who can appreciate the artfulness of Frankenhole's weird and wacky world.

Others are bound to complain about the show's admittedly crude material, which can sink dismally low at times. It's bad enough that Thomas Jefferson seeks the doctor's help in acquiring a black man's penis so that his female slaves will find him more sexually attractive. ("When I force myself on my slave women, they look a little well, unexcited," he admits.) But when he mistakes Barack Obama for a "poop slave" ... and takes advice from Ike Turner about how to treat women ... it's hard to give it glowing reviews.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about parody and the show's use of shock-value humor. How does the Dr. Frankenstein in this series compare with other incarnations? (Not sure? Check out the classic monster movie, Mel Brooks's slapstick spoof or, the original novel penned by Mary Shelley.)

  • Does Frankenhole ever go too far? Who decides what "too far" is?

  • What messages are the show's creators sending about celebrity culture? Does the show celebrate it or skewer it?

  • Is the violence on the show too shocking for kids? Is it easier to digest something like a decapitation if it's presented in cartoon form? Why?

TV Details

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