During the internet boom of the early 2000s, MondoMedia was at the forefront of YouTube animation. Founded in 1988, the company would go on to produce some of the greatest YouTube animated series of all-time, including Happy Tree Friends and Dick Figures. However, one of its most popular shows seems to have vanished from the public conscience. In 2009, Alex and Lindsay Small-Butera created Baman Piderman, a series following the adventures of parody versions of DC's Batman and Marvel's Spider-Man.
Baman Piderman has no connection to the worlds of DC and Marvel, to the point where the only things the characters have in common with their comic counterparts are their names and costumes. The series primarily a story about friendship, mainly between the title characters, but as the series progresses, they encounter new friends, such as Pumkin, a pumpkin they found that was given sentience, Squib, a squid creature from another dimension, Wanda, a wish came to life that acts like a ghost and That Guy and The Other Guy, bizzaro versions of Baman and Piderman that live in Piderman's basement. The show gets a bit more complicated once specifics are introduced, but it's something that still holds a special place in the hearts of those who watched it.
One of the best aspects of the show is its animation, which is brilliant despite looking like a 5-year-old's art on MS Paint, being shaky and constantly moving but with beauty behind it. The simplicity of the animation and character designs allows Small-Butera to concentrate on storytelling, and while the first few episodes seem to follow nonsensical events, subsequent episodes eventually introduce plotlines that end on a satisfactory note.
Another interesting aspect of Baman Piderman is that despite it being an animated show, the world does not reset after each episode. For instance, during the Christmas episode, "Holiday Winter Friends," large snowflakes fall and remain until the very end of the series. Another notable example is when Piderman creates thought bubbles that he ends up having to take care of, even going as far as to feed them at one point.
The series also has a lot of heart to it. The friendship between Baman and Piderman is truly wholesome, and it's one everyone should strive for in their own lives. On top of that, the romantic storylines in the show are handled better than some network sitcoms. While they are limited given the world's small scale, Pumkin and Squib have a beautiful love story that lasts the whole series. Neither character can talk, but they learn more about each other and themselves as the series progresses.
After massive success on Youtube, Alex and Lindsay would use Baman Piderman to springboard their careers to the point they got the opportunity to work on episodes of things like Adventure Time and Clarence. The series may have come to an end with 2017's "Ghost Night 2" and the creators might have moved on, but Baman and Piderman still has a rampant fanbase that will allow the project to live on for years to come.