Happy Tree Friends (Commonly abbreviated to HTF) is a Flash cartoon series by Mondo Mini Shows, created by Kenn Navarro, Rhode Montijo, and Aubrey Ankrum, and developed by Montijo, Navarro, and Warren Graff. Since its debut, the show has become a popular internet phenomenon and has won a cult following. As is indicated on the official site, the show is "not recommended for small children". Notwithstanding the cute appearance of its characters, the show is extremely violent, with almost every episode featuring blood, gore, and violent deaths, to the point of being banned in Russia. While the violence of these deaths is comparable to that of "The Itchy & Scratchy Show" (the short cartoon featured on "The Simpsons"), the portrayal of death in Happy Tree Friends is more graphic and anatomically correct, depicting bloodshed and dismemberment in more vivid, exaggerated detail. The show is nearly free of dialogue; however, when the characters do speak, their words are severely garbled. Though it is obvious what each character's reaction is, their words can barely be understood. Exceptions to this are Pop, Lumpy, and Disco Bear; they have garbled speech as well, but can actually be understood on most occasions. According to the website, the idea for Happy Tree Friends was conceived by Rhode Montijo when he drew a yellow rabbit, slightly resembling the character Cuddles, on a piece of paper and wrote "Resistance Is Futile" underneath it.
