“Clone High:” A Very Absurd, Yet Relatable Cartoon

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but a recent TikTok trend may be giving way for the resurgence of a very shoved-under-the-bus show. “Clone High” was an early cartoon produced for MTV, and its version of John F. Kennedy has been making the rounds on TikTok, garnering popularity with his picasso-esque appearance and goofy voice. But is there anything more to the show?

YES. “Clone High” is one of the best animated comedy series ever made, and it holds up quite well even almost 20 years later. It takes place in a high school full of clones of historical figures. The show mainly focuses on the hopeless love triangle between the overly honest and dumb Abe Lincoln, the infatuated goth Joan of Arc and the vapid Cleopatra (who cheats on Abe with JFK at least once a week). I can’t forget Gandhi, who is the comic relief in the show, and Principal Skudworth and his robot Mr. Butlertron who get into wacky B-plot hijinks. 

Despite a swift cancellation due to low ratings and a hunger strike over the show’s portrayal of Gandhi (no, that isn’t a joke), this show covers a surprising amount of concepts in just 13 episodes. If I were to recommend one specifically you should check out, I would go after episode two. In this one, Abe and JFK are pitted against each other in a race for student body president. However, JFK just uses the debates to detail his workout routine, and Abe gets a dubious energy food sponsor to boost his ratings. Although completely absurd, it touches on ideas of shallowness and corporate meddling that tend to come up during real elections, which makes its satire genius.

The show has a brilliant premise, quick pacing that suits the bananas dialogue and fun characters that won’t get out of your head. It even ends on a cliffhanger that kind of hits really hard. Despite the satirical nature of the show, the characters are relatable in their own sort of way. Like the angsty theme song says, “Boy can it get engaging.”

Drew Hickman is a Junior

Communications Major from

Shawnee, Kansas