BOBBY’S WORLD Episode 1.3 “Adventures in Bobby Sitting” (6 out of 10) Created by Howie Mandel; Starring Howie Mandel, Kevin Smets, and Gail Matthius; Originally aired September 22, 1990.
“Bobby’s World” follows the adventures and overactive imagination of a young boy named Bobby Generic. The show was created by Howie Mandel pre-baldness and fist bumps. Mandel also provides the voices for Bobby and his father Howard who is a cartoonized version of Mandel himself.
Each episode is bookended by live action segments of Mandel as Bobby’s father, both the cartoon version and real version of Mandel sport a signature mullet.
In this episode Bobby’s parents leave for the evening to attend his sister’s recital and leave the boys (Bobby and his brother Derek) home with a Natalie the babysitter. As the evening progresses, Bobby and Derek find ways to entertain themselves while simultaneously torturing the babysitter. We see most of the evening through the eyes of the young Bobby’s fantasies which include a game show, a hike up an ice cream mountain, and a parody of the “Friday the 13th” series featuring a plunger wielding slasher called Mason.
In the end the kids learn to work together to avoid trouble with the parents, which all kids know are the real villains.
Other notable characters are Bobby’s dog Roger and Uncle Ted who always reminded me of an animated John Candy with a penchant for noogies. Though Mandel states the character is based on Tino Insana who provides the voice.
Many of the episodes featured or ended with musical numbers, my favorites of which are “Under the water the fish don’t stink,” “I was at the bottom of the pool,” and “This is a short song, about a world without mom’s.”
Mandel has stated that the inspiration for the show include memories from the childhood’s of he and his friends as well as a choking incident involving cake which provided the inspiration for Bobby’s voice.
In 2006 Mandel indicated a desire to re-launch the show, though nothing has surfaced as of yet.