Happy tree friends bark violence
by Brian Wainstein, Reporter

    A new name in soul-scarring, blood-curdling horror has surfaced.
    That name, strangely enough isÉ Happy Tree Friends.
    Now, don't be fooled by smiling faces and goofy, vacant looks; these cute and cuddly critters put Itchy and Scratchy to shame.
    Every episode lulls the viewer into a false sense of security by presenting a scene of joy, one moment of bliss, before utterly shattering any possible tranquility with acts of violence that defy description.
    These teletubby-voiced, kiddie-cartoon-looking creatures should never, ever, ever be seen by children.
    I'm all for violent cartoons like DBZ and GI Joe, but Happy Tree Friends is just a little too much.
    Of course, this cartoon delights the mean streak in all of us.
    Who hasn't wanted to see Barney eviscerated at one point or another, after being subjected to his senseless antics for just 10 minutes too long?
    Disclaimers aside, I thought Happy Tree Friends was hilarious. As long as I did not try watch it all in one sitting, that is.
    Aired in Spike and Mike's Twisted Animation Festival, Happy Tree Friends has grown a large cult following on the Web, with new episodes available once a month.
    First Blood, the first Happy Tree Friends DVD features fourteen splatter-packed episodes, a "smoochies" feature, which allows viewers to select the method of a selected character's demise, storyboards, original sketches, never-before-seen episodes and an audio commentary.
    There is nothing more satisfying than the look on a person's face who mocks the name and the characters without seeing the show, when finally they are persuaded to see the first episode.