LAND OF A THOUSAND ZONKS

Thanks to 'Hi Honey, I'm Home', we know that characters from the TV shows that we watch can be teleported out of the main Toobworld and wind up in an alternate TV dimension full of fictional characters as well. But now those original TV characters are living embodiments of their fictional televersions.

Head hurt yet?

On 'Hi Honey, I'm Home', a TV sitcom family moved into the "real world" after their fictional TV show was cancelled. And with each episode, at least one other TV character from a classic real TV show would drop in for a visit. Grandpa Munster, Gomer Pyle, Alice and Trixie - even Mr. Ed if I'm not mistaken! - all made the trip through the vortex.

In a way, this makes 'Hi Honey, I'm Home' an "Essential" as it provides the splainins for those TV characters whom we've seen step out of their natural habitat and act like they know that they come from a TV Universe.
From there, this new TV dimension is most often seen in TV commercials. For example, Tony Sirico showed up out of the TV dimension in order to strong-arm a guy named Jimmy into ordering his movies and TV shows via Netflix. It's not stated, but if this is the Zonk dimension of 'Hi Honey, I'm Home', then Sirico is appearing as "Paulie Walnuts" Gaultieri from 'The Sopranos'.

Once his work was done in that Netflix blipvert, Paulie didn't "slide" back to the New Jersey of the main Toobworld. Instead, he's been terrorizing the employees of Denny's Restaurants up and down the Garden Turnpike; shaking them down to provide a REAL breakfast. Who knows where he might strike next. (He may even have shown up earlier, threatening Fred at Dunkin' Donuts back in the early 90s!)

This isn't just a phenomenon with American TV shows. Recently in Argentina, a mob of TV characters from many of their TV shows, as well as from movies like 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 3', gathered to protest the fact that the Argentine version of DirecTV was not charging anything for installation. They clearly figured this was a scam and that they deserved a cut of the money that was being collected secretly.
So the mob - full of characters who escaped from wrestling programs, soccer - excuse me! - futbol matches, soap operas, cooking shows, and movies - was egged on by a yellow hippo who was probably an escapee himself from some Argentine kids' show. (I think Barney's anorexic cousin is seen trying to escape up a fire escape.)

They charged the DirecTV employees who were armed with the satellite dishes which they used as their shields. But they were eventually captured and brought back to be beamed out via the satellite network. And all to the tune of "We're Off To See The Wizard" from the original soundtrack.
Check out the anarchy here!

BCnU!
Toby OB