Parker Dinkleman is one of the two main protagonists in the Canadian-American teen puppet sitcom, Mr. Meaty. He is the nerdy, and often clumsy, fry cook at the fast-food titular restaurant Mr. Meaty, located in the Scaunchboro Mall. He works alongside his best friend, Josh Redgrove. He is voiced by Jason Hopley.
Background[]
Parker's journey at Mr. Meaty is a central element of the series. From the outset, he is depicted as a dedicated, if somewhat dim-witted, employee. Throughout the show's run, Parker and Josh find themselves in a variety of bizarre and supernatural situations, often stemming from the strange happenings at their workplace.
Story[]
Early Life and Childhood[]
Glimpses into Parker's childhood reveal a history of being bullied and feeling like an outcast. In the episode Flinga Flonga, it's shown that he and Josh were tormented by a childhood bully, Brent Butcher, prompting them to plot an elaborate revenge when he returns to Scaunchboro.
Flashbacks in Embarrassed to Death also depict a younger Parker in embarrassing situations, highlighting a long-standing pattern of public humiliation that has followed him throughout his life. These early experiences likely contributed to his awkward and nerdy demeanor as a teenager.
The First Day[]
Parker's tenure at Mr. Meaty began alongside his best friend, Josh Redgrove. As revealed in a flashback episode, Original Sin, they were hired by a cheerful and kind manager named Wink. On their very first day, they discovered the cryogenically frozen body of the company's founder, Edward R. Carney.
After thawing him out, Carney took control of the restaurant and, citing a clause in the contract, implanted a mind-control chip in Wink, transforming him into the bitter and downtrodden manager seen throughout the series. This single event set the stage for the bizarre and often miserable work environment at Mr. Meaty.
Life at Mr. Meaty[]
Parker's life as the fry cook at Mr. Meaty is a constant barrage of the bizarre, supernatural, and grotesque. He and Josh routinely deal with situations far beyond the scope of a typical fast-food job.
Their days are filled with events like battling a wedgie-obsessed demon, discovering a vampire in the freezer, and accidentally turning the mall's patrons into meat-craving zombies with a new promotional device.
Parker has also personally endured strange transformations, such as turning into a girl named "Parkerina" after consuming too much "Girly Sauce" and growing a sentient tapeworm in his stomach from eating a raw burger.
First Romance[]
Despite his awkwardness, Parker managed to find romance in the episode Parker's First Kiss. He develops a relationship with a girl named Leanne. Initially, Parker is incredibly nervous about the prospect of their first kiss and turns to Josh for guidance. Their relationship demonstrates that despite his many oddities, there are people who appreciate Parker for who he is.
Death[]
In the episode Embarrassed to Death, Parker literally dies from embarrassment. After Ken and Darryl upload a humiliating video of him to the internet, the overwhelming shame causes his life to end.
However, it is determined that it is not his time to go. Death takes him on a journey to show him that his embarrassing moments bring laughter and happiness to the world. Convinced that his life still has purpose, he is returned to his body to live out the rest of his days.
Identity and Independence[]
Throughout his adolescence, Parker made several attempts to break out of his role as the nerdy sidekick and establish his own identity. In "Josh-Off," tired of being seen as a dork, he began to mimic Josh's mannerisms, clothing, and "cool" personality, leading to a direct rivalry that had to be settled by a competition.
In another bid for respect, he took over as the mall security guard in "Insecurity Guard" after Doug was injured. The newfound authority quickly went to his head, and he became a petty tyrant, alienating his friends with his ridiculous rules before learning a lesson in humility. These events highlight Parker's internal struggle with puberty and his desire for independence and respect beyond his friendship with Josh.
Parker also goes through significant coming-of-age moments that test his maturity. In Momma's Boy, feeling smothered by his overprotective mother, Parker decides to move out of the house to assert his independence. Later, in Puberty Fairy, he is visited by a fairy who guides him through the struggles of adolescence, highlighting his reluctance to let go of his childhood.
New Life[]
The series finale, Dream of the Dead, focuses on Parker and Josh's shared passion for filmmaking. They enter a local horror movie competition, but their production is thrown into chaos, as their lead actor turns out to be a real zombie who wants to eat the crew's brains.
After a struggle, they manage to finish their film. Although the movie is a critical failure at the competition, the experience solidifies their friendship and creative partnership, with Parker optimistically declaring they will make movies together forever.
The episode's epilogue reveals their ultimate success: they move to Hollywood, become famous filmmakers, and remain best friends. In a final act of triumph, they purchase the Mr. Meaty corporation and permanently shut down every location.
Future[]
The episode Geezers offers a glimpse into a potential future for Parker and Josh. Eighty years in the future, they are elderly men who are still working at Mr. Meaty and have still not managed to make their dream movie, "Ninja Zombies".
Their future selves travel back in time to convince their younger counterparts to stop procrastinating and finally make their film, serving as a cautionary tale about letting their creative ambitions fall by the wayside.
Personality[]
Parker is portrayed as a 15-year-old who is dim-witted, kind-hearted, and has a passion for horror movies. He often serves as a foil to his more socially adept friend, Josh, and his gross habits have been known to scare away girls. Parker is also known for his gluttonous nature and is often seen eating. Despite his flaws, he is a loyal friend to Josh and is always ready to help him with his various schemes.
Appearance[]
Parker has unruly reddish-brown hair, small, wide-set eyes, a wide mouth, and a pig-like nose. He is portrayed as a short, chubby 15-year-old boy with slightly pink skin and a few pimples around his face. He is typically seen wearing his Mr. Meaty uniform, which consists of a dark red and yellow polo shirt with a name tag, a matching visor, and black pants. He usually twitches his face when he's angry or nervous.
As a preteen, seen in the episode Original Sin, Parker had freckles and fewer pimples, his hair was styled in a bowl cut, and he wore orthodontic headgear (making his puppet's upper teeth visible); As a child (seen in the episodes Model Employee, Embarrassed to Death, and Flinga Flonga), his hair was messy like his present self, but less voluminous.
In Geezers, Parker's future self is first shown as an obese, exhausted old man with baldness and gray hair. Due to his excessive weight, he had to move around in a futuristic hover chair; however, after he and Josh convince their younger selves to make their movie, he ends up with a cleaner, fitter look, wearing bright white clothes and sporting a stylish, well-groomed hairstyle, and no need to use a device to walk.
Shorts[]
Parker's first puppet, seen in the shorts before the series came out, had the same character concept, but had slightly different and more grotesque features. Like Josh, his eyes were yellowish and also more bulging, his nose and ears were darker in color than the rest of his skin, and he had a prominent lower lip. The shape of his face was less round and his hair was still spiky, but much less voluminous.
Interactions[]
Friendship[]
Josh Redgrove[]
Josh is Parker's best friend and co-worker. Their dynamic is a classic pairing of the "cool" one and the "nerdy" one. Despite their contrasting personalities and Josh's occasional frustration with Parker's antics, they share a strong bond and frequently goes on bizarre situations together. They also share the same dream, wish is become filmmakers.
Their friendship is often tested by their contrasting personalities and Josh's tendency to prioritize his own interests, particularly when it comes to girls; For instance, Josh once abandoned Parker at a movie premiere to be with a girl, prompting Parker to create a new best friend out of meat named Hamish. On another occasion, a fight led to Parker quitting Mr. Meaty and getting a job at a rival vegan restaurant, only for Josh to have to rescue him from a soy cult.
Despite their frequent disagreements and Josh's occasional mistreatment of him, their bond is strong, and they always reconcile in the end.
Brittany[]
Brittany is Josh's reasonable and kind-hearted girlfriend. Her relationship with Parker is mostly positive and functions as an extension of her relationship with Josh, though she sometimes gets caught in the middle of the boys' chaotic schemes. Generally, she is friendly and patient with Parker, even when his awkward behavior complicates situations.
Brittany shows a compassionate side towards Parker. In the episode Embarrassed to Death, when a humiliating video of Parker goes viral, he literally die of embarrassment. Brittany is supportive of Parker and stands up for him, telling the person responsible for the video, Ken, that he should apologize. This demonstrates that beyond just being Josh's girlfriend, she genuinely cares for Parker as a friend and doesn't approve of him being mistreated.
Ashley[]
Ashley is one of the popular girls at the Scaunchboro Mall and a recurring object of Josh's affection. Her relationship with Parker is virtually nonexistent, as she, along with her friend Ashley 2, views him with disdain due to his nerdy and strange behavior. For the Ashleys, Parker is an obstacle and an annoyance in their interactions with the more socially acceptable Josh. Throughout their encounters, Ashley consistently dismisses and shows impatience with Parker, making it clear she only tolerates his presence because of Josh.
In another instance, in the episode "Schnozzola," Josh and Parker try to help Ashley with a pimple on her nose, but their concoction accidentally burns her nose off. They then try to reattach it, and when that fails, they replace it with a sausage, accidentally starting a new fad.
Ashley 2[]
Ashley 2 is Ashley's best friend and shares her popular status and her dismissive attitude towards Parker. She functions as a "second Ashley," almost always appearing alongside her friend and echoing her sentiments. Her interactions with Parker are minimal and always in the context of her friendship with Ashley and their shared interest in Josh.
In the episode Parker's Date Josh attempts to set Parker up on a double date so that he can go out with Ashley 2. The date is a disaster, largely due to Parker's awkwardness, reinforcing Ashley 2's negative perception of him; Despite the disastrous date, Parker eventually finds a connection with a different girl who understands his unique, nerdy interests.
Doug[]
Doug is the beefy and dedicated security guard of the Scaunchboro Mall. He generally has a friendly, albeit sometimes aggressive, demeanor towards Josh and Parker. He sometimes gets involved in Josh and Parker's situations, occasionally acting as a host or mediator to their conflicts; Parker's relationship with Doug is generally one of a subordinate to a figure of authority, often with a mix of fear and respect.
In many situations, Doug acts as an unlikely savior for Parker and Josh. A prime example is in Doug of the Dead where a new Mr. Meaty machine turns mall patrons into zombies, and Doug single-handedly saves the boys and destroys the machine. He also serves as a host or referee for some of the boys' ridiculous competitions, such as in Josh-Off where he oversees the contest to determine who is the "real Josh".
In Insecurity Guard, when Doug is injured, Parker takes his place and lets the power go to his head, enforcing ridiculous rules and angering the mall patrons. This leads to Josh organizing a resistance against Parker, with the chaos only ending when Parker saves Josh from a fall, earning back some respect just as Doug returns.
Gavin and Brandon[]
Gavin and Brandon are Parker's fellow friends who share his interest in role-playing games and all things nerdy. They are sometimes seen together as a trio.
Their dynamic is prominently featured inLord of the Geeks. In this episode, Parker, Gavin, and Brandon are engrossed in a fantasy card game when they are mocked by the cool kids. Their shared geekdom becomes the central focus as they must team up with the cool kids to defeat a real-life Orc.
Relationship[]
Leanne[]
Leanne is Parker's girlfriend and represents his first real foray into a romantic relationship. Their dynamic is sweet and centers on the mutual awkwardness of a first romance. Parker has a huge crush on Leanne, but is initially terrified to ask her out, suffering from "butterfly wars" in his stomach whenever she's near.
With Josh's encouragement, he eventually asks her out via a paper airplane note, and she accepts. Their relationship is explored in the episode Parker's First Kiss where Parker becomes overwhelmed with anxiety about their first kiss. He goes to great lengths to practice, including on a CPR dummy and seeking advice from Josh.
The pressure he puts on himself leads to a disastrous "perfect date" that he sets up. However, Leanne proves to be very understanding and patient. She reassures him that she likes him for who he is, cute and funny, and that the kiss will happen naturally when the time is right, showing she isn't just interested in the physical aspect of their relationship. This interaction highlights a supportive and gentle dynamic, with Leanne appreciating Parker's personality despite his intense awkwardness.
Family[]
Mrs. Dinkleman[]
Mrs. Dinkleman is Parker's extremely overprotective mother. Their relationship is explored in the episode Mama's Boy, which reveals that Parker is heavily coddled by her.
She still treats her teenage son like a small child, packing his lunch with the crusts cut off, and generally embarrassing him in front of people; Initially, Parker seems comfortable with this arrangement, but after being teased for being a mama's boy, Parker decides he needs to assert his independence.
Ultimately, Parker realizes he was too harsh and that he still needs his mother. They reconcile, agreeing to a new, more balanced relationship where she can still care for him without smothering him, and he can appreciate her love while still growing into an adult.
Other[]
Mr. Carney[]
Edward R. Carney is the 109-year-old, cryogenically frozen founder of Mr. Meaty and the primary antagonist of the series. After being thawed out by Josh and Parker, he becomes their tyrannical boss, often making their lives difficult with his cruel and greedy nature.
Wink[]
Wink is the manager of the Mr. Meaty restaurant. Before being subjugated by Mr. Carney, he was a kind and cheerful individual. A chip implanted in his head by Carney allows him to be controlled with electric shocks, turning him into a cold and bitter authority figure for Josh and Parker.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The names of the main characters, Josh and Parker, are a reference to the characters Drake Parker and Josh Nichols from the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh.
- One of the most infamous episodes of the series is Moochmaster P, in which Parker ingests a raw burger and develops a giant tapeworm.
- Jason Hopley, the voice of Parker, also co-created the show.