- “You're in my food court. In my mall! Without showing me the proper respect!”
- ―Supersize, the leader of the Tater Tots, confronting Josh for being in their territory.
The Tater Tots are recurring characters in the puppet sitcom Mr. Meaty. They are a trio of 8-years-old bullies who consider the Scaunchboro Mall food court their personal territory and frequently harass Josh Redgrove and Parker Dinkleman.
The trio consists of Supersize, Icy, and Cubby, voiced respectively by Marty Stelnick, Ali Eisner, and Jamie Shannon.
Background[]
The Tater Tots are a tight-knit crew of kids who spend their time loitering in the mall, primarily in the food court. They see themselves as the masters of their domain and are quick to confront anyone they perceive as trespassing or showing disrespect, with their main targets often being Josh and Parker.
Their primary method of conflict resolution is through dance battles, for which they enlist their friend Tyrone to provide beats from his boombox.
Fate[]
During an 80-year flash-forward in the episode Geezers, the leader of the Tots, Supersize, now an adult man, has become a successful and powerful pimp-like figure, surrounded by futuristic women. He returns to the mall, which he now owns, to find elderly versions of Josh and Parker. He taunts them for having wasted their lives working at Mr. Meaty, showing a complete reversal of their initial dynamic.
Personality[]
The Tater Tots act as stereotypical bullies, despite their small size.
Supersize, the leader, is confrontational, arrogant, and demands respect from those he deems to be on his turf. He speaks in a caricature of hip-hop slang. He does almost all of the talking and is the one who initiates challenges and lays down the rules of their turf. He has an inflated sense of self-importance and authority within the mall. He is aggressive and confrontational, coining the nickname "Skinny Butt" for Josh.
Icy, the Tot with brown hair that cover his eyes, is loud and energetic, often echoing Supersize's sentiments and providing follow-up lines to his threats, but in a more childlike manner, such as saying their victim will get "smooshed like an ant on a sidewalk".
Cubby, distinguished by his fluffy white hat that also covers his eyes, is the hype man for the leader. He consistently provides supportive responses and backs up what Supersize says with affirmations like, "You are righter than my right hand".
Appearance[]
The Tots are depicted as three short kids with hip-hop style clothing.
- Supersize: He wears an orange puffer vest over a red t-shirt, and khaki trousers. Sometimes he was seen wearing a black baseball cap worn backwards, and other times an orange beanie, which eventually became his signature hat since the episode The Incredible Jerk. In his future self seen in Geezers, he sported a pimp-style outfit that included a furry orange coat and a futuristic gold hat; he also seems to have slightly increased in weight.
- Icy: He has a large brown afro that completely covers his eyes, and wears a red and white basketball jersey with an 8 on it, along with a blue turtle-neck shirt, and denim trousers. In the first few episodes, he was sometimes seen wearing a brown T-shirt.
- Cubby: He wears a brown vest over a gray shirt, camouflage pants, and has his eyes hidden by a fluffy sherpa-style hat. He also wears a thick green hooded jacket most of the time.
Interactions[]
- Josh Redgrove: The Tots frequently target Josh. They initially confront and bully him for being lame and weak. However, they can be momentarily impressed by him, such as when he demonstrates surprising breakdancing skills.
- Parker Dinkleman: Parker is usually bullied alongside Josh. He is often terrified of the Tots and their threats.
- Tyrone: The Tots have a friendly relationship with Tyrone. He acts as their DJ and provides the soundtrack for their confrontations.
Trivia[]
- Their entire persona, from their slang to their love of breakdancing, is a parody of early 2000s hip-hop and B-boy culture.