27 pages • 54-minute read
The Bad Guys: Episode 1
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Symbols & Motifs
The Black Suits and White Hats
The black suits and white hats worn by the four “bad guys” in the story symbolize Transformation and Going Against One’s Nature. When Mr. Wolf decides that he is tired of being seen as a villain, he begins by changing his look, and when his friends join the cause, they all adopt the uniform he has chosen. Their black suits are a classic, respectable look, and the white cowboy hats are meant to look innocent and friendly, while also being a widely recognized symbol of “the good guys” from American Western movies. The characters all feel misunderstood, and no matter what they do or how they look, everyone else seems to see them as a threat. Mr. Wolf takes steps to offset that reputation with his choice of wardrobe.
However, the characters can’t seem to escape the stereotypes that define them, and Mr. Shark even eats his hat, signifying how silly it is to think that a hat would change the entire world’s perception of sharks. Mr. Wolf is desperate to change the group’s image, but nobody else takes the plan seriously at first. The outfits are ultimately commenting on the way society judges others based on looks, rather than actions, connecting to the theme of Being Misunderstood and Fighting Stereotypes. Their choice of clothing illustrates the difference between who the bad guys are and who they hope to be. Mr. Wolf hopes that by changing who they are on the outside, they will also be able to change who they are on the inside.
Bad Guys Versus Good Guys
The motif of bad guys vs. good guys is seen throughout the plot and emphasizes the humorous contrast between the characters’ true nature and who they hope to be, connecting to the theme of Transformation and Going Against Stereotypes. The story explores the dichotomy of hero versus villain, but with an ironic twist that places classic predators in the position of somewhat naive and oddly well-meaning heroes. Mr. Wolf is determined to prove that he and his friends, who are traditionally feared animals, can be heroes.
At first, the others are not as enthusiastic as Mr. Wolf and don’t see the point or how it could be fulfilling—they enjoy their role as bad guys. While Mr. Wolf proudly announces, “It’s time to go be a hero!” (113), the rest of the gang mostly goes along with his plan because they’re friends. The gang’s identities as “bad guys” aren’t easily changed, as seen by Mr. Shark’s eating of his hat, the terrifying look of his smile when he stares up at the cat, and the way the dogs react to their rescuers. Even when they try to do good, they’re still perceived as threats, but their attempts to save others still somehow succeed. By the end of the book, the characters realize that doing good is actually rewarding and agree with Mr. Wolf that they should shed their identities as bad guys. This change blurs the lines between villain and hero, showing that labels like “bad guy” or “good guy” are more flexible than they seem.
Humor
In The Bad Guys, humor is a motif that runs throughout the narrative, used as a source of absurdity, crudeness, and cartoonish innocence. It is also used as a way to subvert traditional ideas of what heroes look and act like, as well as what bad guys are. The story introduces classic predators who are commonly portrayed as “bad guys” and places them in situations that are the opposite of what one would expect a wolf or a piranha to do. The predators attempt to save other animals, rather than eating them, resulting in all kinds of disastrous and ironic circumstances. Their misadventures are comical, and the failed attempts to do good create tension in the story, particularly when the animals they try to save react in horror to their efforts. Blabey doesn’t shy away from bathroom humor or over-the-top situations like putting Mr. Shark in a pink dress and sending him to flirt with a gorilla. The unlikely team of a shark, a piranha, a snake, and a wolf is comical in itself and emphasizes the theme of Teamwork Amongst Unlikely Allies. Humor is similarly used to defuse perceptions of the characters as fearsome and deadly; they fart and wear pink dresses, making it difficult to see them as dangerous. As they blunder through their new identities, Blabey uses humor to create sympathy for the characters so that readers will begin to root for them in their adventures.
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