A meatball, a milkshake, a floating carton of fries.

If you've ever seen Cartoon Network's 15-phenom, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, surely you've asked yourself what the show's creators (Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro) were thinking when they whipped up this premise.

We'll tell you. It turns out both Willis and Maiellaro were writers for another of Adult Swim's shows, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, who came up with an idea involving a trip to a fast food restaurant. When Space Ghost orders food and discovers he can't pay for it, the chain suggests a compromise. If Space Ghost lets their mascots be on his talk show, he can take the food home for free.

The Space Ghost episode never aired, but the talking fast food idea stuck and soon, the creators were pitching Aqua Teen Hunger Force to the network.

It debuted in 2000 and continues to air in syndication, and a feature film based on the show is rumored for 2006 release. Aside from the ascerbic wit of the walking, talking food figures who sometimes assist their human neighbor in solving crimes and facing off against Dr. Weird, the show doesn't have a locked-in plot. It sort of rambles along, irreverently mouthing off without much backstory, build-up or suspense.

We're curious to see which direction the feature takes. We also wonder what a show like this means for the future of animation--will there be more animated shows aimed at adult audiences that lean more toward punchlines than set-ups? We wonder. Do you?

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