FOX’s free streaming service Tubi hosted an exclusive event on December 6 at the Fred Segal in Los Angeles, California to honor the platform’s animated ode to smokers new and old—Freak Brothers. 

Pete Davidson was among the many members who attended.Saturday Night LiveJohn Goodman,(The Connors).Blake AndersonWorkingholicsAndrea Savage (VeepPhil LaMarrFuturama)Danny Gendron.

Freak BrothersIt tells the tale of three fictional characters who frequently venture on pot-related adventures. It’s the tale of Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek (Woody Harrelson), Fat Freddy Freekowtski (Goodman), Phineas T. Phreakers (Davidson) and their cat Kitty (Tiffany Haddish).  

The series debuted on Tubi on November 14, 2021, after it was resurrected from the original comic series by artist Gilbert Shelton that debuted in the late ‘60s and into the ‘70s, amid a wave of hippie writers and artists who tested the legal boundaries of publishing.

The Fred Segal Store has been transformed to showcase this new interpretation. Freak Brothers universe, bringing the animated series to life—complete with gigantic cartoon mushrooms under fluorescent light and faux pot plants aplenty. The immersive, pop-up experience is available at Fred Segal from January 15 to February 15.

Chronic NewsAnderson and Davidson were hotboxing the room. I was present. I couldn’t help but notice a Chronic NewsThe back issue featured the Freak brothers on the cover. I found it in the November 1990 issue. I did a little digging, and found out it was the November 1990 issue—one of multiple times that the Freak Brothers graced the cover of the magazine.

“Really the two characters are just an extension of me and Adam [Devine]. So, it’s kind of cool being in the booth and recording [our voice roles]. It’s improv and all of that. It’s pretty cool.”

– Blake Anderson

It is an indication of changing cannabis customs that the juxtaposition between old and new timelines exists. In 1969, the Freak Brothers smoked an intoxicating strain of cannabis. Now, they are 50 years away from the present. Their counterculture lifestyle is now available to all. It is legal to possess cannabis.

When they have to confront modern-day smokers, things get funny. Blake Anderson and Adam Devine—two-thirds of the Workingholics trio—play Chuck and Charlie, stoners who live in the present day.

“They’re really stoners of modern times,” Anderson told Chronic News. “They’re really working the system. They know that weed is legal—weirdly. So they’re in a whole different realm from The Freak Brothers.”

A culture clash is the result—and some of it includes a pinch of reality. Today you can take a hit with a pen in a store instead of hiding out in the woods.

“Really the two characters are just an extension of me and Adam [Devine]. So, it’s kind of cool being in the booth and recording [our voice roles]. It’s improv and all of that. It’s pretty cool. I’m here representing both of us.”

The voice cast includes some of the top Hollywood veterans—many of whom grew up reading the original underground hippie comics. Goodman is Fat Freddy. He plays the sweet-natured ginger stoner. Goodman stated that he had been collecting marijuana for many years. The Fabulous Furry Freak BrothersGilbert Shelton used comics from time to prepare him for Freddy. The New York Comic Con was where he spoke more about the subject.

When asked if the comics’ lasting power will be accepted by younger generations, Goodman is optimistic. “I hope so,” Goodman told Chronic News. “I wouldn’t have believed it” continues to impact readers as much as it did then today, he explained. “I still have a bunch of the comic books at home. I leaf through them every once in a while.” 

“I still have a bunch of the comic books at home. I leaf through them every once in a while.” 

– John Goodman

These generational differences can be seen in how cannabis was commercialized. “It was back then in the 70s—there were a lot of [drugs],” he said with a grin.

Goodman sung the cries of Sulley, an experienced beast. Monsters Inc. alongside Billy Crystal—paving the way for his new cartoon role as Freddy. Freddy’s voice is his new work of art, and he’s ready to share it with a new audience. “I hope it does” reach a new generation, Goodman said. “It would sure be nice.”