Buzzfeed has introduced its animated cartoons to media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.These cartoons include: “The Land of Boggs,” “The Good Advice Cupcake,” and by far their most dynamic and changed show, “Chikn Nuggit.”
“Chikn Nuggit” has had mass shifts in tone, starting from cute and simple episodes to more serious and story-driven shorts, then back to goofy episodes with story arcs for each of the characters. The changes have caused controversy amongst fans, some loving the character and world-building, while some would have preferred if the show had never changed.
The “Chikn Nuggit” channel first premiered in October of 2020 on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, and it would later join the YouTube platform in April of 2022. The show was created by Kyra Kupetsky, who is also the director and the voice of the character, Chikn. According to the BuzzFeed Animation Lab, the show has surpassed over three hundred episodes over the past five years.
According to the official Buzzfeedanimlab Instagram, “The show is comedic and adorable, wholesome and sometimes spooky…We follow Chikn [Nuggit] and his other [fast-food named] animal friends as they discover fun experiences in their daily lives.”
The series has always revolved around good faith and humor, however, it has developed over the years and become more complex. The series started with short-form videos of less than a minute. The punchlines were simple and quick, however, the characters lacked dimension and did not have much depth. The first episodes were also formulaic and usually followed the same story beats.
Despite the lack of creativity in the beginning, “Chikn Nuggit” grew in popularity. As of now, the “Chikn Nuggit” TikTok page has 5.5 million followers, and the “Chikn Nuggit” YouTube channel has nearly three billion views. It wasn’t long till the yellow dog had a steady following of fans; parody YouTube channels such as “domsauce” and Cornonthory, made back in 2023 and 2024, were made in honor of the fun-loving mut and his friends. In 2023, “Chikn Nuggit” was gifted with its own fan song called “Lil Nuggit” by the artist Chi-Chi.
Cornonthory’s YouTube channel’s description notes that: “I am an artist that primarily did work in the Chikn [Nuggit] community. To share some of my work, I decided to make [my] channel before my potential retirement from this kind of content.”
As the show grew in popularity, it grew in complexity as well. Soon Kupetsky and her team would go on to give the characters more characterization and depth, something BuzzFeeds other shows such as “Land of Boggs,” and “Good Advice Cupcake” still lack.
Many fans have found the characters relatable while also expressing delight in character development and representation on the platform. The continual support from fans for the show has allowed “Chikn Nuggit” to expand its empire. BuzzFeed has produced waves of merchandise, along with hosting “Chikn Nuggit” conventions and meet and greets for fans to meet the voice actors, directors, and animators.
According to the official Buzzfeedanimlab Instagram, “Many of Chikn Nuggit’s characters are LGBTQ, and several episodes showcase arcs surrounding navigating personal identity, blossoming romances, and self-acceptance.”
“Chikn Nuggit” was on the rise in popularity throughout 2021 and 2023, but around late 2023 and early 2024, Kupetsky took a risk with her show. The series became more serious with its story and tone. Suddenly the positive-minded lead character wasn’t so cheerful, but rather anxious and unstable. The episodes became focused on expanding the story rather than spreading positivity. Granted, this phase did not last very long, and the show went back to its regular formula, but the switch in tone sparked controversy in the fan base and also gained the channel more attention.
YouTube channels such as Film Theory and Leamon Puppy made videos to address the change. Film Theory was more focused on solving the new lore of “Chikn Nuggit” while Leamon Puppy negatively criticized Kupestky’s decision.
Long-time fans also had mixed feelings towards the change. The majority of the comments on the shorts were supportive, positive, or excited about what would happen next in the show, yet other comments, mostly on the YouTube exclusive videos, were less than thrilled about what was happening.
“Chee telling Chikn to ‘shut up’ and ‘knock it off’ whilst trying to comfort him is so sad; because I thought this series was good with communication,” noted one fan on YouTube.
Many other comments under the “It’ll be okay” “Chikn Nuggit” episode have had similar critiques to add such as: “Anyone else feel like the build-up was great, but the payoff was really weak?” and “Does anyone else feel like this was kinda an anticlimactic solution? It feels like we skipped a whole bunch of emotional confusion on [Chikn’s] side and a realization of how much of a bad friend Chee had been lately […] It was a little rushed, [which I don’t like, since I’m a fan of this series.]”
Nowadays, the “Chikn Nuggit” channel has gone back to its old formula, but it hasn’t abandoned its story. Right now, Kupetsky is continuing to expand her world, along with introducing a new character to keep the show relevant. The criticism for the show has also calmed down now that time has passed, and the fanbase still waits eagerly for the next episodes, along with new story installments. Overall, “Chikn Nuggit” is still by far one the most popular cartoon short series BuzzFeed has.
