Mr. Meeseeks

Each Mr. Meeseeks is a tall, blue-skinned humanoid figure with elongated, narrow limbs, a large, bulbous head, beady black eyes, and a high-pitched voice. Some versions of him have one or more small patches of orange hair on their head, while others are bald. Mr. Meeseeks usually exhibits a friendly, cheerful, and helpful demeanor; willing to assist the one who brought him into existence, however possible, in order to ensure their own death. Ideally, Mr. Meeseeks will dispatch the simple task given to him, and disappear shortly after its completion. However, if given a task that is outside of Mr. Meeseeks' capabilities, he will not be able to cease existing. This unusual lifespan will cause Mr. Meeseeks' attitude and mental state to worsen dramatically; the relatively long and tortuous existence quickly driving him to violent behavior and outright insanity, including creating more Meeseeks to assist themselves if they have access to a Meeseeks Box. All Mr. Meeseeks will typically say "I'm Mr. Meeseeks, look at me!" upon being created.

The character was created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, who first met at Channel 101 in the early 2000s. In 2006, Roiland created The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, an animated short parodying the Back to the Future characters Doc Brown and Marty McFly, and the precursor to Rick and Morty, the second episode of which features the pair encountering the title character Scud of Scud: The Disposable Assassin, whom Harmon had written for from 1994–1998, serving to promote the series' 2008 revival. At Stan Lee's L.A. Comic Con: Comikaze in 2016, Harmon confirmed that the Mr. Meeseeks character had been "ripped off" from Scud.[10] After the idea for Rick and Morty, in the form of Doc and Mharti was brought up to Adult Swim and a full television series entered development, Roiland had the idea for the episode "Meeseeks and Destroy" when, frustrated with the progress of a writing session, he suggested the introduction of a character who would blurt "I'm Mister Meeseeks, look at me!" in a "most annoying" voice, which was then combined with Harmon's variation on Rob Schrab's Scud character,[11] each member of the species uttering the catchphrase upon being created or making a point.[12][13] Series writer Ryan Ridley also cited The Smurfs as an inspiration for the character.[14][15]

On August 3, 2016, Cryptozoic Entertainment released Mr. Meeseeks' Box o' Fun, a game combining elements of dice games and truth or dare focused around the Mr. Meeseeks character.[16][17] On September 23, 2019, Entertainment Earth launched a range of Mr. Meeseeks jack-in-the-boxes and dolls to positive reception.[18] Meeseeks Boxes are also featured as power-ups and loot boxes in the free-to-play role-playing video game Pocket Mortys.[19] On September 10, 2020, Kidrobot launched a Mr. Meeseeks-themed line of eight-inch dunny figurines,[20] while Pringles launched a Mr. Meeseeks-themed flavor called "Look at Me! I'm Cheddar & Sour Cream", with the product description reading "Mr. Meeseeks' tall, powder-blue figure is naturally emulated in this narrow can of Pringles crisps. Since existence is pain for a Meeseeks, you better eat these crisps fast—which should be no problem given how delicious these flavors are."[21][22]

The character has received positive reception. Looper described Mr. Meeseeks as "a symbol of the series", citing "his appeal [a]s the genie-in-a-bottle fantasy element" that the character provides as "a meditation on the nature of existence, setting the template for the show's ever-more frequent forays into philosophical contemplation."[24] Screen Rant praised the character as a "cult hero",[25] while Inverse comparatively compared the character to Michael Keaton's 1996 film Multiplicity, praising their "story circle".[26][27] The Daily Dot described "[p]art of the charm of Meeseeks [a]s that their looping dialogue is so quotable, but fans also seem to relate to Mr. Meeseeks’ deterioration from happy and helpful to frustrated and murderous. Meeseeks’ dark reality—that they’re chipper despite living in pain and wanting to die—also makes them extra sympathetic."[28] GameSpot has stated that "there has been no character who has caused as lasting an impact [on the Rick and Morty franchise] as Mr. Meeseeks",[29] while Jake Lahut praised the character as "[r]esembling something between Gumby and the Smurfs, [as] a species who embod[ies] Aristotle’s key theory of teleology, the idea of design and purpose in each material thing."[30] With regards their initial portrayal, Comic Book Resources described the characters as "very unique and fascinating to watch play out onscreen",[31] while CinemaBlend collectively ranked the species as the second-best side character in the series behind President Morty.[32] Den of Geek praised the character as a vindication of "[the] sort of outwardly happy folks [who] live a rich inner life of endless torment" and the concept of "@#%&*! Smilers, as titled by the Aimee Mann album of the same name.[33]