At the start of the 2020s, animators began to further explore making their own cartoons on the Internet while staying safe from COVID-19. Some were in Hell, others were set in the metaverse, but a few were rare light-hearted comedies. Big Top Burger, a 3-part act telling the tale of a clown and a zombie enjoying the life of mortality. Series creator Ian Worthington (Worthikids) recently closed his book on New Year’s Eve 2025 as a final gift to his supporters on YouTube. Did the audience feel satisfied with its ending, and how did Season 3 handle the lore?

A Show Made with Love

Bigtop Burger is a fascinating series that combines many of Worthikids’ interests. According to animation enthusiast Dovendraw, the show was originally called “Fast Fools.” The original concept was three clowns working at a pizza chain called Free Pizza, where the pizza has no limits. Restaurant owner Steve would work with his two employees, Tim and Penny. Clowns would be treated as a species rather than a person in makeup and a big, round nose.

Over time, the concept changed to three human workers operating a burger fast food truck with Steve as the only clown. Billie became the newest employee, unsure of how he operates his business. A fan later recognized that Bigtop Burger could have been inspired by the burger chain in Killer Clowns from Outer Space. I wouldn’t pass it off as a coincidence, given that Worthikids is a horror movie lover, as shown in his short Halloween animation, Jason & Friends.

Of Clowns, Zombies, and Food Trucks

So what exactly is Bigtop Burger about? It was once a comedy of Steve’s shenanigans during his fast food venture. Until Season 2, the audience learned about his zombie rival, Cesare’s mission. The Zomburger owner is known for his bad-food upsell tactic, as his employee Frances put it: “The worse the food, the better the sales.” He and his employees have been actively trying to destroy Bigtop Burger for some time.

Season 2 changed the narrative as Cesare actively gave gifts to Steve that were heavier than his arms could hold. “Down” and “Up” dove into Steve’s backstory, showing he came from a planet of clowns who have used Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS as their religion. Bigtop Burger states that in its universe, the hit Broadway musical is 9 billion years old, and each year, a clown is chosen to perform as Old Deuteronomy.

When it was Steve’s turn, his stage fright got the best of him mid-performance. The planet banished him by a circus cannon, shooting him through the center of the Earth. His impact, unfortunately, caused the Late Devonian Mass Extinction, which lasted 20 million years, destroying marine life from anoxia and causing severe climate change. Cesare did not explain to Steve that he’s imprisoned for this crime, but mentioned that he came from Earth’s underground.

In Season 3, Episodes “Oven” and “Venezia,” it was revealed that Cesare was set to hunt strange mortals on Earth, with Steve among the most wanted criminals. He was promised that in a thousand years, the invasive fungus Caligari would set him free. He soon met his reality that being a Watcher is meant to be an eternal slave. He runs into his personal cell, reminiscing about his days as a puppet salesman in 1025 Venezia, Italy. It’s hinted that he was assassinated by the puppeteer Gepetto.

Steve’s and Cesare’s backgrounds change Bigtop Burger’s final act into an immortal’s dilemma. Season 1 showcased their happiness living among mortals, while Season 2 unfolded the weight of a burden. The clown and the zombie show to share common ground, for they want to experience better days with the people they are with now, in this case, their employees.

Season 3 gives closure to both of their stories by escaping Caligari’s fungal labyrinth. Steve’s colleague, Munkustrap, decides to assist Bigtop Burger and Zomburger to find their bosses, informing them that his banishment sentence has been way past due. They reconnect a bit on how the clown religion, CATS, is a pure coincidence of the Earth’s musical based on the use of the F# chord. The sight of Cesare’s chef, the Doctor, reawakens his senses to feel alive and stops Caligari with the swing of his hammer. And the cherry on top is when the two immortals nodded a truce at the end based on their theme songs. Steve nods up, Cesare replied nodding down.

Is Bigtop Burger Worth the Watch?

For a series with 15 short episodes, Bigtop Burger is a show for those who enjoy bizarre storylines and appreciate Blender animations. Worthikids’ humor is zany yet appealing thanks to the hand-drawn 2D and stop-motion 3D movements. They exaggerate the voice actors’ expressions very well so that it doesn’t come out as uncanny. The creator himself said that the fast food comedy’s writing is inspired by SpongeBob, Ren & Stimpy, and Bobobo. The webtoon’s randomness excels in the landing of a joke that sometimes it hurts to laugh. Because of this story element, Steve’s and Cesare’s antics are drawn to the extreme.

Probably my favorite skit is from Season 2, Episode “Expo.” While searching for bad food, Conrad asked Cesare if he, Doc, and Frances could remove their makeup at the Food Truck Expo. The zombie aggressively exclaimed, “You have to look dead! You have to look fresh out of the morgue.” Doc tried to convince him to relax a little, but Cesare smashed his head against the windshield, replying, “If you guys don’t look as weird as me, I’m going to stick out like a horseshoe crab in a freshwater environment.”

The cartoon’s soundtrack is also phenomenal. All of the music is composed by Worthikids himself. From the strange chill bass groove from “Up” to the wicked guitar shred from “Glass Jars.” The tracks are available to listen on Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube Music. Catch Bigtop Burger on Worthikids’ YouTube channel!