Peter Griffin
Encyclopedia
Peter Griffin is a fictional character
and the protagonist
of the animated comedy series Family Guy
and the patriarch
of the Griffin family
. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane
and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company
based on Larry and Steve
, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. After the pilot was given the green light, The Griffin family appeared on the episode "Death Has a Shadow
".
Peter is married to Lois Pewterschmidt
and is the father of Meg
, Chris
and Stewie
; he also has a dog named Brian
. He has worked at a toy factory and at Quahog's Brewery. Despite the suburb
an blue-collar
routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences.
Peter's voice was inspired by a janitor that MacFarlane heard at his school. His appearance was a redesign of the protagonist Larry from MacFarlane's previous animated short films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. The Peter Griffin character has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. He has appeared in several pieces of Family Guy merchandise, including toys, t-shirts and a video game, and has made crossover
appearances in other shows, including The Simpsons
, South Park
, American Dad and the Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show
.
Irish Catholic
, blue collar
worker with a prominent Rhode Island
and Eastern Massachusetts accent
. He's the husband of Lois
and the father of Meg
, Chris
and Stewie
. He is the son of Thelma Griffin and Mickey McFinnigan, and is the step-son of Francis Griffin. Peter and the rest of the Griffins live in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island which is modeled after Cranston, Rhode Island
. Peter primarily worked as a safety inspector at the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Factory, until his boss Jonathan Weed choked to death on a dinner roll; he then became a fisherman on his own boat, known as the "S.S. More Powerful than Superman
, Batman
, Spider-Man
, and The Incredible Hulk Put Together", with the help of two Portuguese
immigrants, Santos and Pasqual, until his boat was destroyed. He now works in the shipping department of the Pawtucket Patriot brewery
. Peter is also shown in various jobs for single episodes and cutaway gags. Family Guy uses a floating timeline
in which the characters do not age much, so the show is always assumed to be set in the current year. However, several of the characters, such as Meg Griffin
, have aged two to three years since the show's pilot episode
, while others, such as Stewie
and Brian
, have remained the same age. In several episodes, events have been linked to specific times, although this timeline has been contradicted in subsequent episodes. In a running gag
, storylines are randomly interrupted by extremely long, unexpected fights between Peter and Ernie the Giant Chicken, an anthropomorphic
chicken who serves as a rival to Peter. These battles parody the action film
genre, with explosions, high-speed chases and immense devastation to the town of Quahog.
created a cartoon short called The Life of Larry. The short centered around a middle-aged man named Larry and his anthropomorphic dog Steve. He made a sequel called Larry & Steve, which Cartoon Network
broadcast in 1997. In 1999, MacFarlane was working for Hanna-Barbara Studios, writing for shows such as Johnny Bravo
, Dexter's Laboratory
, and Cow and Chicken
. The short caught the eye of 20th Century Fox
representatives, who asked him to create a TV series revolving around the characters. MacFarlane received a US$50,000 budget to develop a pilot for the show, which was about one twentieth of what most pilots cost. MacFarlane claims to have drawn inspiration from several sitcoms, namely The Simpsons
and All in the Family
. Several premises were also carried over from several 1980s Saturday morning cartoons he watched as a child, namely The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, and Rubik, the Amazing Cube
.
In three months, MacFarlane created the Griffin family and developed a pilot for the show he called Family Guy. Brian's character was largely based on Steve from the Larry and Steve cartoon, with Larry serving as the primary basis of the Peter character. The character's personality was also partially inspired by a friend of his father who rudely fell asleep while watching the 1993 film Philadelphia
. The network executives were impressed with the pilot and ordered thirteen episodes, giving MacFarlane a 2 million dollar per-season contract.
In "Peter's Two Dads
", it is revealed that Peter's biological father is an Irishman named Mickey, which is based on the heritage of MacFarlane's biological father. MacFarlane said, "When I was growing up, my father had lots of friends: big, vocal, opinionated New England, Irish Catholics. They were all bursting at the seams with personality, and Family Guy came out of a lot of those archetypes that I spent years observing."
. Macfarlane also voices many of Peter´s ancestors which share the same type of voice. He noted in an interview that the reason that he voices Peter and the rest of the characters is partly because they initially had a small budget, but also that he prefers to have the freedom of to do it himself. In another interview he mentioned that Peter's voice is one of the most difficult to do.
There have been several occasions were MacFarlane does not voice Peter. In the episode "No Meals on Wheels
", (season 5, 2007) actor Patrick Stewart
voiced Peter. In the episode "Family Gay
", (season 7, 2009) Seth Rogen
provided a guest-voice as Peter under the effects of the "Seth Rogen gene". In "Road to the Multiverse
", (season 8
, 2009) he was voiced by Japanese actor Jameson Yang, who was required for a scene where everything in the world was Japanese.
, Joe and Quagmire
at "The Drunken Clam," Quahog's local tavern. After taking an I.Q. test
, Peter discovered his low intellect falls slightly below the level for mental retardation
. Peter is known for his brash impulsiveness, which has led to several awkward situations, such as attempting to molest Meg in order to adopt a redneck
lifestyle. He is incredibly jealous of other attractions Lois has in her life, an attitude which has led to extreme situations, such as when he assaulted a whale that kissed Lois at SeaWorld
. In the third season
episode "Stuck Together, Torn Apart", Peter and Lois split up because of Peter's jealousy, only to discover that Lois has the same character flaw and the two decide to live with their mutually jealous nature. Peter has a very short attention span which frequently leads him to bizarre situations, as Chris points out in "Long John Peter
", after Peter's parrot dies "He will get over it pretty quickly and then move on to another wacky thing", to which Peter finds a pipe organ
and forgets about his parrot (Peter then destroys the pipe organ within seconds and then finds the deed to a cattle ranch).
Peter has a complex relationships with all three of his children. He normally makes fun of Meg and treats her badly. In "FOX-y Lady
", (season 7, 2009) were Peter, Meg and Chris try to create a cartoon and they exclude Meg and her ideas. Though in some episodes Peter has had a good relationship with Meg, in Hell Comes to Quahog
, (season 5, 2006) Peter almost tell Meg he loves her and in Road to Rupert
, (season 5, 2007) he told Meg that he would treat her badly in front of the family, but that he would be her friend in secret. With Stewie Peter communicates and has a much better relationship with. Peter and Stewie had there adventures when he took him to Walt Disney World Resort
in the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father
", (season 4, 2006). With Chris, Peter communicates well, but at times when in need of advice or in an adventure Peter tells Chris to do the opposite of what he should do, like in "Long John Peter
", (season 7, 2008) were Chris is asking for advice on dating and Peter tells him to treat women horribly.
to have an abortion. However, she gave birth during the procedure, and smuggled him home to Providence, Rhode, Island, where he spent his childhood. Peter was raised by Francis and Thelma Griffin in the Roman Catholic faith. However, in "Peter's Two Dads
", he discovers that his biological father is an Irishman
named Mickey McFinnigan. Peter visits McFinnegan, who neglects him at first, yet eventually accepts him as his son after beating him in the "game of drink". The game of drink referring to matching shots until one passes out. Peter has also referred to a large number of ancestors throughout the series, stating, "the Griffin family history is a rich tapestry". Famous ancestors of Peter include Moses
Griffin, who led the Jews out of Egypt; Willie "Black-Eye" Griffin, Peter's great-grandfather, a 1920s silent film
star; and Peter Hitler, the flamboyant brother of Adolf Hitler
. Peter's ancestor Nate Griffin, an African American
slave from Virginia
, was owned by Lois' ancestors. He fell in love with their daughter, and secretly raised a family with her. Nate's family was eventually discovered and they escaped.
put Family Guy in their contenders for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
; they stated that, depending on your sense of humor, Peter is either " a comedy genius" or "an obnoxious idiot". MacFarlane has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award
in the Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
category in 2009 for voicing Peter. He was also nominated in 2008, for an Annie Award
in the Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production or Short Form for voicing Peter. Peter has ranked in several of IGN
's top 10s (generally these list are related to the show). Among these lists Peter ranked the third spot on IGN's "Top 25 Family Guy Characters", in the list it was stated that many of the shows best gags come from Peter and his shenanigans and that "Peter practically invented the "manatee joke". Entertainment Weekly
placed Peter in their "18 Bad TV Dads" list (the list also included characters like Homer Simpson
and Al Bundy
).
. Peter has appeared in some episodes of The Simpsons, in these episodes which he has been featured he has been depicted as a Homer Simpson's clone or is accused of plagiarism
. Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly
stated that Peter is Homer Simpson "as conceived by a singularly sophomoric mind that lacks any reference point beyond other TV shows". Robin Pierson from the TV Critic criticized the Griffin family for being to similar to the Simpson family; and he said that Peter "has Homer Simpson written all over him".
Peter has created controversy in various episodes of Family Guy. In the episode The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire
, (season 4, 2005) featured a sequence titled "You Have AIDS", in which Peter Griffin dances and sings in a barbershop quartet fashion around the bed of a man with end-stage AIDS
about his diagnosis, this drew protests from several AIDS service organizations. In "The Son Also Draws
", (season 1, 1999) Peter states that "Canada sucks" as part of the ending joke of the episode; the statement resulted in the producers receiving hate mail from Canadian viewers of the show. In the episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
", (season 3, 2000) Peter sings a parody song of "When You Wish upon a Star
", entitled "I Need a Jew"; on October 3, 2007, Bourne Co. Music Publishers
filed a lawsuit accusing the show of infringing its copyright on the original song; Bourne Co., the sole United States copyright owner of the song, alleged the parody pairs a "thinly veiled" copy of their music with antisemitic lyrics.
. Peter has appeared in two episodes of The Simpsons, referencing how the two shows are frequently compared to each other. In the fourteenth season
episode "Treehouse of Horror XIII
", Peter is depicted as one of Homer Simpson
's clones, and in the seventeenth season
episode, "The Italian Bob
", a photo of Peter is in a book of criminals, which says he is wanted for "plagiarismo". Peter, and most of the central characters on Family Guy, also appeared in the pilot episode of
the show's spin-off The Cleveland Show
.
CD, and plays a significant part in Family Guy Video Game!, the first Family Guy video game, which was released by 2K Games
in 2006. Peter will be used in the game Family Guy Online as a character class
for the game's character creator. MacFarlane recorded exclusive material of Peter's voice and other Family Guy characters for a 2007 pinball machine of the show
by Stern Pinball. In 2004, the first series of Family Guy toy figurines was released by Mezco Toyz
, each member of the Griffin family had their own toy, with the exception of Stewie, of whom two different figures were made. Over the course of two years, four more series of toy figures have been released, with various forms of Peter. Alongside the action figures, Peter has been included in various other Family Guy-related merchandise.
As of 2009, six books have been released about the Family Guy universe, all published by HarperCollins
since 2005. This include Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One
(ISBN 978-0-7528-7593-4), which covers the entire events of the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", and Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded (ISBN 978-1-4051-6316-3), a collection of seventeen essays exploring the connections between the series and historical philosophers. which include Peter as a character. Peter appears in comic-book based on the Family Guy universe; by Titan
Comics. The first comic book is going to be released in July 27, 2011.
In 2008, the character appeared in advertisements for Subway Restaurants
, promoting the restaurant's massive feast sandwich. Chief marketing officer Tony Pace commented "Peter's a good representation of the people who are interested in the Feast, and Family Guy is a show "that appeals to that target audience." The Boston Globe
critic Brian Steinberg praised the restaurant's use of the character for the commercials. NFL News
reporter Michael Fabiano felt it was a bad decision to have an obese character advertise for a chain of restaurants that based their advertisement campaigns on health.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the animated comedy series Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and the patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of the Griffin family
Griffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
based on Larry and Steve
Larry shorts
The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve are two animated short films created by Seth MacFarlane in the 1990s that eventually led to the development of the animated sitcom Family Guy. MacFarlane originally created The Life of Larry as a thesis film in 1995, while studying at the Rhode Island School of...
, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. After the pilot was given the green light, The Griffin family appeared on the episode "Death Has a Shadow
Death Has a Shadow
"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999. The episode is based on series creator Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to Fox, The Life of Larry, and is a remake of...
".
Peter is married to Lois Pewterschmidt
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
and is the father of Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
, Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
and Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
; he also has a dog named Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
. He has worked at a toy factory and at Quahog's Brewery. Despite the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an blue-collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences.
Peter's voice was inspired by a janitor that MacFarlane heard at his school. His appearance was a redesign of the protagonist Larry from MacFarlane's previous animated short films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. The Peter Griffin character has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. He has appeared in several pieces of Family Guy merchandise, including toys, t-shirts and a video game, and has made crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
appearances in other shows, including The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, American Dad and the Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
.
Role in Family Guy
Peter Griffin is an overweightOverweight
Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary...
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
, blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
worker with a prominent Rhode Island
New England English
New England English refers to the dialects of English spoken in the New England area. These include the Eastern New England dialect , the Western New England dialect , and some Subdialects within these two regions...
and Eastern Massachusetts accent
Boston English
Boston English may refer to multiple topics.*Boston accent, the dialect of English around Boston, Massachusetts* English High School of Boston...
. He's the husband of Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
and the father of Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
, Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
and Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
. He is the son of Thelma Griffin and Mickey McFinnigan, and is the step-son of Francis Griffin. Peter and the rest of the Griffins live in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island which is modeled after Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
. Peter primarily worked as a safety inspector at the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Factory, until his boss Jonathan Weed choked to death on a dinner roll; he then became a fisherman on his own boat, known as the "S.S. More Powerful than Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and The Incredible Hulk Put Together", with the help of two Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
immigrants, Santos and Pasqual, until his boat was destroyed. He now works in the shipping department of the Pawtucket Patriot brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
. Peter is also shown in various jobs for single episodes and cutaway gags. Family Guy uses a floating timeline
Floating timeline
A Floating timeline is a device used in fiction, particularly in comics and animation, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.A...
in which the characters do not age much, so the show is always assumed to be set in the current year. However, several of the characters, such as Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
, have aged two to three years since the show's pilot episode
Death Has a Shadow
"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999. The episode is based on series creator Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to Fox, The Life of Larry, and is a remake of...
, while others, such as Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
and Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
, have remained the same age. In several episodes, events have been linked to specific times, although this timeline has been contradicted in subsequent episodes. In a running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
, storylines are randomly interrupted by extremely long, unexpected fights between Peter and Ernie the Giant Chicken, an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
chicken who serves as a rival to Peter. These battles parody the action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
genre, with explosions, high-speed chases and immense devastation to the town of Quahog.
Character
Creation
When he was still in college, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlaneSeth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
created a cartoon short called The Life of Larry. The short centered around a middle-aged man named Larry and his anthropomorphic dog Steve. He made a sequel called Larry & Steve, which Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
broadcast in 1997. In 1999, MacFarlane was working for Hanna-Barbara Studios, writing for shows such as Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
, Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
, and Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken is an American animated series, created by David Feiss. The series shows the surreal adventures of a cow, named Cow, and her chicken brother, named Chicken. They are often antagonized by "The Red Guy", who poses as various characters to scam or hurt them...
. The short caught the eye of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
representatives, who asked him to create a TV series revolving around the characters. MacFarlane received a US$50,000 budget to develop a pilot for the show, which was about one twentieth of what most pilots cost. MacFarlane claims to have drawn inspiration from several sitcoms, namely The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
. Several premises were also carried over from several 1980s Saturday morning cartoons he watched as a child, namely The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, and Rubik, the Amazing Cube
Rubik, the Amazing Cube
Rubik, the Amazing Cube was a Saturday morning cartoon that aired from 10 September 1983–1 September 1984 in the United States, produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The program, broadcast as part of The Pac-Man/Rubik, the Amazing Cube Hour block on ABC, featured a magic Rubik’s Cube named Rubik...
.
In three months, MacFarlane created the Griffin family and developed a pilot for the show he called Family Guy. Brian's character was largely based on Steve from the Larry and Steve cartoon, with Larry serving as the primary basis of the Peter character. The character's personality was also partially inspired by a friend of his father who rudely fell asleep while watching the 1993 film Philadelphia
Philadelphia (film)
Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington...
. The network executives were impressed with the pilot and ordered thirteen episodes, giving MacFarlane a 2 million dollar per-season contract.
In "Peter's Two Dads
Peter's Two Dads
"Peter's Two Dads" is the tenth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally aired on Fox on February 11, 2007. The plot follows Peter traveling to Ireland to find his biological father, after he accidentally kills his stepfather at his daughter's birthday party. Meanwhile, Stewie...
", it is revealed that Peter's biological father is an Irishman named Mickey, which is based on the heritage of MacFarlane's biological father. MacFarlane said, "When I was growing up, my father had lots of friends: big, vocal, opinionated New England, Irish Catholics. They were all bursting at the seams with personality, and Family Guy came out of a lot of those archetypes that I spent years observing."
Voice
The voice of Peter is provided by the shows creator MacFarlane who provides the voice for Brian, Stewie and Quagmire, MacFarlane also provides the voices for various other recurring and one-time only characters, most prominently those of news anchor Tom Tucker, Lois' father Carter Pewterschmidt, and Dr. Hartman. MacFarlane has been part of the main voice cast from the beginning of the series including the pilot, as well he has been voicing Peter from the start. MacFarlane chose to voice Peter and the rest of characters voices himself, believing it would be easier to portray the voices he already envisioned than for someone else to attempt it. MacFarlane´s speaking voice is not very close to Peter´s as his normal voice is used to voice Brian. MacFarlane drew inspiration for the voice of Peter from a security guard he overheard talking while he was attending the Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
. Macfarlane also voices many of Peter´s ancestors which share the same type of voice. He noted in an interview that the reason that he voices Peter and the rest of the characters is partly because they initially had a small budget, but also that he prefers to have the freedom of to do it himself. In another interview he mentioned that Peter's voice is one of the most difficult to do.
There have been several occasions were MacFarlane does not voice Peter. In the episode "No Meals on Wheels
No Meals on Wheels
"No Meals on Wheels" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 25, 2007. The episode features the Griffin family opening a restaurant, and eventually become overwhelmed by Joe Swanson and his...
", (season 5, 2007) actor Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
voiced Peter. In the episode "Family Gay
Family Gay
"Family Gay" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the animated television comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 8, 2009. In the episode, Peter Griffin purchases a brain damaged horse who ends up causing a great deal of collateral damage at the...
", (season 7, 2009) Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy during his teen years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a small part in Freaks and...
provided a guest-voice as Peter under the effects of the "Seth Rogen gene". In "Road to the Multiverse
Road to the Multiverse
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009...
", (season 8
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
, 2009) he was voiced by Japanese actor Jameson Yang, who was required for a scene where everything in the world was Japanese.
Personality
Peter, a stereotypical blue-collar worker, frequently gets drunk with his neighbors ClevelandCleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
, Joe and Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
at "The Drunken Clam," Quahog's local tavern. After taking an I.Q. test
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
, Peter discovered his low intellect falls slightly below the level for mental retardation
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
. Peter is known for his brash impulsiveness, which has led to several awkward situations, such as attempting to molest Meg in order to adopt a redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
lifestyle. He is incredibly jealous of other attractions Lois has in her life, an attitude which has led to extreme situations, such as when he assaulted a whale that kissed Lois at SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
. In the third season
Family Guy (season 3)
Family Guy third season first aired on the Fox network in twenty-two episodes from July 11, 2001 to November 9, 2003 before being released as a DVD box set and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "The Thin White Line" and finished with "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein"...
episode "Stuck Together, Torn Apart", Peter and Lois split up because of Peter's jealousy, only to discover that Lois has the same character flaw and the two decide to live with their mutually jealous nature. Peter has a very short attention span which frequently leads him to bizarre situations, as Chris points out in "Long John Peter
Long John Peter
"Long John Peter" is the twelfth episode and the season finale of the sixth season of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 4, 2008...
", after Peter's parrot dies "He will get over it pretty quickly and then move on to another wacky thing", to which Peter finds a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
and forgets about his parrot (Peter then destroys the pipe organ within seconds and then finds the deed to a cattle ranch).
Peter has a complex relationships with all three of his children. He normally makes fun of Meg and treats her badly. In "FOX-y Lady
FOX-y Lady
"FOX-y Lady" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of the animated television series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on March 22, 2009. The episode is centered around housewife Lois Griffin's employment at Fox News Channel, despite the warnings of anthropomorphic dog Brian...
", (season 7, 2009) were Peter, Meg and Chris try to create a cartoon and they exclude Meg and her ideas. Though in some episodes Peter has had a good relationship with Meg, in Hell Comes to Quahog
Hell Comes to Quahog
"Hell Comes to Quahog" is the third episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on September 24, 2006. The episode follows teenage daughter Meg after she requests that her parents buy her a car. At the showroom, however, her father, Peter,...
, (season 5, 2006) Peter almost tell Meg he loves her and in Road to Rupert
Road to Rupert
"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode follows Brian after he inadvertently sells Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States, eventually discovering he is with a child...
, (season 5, 2007) he told Meg that he would treat her badly in front of the family, but that he would be her friend in secret. With Stewie Peter communicates and has a much better relationship with. Peter and Stewie had there adventures when he took him to Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
in the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father
The Courtship of Stewie's Father
"The Courtship of Stewie's Father" is the sixteenth episode of season four of Family Guy, which originally aired on November 20, 2005. The title of the episode parodies the title of the classic TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. The episode sees Peter attempt to bond with his youngest son,...
", (season 4, 2006). With Chris, Peter communicates well, but at times when in need of advice or in an adventure Peter tells Chris to do the opposite of what he should do, like in "Long John Peter
Long John Peter
"Long John Peter" is the twelfth episode and the season finale of the sixth season of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 4, 2008...
", (season 7, 2008) were Chris is asking for advice on dating and Peter tells him to treat women horribly.
Ancestry
Before Peter was born, his mother Thelma went to MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to have an abortion. However, she gave birth during the procedure, and smuggled him home to Providence, Rhode, Island, where he spent his childhood. Peter was raised by Francis and Thelma Griffin in the Roman Catholic faith. However, in "Peter's Two Dads
Peter's Two Dads
"Peter's Two Dads" is the tenth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally aired on Fox on February 11, 2007. The plot follows Peter traveling to Ireland to find his biological father, after he accidentally kills his stepfather at his daughter's birthday party. Meanwhile, Stewie...
", he discovers that his biological father is an Irishman
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
named Mickey McFinnigan. Peter visits McFinnegan, who neglects him at first, yet eventually accepts him as his son after beating him in the "game of drink". The game of drink referring to matching shots until one passes out. Peter has also referred to a large number of ancestors throughout the series, stating, "the Griffin family history is a rich tapestry". Famous ancestors of Peter include Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
Griffin, who led the Jews out of Egypt; Willie "Black-Eye" Griffin, Peter's great-grandfather, a 1920s silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
star; and Peter Hitler, the flamboyant brother of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Peter's ancestor Nate Griffin, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
slave from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, was owned by Lois' ancestors. He fell in love with their daughter, and secretly raised a family with her. Nate's family was eventually discovered and they escaped.
Commendations
Editors of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
put Family Guy in their contenders for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an Emmy given to the best television comedy series of the year.-Winners and nominees:...
; they stated that, depending on your sense of humor, Peter is either " a comedy genius" or "an obnoxious idiot". MacFarlane has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
in the Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance is a creative arts Emmy Award given out by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It is awarded to a performer for an outstanding "continuing or single voice-over performance in a series or a special." Prior to 1992, voice-actors...
category in 2009 for voicing Peter. He was also nominated in 2008, for an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
in the Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production or Short Form for voicing Peter. Peter has ranked in several of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's top 10s (generally these list are related to the show). Among these lists Peter ranked the third spot on IGN's "Top 25 Family Guy Characters", in the list it was stated that many of the shows best gags come from Peter and his shenanigans and that "Peter practically invented the "manatee joke". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
placed Peter in their "18 Bad TV Dads" list (the list also included characters like Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Al Bundy
Al Bundy
Al Bundy is a fictional character from the U.S. television series Married... with Children. He was played by Ed O'Neill.-Character history:...
).
Criticism and controversy
Peter has been criticized for being similar to Homer SimpsonHomer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
. Peter has appeared in some episodes of The Simpsons, in these episodes which he has been featured he has been depicted as a Homer Simpson's clone or is accused of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
stated that Peter is Homer Simpson "as conceived by a singularly sophomoric mind that lacks any reference point beyond other TV shows". Robin Pierson from the TV Critic criticized the Griffin family for being to similar to the Simpson family; and he said that Peter "has Homer Simpson written all over him".
Peter has created controversy in various episodes of Family Guy. In the episode The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire
The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire
"The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire" is a season four episode of the animated series Family Guy. This episode marks the final appearance of Loretta, until the season 7 episode, "Love, Blactually". The storyline of this episode is about Loretta cheating on Cleveland due to his "lack of passion" and...
, (season 4, 2005) featured a sequence titled "You Have AIDS", in which Peter Griffin dances and sings in a barbershop quartet fashion around the bed of a man with end-stage AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
about his diagnosis, this drew protests from several AIDS service organizations. In "The Son Also Draws
The Son Also Draws
"The Son Also Draws" is the sixth episode of the first season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 1999. The episode follows Chris as he is ejected from the Youth Scouts, and his father Peter drives the family to Scout...
", (season 1, 1999) Peter states that "Canada sucks" as part of the ending joke of the episode; the statement resulted in the producers receiving hate mail from Canadian viewers of the show. In the episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
When You Wish upon a Weinstein
"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" is an episode of the animated television sitcom Family Guy that would have first aired in 2000, but due to concerns about its content it was not aired until November 9, 2003, when it was broadcast on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. It was later aired on Fox on...
", (season 3, 2000) Peter sings a parody song of "When You Wish upon a Star
When You Wish upon a Star
"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...
", entitled "I Need a Jew"; on October 3, 2007, Bourne Co. Music Publishers
Bourne Co. Music Publishers
Bourne Co. Music Publishers is an American publisher of sheet music.The company was founded in the 1920s and is one of the largest privately held international music publishers in the world. Its office is in New York City...
filed a lawsuit accusing the show of infringing its copyright on the original song; Bourne Co., the sole United States copyright owner of the song, alleged the parody pairs a "thinly veiled" copy of their music with antisemitic lyrics.
Cultural influence
Appearances in the media
Peter has had several television appearances outside Family Guy, often in the form of direct parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
. Peter has appeared in two episodes of The Simpsons, referencing how the two shows are frequently compared to each other. In the fourteenth season
The Simpsons (season 14)
The fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
episode "Treehouse of Horror XIII
Treehouse of Horror XIII
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" is the first episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season, as well as the thirteenth Halloween episode. The episode aired on November 3, 2002, three days after Halloween...
", Peter is depicted as one of Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's clones, and in the seventeenth season
The Simpsons (season 17)
The Simpsons' seventeenth season originally aired between September 2005 and May 2006, beginning on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September...
episode, "The Italian Bob
The Italian Bob
"The Italian Bob" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventeenth season. It features Kelsey Grammer in his ninth appearance as Sideshow Bob and is the first time the Simpsons visit Italy.-Plot:...
", a photo of Peter is in a book of criminals, which says he is wanted for "plagiarismo". Peter, and most of the central characters on Family Guy, also appeared in the pilot episode of
Pilot (The Cleveland Show)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the animated comedy series The Cleveland Show. Directed by Anthony Lioi and written by series creators Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry and Richard Appel, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009...
the show's spin-off The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
.
Merchandise
Peter is also featured on the Family Guy: Live in VegasFamily Guy: Live in Vegas
-Reception:The album received positive reviews from music sources and critics. Rob Theakston of Allmusic said that "[Family Guy is] back and raunchier than ever, sparing no expense and leaving no pop culture stone unturned" and "without the constraints of network censors, the profanity and heat are...
CD, and plays a significant part in Family Guy Video Game!, the first Family Guy video game, which was released by 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
in 2006. Peter will be used in the game Family Guy Online as a character class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
for the game's character creator. MacFarlane recorded exclusive material of Peter's voice and other Family Guy characters for a 2007 pinball machine of the show
Family Guy (pinball)
Family Guy is a Stern pinball machine released in 2007. It is based on the animated series of the same name. Some of the table's main features include a "TV Challenge" drop hole, a beer can giant target, an Evil Monkey's Lair ramp, and Stewie's Mini Pinball.- Gameplay :TV modes: TV modes start by...
by Stern Pinball. In 2004, the first series of Family Guy toy figurines was released by Mezco Toyz
Mezco Toyz
Mezco Toyz is a toy company that makes action figures and other collectibles based on original and licensed properties. Its most popular product is the cult hit toy line Living Dead Dolls. Other popular licensed properties include Family Guy, South Park and Hellboy...
, each member of the Griffin family had their own toy, with the exception of Stewie, of whom two different figures were made. Over the course of two years, four more series of toy figures have been released, with various forms of Peter. Alongside the action figures, Peter has been included in various other Family Guy-related merchandise.
As of 2009, six books have been released about the Family Guy universe, all published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
since 2005. This include Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One
Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One
Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One is an American humor book about Family Guy written by executive story editor Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and writer/voice actress Alex Borstein. The book was first published on 8 May 2007...
(ISBN 978-0-7528-7593-4), which covers the entire events of the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", and Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded (ISBN 978-1-4051-6316-3), a collection of seventeen essays exploring the connections between the series and historical philosophers. which include Peter as a character. Peter appears in comic-book based on the Family Guy universe; by Titan
Titan Magazines
Titan Magazines is the magazine-publishing division of Nick Landau's Titan Publishing Group. Titan also owns several Forbidden Planet specialist comics and collector stores .Titan Magazines' publishing director is Chris Teather.TPG also owns Titan Books,...
Comics. The first comic book is going to be released in July 27, 2011.
In 2008, the character appeared in advertisements for Subway Restaurants
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, promoting the restaurant's massive feast sandwich. Chief marketing officer Tony Pace commented "Peter's a good representation of the people who are interested in the Feast, and Family Guy is a show "that appeals to that target audience." The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
critic Brian Steinberg praised the restaurant's use of the character for the commercials. NFL News
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
reporter Michael Fabiano felt it was a bad decision to have an obese character advertise for a chain of restaurants that based their advertisement campaigns on health.
External links
- Peter Griffin at Fox.com