It’s been a couple of weeks since NBC’s Parks and Recreation has wrapped up it’s 4th season. As I’ve stated before, I thought it was probably the most heartfelt comedy that aired this past season. There are many reasons why this show is amazing. The writing for this show is absolute gold. And with the amazing cast of characters that deliver the script are equally amazing. However, I’d like to bring your attention to something that’s often used as a joke, but doesn’t necessarily get the spotlight it deserves: the town of Pawnee. Within it’s writing, the creators of the show have created a colorful and amazing town. The town Pawnee itself has had an amazing history of racism towards Indians, hilariously self-centered news broadcasters and talk show hosts, an odd picture gallery depicting gruesome events in history in their city hall, a hilarious series of ‘Welcome Signs’, and more. In this post, I’ll look back on all the things that makes Pawnee awesome besides the lovable people at the Parks and Recreation department.
A History of Signs
During one episode, Leslie Knope told us the history of names that Pawnee has had over the years. This sign history has ranges from World War II to Vietnam to a make believe cult society and is absolutely hilarious considering how absurd some of these get. The above image is one example of how the mayor reacted one time.
The Raccoon Problem
Raccoons are a running gag when it comes to Pawnee. They’re not always explicitly scene, but there are references to how they’ve overrun children’s sports fields, building complexes and even hospitals. Each reference is just as hilarious as the last. Leslie Knope even said, ”they have their side of town, and we have ours’.
Sweetums
Sweetums is another running gag that was heavily utilized in this past season. They’re more used like an antagonist that has so much control over the city that the local parks and recreation department has to butt heads with them sometime, even more so when the heir to the company [the adorable Paul Rudd] decided to run against Leslie for City Council. But they’re referenced everywhere as heavy donors to events, providing thousands of jobs, and contributing the large obesity problem [more on that below].
The Historical Depictions of Gruesome Events in City Hall
Another one of my favorite running gags are the murals posted in Pawnee’s City Hall. These murals depict the history of Pawnee, and what makes them so hilarious is that they’re absolutely absurd. Some of them are pictured objectifying women, mass slaughter of Indians, and other gruesome murders. But to Pawnee citizens, it’s just another mural.
The Talk Show Hosts
Joan Callamezzo and Perd Hapley are two of my favorite fictional talk show hosts. Joan is so self centered and egotistical and Perd has some of the best lines of the show, “I don’t know what you mean, but it had the candence…of a joke”. I’d imagine this is what a lot of Pawnee television is like and I hope they reveal more television hosts [as well as revisit the favorites] in the next season.
Zorp
Zorp is part of the cult that ran through Pawnee for a while. He is apparently the harbinger of destruction and despite the cult moving on, there are some remnants of the society that we got to saw sometime last past few seasons. The episode where the Parks and Recreation department spends time with one of these societies has some of the best dead pan humor where some of the citizens being so calm about Zorp bringing the end of days and melting ones face off.
The Library is an Evil Place
Only on this show are librarians depicted as sociopathic, sex crazed, monsters. With amazing delivery by Megan Mullally’s Tammy 2, I always loved it when she came by the show. Whether or not she was seducing real life husband Nick Offerman’s character, Ron Swanson, the idea of the library being absolutely evil was an amazing and surprising part of the show.
Eagleton is a Worthy Rival Town
Another running gag in this show is how Pawnee’s rival town, Eagleton, is depicted. Compared to the messy, obese, and relatively poor town of Pawnee, Eagleton is graceful, rich, and beautiful. Even their prisons are like 5 star hotels and have gift baskets for you as you leave. Seeing the parks and recreation department deal with the condescending Eagletonians is always a beloved sight.
The Water Fountain Quirk
This GIF says it all. Apparently this is a common thing that all Pawnee citizens do…I have no words lol.
The Overweight Population
Pawnee’s current slogan is: First in Friendship, 4th in Obesity. Another running gag is how overweight the town is. There are jokes about how their locations and building complexes have extra cushioning to support larger folks and how Sweetums makes the entire town fat are all hilariously sprinkled throughout the series.
It has a Legitimate Site
NBC actually created a government looking website about the town of Pawnee. I stumbled upon this doing research for this article and it looked legitimate for a while until I clicked the ‘return to the original site’ button. What i love about this website is that it has calenders, staff pictures, events, etc. They actually put some time into creating this website. Bravo NBC, you actually did something right.
Overall, the writers for this show have done a great job in painting a picture of what Pawnee is like. That’s why I had the title of this post be: My Favorite Town in the World. Not many other favorite TV shows I have, The Office, Scrubs, Archer, etc. don’t really play on the towns or cities they’re located in, but I primarily suppose that’s because their plotlines don’t actually have to do with city management…Regardless, I love Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope, and Pawnee. Be sure to comment on some of your favorite Pawnee quips and quirks and tell me about the ones I missed.
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