This article delves into lost media from popular cartoons such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, 12 O'Mouse, Phineas and Ferb, Rick and Morty, and Smiling Friends. It covers original unaired pilots, censored versions, and lost commercials, revealing intriguing backstories and the ongoing efforts to recover or understand these rare pieces of animation history.
Lost media has always fascinated fans and historians alike, especially when it involves beloved cartoons that have shaped popular culture. This article explores several instances of lost or partially lost media from some of the most popular animated series, revealing the stories behind these elusive pieces and their significance.
The Simpsons, a cultural icon running for over 36 years, surprisingly has lost media associated with it. The episode "Some Enchanted Evening," known as the last episode of season 1, actually exists in two versions. The original version, intended as the very first episode (production code 7G01), was produced with animation subcontracted to the South Korean studio ACOM to reduce costs.
When the work print was screened at Gracie Films, the response was overwhelmingly negative. James L. Brooks famously said, "This is shit." The animation was off-model, characters fluctuated in weight, and backgrounds appeared odd. The producers wanted realistic animation, but the Korean studio's output did not meet expectations.
Due to the poor quality, the series premiere was delayed, and the first aired episode became "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (7G08), a Christmas special. The original "Some Enchanted Evening" was heavily reworked, with about 70% redone, mostly backgrounds, resulting in uneven animation in the final version.
The original version of the episode has never been fully released publicly. A 5-minute clip was included as a bonus on the season 1 DVD, accompanied by commentary expressing the crew's disdain for the initial animation. Despite being partially found, the full original pilot remains lost media, a rare glimpse into the show's troubled beginnings.
Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane, premiered in 1999 but has origins dating back to 1995 with MacFarlane's thesis film, "The Life of Larry." This short featured early versions of characters who would evolve into the Griffin family.
Following a sequel short, "Larry and Steve," Fox executives were impressed and gave MacFarlane $50,000 to create a 15-minute pilot featuring the Griffin family as known today. This pilot, pitched in 1998, was never released in full.
The story was reused for the first official episode, "Death Has a Shadow." Seven minutes of the pilot were included as a DVD bonus, and some low-quality images and clips existed on fan sites, though many were lost over time.
On March 20, 2025, the entire pilot was discovered on the personal website of Robert Pollson, who worked on the pilot's compositing and digital ink and paint. The pilot had been online since September 2022 but unnoticed. It has since been archived and re-uploaded, marking it as found media.
The pilot closely follows the first episode's story but features slight differences in character design and coloring.
12 O'Mouse is an animated series created by Matt Malero that aired on Adult Swim from 2005 to 2006, with later specials and a revival. Known for its low-budget, cheap animation, the series follows Mouse Fitzgerald and his chinchilla mate, Skillet.
The first episode aired in 2005, but an earlier pilot episode existed, unknown until 2021 when editor John Breston revealed it in an interview. This pilot featured differences such as the character Golden Joe, voiced by Adult Swim's vice president at the time, Keith Crawford.
Tragically, this pilot was never saved and is considered lost forever.
"Delivery of Destiny" is the 42nd episode of Phineas and Ferb's third season. While the episode itself is not lost, a special UK version with British actor Simon Peg dubbing the character Paul the Delivery Guy replaced the original voice by Christian Slater.
This UK version aired on Disney XD UK in 2013 but became lost media after Disney shut down Disney Channel and Disney XD in the UK in 2020, favoring Disney Plus, which only hosts the original US version.
Some promo clips and interview footage with Simon Peg remain, but the full UK dub was lost until June 23, 2025, when user Charter Schoolgirl uploaded it to the Internet Archive. However, it was later taken down, and its current availability is uncertain.
Rick and Morty, Adult Swim's hit series, was approached by Subway around 2015 to create commercials featuring the characters. The commercials referenced Jared Fogle, Subway's former spokesperson who lost significant weight eating their sandwiches.
However, Jared was arrested in 2015 for serious crimes involving child pornography, leading Subway to sever ties and cancel the commercials before airing.
Four commercials were made but are now lost media. Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty, is the only known person with copies but cannot share them due to legal reasons. He mentioned hiding copies on thumb drives, some of which were moved by unknown people, suggesting the commercials might exist somewhere.
Smiling Friends is an Adult Swim series about a group helping people smile. The pilot aired about two years before the first season but was censored both on TV and Adult Swim's website.
When the full series was released on HBO Max, it was uncensored, but the pilot remained censored, even on the Blu-ray release claiming to be uncensored. This suggests the original uncensored pilot is lost media.
A brief clip of the uncensored pilot exists on Brendan Koffield's Twitter, who does music for the show, proving its existence.
Lost media from popular cartoons offers a fascinating glimpse into the production challenges, creative decisions, and historical context of beloved shows. From The Simpsons' troubled pilot to Family Guy's rediscovered early episode, and from lost commercials to censored pilots, these stories enrich our understanding of animation history.
As technology advances and fan communities grow, there is always hope that more lost media will be found and preserved for future generations to appreciate.
