The Trailer For 'Pinky Malinky' On Netflix Will Make You Wish It Was January

Whether you have kids or you’re an adult who enjoys a good cartoon from time to time, I highly suggest adding Pinky Malinky in your Netflix queue. The animated series follows the anthropomorphic title character as he navigates middle school with his two best friends in a mockumentary style show. In case you need more convincing that it’s the perfect combination of The Adventures of Gumball and Ren & Stimpy, the trailer for Pinky Malinky on Netflix will do it for you.

There will probably be a lot less gross out hidden adult humor than Ren & Stimpy, but there is one shot in the trailer of Pinky's hotdog casing peeling back to reveal his body underneath. There also seems to be an occasional combination of animation and real life images, much like Cartoon Network’s The Adventures of Gumball. Pinky might be the only talking hotdog in the show but, as he explains in the trailer, it's a "rare genetic mutation" that other people in his family have been afflicted with over the years.

He’s still your average cheerful 12-year-old trying to fit in along with his two human best friends. According to Netflix, the show is suitable for kids ages seven and up and the first season premieres on Netflix on Jan. 1.

Pinky Malinky was originally going to premiere on Nickelodeon. The network introduced Pinky and his friends in video segments on YouTube, but in June 2018, Deadline announced that Netflix had picked up the series with Nickelodeon producing. Unlike most cartoons, the format of Pinky Malinky is like that of a reality TV show, wherein the characters will have talking head interview segments. Judging by the clips that have been posted on YouTube over the years, Pinky is as charming and adorable as the trailer for Pinky Malinky makes him seem.

Nickelodeon, which is one of Viacom’s premiere networks, isn't the first one to turn to video streaming platforms to churn out more content that might not have made it to air. According to Deadline, Viacom refers to it as the "studio model," and one that other Viacom networks like MTV and Comedy Central will be doing in the coming years. It’s all in an effort to reach target audiences that may not be found through viewers of regular network TV. And something tells me the young Netflix viewers out there will take to the talking weiner. If only because the trailer says the word "weiner" enough to make any kid — or adult — giggle.

Pinky Malinky has been a long time in the making. Co-creator Chris Garbutt has posted about the series on Instagram on and off over the years, promising a premiere date and more news to follow. Finally, in November, he wrote: "Honest, it's going to happen this time," and told fans that he’s working on another Netflix animated project. There’s no word yet on what that is, but if Pinky Malinky does well, I wouldn't be surprised if Garbutt’s other animated series makes it to Netflix sooner rather than later.

As someone with a 5-year-old who frequents the weird side of the kids page of Netflix, I can say with certainty that Pinky Malinky will soon make its way to his watch list. It has the right kind of wacky humor, random song and dance, and unique characters that make any cartoon an instant hit for kids. It’s an obscure and kind of ridiculous premise for a show, but it also seems entertaining for everyone.

I totally get wanting to expose your kid to a cartoon with an important message, but sometimes it’s just about the silliness. From the trailer alone, Pinky Malinky seems like it has all of the ridiculousness you can handle. I can't wait to watch it, with or without my kid.

After experiencing a traumatic c-section, this mother sought out a doula to support her through her second child’s delivery. Watch as that doula helps this mom reclaim the birth she felt robbed of with her first child, in Episode Three of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below. Visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes, launching Mondays in December.