Although Bob’s Burgers has a massive cast of memorable supporting characters, some of the show’s most iconic stars have vanished for years at a time, and often for good reason. If there is one great thing about the medium of animation, it’s that cartoons allow characters to remain the same age for decades on end. Characters have disappeared from The Simpsons for years, only to return at the exact same age that they were when they left.
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The main characters of The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park have all stayed the same age for decades on end, while Rick and Morty brings back gags from years earlier without any meaningful time passing in-universe. One show that has taken full advantage of the slippery timelines of cartoon comedy is Bob’s Burgers, another long-running animated family sitcom whose supporting characters can often temporarily vanish out of existence for myriad reasons.
Grover Fischoeder
Voiced by Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain, Grover Fischoeder is a cousin of Calvin and Felix Fischoeder who also acts as the pair’s lawyer. First seen in season 9, episode 16, “Roamin’ Bob-iday,” before he reappeared in season 11, episode 3, “Copa Bob Bana,” Grover was never a particularly important character in the series proper. That all changed when, after a lengthy two-year absence, he returned in 2022’s feature-length theatrical spinoff, The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Unlike The Simpsons Movie, The Bob’s Burgers Movie limited its story to the show’s typical setting of the Wonder Wharf, but the spinoff made up for this limited scope with a far darker story than usual. A murder mystery at heart, The Bob’s Burgers Movie starts with the discovery of human remains beneath the Belcher family home. Eventually, the largely forgotten Grover Fischoeder is revealed to be the unlikely culprit behind this killing.
Jimmy Pesto
Unlike Grover Fischoeder, Bob’s insufferable neighbor Jimmy Pesto was never short on screen time in the series. A brash pizzeria owner, Pesto is Bob’s biggest rival in the restaurant business, so he regularly revels in any misfortune that befalls his nemesis. Bob consistently tries to take the high road with Pesto, and consistently receives little in the way of thanks from his boorish neighbor. Since the obnoxious Jimmy appeared in dozens of episodes throughout the first 11 seasons of Bob’s Burgers, his sudden disappearance from seasons 12 and 13 and The Bob’s Burgers Movie was hard to ignore. Eventually, viewers learned that Pesto’s original real-life actor, Jay Johnston, was fired for taking part in the January 6 United States Capitol Attack, resulting in the character’s quiet retirement. Fortunately, Jimmy Pesto finally returned in season 14, now voiced by Eric Bauza, and has been reinstated as a reliably regular annoyance to the show’s long-suffering hero ever since.
Marshmallow
While a lot of animated comedy shows like South Park pride themselves on their ability to offend viewers, Bob’s Burgers has always trafficked in a more warm-hearted style of comedy. The series puts in effort to feel inclusive and, as part of its sweet, well-meaning tone, avoids gags and characters that are mean-spirited or stereotypical. As such, the character of Marshmallow always ran the risk of becoming a tricky figure for the series. A trans woman of colour, Marshmallow was initially played by a cis white actor, David Herman. While she was already a well-received fan-favourite, the creators of the show committed to recasting the character with a more fitting voice actor in 2021, resulting in a four-year absence. In 2025, Marshmallow’s Bob’s Burgers comeback proved worth the wait when new voice actor Jari Jones put a fresh, funny, and surpassingly sweet spin on the character in season 15, episode 6, “Hope N’ Mic Night.”
