Family Guy producer Richard Appel opened up to TV Line about the death of Rupert — maniacal genius baby Stewie’s beloved stuffed bear — who was torn to shreds by a drunken Brian in the animated comedy’s 300th episode.
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The frenemies ventured to Vermont to spread the toy’s ashes, with Brian learning Stewie’s attachment to his inanimate best friend and confidant stemmed from a deep-seated insecurity that Brian wouldn’t be around forever.
Brian gifted Stewie a new Rupert, with Stewie believing it was his original bear returned from the dead.
“And in the world of stuffed animal spirits, can we say he’s wrong?” Appel said. “Stewie is really the one who gave Rupert life, so their bond is going to be the same. It’ll be business as usual moving forward.”
The milestone episode saw Rupert drive off into the great beyond with late Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker, who perished in a car accident in November 2013. Stewie ranked each installment of the high-octane action franchise in the earliest moments of the episode.
“[Executive producer] Cherry Chevapravatdumrong did a spectacular job writing this script, and Stewie is really just channeling her,” Appel explained.
“She is obsessed with that series, and the ranking Stewie goes through … she will fight to the death defending it,” Appel said.
“We, of course, didn’t alter her ranking or her rationale. But that was among many of the things she brought to the episode, a sincere knowledge and love of that series.”
Chevapravatdumrong expressed her adoration of the Fast franchise during New York Comic Con, calling episode 300 “a love letter to one of the greatest film franchises of all time, The Fast and the Furious.”
Appel called episode 300 his favorite during New York Comic Con’s Family Guy panel.
The episode saw Griffin family patriarch Peter become “Red Stool,” a play on Ryan Reynold’s violent and mouthy anti-hero Deadpool, after contracting anal cancer.
Family Guy, now in its 16th season, airs Sundays at 9/8c on FOX.
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