BoJacktivists: A BoJack Horseman Blog

  
    BoJack Horseman, a Netflix original, made its way onto television screens in 2014. BoJack Horseman is designed as a burnt out Hollywood television actor that struggles with what fans believe to be borderline personality disorder (BPD). He inevitably turned to alcoholism and substance abuse to deal 
Rotten Tomatoes, 2014

with the mental struggles of the disorder. The audience is almost forced to feel bad for BoJack during the duration of the six seasons of the show, even though he is the one creating his own problems in the first place. Fans almost want to root for BoJack to get his way, although they know they should not feel that way. The impact this show has had on the fans is astounding. People have started to cosplay multiple characters, make fan pages dedicated to the show, and even written their own fan fiction. The reason this show has gotten so much publicity is because viewers who have BPD empathize with BoJack and his actions. So many content creators talk about their personal experiences with BPD in correlation to BoJack Horseman. The show has raised awareness of multiple controversial topics, such as mental disorders, substance abuse, and grooming. Fans do not praise BoJack for his actions, rather, they understand where he is coming from and why he does all of these bad things. In the end, he gets what fans think he deserved. 


The World of Art

@lenorecosplays as Sarah Lynn
@dinograveyard as BoJack and Princess Carolyn

    

    Cosplaying is a type of roleplaying in which fans will dress and act according to the character they are representing. Countless cosplayers attend events such as Comic-Con, Anime Expo, WonderCon, and so many more. Many like to act out their chosen character in public, but others also enjoy filming themselves in the privacy of their own rooms. Doing cosplay takes a lot of time and effort, and even money too. To get the specific clothes, makeup,  and props for the character they cosplay is honestly impressive. Cosplay is a form of art. Cosplayers are able to use their imagination and live as one of their favorite characters from a show, movie, or anything else. 

     A common BoJack Horseman cosplay is a character named Sarah Lynn. She was a child actress in BoJack's television series. She died in the show due to BoJack coercing her into a month long drug bender after she was sober for nine months. TikTok content creator LenoreCosplays has wonderfully captured the essence of the character.  DinoGraveYard puts a more of a lighter spin on cosplay by showcasing one of the romantic relationships BoJack had during the show. Cosplays being created on TikTok has gained the show a lot more popularity than it originally had. There are many different audios that TikTok creators use that come from the show, and most of them do not even realize it. Audio clips from the show are so widely known, even if people cannot identify where it originated from. Due to this, once creators upload a video with the audio, people who recognize the audio will leave likes and comments under said video. This has also lead to the increase of watchers and fans because they want to know more about what happened during the audio clip that they heard online.

   
Art by Nestly on Deviant Art
Another form of art that fans partake in, is creating fan art. Many people who are into BoJack Horseman either recreate iconic scenes in their own style of art, or they use their creativity to create new scenes. Creating fan art is another beautiful way of showcasing how much a show means to someone. Having the ability to create an exact image of a clip of a show is incredible. 
Art by TyrineCarver on Deviant Art

    It does not stop at creating beautiful pictures, either. There is a huge selection of fan fiction  found on numerous sites. Fan fiction is a type of story in which a fan creates about different characters in any type of media. Fans can create anything they want when it comes to fan fiction. Writers tend to ship characters together who were not actually romantically involved in the show. They also like to make the characters seem more enjoyable if they were not in the show. That is what is so unique about fan fiction. Anything the writer wants can happen, as long as they can write it down in words.
    Art is a beautiful way for people to make the show they love come to life. From dressing up as a character to rewriting their life, the ideas are limitless in the world of art.

    Social Media Pages

Fan Run account, @bojackhorsemanigs

     There are multiple Instagram accounts dedicated to showing and reminding the fans about the most intense moments of the show.  Shown here is an image of one of the fan-run accounts that display hundreds of posts. This is not the only one either. There are tens, if not hundreds, of BoJack Horseman fan pages on Instagram. All of these pages have been created by fans who are inspired by the show. A lot of people who watch it for the first time almost have somewhat of a life-altering moment. A few people have said that this show can either make or break someone. From my own personal experience, I truthfully believe that statement.  

    Along with fan run accounts, BoJack Horseman himself is verified on multiple social media platforms. He is verified on Instagram, Twitter, and even FaceBook. There are posts that look like selfies BoJack himself took that get posted on these verified accounts. They have hundreds of thousands of followers. It gives fans a comforting feeling that something they love so much is actually apart of their lives. The account also interacts with the fans, which is sometimes a crazy thing. There are numerous fan pages, groups, meme accounts, and so much more revolving this show. I am shamelessly following multiple BoJack Horseman groups, fan pages, and other types of accounts related to the show. Seeing how other people perceive the show is the most enjoyable part that comes from fan made accounts. It also lets fans talk to each other about how they felt about the show, what they liked and did not like, and who their favorite character was.  

    Overall, the BoJack Horseman community is rather small, but everyone is pretty close with one another. Although it might be hard to find die-hard BoJack fans, there are still many people who obsess over this show in the shadows. I would say that liking this show sometimes comes off as a red flag if you tell someone, but even then, it is a great show with a really fun fan base. Everyone understand each other and is very empathetic and kind. 

Works Cited

Carver, Tyrine. “Bojack Horseman by Tyrinecarver on DeviantArt.” By TyrineCarver on DeviantArt, 2018, https://www.deviantart.com/tyrinecarver/art/Bojack-Horseman-771360923. 

Cosplays, Lenore. “Lenny on TikTok.” TikTok, 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@lenorecosplays/video/7082084722133798190. 

D., Nestly. “Bojack Horseman Fanart by Nestly on DeviantArt.” By Nestly on DeviantArt, 2020, https://www.deviantart.com/nestly/art/Bojack-Horseman-Fanart-829353188. 

Graveyard, Dino. “Dinograveyard on TikTok.” TikTok, 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@dinograveyard/video/7180096250480430382. 

Tomatoes, Rotten. “BoJack Horseman.” Rotten Tomatoes, 2014, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/bojack_horseman/s01. 






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