A 1996 Details article asked, “What has 20 legs, 18 balls, and 1 brain?” The answer: The State. This MTV sketch comedy series is an unmatched cult classic; it’s also the show that gave established funnymen like Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain their first big Hollywood break. As of Tuesday it’s available for the first time ever on DVD.
We’re giving three lucky Flavorpill readers the chance to win a box set, a poster, and a t-shirt. Entering is easy: Just leave us a comment below explaining which member of The State was your favorite and explain why. Be sure to use a valid email address so that we can contact you if you win. Entries will be accepted through next week, and a winner will be selected and announced next Thursday at noon. You must be 13 or older to enter. Good luck!
For more on The State DVD, check out our coverage in the Daily Dose.
Comments (61)
kerry kenney-silver, because she had 7 of the 18 aforementioned balls.
Louie – because I want to dip my ball in it
Michael Ian Black and Thomas Lennon as Barry & Levon – that's my favorite skit probably and MIB is the BEST! I know the directions are to pick just ONE State member you like best, but I have to pick two.
Todd Holoubek is my favorite because he had about four lines over the course of the series, but his silence is comedy gold.
Michael Showalter because his fictional uncle is Bob Dylan. How cool is that?!
David Wain because he loves his baba ganoush and he loves to share it with Jesus.
Call me old fashioned, but I think Thomas Lennon was and is amazing.
Thomas Lennon – because he ran the show on The Bearded Men of Space Station 9.
kerry, because she was The Performance Art Cheerleader!!!
david wain – b/c he's the dirtiest
Thomas Lennon. Because he likes to lure monkeys into his lab and torture the hell outta them.
This is like trying to pick a favorite child! But I'll pick Michael Showalter as Doug – I'm ouuuuuutta here!
I wanted to dip my balls in it! Louie
Michael Ian Black and Thomas Lennon as Barry & Levon
Theres no way to pick one, they are all absolutely brilliant – my best friend and i used to perform the skits in 6th grade- potato chowder – I wanna see the moneys do it – i wanna dip my balls in it.. its too much…too good. But if there needs to be an official entry i would go with Thomas Lennon.
When the State was originally on my favorite was Ken Marino b/c he was dreamy. But I just read that Tom Lennon came up with Porcupine Racetrack so he is now my all time favorite.
Dr. Crank and his MONKEY TORTURE!!!! :)
Robert Ben Garant- Bacon! I'm making the moves on you!!!
Ken Marino – He really nailed Raccoon Jerry in Hoodwinked!
Kerry Kenney-Silver was a goddess to me because she held her own with all those guys. A very cool lady to look up to for a 14 yr old…
Thomas Lennon, because he is on — "Speed." — Oh, I was going to say probation. "Ha ha ha, whatever, whatever!"
I absolutely love them all, but if I had to pick one, it would be Michael Ian Black. I am just so happy that this finally came out on DVD!
David Wain, because he is a Jew.
david wain because he is bald
ooooh,that's a toughie! it would have to be a tie between Michael(i'll be honest,i had/have a huge crush on him;) and Kerry,both idols of mine way back in junior high!
Thomas Lennon — he played Christopher Walken in the Bownty sketch ("they're nice pants"), and he pioneered mmmmmmmmmmmmmmonkey torture :)
Tom Lennon and Michael Ian Black as Barry and Levon… this DVD set should also come with $240 worth of puddin… awww yeah.
OR Robert Ben Garant… inbred brothers rocked!
Michael Showalter because he's outta heeeeeeeere.
Michael Ian Black, who changed his last name from Schwartz because he's "ashamed of being Jewish."
Michael Showalter is dreamy…especially as Doug…"cuz I'm Doug, and I'm outa heeeeerrrreeee." That character and Michael stole my little teenage heart back in the 90's ;o) and still to this day.
Cllose call: Joe LoTruglio because I had a huge crush on him when the State first aired and Thomas Lennon because he's such an old-fashioned guy.
Michael Ian Black, because when MTV told them after that 90210 sketch that nobody knew who Bob Dylan was they plastered Bob Dylan references EVERYWHERE in that first season and not just that whole Uncle Robert thing! I would SO love to win this box set just so I can go back and do stop-action and count all of the Bob references!! BOB UBER ALLES!!!
i still love kerry kenney. when The State came out, i was in middle school, and i thought kerry was not only a really funny woman, but she was such a standout in that sausage party, and she seemed to really hold her own. when i caught her name in the writing credits, my admiration was cemented. to see her on Reno 911 warms the cockles of my heart, but it's not The State (even though Thomas Lennon is on the show, too, and so many alums show up).
definitely barry & levon. why? because who else do you know that has $240 worth of pudding? they had the $240, they had to have the pudding. awwww yeeeaahh…
I'm going to pick Todd Holoubek, cuz noone's picked him yet, and I feel bad for him. I love an underdog. Although, his imdb profile says he's Up 196% in popularity, so what kind of underdog is that?!? Eh, screw it, I'm going to go with Michael Patrick Jann, the lesser of the 3 named Michaels.
kerry kenney-silver is my favorite, not only because she provided the perfect amount of contrast, but for her nancy viscious character and also when she was on the game show where you could win orphans and one of her answers was " wooden"….. i STILL quote both of those to this day!!!
Michael Ian Black – for when he discovered pants!
Thomas Lennon, Because the Thomas Lennon I know wouldn't just sit on his hands and do nothing, no the Thomas Lennon I know would stand up, climb into a gorrilla suit, jump out of the window, dive into a tiny glass of water and exclaim, with Bravado…The game is up Moriarty, put down the pistola and let the orphans Go!
kerry kenney-silver because I want to get milk faced and screw like bunnyrabbits.
michael ian black because he is a very funny man give me my dvd
Michael Ian Black….porcupine race track sold me after 1 view!…
Michael Ian Black — too many hilarous moments and memories to recall.
Kerry Kenney-Silver, because she is willing to do anything to get a laugh
Thomas Lennon – who else could pull off a one-man Jurassic Park?
Rrrrrrrrrun!
Michael Ian Black i mean still to this day cracks me up
Ken Marino because of the awesomely hilarious sketch Hot Pursuits. "You see something you liiike?"
Kerry Kenney, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
5. Others have mentioned Michael Ian Black's discovery of pants, but don't you know who sold them to him?
4. Likewise aforementioned, Nancy Vicious.
3. Sometimes when your parents aren't home and your boyfriend comes over, you just have to kick him out afterwards and take care of yourself!
2. "You mean our baby, Michael?"
1. Two words: Fluffy Soft.
And these are just from the first season. Not only is Kerry a masterful and versatile comedian, she was also something of a protofeminist hero for a young me. She was never a mascot or sidekick or a free show (sorry, Carol Cleaveland)–and even when she played a normative female role, she would denormalize it (cf. Fluffy Soft) for optimum laughs. For which reason alone I would love her.
Runners up: Ben Garant (inbred brother true blue), Joe LoTruglio (raised in the mountains of Japan), and Todd Houlebek (the Harpo of the State). Special mention for Kevin Allison for being able to go from 0 to bizarre in no time at all. And also for making the best tacos I've ever tasted.
Michael Patrick Jann, because he still looks like a louche deviant hippy. That's not a State reference, its an observation.
Ken Marino – Because when I was in 6th grade, I was convinced that Louie was the funniest sketch ever…and have yet to be proven wrong.
michael ian black, because he went on to star in "ed", my favorite show ever about a bowling alley lawyer.
Kevin. Because he's a gay like me.
David Wain! because he is silly but not annoying.
I can't decide: Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter or David Wain… mostly because they kept the schtick going post-The State at Stella.
My favorite is Michael Showalter, because of the outfit he wore on The State opening & ending credits. How bold was he to wear an incredibly bright lipstick red turtleneck, paired with a white baseball cap (worn backwards), loose-fitting jeans and black Doc Martens! His fashion sense is astounding, as is his comedic gift.
I really enjoyed the sketch when blueberry Johnson wants to host the kids show…." I'm a freak of nature Bruce!"
Kerry, because of her sultry vocals and haunting whistle while singing "Sittin' By the Dock of the Bay" (over and over) in the hilarious "Hits of the 70s" sketch. Which is all I can think about whenever I hear that song (true for the past 10 years). Thanks, Kerry, for making that song shine for me.
My favorite is Michael Showalter. Now "I'm outa h…h…h…heeeeere!"
Joe Lo Truglio has always been my favorite. He was never had enough screen-time on The State, and he hasn't had the breakthrough success that some of the others have had subsequently, but both in The State and now in the movies in which he shows up, he can always be relied on to completely kill it when he's called upon.
benji was the best because he did that flip thing and made such nice tomato paste. i like to play tennis and so does he so it was the best
Was the state DVD ever released? I bought season 1 from amazon (download format) but I thought the rest was in a vault somehwere
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