When we first connected with Joe Cappa back in 2021 his horror comedy short, Ghost Dogs, was just selected into Sundance Film Festival. It was pretty undeniable that he was destined for something big. As big as the Campbell boys in his Adult Swim series Haha, You Clowns, premiering on HBO October 19th.
An unconventional riff on the wholesome family sitcom — Haha, You Clowns is a series about three teenage brothers and their gentle, loving Dad navigating life after their mother’s death. Though downright heartfelt, Joe’s signature stamp of absurd humor shines through in the most simple ways, from the slightest facial expression to the pacing of a shot or scene. Few animators can make us laugh, ache and nod in recognition all at once. Yet, Joe has a true gift of tapping into what makes us human and reminding us of what we share together.
We caught up with Joe about his journey these past four years from creating Ghost Dogs in a basement, to going social media viral with his fever dream Gabbagooblins and various shorts, to landing in Los Angles to work with the legendary Adult Swim and now HBO. A reminder to not only follow our dreams, but to soak it all up along the way. Because as Dad says, “Sometimes it feels like if I blink, I’m gonna miss everything.”
Last time we talked, you were following your path as an independent artist and animator when your award-winning short, Ghost Dogs, was just selected into the Sundance Film Festival. Since then, you’ve collaborated with Adult Swim, musician Toro y Moi, director Judd Apatow, Giphy, Meow Wolf, Bento Box Entertainment and most recently HBO, with the network premiere of your animated series Haha, You Clowns on October 19th and HBO Max the next day. How did the success of Ghost Dogs help prepare you for this meteoric rise in your career?
Getting into Sundance was truly a dream come true. Before Ghost Dogs, I was just making boring infographic videos for companies with the occasional music video gig from a friend. I typically shied away from making standalone pieces of art. It was either too time consuming, or the ideas would be too expensive to pull off. I also wasn’t that proud of the things I was making. I thought they were okay, but nothing exceptional. Making Ghost Dogs was taking a big leap of faith. It took me two years to animate. In the end it was well received. That gave me the confidence to tell more stories.
Over a decade ago, you left Oklahoma and moved to Denver to pursue animation before landing in Los Angeles. What was it about living in Denver that was conducive to your artistic process and growth? And how is it now living in LA?
I mean, Denver is where I found my voice. It’s where I decided to setup an LLC and do business on my own terms. I wasn’t very good at it though, haha. I struggled to stay afloat for most of my time in Denver, but I did stay very busy being artsy. I would hole up in my basement for months at a time learning stop motion videos and experimenting with different styles of animation. I look back on those years in wonderment. It was a very solitary lifestyle, but I think I needed to go through that awkward chapter in order to make a ton of crap … including Ghost Dogs. I gave up on the idea of moving to Los Angeles a long time ago. It’s weird that I live here now, but I do love it. I’m surrounded by artists and art is all they want to talk about. Haha, it’s great.
There’s an obvious optimistic determination and deep self-belief in your work that you’ve carried consistently throughout your career. Can you dive deeper into the importance of this mindset in navigating the path you’ve taken so far?
I think it’s a well-known fact that movies and TV shows overall are getting worse and worse. I can say that, right? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of a movie in the last decade. A bad movie would ruin my weekend. There’s also just less and less comedies being made and that really bugs me. I haven’t had a good laugh in the theater in years. When I’m making videos, the goal is to make myself laugh. I think that’s where that “optimistic determination” comes from. If it’s making me laugh then I know I’m on the right track.
After Ghost Dogs, you created an array of hilarious animated vignettes showcased on Instagram and TikTok like the Scooby Doo Shuffle, Dino Girl, and your various paper mâché head characters like Coupla Boys, giving you a lot of social media traction. Did these projects put you on the radar of these larger networks and collaborators you work with? And did any of them lead the way to the creation of Haha, You Clowns, or did you develop the series in tandem with others?
Oh yeah, everything is connected. I remember the exact moment I was sitting on my couch thinking about my career. The film festival run was over and I was back to square one. I had no gigs on the horizon so I just devoted the next two weeks to making a short one minute animation for Instagram. My friends messaged me telling me it was funny so then I made another. It kind of just ramped up from there. It was all very good timing too. Giphy, Bento Box, and Adult Swim started commissioning Instagram artists to make short videos for them and it’s been a terrific little ecosystem for a lot of my animation friends. Their platforms also get more people seeing your stuff, so yeah, one thing led to another.
Your brainchildren, the Gabbagooblins, made an extra big splash. How did this wonderfully bizarre Teletubbies offshoot come about?
Haha, yes and I really appreciate the piece you published on the Gabbagooblins a while ago. So, after the festival, the Sundance Institute dangled a financing opportunity for another project. My friend JW and I started kicking around a live action horror comedy similar in tone to Ghost Dogs. It was about characters from a weird kids show that crawl out of a TV and chase around a baby. I made these characters out of paper mâché and shot a proof-of-concept video for the pitch. They ultimately passed on the idea, but the video went viral on TikTok and ultimately connected me with Adult Swim which I’m making Haha, You Clowns for!
Performed by Denver comedy troupe Phantasmagoria, the Gabbagooblins have also made some live appearances. What’s it like seeing your characters step out of the screen and into the real world?
Yeah, that was a surreal time! Meow Wolf discovered the Gabbagooblins from TikTok and asked if I’d be interested in making a video for them. They had just opened a location in Denver so it was serendipitous. My friends from Phantasmagoria walked around Meow Wolf like some avant-garde mime troupe and it was a big hit. I overheard a kid say, “Whoa, it’s those dudes from TikTok!” Yo, I was tiiiiiiiiickled.
In 2023, the first episode of Haha, You Clowns debuted on Adult Swim. How did this connection come to fruition? And what was it like seeing your art air on this iconic channel for the first time?
It was crazy. I had my parents record it, obviously. Adult Swim is truly the last bastion for weird stuff on TV. Like even borderline weird stuff. It’s such a dang honor to work with them. Adult Swim discovered me through the Gabbagooblins video as well. I was then commissioned to make another Gabbagooblins video for their OFF THE AIR program. It’s basically a curated clip show. The guy who runs OFF THE AIR also runs something called Adult Swim Smalls for their YouTube channel. It functions as a testing ground for up-and-coming artists. I pitched a series of shorts about three teenage sons who absolutely adore their dad. The episodes did well and they asked for more. It then led to a development deal with Adult Swim. Again, I can’t stress how great it is to be working with Adult Swim.
Haha, You Clowns has been described as a tip of the hat to 90s sitcoms. But was your original inspiration for the series?
It’s definitely inspired by shows like 7th Heaven with an emotional underpinning. I come from the Midwest, and I think that also plays a big part of it. Haha, You Clowns is a show centered around a Dad and his three sons navigating everyday life in the midst of grieving a loss in the family. But yeah, it’s all tongue-in-cheek. The three boys are sweet-natured people — almost to a fault. They lack self-awareness while at the same time express intense empathy for one another. They are fun characters to write. Their outlook on life is hilarious to me.
In such a divisive time, it’s so refreshing to see a heartfelt show that has found its own lane in a space devoid of cynicism and hate, while still being wildly strange and funny. Was this counter narrative to this turbulent time intentional when you were creating the series?
Oh yeah, Haha, You Clowns is definitely a reaction to the stuff I see being made right now. It goes back to what I was saying earlier about feeling so frustrated by movies, TV and social media content. I think humor based in cynicism works and it’s funny, but man … we can’t eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s not healthy. Shows with characters saying snarky lines to one another in 2025 just gets the biggest eye roll from me now. Are we still doing this? Even the term adult animation is so childish to me. Like, wow, you guys get to watch shows with cussing and sex? Cool. Wow, you’re so grown up. Look at you!
There’s such a stark juxtaposition of how physically imposing the characters are in proportion to their gentle kindness. Was this deliberate?
In college I would go on road trips with my friends and I’d draw funny pictures to pass the time in the car. I would always make them really buff. It just made me laugh. I think I learned to sort of lean into it. It definitely is a big part of the comedy. They feel so innocent and naïve, but are huge dudes.
Something we really appreciate about the show is that banality is a focal point. There is something beautiful, profound and captivating about its simplicity. The characters don’t have to be special or have super human attributes but rather, they’re simply content with who they are. Can you tell us more about this choice?
I think all of my animations celebrate the little things in life. I’ve tried to go fantastical, but I always end up with something grounded. For my money, animating little hand gestures and facial tics is way more enjoyable than animating like … a dude … who like … tears another dude’s … like … fucking arms off or something. People always point out how wholesome all my videos feel. It really is not my intention to be wholesome. Being crass just isn’t my style.
Describe the stage of your career at the moment?
Haha, oh gosh. I’m very surprised by all of this. It’s been an extremely busy past couple of years on top of having a kid but I’m having the most fun. I’m also writing the show with my brother who lives in London, so it’s been an awesome opportunity to remain close and crack each other up on the daily.
Your definition of art.
My art is a form of communication. I’m trying to convey a handful of messages all at once.
Bucket-list collaboration.
My Dad.
Biggest artistic inspirations.
Marc M., Jarrad Wright, Mike Judge, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
You have endless budget, no creative parameters. What do you make?
A haunted house for sure!
Anything on the horizon in the coming months or the new year?
Just stuff in development! No big news.
Anything we miss?
These were very fun, thoughtful questions! Watch Haha, You Clowns! We have some amazing voice talent: Justin Theroux, June Squibb, Sean Astin, Eric Wareheim, Cheri Oteri, Dax Flame and more!
Haha, You Clowns premieres on HBO October. 19th | Next Day HBO Max
See more work by Joe Cappa on: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Website