SHOP: A Pop Opera | adult swim smalls 

“I’m not deaf.” “Huh?” “I said I’m not deaf.” “Nice to meet you, Jeff” is a really good bit

Coffee: I’m a song about caffeine addiction Cheese: There is a lot of cheese

It takes a second to realize just how many people in this call him deaf. He takes so long to process and overthink things that people don’t think he heard them.

Jack Stauber, the only man who can write a sad song about expired milk

"Oh this milk's expired" *has an existential crisis*

i hope a kid out there fell asleep watching cartoon network and woke up to this

The coffee lady with the “are you deaf?….I gotta skedadle but I’ll pray for your ears.” It gets me every time😂😂😂

I think all of the songs represent different anxieties: - Milk: Anxiety surrounding living a fulfilling life and making life choices to make the most of your life - Bread: Anxiety about getting too caught up in how others perceive you - Towels: Anxiety about dealing with the consequences of choices (and about how life in general is pretty "messy") - Oatmeal: Anxiety about having too monotonous a life, and being unprepared for change - Coffee: Anxiety about not being in control of your life + not living in the moment - Cheese: Anxiety about choosing things (definetly the most obvious one)

People are mentioning how every character looks like the food they represent, but the main character has the same swirl in his hair as the yogurt he ends up picking

My man had an existential Crisis every time he picked up something

I swear jack voicing all his characters is so impressive

This entire pop opera is about **choosing** to make better choices in your life, and building trust in your choices to cater to your own life. In the beginning, the main character struggles with choosing a sample of yogurt, and chooses to come back to it later. Each character he meets triggers a fear or obstacle that he has in his life. When triggered, he fixates on a specific word each character says, and goes through an episode of fear and questioning. After the episode, he instead **chooses** a different item from the shelf that's healthier than each character he meets. (EX. the coffee is decaf to avoid caffeine addiction, the oatmeal is a mystery to improve variety) During the "Cheese" stage of the pop opera, the main character goes through the 7 stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. He then looks away and allows the universe choose a cheese, or another healthier item for him. When he allowed the universe to choose a healthier item for him, he was left with not what he wanted, but then realizes that he's been choosing his own healthier item this entire time. The main character learns that he has the power to choose better things for himself. In the end, he practices the trust he has in his own choice, and chooses an amazing yogurt sample. I think the message in this story is to make your own good choices based on your lifestyle.

Each person he meets before each song is emblematic of someone who suffers from the line of existential thinking that each song is about. *Milk:* the old lady refuses to try new things because she can always try them later, but then ‘dies’ by disappearing at the end *Bread:* the nut man smugly uses material possessions to justify his existence and make himself feel superior to others, despite shopping at the same store as everyone else. *Paper Towels:* the worker was so hung up on the concept of irreversibly changing, that he never got around to actually handling messes in any meaningful way. *Oatmeal:* the bowl man was obsessed with planning out every moment of life and failed to account for or accept the spontaneity of life. *Coffee:* the mom was addicted to coffee and used it as an unhealthy coping mechanism to get herself through every aspect of life. *Cheese:* the main character himself was suffering from this which was choice paralysis in the face of the possibilities of life. Unlike the others, he actually overcame his existential crisis by realizing that by simply making a choice, you automatically get some form of control and meaning out of your existence that the randomness of the universe cannot provide.

Milk: Fearing that you didn`t live your life how you wanted to Bread: Caring too much about your image Paper towels: Anxiety over not being able to fix everything Oatmeal: Not being able to stop the uncertain flow of time Coffee: Unhealthy dependency on a coping mechanism Cheese: Holding on to only hope when you`re grieving Strawberry yogurt: Choosing for yourself and being okay with the choices you made :)

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how fire these lyrics are? "Dairy beloved... your days are gone, the grocery list goes on..." Bravo, Jack!🔥👏

i like how a lot of the characters share the same traits as the things mentioned in the grocery list, like how the guy in the artisanal bread part looks like the loaf of artisanal bread, the guy’s head in the oatmeal part looks like a bowl of oatmeal, even the main character looks like the little yogurt sample

“You’re bleeding” “Don’t worry it’s just mine”

"That shouldn’t be hard at all" *goes through the 5 stages of grief*

I love how the "vegan hot dog buns" guy bonked his head on a shelf that doesn't exist and the previous and following frames. absolutely love this video.

"Was your dog artisanally bred?" that's incredible

Everyone is saying how they loved the milk song, I see absolutely no one talking about what a bop the artisanal song was

I love how Jack is so good at his voice acting. I know he’s voicing all the different people but the voices he does for them really shows their personality and helps my mind process that their all very different people. I don’t know if that makes sense but yeah.

just leaving these here for myself. Milk (Dairy Beloved): 1:40 Bread (Artisanal Me): 3:33 Paper Towels (Irreversible): 5:22 Oatmeal (Oatmeal Routine): 7:19 Coffee (Better to Check): 9:35 Cheese (Five Aisles of Grief): 10:55 Finale (My Choice): 11:37

I like how whenever he grabs something on his list it’s just like “*ITEM ACQUIRED*”

Why does every Jack stauber animation feel like a horror skit without the horror?

In a world with much shallow art, Jack is a True Artist. The strangeness captivates you while the deep meaning sneaks up from behind and startles you with its clever implementation. All bundled in fun, catchy music.

Jack has to be the most talented animators we have, combing claymation and 2d and other elements (character Design, VA, etc) +song writing this man is legendary

I really hope Adult Swim sees that we absolutely love when they work with Jack, and continue to make awesome stuff with him. edit: Ive seen opal.

I think we underappreciate how jack nails the voice acting in these. The fact he can go from the coffee addict to the blind man from OPAL is astounding

An existential supermarket journey. I'm here for it! Also the ending is so hopeful, I needed that today. NEVER delete this from RU-vid

1:01 “Are you deaf?” “No im not deaf.” “Oh nice to meet you jeff!” Comedy gold

me everytime i rewatch this: "ahh... that was good"

“What kind of milk were you?” Should win a Grammy tbh

out of everything jack has ever made, being able to make cheese look that disgusting is the most impressive

I love how all the customers and other shoppers design is like the food/drink that pops up.

i just realized that every character looks like the item that comes after they talk. even the main character looks like the strawberry yogurt at the end

*Sees 100 packets of oatmeal* “You could make a religion out of this.”

I’m pretty sure the whole milk section is my sense of humor

The constant “ are ya deaf “ is pretty funny

"was your dog artisanal bread?" best dad joke ever.

Jack Stauber fans: cool. he made it on Adult Swim that's our man. Adult Swim fans: not the weirdest thing I've seen.

Coffee is still my favorite after all these years☕️

did any one else notice how the heads and the people he met are like the things he is buying like oatmeal guys head looks like a bowl of oatmeal and emo worker fr looks like a papertawaol

I love how the protagonist is not mean while still being realistic. He deals with sarcastic remarks and being called deaf but still makes conversation with these people, even helped coffee lady get another sip. We love a model citizen

Can we all appreciate that he voiced every character? Jack Stauber is a legend.

I think something to mention here is the journey the protagonist went on, learning all of these lesons form the shoppers around him he then culminates that knowledge to overcome his own issues of choice paralisis show in the begining... very cool that all the life lessons are culminated into the final message that personal growth and change is always a choice we can take and its not to late to go back and make the right decisions

This is the most normal thing Jack has made.

My clown ass just realized all of the people the main character encounters look like the groceries he's shopping for.

just now realized that all the characters he meets is also the things on his shopping list.

"Vegan Hot Dog Buns" bro i'm dying even more than that milk was 🥛💀

Dude puts out an entire album that could win a Grammy for an Adult Swim short.

Shop a pop opera : fun times grocery shopping while singing OPAL : and there's the nightmares

3:01 BRO WAS MaTeRiAl gWoRL 💅✨️

one of my school buddies loved you. made a presentation about you. ended up committing suicide a couple months ago. one of the best people i met. this was his favorite video btw.

"hey man just dont over think it" jack: **does hardcore intense math in head**

I can’t wait until when I die and I the last thing I see is “created by Jack Stauber”

here are my interpretations of each grocery item, the character associated with them, and the products our protagonist buys at the end: MILK: death and our perception of our own life's value. milk is easily replaceable, so [Protagonist] just picks up a new one. the replaceability of people when they die is a frightening topic. i wonder how the old woman from earlier relates to this... BREAD: if we let our fancy materialism speak for us, what will we say when we have nothing left? the eccentric from earlier obsesses about his possessions, as though they represent his whole life instead of speaking for himself. after mulling it over, [Protagonist] chooses cheap not-wonder bread because he understands that it's better for him to speak for himself than letting his high-value products do it for him. PAPER TOWELS: the anxiety of making messes and the fear that our mistakes are permanent. the emo employee seems to be so used to messes that he's indifferent to them, even when his finger bleeds. like he's so callous towards mistakes that he doesn't feel like he needs to learn from them or avoid them. after pondering the value that failure has in his life, [Protagonist] picks up an indestructible wash rag so he can always clean up the messes he makes without stressing about them. also, the gag about mass-producing them made me laugh. OATMEAL: having a fully-thought-out, formulaic life vs. living a life of wonder and discovery, at the cost of having to deal with accidents and the aforementioned messes. the rushing man has his whole life in order, but if something as much as a greeting or a slip gets in the way, he sacrifices valuable parts of his life to make up for it, in the effort of keeping his life as tidy and neat as possible. after fantasizing about an oatmeal-filled world, [Protagonist] chooses mystery-flavor oatmeal, to add some variety to his life. COFFEE: the fear of becoming obsessed with something you're trying for the first time. the woman only makes [Protagonist] more anxious about his choice of drinking coffee, because if he does end up getting hooked on it, will he end up like her? he chooses decaf to test the waters and strike a compromise. CHEESE: the fear of choice. this ties all the way back to the beginning, where [Protagonist] just can't decide which food sample to try. in the aisles of grief, he sings a very cheesy song to himself, eventually coming to the conclusion that he should let the universe decide for him... which leads to something he really doesn't want. so, taking charge of his own life, he instead keeps searching for what he truly wants. this inspires him to return to the sample stand and finally decide which one he wants to eat... and he loves it. he realizes that his choices are important to who he is, even if they aren't who he is. also, the final song is a very quick summary of every single lesson he's learned. jack stauber is one of the greatest absurdist artists i've seen. his methods of introducing thoughtful meaning through the strange and mundane are truly inspiring. in a truly wonderful piece of art, every detail counts... and stauber has exhibited his fine eye for detail many times here and in his other works, like opal. can't wait to see what he ends up doing next!!

The meaning of each produce song to me: Milk: Living a depressing life, then die, but life continues around you Bread: Being the same as everyone else Paper Towels: When you make a mistake and it ruins you as a person Oatmeal: OCD Coffee: Addiction Cheese: 5 stages of grief

No one: Buzzfeed: what kind of milk were you

pov: you're having an existential crisis in the grocery store

"That shouldn't be hard at all" top ten sentences before disaster.

2:38 Milk unlocked

Teenager: unleashes angst, This guy: sings catchiest song in the entire opera

okay but the “was your dog artisanally bred” joke made me giggle

8:09 You Get:Oatmeal With A Mystery Flavor

I think this video is very interesting because somehow Jack Stauber manages to capture the important things he values in life using... a shopping list. Of random stuff. The main character gets each item, spontaneously contemplating about his life each time he chooses. The milk song was about a 'life' lived, and how after you die the world just moves on('your days are gone, the grocery list goes on'). The artisan bread part was about how people try to act like they are 'artisanal', like they live a luxurious life. But at some point they start getting obsessed with it(" what is an artisanal me, where do my clothes end? Which ones are my artisanal friends?"), to the point where you only try to be the version of yourself that looks artisanal, and only befriend people who are artisanal. Your clothes(a metaphor for who you look like on the outside) are what determines YOU. The paper towels is more about a 'mess' than the item itself. The mess is a metaphor for how life keeps going on and doesn't heed your needs when you want to stop things from happening, or have time to think. And at some point inevitably you must die. The oatmeal entails a silly conversation with a person who lives a preposterous life, planning everything on a rigid schedule("I just sacrificed getting peas for standing here, bagels for explaining a body's like a clock to you and..."). Then the main character wonders to himself if everything can be planned, like accidents? What about death(symbolized by the car crash scene)? The coffee part is about starting drinking coffee because YOU decided you want to use it to control yourself, bit then getting controlled by COFFEE. It can be anything other than coffee, I just think the caffeine is a metaphorical example. In "Cheese", the main character is antagonized by the fact that he is supposed to choose one product out of so many different ones, wondering if someone else can choose it for him instead. But choosing the cheese(and making important choices in his life) is completely up to him; nobody can live his life instead, can they? And then he suddenly realizes something. "I trust I would pick something better... It's a decision I make to be a good go-getter. Milk will expire so toss your oatmeal and eat something new. Coffee moderation, life is messy and your bread isn't you." Basically: "Your living days are limited, so don't be obsessed with schedules and rules and seize unexpected opportunities, embrace the new. You depend on other things to try and moderate your life, but life doesn't wait for you. Also don't get obsessed by what others think, because what you are to them aren't necessarily your identity." After this declaration he rushes... to the sample corner and decides he wants the strawberry flavor. I was particularly tickled by this ending. Like so many of us, even when he finds some deep meaning in life and decides to live his best version, the things he's capable of changing and choosing are so petty and little. Like which flavor to sample?

Who remembers when Cartoon Network said “good night everyone” and u just scramble to find the remote as a kid

I like the detail that he gets something that goes against each song, get fresher milk to counter the expired, plain bread instead of artisanal, a single wash rag instead of paper towels, small box of mystery oatmeal instead of the big plain box, and decaf coffee instead of the more addictive regular coffe

Anyone else noticed that all the people that the guy walks into look exactly like the food item that comes after, for example Pecan woman looks like a milk carton (the hair) The cut guy looks like paper towels (his head) Stress-head guy looks like a bowl of oatmeal (head shape and hair) Coffe addict person looks like a coffee mug (the ear is the handle) The guy with exquisite taste looks like a grain

"I can make you feel alive." "I know, but do I need you to survive?" This had somehow helped me move on from a very unhealthy relationship (situationship). no joke.

Apparently all it takes is a song about expired milk to make me question if I’ve been spending my life right

Jack Stauber fans: Yeah, that's him. Look at him go Adult Swim fans: WHAT WAS THAT

I want to turn this into a musical people can actually act in.

Brooo the fact that he actually shows the 5 stages of grief in his lyrics is amazing 🔥🔥

this series is probably my favorite outta Jack Stauber's work. The constent "are you deaf" and just the overall theme of each episode is just fantastic.

ive rewatched this too much, and only just realized that the close up detailed shot of the old woman after she says ‘i’ll try it some other time’ is in reference to how little time she has left, and ties into the milk lesson of living your life to the fullest while you’re here. she looks sickly and dying immediately after saying ‘i’ll try it some other time’, and then vanishes. jack’s work is BRILLIANT holy shit

what i think the items represent: milk: death/passing or being forgotten and distancing from everyone bread: relying on material objects to become your personality, what happens when you lose it and you're left alone. paper towels: the constant need to control everything and feeling helpless when your life spirals out of control oatmeal: needing to control everything and mindlessly follow a plan out of crippling anxiety, fear of change coffee: addiction and how it can both minorly and majorly affect you and others around you because of it and how it changes your everyday life, inability to break out of a harmful habit and loss of control. cheese: coming face to face with all your challenges and making a desicion regardless of how you feel about it because you dont really have a choice, stages of grief. beautiful.

Did anyone else notice that when he’s walking through the isles of grief, it actually says the five stages of anger in the aisle numbers?

this is talking about the passage of time, perfectionism, adiction, entropy and the fear of choosing

All of the items represent his fear of change Milk- dying Bread- changing yourself for others, needing to be seen as superior Paper towels- needing to control the future, guilt, Oatmeal- needing to control the future, change Coffee- addiction, losing control Cheese- making a choice, independence He eventually learns that it doesn’t matter, and he chooses something new

no one mentions the fact that every character is designed to look like the main object of each segment, it’s SO much attention to detail in this short film and i LOVE IT SO MUCH

My favorite part is that he always picks up an item that solves the problem he’s presented with each time. -Milk that isn’t expired. -Bread that *he* wants, not something needlessly complicated. -An indestructible rag so he doesn’t have to make so much mess. -A mystery flavor of oatmeal so he has more than the same thing over and over again -Decaf coffee, so he doesn’t feel dependent on it. (Edited to change the bread one)

This guy really walked through the cheese aisle and went through the 5 stages of grief

man jackstauber really knows how to make things feel really alone but the music is so good and this whole thing is so artistic and creative i love it

y'all I just realized something each character that the guy sees in each aisles looks like the items on his list (well there heads do) the old woman looks like a carton of milk the rich dude looks like a loaf of (artisanal) bread the emo looking shop worker looks like a roll of paper towels\ the one not being able to get to his food on time or whatever looks like a bowl of oatmeal the crazy lady looks like a coffee mug

I simply love the fact that each character is one unhealthy coping mechanism, and each thing he grabs represents a healthier one. Like the oatmeal man, who tried to plan ahead of everything without accounting for spontaneity, and then the guy gets "surprise flavour oatmeal", or how the coffee lady was clearly addicted to caffeine, and then he grabbed the "decaf coffee". Jack Stauber is a genius and no one can convince me otherwise.

*I like how people keep asking if he's deaf.*

0:03 Shop a pop opera 1:40 Expired milk 3:33 Artisanal bread 5:23 Mess 7:19 Oatmeal routine 9:35 Coffee 10:55 Endless cheese 11:37 Pick something better

This is the ony way i can explain me getting overwhelmed by the store

Anyone notice how polite the artisanal guy was? "Thank you!"

"your bread isn't you" is such a powerful quote, i must say

That last song has been stuck in my head for weeks

Love revisiting this. I was excited for it when it was coming out in 2019, some of Jack’s best work. The song at the end when he realizes to take life one day at a time in stride and enjoy it always makes me smile. I also love Opal and Future.

I just realized: every person our protagonist meets during the pop opera has their head shaped like the product in question, save for Cheese: The old woman looks like a milk carton. The artisanal gentleman is shaped like the Multigrain 12 Nut Vitamin bread. The worker who cuts his finger on the broken glass is shaped like a roll of paper towels, there are small lines on him that are similar to the tearable parts on each roll. The time-obssessed man is shaped like a bowl of oatmeal, his hair being the oatmeal in the bowl. The coffee addict looks like a coffee mug, her ear being the handle to the mug, her three hairs being the steam coming out of cup And our protagonist's hair has a little bit of his hair curl up, just like the curl on the yogurt sample he chooses Jack intentionally designed them this way to say something, the only problem is I don't know *what* he could be saying

yall ever just go through the 5 stages of grief because of cheese

It took me this long to realize that *_each person's head is designed like the product they're in the aisle for._* The main character has the curled piece of hair like the sample The old lady's hair was styled like the milk carton's top The artisanal man's head is shaped like the 12 nut vitamin bread, with the piece on top being the tied-off opening The employee is shaped like a roll of paper towels The meal planner's head looks like a bowl of oatmeal The coffee lady's head is like a coffee cup, with her ear as a handle and the 3 hair strands like steam

I like how each person he runs into in each song explains the meaning of the song

Before almost every song, Someone called this dude deaf

"Alright, I'll be doing some homework in my room now." _5 minutes later_ *What kind of milk were you*

This video has become extremely comforting to me and idek why