Chris Griffin

Christopher Cross Griffin
Family Guy character

Hometown:	Quahog, Rhode Island
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Height:	5 ft 6 in
Weight:	250 lb.
Age:	13
Religion:	Catholic
Heritage:	Irish, German and African
First Episode Appearance:	"Death Has a Shadow"
Voice Actor:	Seth Green

Christopher Cross Griffin is the second child and eldest son of Peter and Lois Griffin in the TV cartoon series Family Guy. He is the brother of Meg and Stewie Griffin, and half-brother of Bertram. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.

Character history and personality

Chris lacks intelligence and common sense (possibly inherited from his father) but has numerous hidden gifts, in particular artistic ability, knowledge of film and TV actors, and occasionally makes very insightful comments from out of nowhere ("Fifteen Minutes of Shame"). He is often tormented by an evil monkey who lives in his closet.

From birth, Chris has been overweight (a newspaper clipping shows an exhausted Lois holding a baby Chris with the headline "Local Woman Gives Birth to Elephant Baby"). In "He's Too Sexy For His Fat", Chris started an exercise regimen with Peter's help, but to no avail. Peter took him to a cosmetic surgeon, but Chris rejected the idea of liposuction, though Peter did not. Chris has an unusally large penis, of which Peter was envious ("And the Wiener is..."). Chris is a freshman at James Woods High School.

When the Griffin home seceded from the United States ("E. Peterbus Unum"), Chris was head of their "space program", albeit an unsuccessful one. Stewie controlled Chris to do his bidding, until a microwave short-circuted the mind control device and he tried to kill Stewie. In "Brian the Bachelor", Chris developed a pimple, which he named Doug the Pimple, that could speak and even, at one point, hold a gun. It compelled him to commit various acts of mischief. The plotline is a loose allusion to the plot of Little Shop of Horrors, yet another Family Guy reference to musical theater. In the episode "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do", Chris was pulled into a-Ha's "Take On Me" video. In Jungle Love, he got married in South America after joining the Peace Corps.

Like Meg, Chris is a loner. His best friend was a tree until Peter "killed" it with a shotgun in "Da Boom" after Chris insists on bringing it along on their trip, to Peter's disapproval.

Chris was originally given a "punk" image, according to creator Seth McFarlane's DVD Commentary tracks. He wore earrings, and his painful awkwardness was not as emphasized as it is later in the series. Lois and Stewie were other characters to undergo major yet gradual character changes in this manner.

In one episode, Chris is revealed to have been an accident, caused by a faulty condom ("and the lawsuit bought us this house! You're my favourite mistake!" says Lois.)

Chris's talent for painting was discovered when Peter used a painting Chris gave him as a birthday gift to patch up a broken window in his car. When Antonio Monatti, a snobby New York City gallery owner, sees this painting, he takes Chris to New York, dresses him in different clothes and renames him Christobel. The gallery owner also distances Chris from his father. The unveiling of Christobel's latest piece, an Andy Warhol-esque portrait of his father, dashes Chris's career, and the family returns to Quahog.

In the direct-to-video The Untold Story, the future Chris is a traffic cop married to a smoking, foul-mouthed hustler named Vanessa. Like his father, Chris is overweight in adulthood and stupid.

In the episode "You May Now Kiss The...Uh...Guy Who Receives", he is attracted to a student named Alyssa, who is a young Republican. He became a Young Republican, but he wasn't really doing it because he had conservative views, but because Alyssa promised him that he could touch her breasts.

Characters who have Reoccuring Relations with Chris

Evil Monkey

An evil monkey lives in Chris's closet and frequently threatens to kill him. However, whenever Chris brings up the evil monkey to his family, they dismiss him with light laughter.

The Evil Monkey also seems to enjoy smoking pot when Chris isn't around, a nod to Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. Chris seems to inexplicably know that the Evil Monkey wasn't always evil; in one episode, he relates how he had come home from work one day to find his wife with another monkey, and it seems he's been bitter and angry ever since. It is still unknown how he came to live in Chris's closet.

The Evil Monkey seems to have a lookalike relative in Asiantown.

However, it is possible that the Evil Monkey merely harasses Chris for amusement and can be intimidated by Chris. This is evident in one episode where the monkey stops when Chris yells "I am in no mood!"

In Jungle Love, when Chris declares he is staying permanently in South America, there is a quick scene of The Evil Monkey in tears, which could show his affection for Chris. Likewise, this demonstrates his love of tormenting Chris and how big a part the boy plays in his life.

Herbert

An elderly man named Herbert is seen with Chris from time to time. His dialogue implies that he is an ephebophile and a pedophile, but Chris doesn't seem to realize it. He has lusted after many teenagers, but Chris seems to be right for him, although he may have stopped chasing after Chris sometime in Season 4. Note: Herbert rhymes with "pervert" and he has a dog named Jesse that is like a mirror image of him in a way.

Herbert's appearances include:

To Live and Die in Dixie: In his first appearance, Chris is delivering newspapers to his house, and he tries to persuade Chris to come inside. His views on women are, "Who needs 'em?", revealing he may be a misogynist and/or gay. At the end, he leaves 113 messages on the phone, and they are all about Chris.
From Method to Madness: He sees Jeff Campbell, a teenage nudist, and says "Holy moly, it must be my birthday!"
The Untold Story: He is heard during the intermission asking, "Chris do you have a shower scene? Or do I have to keep dreamin'?"
North by North Quahog: He disguises himself (unconvincingly) as an eighth-grader and asks two boys to dance. Brian points out that he is "one ugly eighth-grader". "You don't wanna hurt yourself dancing; make sure you stretch out those creamy hamstrings."
Petarded: When they are singing the song after Peter is tested and found to be retarded, you can see him dancing towards the end.
Brian the Bachelor: When Chris takes his shirt off in the bathroom, he climbs up a ladder and spies on him, mimicking a scene in Animal House.
The Perfect Castaway: He asks Brian for a car disguised as an ice-cream truck with which to entice children.
The Courtship of Stewie's Father: Herbert is central to the plot of this episode. It is in this episode that his name is revealed, and that he also has a crippled dog named Jesse, who mirrors him. Chris breaks his window with a baseball, and Lois decides to pay for the broken window out of Chris's allowance. At Herbert's suggestion, Peter makes Chris do chores for Herbert. He later takes Chris out to dinner. At that point, he fantasizes about life with Chris, as his husband, for he sees himself as the wife, dressed as Donna Reed. He also does a musical number, which happens to be a parody of Little Shop Of Horrors, which involves things that are extremely outdated, such as "watching Lucy on a big enormous 12-inch screen", and seeing the kids play Howdy Doody. In his fantasy family, he and Chris have two children, a boy who resembles Chris, and a girl who resembles Herbert. In the last scene of the episode, he turns on the TV to an announcement of the Little League World Series. He perks up and responds: "Jackpot!"
You May Now Kiss The...Uh...Guy Who Receives: He does not sign Brian's petition for gay marriage "Get off my property, you pervert". While he may be homosexual, he may only be against gay marriage because he doesn't want gay people to have a commitment, or he doesn't want people to know of his own homosexual lusts for Chris. Or perhaps a sarcastic satire on his character.
Petergeist: He saves Chris from being eaten by a giant evil tree, and battles the tree in a similar fashion to Gandalf's battle with the Balrog in The Fellowship of the Ring (film) and The Two Towers (film).
Live in Vegas: He sings the Broadway song One Boy. This is humorous because the song is from Bye Bye Birdie, and is sung by a female character about her boyfriend.

Quotes

Chris: Hey Meg, I'm thinking of a word right now, and this time it's definately not "kitty".
Meg: Is it "kitty?"
Chris: GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

Peter: Whoever invents the best toy this winter gets a big raise!
Chris: Hey dad, why don't you invent the frisbee? That's an awesome toy!
Meg: That's already been invented.
Chris: Then how come I never heard of it?
Chris: Mom, I'm afraid if I fall sleep the hurricane's gonna sneak up and give me a vasectomy!
Lois: Where have you been?
Chris: (After falling out of the a-ha spoof video to the "normal" Family Guy world) I DON'T KNOW!
Chris: At least I get some time away from the evil monkey in my closet.
Chris: They have this game where you put in a dollar and you win four quarters. I win every time!
Chris: My dad's smarter than your dad!
Meg: We have the same dad!
Chris: Yeah, but mine's smarter!'''
Chris: Hi, my name's Chris. I've been told to be on my best behavior and not mention poop. Oh God, what have I done?!
Lois Griffin: Peter, where's Chris?
Chris: I love you She-Hulk.
Security Guard: All right son, I'm going to need those two hams back.
Chris: I... I don't have any hams.
Security Guard: Lift up your shirt son.
Chris: I need an adult! I need an adult!
Security Guard: You're not a shoplifter, you're just a fat kid. Sorry about that fatty, fat, fatty. Hey Tom, he's just a fat kid. Aren't ya fatty? He's a big ol' fat kid. Here's some chocolate fatso.
Chris: Thanks.
Peter: I know what you mean. Chris has finally figured out how to get at the Twinkie.
Chris: (lying on the floor to get at the Twinkie, connected to a stick and string on his head) Haha! I'm turning you into poo!
Chris: (reproachfully, to his long-lost uncle, who criticizes the people in his old insane asylum as chronic masturbators) Is it lonely up there on your pedestal, Patrick?
Chris: Stop! This kind of acrimony won't solve our differences! You--
Peter: Just shut up and throw a chair! (throws chair)
Chris: Okay! (throws chair)
Chris: I'm so hungry I could ride a horse!

External links

TurnInto How to become Chris Griffin

Trivia

Chris's name could be a pun on the childhood sitting technique of "Criss-Cross, Applesauce". More likely, it's a reference/homage to musician Christopher Cross or Kriss Kross.
Chris is apparently the only member of his immediate family who has never killed (directly or indirectly) anyone (or anything). Peter has killed Hanson believing them to be The Children of the Corn, the dragon Cybill Shepherd, and (as mentioned above) a tree which Chris regarded as his best friend. He also fell on Joan Cusack, killing her, before stuffing her body into a mailbox. Peter has also been involved in an accident with Lois which resulted in the death of a truck driver, and killed two pilots when he was "working" as Death . Meg has killed Dick Clark, William Shatner, when she ran him over, and (though only implied) an unnamed younger sister. Stewie has killed the cult leader of the fictional "Heaven's Helpers" cult(among scores of others), and Brian has run over Dean Koontz. However, Chris attempted to kill Lois but it can be debated whether he or Stewie should get the credit, as Stewie was controlling him. But in one episode he was shown beating a man who he believed to be dead with a bottle of wine.
In the commentary of The Untold Story, Seth Green reveals that he based his voice for Chris on Ted Levine's performance as Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs.
Chris is the only person in his family (other than Brian) not to be suggested to be gay, bisexual or transgendered. Peter was seen to have had a sex change, Lois is arguably bisexual (she implies she was lesbian in the past), Meg has briefly dabbled in lesbianism (and in The Untold Story she has a sex change), and there is an ongoing debate among fans as to Stewie's sexuality, due in part to his apparent feelings for Tom Brady.

References

S. Callaghan Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide : Seasons 1 - 3 New York: Harper Paperbacks, 2005
A. Delarte, "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 4" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, 3.January 2006: 11, 14, 20, 25, 26 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs03Ja.pdf