Bobby Hill (King of the Hill)

Bobby Hill
First appearance	Pilot January 12, 1997
Last appearance	To Sirloin With Love September 13 2009
Created by	Mike Judge
Portrayed by	Pamela Adlon
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Student
Family	Hank Hill (father) Peggy Hill (mother)
Relatives	Cotton Hill (paternal grandfather,deceased) Tilly Hill (paternal grandmother) Doc Platter (maternal grandfather) Maddy Platter (maternal grandmother) Luanne Platter (first cousin) Gracie Kleinschmidt (first cousin, once removed)

Bobby Hill is a character on the animated series King of the Hill and is voiced by Pamela Adlon. Bobby is the only child of Hank and Peggy Hill.

Character biography

Robert "Butch" Jeffery Hill is stated to stand only 4 feet 11 inches tall. He is also described as overweight. Bobby does poorly in most sports and is generally not useful with his hands. His father doubts his masculine identity, tacitly and with side-of-the-mouth remarks. The exception to this is an ability as a marksman, which is displayed in "How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying" and "To Kill a Ladybird" where he shoots a raccoon believed to be rabid. These qualities make him a comic foil to his ex-high-school-football-playing, tool-savvy father. They are different in most respects with the few things Bobby is good at, like shooting a gun or dancing, being areas where Hank is weak or mediocre. Coincidentally those are areas where Dale Gribble excels. In rare instances Bobby does follow his father's athletic past somewhat when he joins the football team after seeing soccer is too sissyfied (due to the team's underbearing coach), or wins a track race after all the other contestants tripped. Despite differences, their relationship is close and Bobby considers his father to be his hero. He is also friends with Joseph Gribble and next-door neighbor Connie Souphanousinphone. Bobby wants more than anything to be a prop comic like his hero "Celery Head" (a parody of Carrot Top), but has also aspired to be a "ladies' man", plus-size model, stand-up comic, a meat inspector as seen in To Sirloin with Love, proctologist and a salesman of "propane and propane accessories". He has also a doll of Bart Simpson inside his room. In the episode "Won't You Pimai Neighbor?" it is implied he may even be the reincarnated Buddhist Lama "Sanglug". Bobby studies Buddhism, much to Hank's dismay as a Methodist, but all turns in Hank's favor when Bobby realizes lamas are unable to have relationships with women. The London Free Press states that he "might be the most complex, fully formed kid in TV history." Bobby is a fan of Punk, Rock and Hip hop music. In the "Harlottown" episode, Bobby is shown writing with his left hand.

Reception

In their book "Abnormal Child Psychology", authors Eric J. Mash and David Allen Wolfe discussed the misconception that eating sugar contributes to ADHD. Certain media portrayals, including the events surrounding Bobby in the episode "Peggy's Turtle Song", are noted. In the book "People of the century" by CBS News, they described Bobby as the "anti-Bart" while discussing how other characters have tried to "claim Bart's place of honor."

Voice actress Pamela Adlon received highly positive reception for her portrayal of Bobby. She received an Emmy for her role in the episode "Bobby Goes Nuts", the only actor in the series to have won one. IGN editor Talmadge Blevins quotes a line spoken by Bobby, "That's my purse! I don't know you!", describing it as one of the "most memorable lines ever uttered on television."

External links

• King of the Hill at IMDb