Eddsworld: The End of a Legacy

All good things must come to an end, or in this case, must come to an endd. On March 9, part one of the series finale for the comedy sketch YouTube program “Eddsworld” was uploaded. With part two set to release on March 16, the 10 year anniversary since the channel began, fans won’t have much longer to enjoy things while they last. While it is admirable to see that the channel survived four years after its original creator’s death, it doesn’t dampen the blow in having to see this hilarious video series go.

Eddsworld is the brain child of animator Edd Gould, who began the series back in 2006, initially creating little tidbits of animation involving cartoon versions of himself and his friend, Tord Larsson. Officially on his channel, “Tord’s Adventure” was the first video uploaded and released. Eventually, Edd brought on two more of his friends, fellow YouTube creators Thomas Ridgewell and Matt Hargreaves, to add further comedic talent to his creation. For a couple years, these four would become the faces of the Eddsworld sketches. That was until Tord Larsson’s departure from the series in 2008, requesting he no longer be featured in the YouTube uploads. His character was officially written out of the series in the video “25 Ft. Under the Seat.”

However, behind all the comedy Edd, Matt and Tom continued to pour out for fans laid a dark and destructive secret. On April 16, 2011, Edd Gould revealed he had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer that attacks white blood cells. This was the second time Edd Gould had to battle cancer, as he had been diagnosed with the same disease back in 2006. Despite the grim nature of his diagnosis, this never truly stopped Edd from continuing his animation streak with the Eddsworld show. He was able to release a few shorts onto the channel, “Fan Service” and “JukinoMoe” (a parody of fellow YouTube creator Joe Gran,) while also releasing part two of the “Hammer and Nail” sketches. Many fellow animators, including Joe Gran and Zach Hadel, created videos wishing Edd luck in his battle.

Sadly, while fans had begun speculating that Gould had once again defeated his illness, due to his return to animation and even Edd saying the illness had a 70 percentsurvival rate, Gould lost his battle with cancer on March 25, 2012. He was only 23 years old. Two days later, Thomas and Matt uploaded a video on the Eddsworld channel letting fans know about Edd’s passing. Friends, family and fans across the internet were devastated by the news. His funeral was held on April 10, where a eulogy was compiled of clips from fans across the globe sending their condolences. After the funeral, Gould was cremated and had his ashes spread in various locations by friends Ridgewell and Hargreaves, including Hollywood, CA after the end of VidCon. The very last video Edd Gould’s hand played a part in was “Space Face: Part 1.”

Before Gould’s passing, he expressed to Thomas that he wished for the Eddsworld name to continue after his departure, leading to Thomas Ridgewell becoming show-runner from 2012 up until 2016. From this, “Eddsworld: Legacy” was born, a donation program where the profits from the new Eddsworld videos helmed by Ridgewell would be given to CLIC Sargent, a United Kingdom program dedicated to cancer support for the young. Thomas Ridgewell, and one of Eddsworld’s most prominent animators Paul ter Voorde, donated the last check to CLIC Sargent on March 3, 2016, bringing their total donation count to £80,176.99 ($114,009.27 in U.S. dollars.)

Eddsworld was one of the very first YouTube comedy channels I stumbled upon in my teenage years, and from my first viewings of “Moving Targets” and “WTFuture,” I knew this was going to a channel I loved. I was there when Edd Gould’s death had been announced, and I feel safe in saying I wasn’t the only fan who cried that night. Thomas and Matt did an excellent job keeping the series going past Gould’s demise, with Thomas writing most of the new sketches and guest animators providing their talents for the sake of Gould’s legacy. However, “The End” appropriately marks the final official videos of the Eddsworld empire, with animator Paul ter Voorde now listing himself as “past animator of Eddsworld” and Thomas Ridgewell stepping down as show-runner. An unofficial fan film, “Eddsworld: The Movie” is in the works and set to be released sometime in 2016, but none of the original voice actors or animators are slated to return for it. From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone involved for keeping this series running as long as it did, and I pray the memory of Edd Gould will thrive long past his series has concluded in the hearts of his family, friends and all those who were touched by Edd’s comedic wit and talent. With plenty of laughs shared around the world thanks to so many gifted creators, we say goodbye to you, Eddsworld.

“Eddsworld: The End Part 2” is slated to release on March 16, 2016. You can watch part one below:

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