Okay, so this whole Stewie Griffin laugh thing. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and thought, “Becoming a master Stewie impersonator is my life’s calling!” Nah, nothing that dramatic.
How It All Began
It was during that weird period a while back, you know, when everyone was stuck inside more than usual. I was climbing the walls, man. Binged so much TV my eyes were square. And Family Guy was on heavy rotation, obviously. Stewie, that little football-headed dude, his laugh just started to get under my skin, but in a good way. That little “Heh-heh-HEH!” or the more sinister “Victory is mine!” kind of cackle. I thought, heck, I got nothing better to do, why not try and nail that laugh?
My first attempts? Terrible. Just awful. My dog would look at me like I’d grown a second head. My family, bless their hearts, they tried to be supportive, but I could see the cringe. Sounded more like a strangled goose than a diabolical genius baby. It was rough, I tell ya.
Getting Down to Business (Sort Of)
So, I started to actually pay attention. Put on episodes, specifically listening for the laugh. You’d be surprised how many variations there are! It’s not just one sound. There’s the plotting laugh, the triumphant laugh, the slightly unhinged one. I’d rewind, play it back, rewind again. My browser history was just a long list of “Stewie Griffin best laughs” and stuff like that.
I even remember looking up behind-the-scenes stuff. Came across mentions of things like the commentary for Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. I thought, “Aha! Maybe Seth MacFarlane himself explains the technique there!” Spoilers: he doesn’t really break down the laugh like it’s a vocal exercise. But it was still kind of neat to hear them talk about the character. Didn’t get me closer to the laugh, but hey, research, right?
The actual practice was just… repetition.
- Tried making the sound high in my throat.
- Tried it deeper, more guttural.
- Tried to get that little nasal quality he has.
My throat was sore for days, man. Felt like I’d been yelling at a concert. And for what? To sound like a cartoon baby. The absurdity wasn’t lost on me, trust me.
So, Did I Get It?
Well, let’s just say I got… better. I wouldn’t quit my day job to do Stewie impressions, that’s for sure. But I can bust out a passable version now. Enough to get a chuckle out of friends, or to annoy my spouse in a new and exciting way. It’s not perfect, not Hollywood-level, but it’s my Stewie laugh, achieved through sheer boredom and a stubborn refusal to sound like a dying farm animal.
The whole thing was pretty pointless, objectively. But you know what? Sometimes you just gotta do pointless stuff. Keeps things interesting. And now, I have this utterly useless skill. Victory, I suppose, is mine? Heh-heh-HEH! (Still needs work).
