Top 10 Conan O'Brien Recurring Bits
Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, Late Night, The Tonight Show, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Walker Texas Ranger, In the Year 2000, Hates My Homeland, Celebrity Secrets, Masturbating Bear, Pimpbot 5000, Syncro-Vox, If They Mated, Staring Contests,
We’re with Coco. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our top 10 favorite recurring Conan O’Brien bits of all time.
#10 – Staring Contests
Nothing says good TV like people sitting silent and motionless for as long as possible. Conan and his ever-faithful sidekick Andy Richter take epic stare-downs to the next level by trying to distract each other with increasingly bizarre and unsettling background diversions. It takes true skill to make something this ridiculous worthy of a spot on television. Wonder who’ll win this time…
#9 – If They Mated
If ever you wondered what the offspring of certain celebrity couples would look like, well wonder no more! This Conan classic uses Photoshop to scare us into never sleeping again, and makes us hope to hell Hollywood stops procreating since the result is usually a deformed mess. So popular it became a book, this one never gets old. Best part: Conan’s reactions.
#8 – Syncro-Vox
Conan tries to stay budget friendly, “Clutch Cargo” style. With just a TV, a green screen, a picture and a terrible impersonation, he’s able to interview some pretty important folks. Whether it’s the President, a pop icon, or the Governator himself, you can be sure it’s an in-depth and outrageous chat. But it’s even more hilarious when the tables are turned.
#7 – Pimpbot 5000
Pimpbot 5000 doesn’t need more of an introduction than that. Conan’s had a lot of characters stop by his set over the years, but none is as funky as this guy. This jive talkin’ machine comes straight from the hood to threaten White Bread, throw down some mean rhymes and turn out Conan’s audience. Watch out for that switchblade, btw.
#6 – Masturbating Bear
We’re guessing he was invented to stimulate the censors. For the uninitiated, the Masturbating Bear is a bear with giant junk who compulsively masturbates. Glad that’s settled. He didn’t travel with Conan from “Late Night” to “The Tonight Show,” but that wasn’t the last time we saw him. Once a masturbating bear, always a masturbating bear. Of all the quasi-disturbing creatures we’ve seen, he’s the best. Close second: the Horny Manatee.
#5 – Celebrity Secrets
Part of the beauty of Conan is his ability to just be silly. That often trickles down to his guests… At least the ones who don’t take themselves too seriously. Sitting in a dingy cell, chain-smoking and downing whisky, celebs reveal their previously unknown, deep dark secrets. Who knew celebs were so shady?
#4 – Conan O’Brien Hates My Homeland
He’s an equal opportunity offender! After receiving complaint letters from the Ukraine over a sketch he did insulting them, Conan decided to find out where else in the world his show was broadcast by insulting every country and seeing where the hate mail came from. The most overwhelming response came from Finland. Yadda yadda yadda, he traveled to Finland to meet his legions of fans and show off his special relationship with the Finnish people.
#3 – In the Year 2000
It’s time that once again, we look into the future. Conan’s at his best when he’s spouting clever, punchy one-liners, and that’s what this bit is all about. Accompanied by Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg’s falsetto, Conan, Andy and/or the guests dress in futuristic costumes and predict what life will be like at the turn of the millennium. This bit actually did start far before the year 2000, but once it passed things got even sillier. Prophetic? No. Witty? Yes. Hilarious? Always.
#2 – The “Walker, Texas Ranger” Lever
When Conan was still at NBC, the network acquired Universal Studios, and along with it the rights to shows like “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Well, next thing you know, Conan’s got a lever by his desk. Every time he pulls it, in pops an out-of-context clip of Chuck Norris in all his glory. Sometimes it’s during the monologue, sometimes it’s during uncomfortable breaks in interviews. Sometimes things get weird.
#1 – Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
Conan loves puppets and makes use of them often. But there’s one that has proved more popular than even Vomiting Kermit. Is it the accent? The cigar? The cursing? The fact that he’s a dog? Nah, it’s the never-ending stream of vicious insults. Triumph goes everywhere and offends everyone, from hippies to nerds to rock stars and everything in between. He’s even been nominated for a Grammy. Is there nothing this dog can’t do? Or more accurately: is there no one this dog can’t piss off? Or poop on?
Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Conan recurring bit? For more great top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
#10 – Staring Contests
Nothing says good TV like people sitting silent and motionless for as long as possible. Conan and his ever-faithful sidekick Andy Richter take epic stare-downs to the next level by trying to distract each other with increasingly bizarre and unsettling background diversions. It takes true skill to make something this ridiculous worthy of a spot on television. Wonder who’ll win this time…
#9 – If They Mated
If ever you wondered what the offspring of certain celebrity couples would look like, well wonder no more! This Conan classic uses Photoshop to scare us into never sleeping again, and makes us hope to hell Hollywood stops procreating since the result is usually a deformed mess. So popular it became a book, this one never gets old. Best part: Conan’s reactions.
#8 – Syncro-Vox
Conan tries to stay budget friendly, “Clutch Cargo” style. With just a TV, a green screen, a picture and a terrible impersonation, he’s able to interview some pretty important folks. Whether it’s the President, a pop icon, or the Governator himself, you can be sure it’s an in-depth and outrageous chat. But it’s even more hilarious when the tables are turned.
#7 – Pimpbot 5000
Pimpbot 5000 doesn’t need more of an introduction than that. Conan’s had a lot of characters stop by his set over the years, but none is as funky as this guy. This jive talkin’ machine comes straight from the hood to threaten White Bread, throw down some mean rhymes and turn out Conan’s audience. Watch out for that switchblade, btw.
#6 – Masturbating Bear
We’re guessing he was invented to stimulate the censors. For the uninitiated, the Masturbating Bear is a bear with giant junk who compulsively masturbates. Glad that’s settled. He didn’t travel with Conan from “Late Night” to “The Tonight Show,” but that wasn’t the last time we saw him. Once a masturbating bear, always a masturbating bear. Of all the quasi-disturbing creatures we’ve seen, he’s the best. Close second: the Horny Manatee.
#5 – Celebrity Secrets
Part of the beauty of Conan is his ability to just be silly. That often trickles down to his guests… At least the ones who don’t take themselves too seriously. Sitting in a dingy cell, chain-smoking and downing whisky, celebs reveal their previously unknown, deep dark secrets. Who knew celebs were so shady?
#4 – Conan O’Brien Hates My Homeland
He’s an equal opportunity offender! After receiving complaint letters from the Ukraine over a sketch he did insulting them, Conan decided to find out where else in the world his show was broadcast by insulting every country and seeing where the hate mail came from. The most overwhelming response came from Finland. Yadda yadda yadda, he traveled to Finland to meet his legions of fans and show off his special relationship with the Finnish people.
#3 – In the Year 2000
It’s time that once again, we look into the future. Conan’s at his best when he’s spouting clever, punchy one-liners, and that’s what this bit is all about. Accompanied by Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg’s falsetto, Conan, Andy and/or the guests dress in futuristic costumes and predict what life will be like at the turn of the millennium. This bit actually did start far before the year 2000, but once it passed things got even sillier. Prophetic? No. Witty? Yes. Hilarious? Always.
#2 – The “Walker, Texas Ranger” Lever
When Conan was still at NBC, the network acquired Universal Studios, and along with it the rights to shows like “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Well, next thing you know, Conan’s got a lever by his desk. Every time he pulls it, in pops an out-of-context clip of Chuck Norris in all his glory. Sometimes it’s during the monologue, sometimes it’s during uncomfortable breaks in interviews. Sometimes things get weird.
#1 – Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
Conan loves puppets and makes use of them often. But there’s one that has proved more popular than even Vomiting Kermit. Is it the accent? The cigar? The cursing? The fact that he’s a dog? Nah, it’s the never-ending stream of vicious insults. Triumph goes everywhere and offends everyone, from hippies to nerds to rock stars and everything in between. He’s even been nominated for a Grammy. Is there nothing this dog can’t do? Or more accurately: is there no one this dog can’t piss off? Or poop on?
Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Conan recurring bit? For more great top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
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