Why Does Household Man’s Stewie Have A British Accent?

There’s rather a lot unsuitable with Stewie Griffin from “Household Man.” Why is he evil? Why is his head formed like a soccer? Why can he and the canine discuss? And even accepting that Stewie can discuss, why is he speaking like that?

Stewie Griffin talks in a type of upper-class English accent, which is bizarre as a result of the remainder of the Griffins (particularly his dad and mom) discuss with distinct Rhode Island accents. Even Brian, who’s talking ability origins are equally unexplored all through the collection, nonetheless talks in a normal American accent you’d count on from somebody who grew up in America. Why is the canine’s voice extra regular than the infant’s? And whereas we’re asking questions, can somebody in Quahog do one thing about that pedophile who lives down the road?

In a 2010 interview, MacFarlane defined how he thought up Stewie’s voice. Seems, he was studying concerning the manufacturing of certainly one of his favourite films, “My Truthful Woman,” the 1964 musical a couple of posh British man who teaches cockney woman to talk like him. As MacFarlane defined: 

“I learn the biography of Alan J. Lerner, who’s the lyricist… And there was, I suppose he and Rex Harrison had been strolling via Hyde Park someday throughout the improvement of that present, they usually had been each speaking concerning the bother they had been having with their wives, and Rex … stated, [using his Stewie voice] ‘I say, Alan, would not or not it’s marvelous if we turned out to be homosexuals?'”

That line was the spark that led to MacFarlane discovering the voice for Stewie. He appears to have taken Rex Harrison’s voice and made it a bit snobbier and a bit extra evil. Even with out MacFarlane pointing this out, nevertheless, followers most likely may’ve pieced the inspiration collectively in season 3’s “One if by Clam, Two if by Sea.” In that episode, Stewie’s storyline is one large “My Truthful Woman” homage, by which he teaches one other child to talk like him: 

MacFarlane could have defined the actual cause for Stewie’s accent, however what does the character himself take into consideration the state of affairs? For the primary fifteen seasons, Stewie barely appeared to even discover that he had a British accent in any respect. It was simply a kind of issues that was handled as regular within the “Household Man” universe, type of like how no person assume it is unusual that so many ladies have slept with the identical canine. Or it is how Brian and minor characters can perceive Stewie however no person else can, besides Chris within the later seasons and typically Peter. 

Seems cartoons do not make plenty of sense.

Nevertheless, followers obtained one minor perception into the state of affairs in season 10’s “Viewer Mail 2,” an anthology episode together with a sketch the place the Griffin household is British. Right here, everybody within the household is British aside from Stewie, who now talks like a stereotypical redneck American. The implication is that Stewie just isn’t inherently British — he is simply inherently completely different from the folks round him. It doesn’t matter what model of the Griffin household we get, Stewie won’t ever deign to talk the identical as them. This appeared like only a one-off joke when the episode aired, however in hindsight, this dynamic could have planted the seeds for the present’s greatest character reveal ever.

In season 16’s “Ship in Stewie, Please,” we discover out that Stewie’s been faking his accent the entire time. His precise voice is with an American accent. He appears like a mixture between Peter and Brian. As Stewie explains to his new therapist, “The accent is nothing greater than an affectation, a coat of armor to get me via the day. A picture I cultivated so I may really feel particular.”

Stewie retains speaking in his “actual” voice for a bit, however by the top of the episode, he is again to his outdated accent. Nonetheless, the viewers is left to take a seat with the reveal that the Stewie we have seen, and can proceed to see, is nothing however a mirage. 

“It felt very true,” stated the episode’s screenwriter, Gary Janetti, in an interview concerning the episode. “I did not need to do something except it felt true to the character as a result of I am very protecting over him. Like all children can, whenever you really feel such as you’re an outcast, and you are feeling like you do not slot in anywhere, you assemble a little bit of a façade to guard your self from the world. His is simply terribly subtle.”

Govt producer Alec Sulkin additionally revealed his response to the Stewie voice reveal when he first learn the script: “I used to be stunned by the entire flip of it, however to listen to it by some means made sense: ‘Stewie has simply been pretending, as a result of he desires to look smarter than everybody else.'”