# Apple & Onion
**Apple & Onion** is an American animated buddy comedy television series created by George Gendi for Cartoon Network, set in a city populated by anthropomorphic food and following two childlike newcomers, an apple and a spring onion, as they try to fit into their new surroundings.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/apple_onion) Produced by [Cartoon Network Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network-studios), it premiered on February 23, 2018, and broadcast its final episode on December 7, 2021.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creator | George Gendi, a former storyboard artist on *The Amazing World of Gumball* and Nickelodeon's *Sanjay and Craig*[3](https://www.avclub.com/cartoon-networks-apple-onion-isnt-the-freshest-fruit-1823192194) |
| Premiere | February 23, 2018, on Cartoon Network[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/apple_onion) |
| Run | Final episode broadcast December 7, 2021; episode listings group the output into three seasons of 39, 37, and 8 episodes[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/apple-and-onion) |
| Main voices | George Gendi as Apple, Richard Ayoade as Onion[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/apple-onion) |
| Rating and format | TV-Y7; 11-minute episodes, originally aired Fridays at 7 p.m. on Cartoon Network[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/what-to-watch-with-your-kids-zombies-apple-and-onion-and-more/2018/03/01/f08bb364-174c-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921_story.html) |
| Reception | IMDb rating 6.3/10 from about 2.9K users; nominated for 1 BAFTA Award[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8019790/) |
| Audience score | 82% on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter, from fewer than 50 ratings[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/apple_onion) |
## Premise and characters
The show takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic food, where Apple and Onion, a pair of childlike newcomers to the big city, attempt to fit into their new surroundings.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/apple_onion) In the first episode, "A New Life," both characters leave their homes and follow their dreams to the big city, though things do not go quite to plan.[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/apple--onion/umc.cmc.36cn165eopme759tcg677a26l) They meet, become roommates and best friends, and tackle ordinary problems by extraordinary means.[3](https://www.avclub.com/cartoon-networks-apple-onion-isnt-the-freshest-fruit-1823192194) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/apple-and-onion)
**The two leads.** Apple, voiced by the show's creator George Gendi, is an anthropomorphic apple who values his friendship with Onion, has a carefree attitude, and constantly comes up with new ideas.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion) Onion, voiced by the British comedian and actor [Richard Ayoade](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-ayoade), is a tall anthropomorphic spring onion, polite and timid, who often works on bringing Apple's ideas to life and serves as the duo's voice of reason.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion) Common Sense Media's review describes Apple as outgoing and easy with strangers, while well-mannered Onion is slower to jump into new things.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/apple-onion)
The supporting cast is drawn from the food world: [Eugene Mirman](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-mirman) voices Burger and [Chocolate](https://www.edgepedia.org/chocolate), Paul Scheer voices Hot Dog, Popcorn Paul, and Milkshake, Tasha Ames voices French Fry, Strawberry Twist, and Cotton Candy, and [Kevin Michael Richardson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-michael-richardson) voices Beef Jerky, T-Bone, and Lambchop.[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/apple--onion/umc.cmc.36cn165eopme759tcg677a26l) Other recurring characters include Falafel, Apple and Onion's landlord, voiced by Sayed Badreya.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/apple-and-onion)
## Production
George Gendi created Apple & Onion in 2011 and production began in 2017, after he had storyboarded on the award-winning *The Amazing World of Gumball*.[9](https://annieawards.org/static/file/47-Annie-Awards-Program1.pdf) The A.V. Club's review of the premiere, by critic Eric Thurm, described the show as a 10-episode limited series at launch, placing it in the long tradition of animated buddy comedies such as *Ren & Stimpy*, *Cow and Chicken*, and *Billy & Mandy*.[3](https://www.avclub.com/cartoon-networks-apple-onion-isnt-the-freshest-fruit-1823192194) The writing staff credited at the [Annie Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/annie-awards) included George Gendi, Michael Gendi, Deepak Sethi, Eric Acosta, and Sean Szeles; Acosta had previously worked on *Rick and Morty* and *Loud House*.[9](https://annieawards.org/static/file/47-Annie-Awards-Program1.pdf) Directors on the first season included Benton Connor and Nick Edwards alongside Gendi.[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/apple--onion/umc.cmc.36cn165eopme759tcg677a26l)
The limited run was later extended: the series ultimately ran well beyond its initial ten episodes, with the episode guide counting 76 episodes and the streaming listings grouping the output into three seasons.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/apple-and-onion)
## Food, culture, and design
A distinctive feature of the show is its play on food qualities, matching personalities to the physical characteristics of everything from pepperoni sticks and hamburgers to fruits and vegetables.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/what-to-watch-with-your-kids-zombies-apple-and-onion-and-more/2018/03/01/f08bb364-174c-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921_story.html) In an interview with Illustration Research, character designer Mark Deloyd Ingram, who has more than a decade in the industry at studios including FOX's ADHD, WB, and [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) and worked on the show from 2019 to 2021, said the production used food to playfully highlight cultural migration and hybridity, since food can latch onto a specific culture's rich history.[10](https://illustrationresearch.org/appleandonion) Ingram described the series as an intelligent show with real emotional warmth, with a morality that went beyond standard, formulaic children's television plots.[10](https://illustrationresearch.org/appleandonion) The Spanish site SensaCine notes that Apple & Onion was the second Cartoon Network series set in an anthropomorphic food world, after *The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange*.[11](https://www.sensacine.com/series/serie-24285/)
## Reception and availability
Common Sense Media rates the show 7+ and describes it as a cartoon buddy comedy whose stories offer themes of friendship, noting that the characters' unrelenting optimism can inspire as well as entertain; the site also records that the show intends to entertain rather than to educate.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/apple-onion) On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an 82% audience score from fewer than 50 ratings, with no critic reviews counted on the Tomatometer.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/apple_onion) IMDb lists a 6.3/10 rating from about 2.9K users and one BAFTA Award nomination among two nominations total.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8019790/)
The series was also adapted for international audiences. A French dub featured the voices of BigFlo and Oli, Vianney, Kyan Khojandi, Sofyan, Seb la frite, and Wagdad.[12](https://www.francetvpub.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cartoon-network-v40-en.pdf) As of the most recent streaming listings, the show can be watched on [YouTube TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/youtube-tv), bought on Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, and the Apple TV Store, and streamed free on Spectrum On Demand.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/apple-and-onion)
## References
1. [Apple & Onion, Children's TV A–Z, Big Kids TV](https://www.bigkids.tv/a-z/apple-onion)
2. [Apple & Onion, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/apple_onion)
3. [Cartoon Network's Apple & Onion isn't the freshest fruit, but it's still pretty tasty, The A.V. Club (Eric Thurm, February 23, 2018)](https://www.avclub.com/cartoon-networks-apple-onion-isnt-the-freshest-fruit-1823192194)
4. [Apple & Onion, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/apple-and-onion)
5. [Apple & Onion, Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media (Emily Ashby)](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/apple-onion)
6. [What to watch with your kids: 'Zombies,' 'Apple & Onion' and more, The Washington Post (March 1, 2018)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/what-to-watch-with-your-kids-zombies-apple-and-onion-and-more/2018/03/01/f08bb364-174c-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921_story.html)
7. [Apple & Onion (TV Series 2016–2021), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8019790/)
8. [Apple & Onion, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/apple--onion/umc.cmc.36cn165eopme759tcg677a26l)
9. [Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production, Annie Awards program](https://annieawards.org/static/file/47-Annie-Awards-Program1.pdf)
10. [Apple & Onion: Racial Representation in Urban Melting Pots of Anthropomorphised Food, Illustration Research (O Haruna, interview with Mark Deloyd Ingram)](https://illustrationresearch.org/appleandonion)
11. [Manzana y Cebolleta, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/series/serie-24285/)
12. [Apple & Onion, Cartoon Network flagship programs, france tv publicité](https://www.francetvpub.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cartoon-network-v40-en.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license