Arcade champion Billy Mitchell loses case against cartoon portrayal

Billy Mitchell, noted Donkey Kong champion and star of gaming documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, recently took absurdist Cartoon Network series Regular Show to court for an appropriately ridiculous reason. The Associated Press reports that a court judge ruled yesterday to dismiss Mitchell’s case concerning the cartoon’s alleged illegitimate portrayal of the gamer.

In a 2011 episode of Regular Show, series protagonists Mordecai and Rigby face off against a gigantic, bearded, floating head named Garrett Bobby Ferguson, who bears but the slightest resemblance to Mitchell in an over-the-top arcade game. Take a look at the character below.

Mitchell took offense to the depiction, but Anne Thompson, the New Jersey Federal District Judge presiding over the case, threw his claims out of court after finding the portrayal to be in line with the First Amendment.

Her ruling highlights the preposterousness of Mitchell’s allegations that the “cartoonishly evil” character, as Thompson referred to him, is a direct representation.

Thompson put it perfectly in her final ruling. “The television character does not match the plaintiff in appearance: GBF appears as a non-human creature, a giant floating head with no body from outer space, while Plaintiff is a human being,” she wrote.

“And when GBF loses his title, the character literally explodes, unlike Plaintiff.”

It’s another loss to add to Billy Mitchell’s record books; while he’s held the title of highest Donkey Kong scorer multiple times, he’s been surpassed since breaking a new record in 2010 with over one million points.

Mitchell has one major record to remain proud of, however; according to Twin Galaxies’ score-keeping database, he was the first person to achieve a perfect score in Pac-Man — which is over 3.3 million points.