‘Fans Just Ran With Him’: How A One-Off ‘Smalls’ Character Became Adult Swim’s Next Cult Favorite, Lil Daddy

Adult Swim’s experimental shorts incubator Smalls has birthed another standout: Lil Daddy, a new three-part series from Atlanta-based creatives Zae Jordan and Tevin “Mandal” Williams, which centers on a self-deluded, backwards-hat-wearing single dad stumbling through life, love, and airport security.

“We didn’t plan for Lil Daddy to be the star,” Jordan admits. “He actually spun off from a bit character in Buster and TJ. We tossed a clip of him on social media, and suddenly everyone’s quoting ‘man eat steak, woman eat salad.’ It blew up.”

Launched in 2018, Smalls has become Adult Swim’s proving ground for fresh voices in animation, providing a pipeline for creators to experiment via YouTube and late-night TV showcases. While only Ha Ha You Clowns has officially graduated from Smalls to full series status, there is hope among a devoted fanbase that Lil Daddy may be next.

“Fans just ran with him,” Mandal says. “It’s crazy watching people meme him, quote him, post him. We didn’t expect it.”

The series’ three shorts, 20 Women vs Lil Daddy, TSA, and Paternity Test, drop weekly starting today. The episodes track the hapless Lil Daddy as he searches for love, bumbles through a surreal TSA job, and discovers he’s unexpectedly a father. “Each episode kind of peeks into a different slice of his life,” explains Jordan. “You see him chasing women, you see his work life, you see him failing at fatherhood.”

Mandal and Jordan say the series’ short-form format allowed them to riff on current cultural moments without getting trapped by trends. “We’re careful not to chase stuff that burns out too fast,” Jordan notes. “But things like dating shows or paternity tests, those are universal. And Lil Daddy just fits into that world so well.”

Visually, Lil Daddy strikes a deliberate balance between absurdity and authenticity, starting with the title character himself. Designed by Jordan with contributions from Mike Netland and Jake Huffcutt, Lil Daddy’s look was built for instant recognizability: “I was going for a guy that’s trying to look formal but clearly isn’t,” Jordan explains.

“He’s wearing a suit and tie, but then there’s that backwards hat. It’s the look of someone dressing up for a job he’s not getting.” Jordan credits Atlanta street fashion of the late 2000s as a key influence, creating a character that feels specific yet broadly familiar: “We’ve all met that guy.”

The shorts’ production, handled by Straight to Tell Studios in Atlanta, leaned on a small, efficient team to realize the visual gags and comedic timing. Mike Netland led storyboards and art direction, with animation by Austin Oliver and Jake Huffcutt, supported by Kat Shea’s background art and Clay Skinner’s CG elements in the TSA short. According to Jordan, the close collaboration allowed the creators to prioritize comedic expression and visual pacing: “We used to storyboard ourselves, but working with professionals like Mike and Austin meant we could focus on pushing the humor in every shot. They just get what we’re going for.”

Despite the fast-paced digital schedule of Adult Swim Smalls, the creators were careful to avoid overly trendy aesthetics, opting instead for universal settings like airports and talk shows, places Jordan describes as “worlds that I haven’t really seen animated before.” The result is a visual style that feels both grounded and chaotic, perfect for a character who’s always in over his head.

Comedic improv played a big role in production, which the team developed alongside Straight to Tell. “We’ll write a solid script, but then we’ll just get in the booth and riff,” says Mandal. “Half the funniest lines are just us freestyling and recording each other.”

“Animation’s slow,” Jordan adds. “But we still try to keep the dialogue feeling real, current, like actual conversations.”

While Adult Swim affords them more creative freedom than most distributors would, both creators admit that moderation is key. “You don’t want to go too wild just because you can,” Mandal reflects. “Zae’ll push things crazy, but we also know Lil Daddy’s a grounded character, in his own ridiculous way.”

While the future of Lil Daddy remains uncertain, the creators are optimistic. “We’re ready for a series; we’ve got stories for days,” Jordan says adding that fans are already begging for merch, clipping scenes, and turning them into their own jokes already. “That’s the best feeling.”

For now, the pair is content to let Lil Daddy build its own cult following. “We’ll let the fandom decide where it goes,” Jordan smiles. “But we’re ready.”