When I interviewed YouTube-spawned celebrity Lucas Cruikshank (a.k.a. Fred Figglehorn) we discussed the perils of becoming famous for a single character—particularly a character as calculatedly annoying as Fred—and how this could prove to be limiting for an actor who values either career longevity or the chance to branch out. At the time, Cruikshank (who’s a very levelheaded kid, really) acknowledged he was well aware of that, and announced plans to begin moving away from Fred, and hopefully prove his versatility by introducing an all-new character, one that would be so different as to reveal a heretofore-unrevealed facet of Cruikshank’s comedic abilities.
Well, today the chrysalis cracks open. Here's “Doug Derky.”
Unfortunately, Fred fans seem to be resistant to the change, judging from reviews like, “It's kind of like Fred got a little bit older. It's not enough variation. Sorry Lucas, this isn't working” and “FAIL GIVE US BACK FRED !!!!!!!!!!” But then, Bob Dylan’s fans didn’t like it when he went electric either.