The Venango Republic Characters Explained

Since launching in April, The Venango Republic has steadily built its own absurd little universe—one populated by recurring characters who exist not just for laughs, but as creative outlets for the author behind the site. Over time, these characters have become tools for expression, allowing real-life observations, and ironies to be filtered through satire instead. Each figure draws inspiration from real circumstances, personalities, or regional quirks, while also serving a larger purpose: keeping the Venango Republic playful, self-aware, and unapologetically ridiculous. Together, they give the site its voice—one that embraces humor, exaggeration, and creativity as a way to make sense of the world, rather than take it too seriously.

Blobbert Blobfish

Blobbert Blobfish represents the author’s inability—and unwillingness—to take himself seriously, even when placed in environments that demand sophistication. The person behind the Venango Republic has spent time in settings where seriousness, polish, and restraint were treated as virtues, where putting on a suit was supposed to signal credibility and maturity. Blobbert Blobfish exists as the rejection of that expectation. Much like the author himself, Blobbert may look formal on the surface, but the moment you actually look at him, the absurdity takes over. The author cannot maintain a straight face while pretending to be refined; he feels constrained when forced into seriousness and inevitably rebels against it with humor. Blobbert Blobfish embodies that impulse—the idea that no matter how hard you try to appear composed, the goofiness will break through. He looks serious, but he is so ridiculous that seriousness becomes impossible, making him a direct reflection of a personality that cannot suppress its instinct to be humorous, even when decorum demands otherwise.

Jeremy Jetfuel

Jeremy Jetfuel represents a long stretch of pent-up frustration that had less to do with hating Vanango County and more to do with struggling to find an outlet for humor within it. The author came from a place where creativity and comedy felt more accessible, only to land in environments that were highly conservative, well-meaning, and often uncomfortable with satire or irony. For years, the desire to be humorous existed alongside the pressure to be polite, agreeable, and constantly smiling, especially in social and church-centered circles where joking too freely could be interpreted as immaturity or offense. Over time, that suppression gave rise to a sharper, more sarcastic edge—not born out of resentment toward the people or the place, but out of frustration with not being able to express what felt natural. Jeremy Jetfuel embodies that phase: loud, obnoxious, relentlessly sarcastic, and always grinning, even when that smile masks irritation. He reflects a period where humor became a defense mechanism rather than a joy. Through the Venango Republic, that energy finally found a proper stage, allowing the author to channel those frustrations into satire instead of carrying them internally. Jeremy now exists as a character on the platform, not as a governing force in real life—a reminder of where that sarcasm came from, and how having a creative outlet made it possible to appreciate both comedy and community again.

Jason Born

Jason Born exists as the Venango Republic’s advertising specialist because there came a point when the author realized his own name could no longer be attached to the project. Early articles leaned heavily into blunt, exaggerated satire—South Park–style humor that poked fun at local ironies, failed businesses, and small-town sensitivities. While the intent was clearly comedic, not malicious, the reaction made it obvious that some readers were taking it personally. After sharing articles publicly and being blocked almost immediately, one commenter casually asked where the author worked—a question that felt less like curiosity and more like an attempt to trace the humor back to a real-world target. In that moment, it became clear that going “undercover” was necessary. The name Jason Born was chosen instinctively, not as a movie reference for its own sake, but as a symbol of going incognito—disassociating the work from the author’s personal identity so the satire could exist without real-world retaliation. The joke was carried further by claiming employment at a recently closed Pizza Hut, ensuring any complaint would go nowhere. Jason Born represents the phase where the author had to separate himself from his work to protect the freedom to create it. Making him the advertising specialist reflects that period of quietly promoting the Venango Republic from behind a character—an acknowledgment that sometimes, to say what you want to say honestly, you first have to disappear behind something absurd.

Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon serves as the photographer for the Venango Republic, largely because the original choice didn’t come with long-term legal viability. When the site was first created, the photographer role was briefly attributed to Peter Porker, using an existing cartoon character purely for the absurdity of it. Eventually, it became clear that if the project ever turned into something more serious—or even mildly profitable—that character couldn’t remain. Flash Gordon was introduced as a replacement, carrying forward the same ridiculous visual logic that defines much of the Venango Republic staff. His design follows a familiar pattern: an exaggerated, retro element—in this case, an old-fashioned camera—attached to the body of a formally dressed human, creating a character that looks authoritative at a glance but immediately falls apart under scrutiny. Flash Gordon doesn’t carry deep symbolism or emotional weight; he exists simply because the idea of a well-dressed corpse wielding a vintage camera felt funny enough to justify his role.

George Washington

George Washington originated from an earlier satirical project created during the COVID era, a time when news cycles often felt driven more by anxiety and dramatization than by relevance. In response, the author launched a parody site called the Outdated News Network, which intentionally published news stories that were years old, framed as if they were breaking events. The goal wasn’t cruelty or misinformation, but to highlight how easily people react to headlines without context, and how much modern news thrives on exaggeration. George Washington appeared on that site as the “official stonemason,” a deliberately pointless role meant to underline the absurdity of assigning authority where it doesn’t belong. Though the Outdated News Network never gained traction, George Washington survived as a character and was later brought into the Venango Republic universe. His presence—a Mount Rushmore face attached to a human body, formally employed by a news organization—remains intentionally ridiculous. He exists as a visual reminder that much of what we treat as serious, authoritative, or urgent is often just theater, and sometimes the best way to point that out is to let a stone-carver report the news.

The Extras

Reese, I lean, Jen Parker, and Drew Carlyle are grouped together largely because their purpose within the Venango Republic is more symbolic than functional. All four originated on an earlier satirical project called the Outdated News Network, and when the Venango Republic was taking shape, they were carried over as familiar placeholders rather than fully developed personalities. Originally, their images were pulled from real news anchors found online, chosen purely because the faces fit the joke. As the site evolved and the possibility of copyright issues became more apparent, those concepts were reworked into original likenesses generated to preserve the spirit of the characters without directly borrowing real people. Reese became the “point man” simply because his image involved him pointing at the camera. I Lean earned the title of “the one who holds up the building” because she appears to be leaning in her photo. Jen Parker was labeled the “Photoshop Villain” as a self-aware nod to the fact that none of the staff members are real people and all are digitally manipulated into existence. Drew Carlyle was given the title “Does Nothing” because he looks like a legitimate news professional while contributing absolutely nothing of value, a joke rooted in the idea that not every authoritative-looking figure actually serves a purpose. These characters remain on the staff page mostly as artifacts of the project’s evolution—occasionally referenced, rarely used, and intentionally underdeveloped.

Dead Weight

Dead Weight represents a period of pessimism and emotional heaviness that took hold before and during the author’s move to Venango County. After spending years living at home and then suddenly facing adult responsibilities without much preparation, life began to feel burdensome rather than exciting. Dreams of comedy and creative success existed, but instead of actively exploring possibilities, frustration and comparison took over—especially when it seemed like other places offered opportunities that Venango County did not. That discouragement was carried constantly, like a literal weight around the neck, turning the author into a chronic complainer and a self-described pessimist. Deadweight first appeared on the Outdated News Network as a simple cartoon anchor with eyes and a newspaper, a visual metaphor that eventually became even more fitting. When the character was recreated later with an original design, the result was unexpectedly perfect: a human-like metal figure with an anchor chained to its neck, a drooping posture, and a defeated expression, doubling as a “news anchor” in the most literal and pun-driven sense. Dead Weight embodies that earlier mindset—heavy, negative, and stuck—but no longer defines the author. Instead, the character exists as a way to externalize and release those feelings through satire, allowing that weight to live on the page rather than in real life, making room for a more grounded and positive outlook.

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones is another character carried over from the original Outdated News Network. He was originally placed on that site as the weatherman, intentionally leaning into politically incorrect humor in the same spirit as South Park, Jimmy Carr, or Bill Burr—humor that pokes fun at how people often overanalyze what is truly offensive versus what is simply absurd. The joke itself was never meant to be harmful; it was meant to highlight how easily satire can be mistaken for malice when viewed without context. Indiana Jones was moved over to the Venango Republic to preserve that style of humor: irreverent, self-aware, and intentionally uncomfortable in a way that exposes how selective outrage can be. His role as weatherman continues that tradition, serving as a reminder that not every joke is an attack, and not every absurd idea deserves to be taken seriously.

Obediah Yoder

Obediah Yoder serves as the traffic reporter for the Venango Republic and originated on the earlier Outdated News Network website. The concept for the character came from the author’s brother, who jokingly suggested that an Amish man would be the most logical choice to report traffic in rural Pennsylvania. The original version of Obediah Yoder used a real photograph found on Google, which can still be seen on the Outdated News Network site. When the character was transferred to the Venango Republic, the author chose to redesign him using AI to create a more original and legally distinct version. The humor behind Obediah Yoder lies in the irony of assigning modern traffic reporting duties to someone whose lifestyle traditionally avoids cars altogether, making him a fittingly absurd yet regionally familiar presence on the staff roster.

Bobby Boucher

Bobby Boucher exists on the Venango Republic staff purely because the idea of having an H2O specialist felt funny enough to include. The character is intentionally modeled after the football uniform and general look made famous in The Waterboy, with subtle visual changes made for legal reasons so that he is not a direct copy of the original portrayal. His inclusion isn’t meant to serve a deeper narrative purpose or symbolize a particular phase of the author’s life; it’s simply a nod to pop culture and absurdity. In the movie, Bobby Boucher possessed an unusual expertise in all things water-related, and transferring that exaggerated competence into a satirical news organization felt appropriately pointless. His presence reinforces the Venango Republic’s commitment to not taking itself seriously and embracing humor that exists solely because it makes the author laugh.

Big Foot

Big Foot originated as a minor character on the Outdated News Network, where he was listed simply as a summer intern with little explanation or purpose. When he was carried over into the Venango Republic, however, the character naturally took on more depth, largely because of how strongly Sasquatch lore resonates throughout the region. Venango County and its neighboring areas have long embraced Big Foot as part of local folklore, with Forest County even hosting an annual Sasquatch Festival, making his inclusion feel oddly appropriate rather than random. Over time, Big Foot developed a distinctly gentle identity—polite, meek, and overly considerate—standing in contrast to the fierce and mysterious creature people typically imagine. Several articles play with this contrast, hinting at a past where he was once a wild, naked forest-dweller feasting on children, before rehabilitating himself into a modern, well-mannered citizen who now wears a pink apron, bakes muffins, and uses heart-shaped potholders. He often serves as the emotional soft spot of the Venango Republic staff, frequently enduring verbal abuse from Jeremy Jetfuel while maintaining his kindness. Big Foot is especially close with the winter intern, Ye Ti, and appears more frequently than most other characters, having grown into one of the site’s most recognizable and well-received personalities.

Ye Ti

Ye Ti began as a simple visual gag on the Outdated News Network, created solely to complement Bigfoot’s role as a summer intern. The logic was straightforward: if there was going to be a summer intern named Bigfoot, it only made sense to include a winter intern named Ye Ti. The joke worked instantly, especially when readers scrolling through the staff page stumbled upon the pairing. At the time, Ye Ti had no personality or backstory beyond the title. After being brought over to the Venango Republic, however, the character gradually developed his own identity. Early appearances portrayed him speaking fluent English, but later articles intentionally shifted his dialogue into broken, Yoda-like speech, using simple phrases such as “me hungry” or “me want that.” Unlike Bigfoot, Ye Ti is far less rehabilitated—more savage in nature, fond of raw meat, and only loosely adapted to modern civility. While he appears less frequently due to Bigfoot’s stronger local resonance, Ye Ti remains an important supporting character, most often referenced as Bigfoot’s closest companion, with a friendship that stretches back hundreds of years and survives despite their vastly different temperaments.

Mayor Blunders

Mayor Blunders was created as a symbolic stand-in for decades of questionable decision-making in Oil City rather than as a critique of any one individual. Over the past 30 years, the city has seen repeated attempts to revive tourism and economic growth through projects that often felt disconnected from deeper issues—such as spending large sums on cosmetic features like fountains or decorative bridge lighting while neighborhoods deteriorated and housing problems went unaddressed. While many of these decisions were never the responsibility of a single mayor, they collectively reflect a pattern of ambitious ideas paired with limited resources and uneven results. Importantly, Mayor Blunders is not meant to represent the current mayor, who has been visibly active in the community, engaged with local businesses, and present at public events in ways that suggest genuine investment in the town’s future. In fact, it was precisely because of that distinction that a clear visual identity was created for Mayor Blunders. By asking AI to generate an exaggerated, outdated-looking figure—a short, balding, 1950s-style man in a suit—the character was given a face that made it obvious he was fictional and separate from any real leader. Mayor Blunders exists as a way to vent long-standing frustrations about past efforts to do “big things” with limited means, or to invest in surface-level attractions that failed to deliver meaningful change, all while avoiding personal or political attacks on those currently working to move the city forward.

Mayor Dumbdumb

Mayor Dum-Dum of Titusville emerged as a satirical counterpart to Mayor Blunders after the realization that Titusville’s high school football team is called the Rockets—a name that felt amusingly disconnected from any real aerospace history. That irony sparked an early article about Titusville “launching” a rocket that barely made it ten feet off the ground before the town proudly declared itself spacefaring. Lacking a formal name at the time, the town’s leader was simply dubbed Mayor Dum-Dum, not as a jab at any real official, but as a necessary fictional equal to Oil City’s Mayor Blunders. From there, the character expanded into a broader parody of geopolitical rivalry. In the Venango Republic universe, Titusville represents a much poorer, smaller-scale version of a global superpower, mirroring the tension between the United States and Russia. Crawford County is reimagined as its own nation, with Titusville declaring itself the capital of East Crawford, while Meadville—portrayed as far more refined—wants no association with its eastern counterpart. Mayor Dum-Dum is the self-declared president of East Crawford and frequently announces ambitious military and space programs funded by laughably small budgets. These efforts have included a brief, underfunded military invasion of Tionesta that was quickly abandoned once costs became apparent. Like Mayor Blunders, Mayor Dum-Dum was eventually given a distinct visual identity—an exaggerated, towering figure inspired loosely by authoritarian imagery—to further separate the character from real-world leadership and reinforce that the rivalry, while dramatic, is entirely fictional and intentionally absurd.

Koala Bearis

Koala Berris was introduced as a fictional political opponent to Mayor Blunders during a deliberately absurd election storyline, designed to parody the theatrics of elections in general rather than target any real individual. While the name is an obvious play on Kamala Harris, Koala Berris does not represent any real-life person in Venango County—or elsewhere—and instead exists purely to exaggerate familiar political tropes, campaign absurdities, and recycled talking points that seem to surface in every election cycle, past and present. The character briefly gained relevance during storylines involving East Crawford’s mock military campaigns, including the infamous “siege” of Tionesta, where two troops armed with spitball guns were portrayed as a legitimate threat. Beyond those appearances, Koala Berris has largely remained in the background, surfacing only when a storyline calls for a ceremonial rival or symbolic opposition rather than a fully developed leader. Her role serves more as a narrative device than a central figure, reinforcing the exaggerated and theatrical nature of politics within the Venango Republic universe rather than advancing any sustained plotline of her own.

Mayor Intellect

Mayor Intellect of Clarion appears only occasionally within the Venango Republic and is meant more as a conceptual contrast than a central character. His name plays off Clarion’s association with a university and higher education, despite the town’s broader economic decline, and serves as a light nod to the idea that access to education can set a place apart from its neighbors. Mayor Intellect does not represent any real person and isn’t written as a satirical attack, but rather as a quiet counterpoint to the louder, more chaotic leadership figures elsewhere in the region. He exists mostly in the background, referenced sparingly when a storyline calls for a voice of academic authority or subtle judgment, making him less prominent but still useful within the larger cast of characters.

Jake Horking Kake

Jake Horking Kake exists purely as an outlet for the author’s real-life frustrations, distilled into a fictional character for the sake of humor. While loosely inspired by a real individual, no identifying details are provided, and the character functions more as a caricature of arrogance, pettiness, and general insufferability than as any direct representation. Jake Horking Kake serves as a pressure valve within the Venango Republic—a way to take irritation that would otherwise linger and convert it into absurdity. He appears sparingly, usually when a story needs a convenient embodiment of smug incompetence or unnecessary obstruction, and his purpose is less about who he is and more about what he represents: the therapeutic value of laughing at people who would otherwise drive you insane.

Mayor Isolate

Mayor Isolate is a character born out of the long-standing joke that Pithole is still referred to as a “city.” Despite the fact that every building has been torn down and nothing remains beyond a field, people still talk about visiting the city of Pithole to celebrate its origins. Mayor Isolate embodies the idea that somewhere out there, one lone individual was accidentally left behind, stubbornly holding onto the hope of reviving a town that quite literally no longer exists. He represents isolation, historical denial, and the comedic absurdity of treating an empty field like a functioning municipality. Mayor Isolate isn’t based on any real person—he’s simply a personification of the irony surrounding Pithole’s legacy and the human tendency to cling to titles long after their meaning has disappeared.

Mrs. Shruggarty

Mrs. Shruggarty is a minor character who only appeared in a single article, but her origin is rooted in a real interaction the author had in a Facebook comment section under a local news post. The real-life individual who inspired the character actually offered thoughtful and creative ideas for the website, and as a playful form of appreciation, the author promised to immortalize her as a Venango Republic character. Mrs. Shruggarty became a customer service representative whose defining trait is responding to every complaint with an exaggerated shrug—much like the shrug emoji commonly used on Facebook. The character was given curly hair as a subtle nod to the real person who inspired her.

Shark Head

Shark Head is the founder and CEO of the Crawford Carnage, a rival satirical news outlet based in East Crawford County. So far, he is the only Crawford Carnage staff member to appear in Venango Republic coverage. Shark Head doesn’t have a deep backstory or ongoing character arc—he exists mostly as a symbolic rival figure and an occasional point of reference when East Crawford enters the narrative. His most notable appearance came during the September article series covering East Crawford’s brief and underfunded invasion of Tionesta, where the Crawford Carnage was treated as the competing media voice on the other side of the conflict. Beyond that, Shark Head remains intentionally vague, functioning less as a developed character and more as a placeholder for “the other newsroom.”