"This is shooting When Video Games Malfunction! off like, a cliff, with my Not Cannon!" — Match, "HELP US get to VIDCON 2019" (altered)
The subject of this article or section is non-canon. The events described did not happen in the official main BFDI universe.
When Video Games Malfunction! is a short released during or before March 8, 2009, by Michael and Cary Huang. It was one of jacknjellify's short animations before Battle for Dream Island.
The story starts out with various clips of Dan playing video games in his house. Unexpectedly, his FunCube overheats, sparks and explodes, blowing Dan off the couch. The massive electricity shock affects his television, the light switch, the toilet, along with the printer. His printer then prints out a Mario coin and 1-UP mushroom, a Tetris tetromino, and a Pac-Man ghost, which jump and break out of his window.
Dan stops over to his neighbor, thinking they could help him with his problem. They both use literal thinking caps (Dan just has his red hat with a post-it over it saying "Think!"), in which his neighbor comes up with an idea. They make an invention while Dan watches on the side while eating a bag of chips. They test out the invention, resulting in a huge explosion.
Dan's neighbor creates a new invention while Dan keeps eating chips and reads a book, titled simply "A Book". After it's finished, Dan presses the button placed on the invention numerous times, creating copies of the video game icons.
Dan continues reading the book, and records himself making a show called Will It Shred?. He proudly shreds the book, a glow stick, and his malfunctioning FunCube. When he shreds the FunCube, it starts to jam the shredder, slowly going inside of it. The shredder starts to malfunction as well, sucking in the video game icons along with their copies.
In the end, Dan stands in front of a white background, telling the audience that when in doubt, shred a FunCube. Dan shreds the FunCube once again, causing it to explode, ending the cartoon.
Trivia[]
This cartoon was re-uploaded to YouTube in HD on April 15, 2009. This upload differs slightly from the version on HTwins.net, with the previous jacknjellify logo fading in at the top right corner when the title screen shows up.
The short marks Blocky's first appearance, as a look-alike asset used on Dan's shirt.
The sound used when Dan is drinking the can of Cola is the same sound effect when someone drinks a Bloxy Cola, or any liquid substance, in Roblox.
The bushes behind Dan's backyard uses the same asset for the bushes used in the Homestar Runner series.
In addition to this, the same sound that the printer makes is the same sound used when the original Paper shows up in a Strong Bad Email, which is used to signal the end of the cartoon.
Dan's name was revealed in "The Math Machine" on HTwins.net.
Cultural references[]
Dan drinks a can of cola, which its design is based off a Coca-Cola can.
"Will It Shred?" is a parody of the late-2000s web series campaign Will It Blend?, in which several non-food items are used in Blendtec material to promote their products.
