Parks & Recreation is packed with memorable characters, moments, jokes, and even a couple of objects, as is Ben Wyatt’s (Adam Scott) board game The Cones of Dunshire, which, surprisingly, exists in another show Adam Scott was a part of. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, Parks & Recreation aired from 2009 to 2015 is widely considered one of the best TV shows of the decade, and it left the audience with a bunch of unforgettable moments, jokes, and visual gags, of which many have been referenced in other TV shows.
Parks & Recreation took viewers to the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, to meet the crew at the Parks Department, led by eternal optimist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). Through her, the audience met her closest friends and coworkers, among them Ben Wyatt, who ended up becoming Leslie’s husband. Ben is an accountant who arrived at Pawnee in Parks & Recreation season 2 as a state auditor to evaluate Pawnee’s funds. Ben actually went through different jobs during his time in the series, and when he was unemployed, he tried a couple of hobbies, including the creation of a complicated board game called The Cones of Dunshire, which transcended the limits of Pawnee and made an appearance in the animated series Big Mouth.
Why Parks & Rec’s Cones of Dunshire Appears In Big Mouth
In Parks & Recreation season 5, Ben started working for Sweetums, at a division dedicated to improving their public image, but in the following season, he lost his job after Leslie publicly criticized the company. Once more unemployed, Ben ended up creating The Cones of Dunshire, a board game that was a bit too complicated as it has an elaborate series of rules and playable characters. Still, The Cones of Dunshire became one of the most memorable elements from Ben’s Parks & Rec story and the series in general, so much so that it made a surprise appearance in Big Mouth.
Adam Scott voiced the character of Mr. Keating in Big Mouth season 5, a substitute teacher Andrew (John Mulaney) developed an unhealthy obsession with. Andrew even visited Mr. Keating at his home, where an understandably scared Mr. Keating asked him what he wanted from him. In that scene, a table can be seen with some of Mr. Keating’s books, a photo of him with his fiancée, and two cones, a farmer figurine, and a gem, all these a reference to Parks & Rec’s The Cones of Dunshire. Big Mouth has become known not just because of its peculiar sense of humor but because of its many references to other TV shows and movies, so it’s not that surprising that Scott’s character was given a fun reference to his most memorable character to date.
What Happened To Ben’s Cones of Dunshire In Parks & Rec?
In Parks & Rec season 6, Ben ended up taking a job at the accounting firm that he had already turned down multiple times… only to leave again as he took a job as City Manager. To make up for the inconvenience of leaving so soon again, Ben left The Cones of Dunshire at the accounting firm, and they all found the game’s complicated rules quite intriguing. Some time later, Ben discovered that the people at Gryzzl were playing a professionally-produced version of The Cones of Dunshire, as it turned out that the people at the accounting firm copyrighted the game in Ben’s name and gave him the paperwork that established him as the game’s creator and license-holder. Ben’s complicated board game ended up being his greatest creation, so much so that it made it to other universes beyond Parks & Recreation.
