Thanksgiving is a weird celebration that seems out of place, smack in between Halloween and the winter holidays. But one animated comedy has resolved one matter: a lack of Thanksgiving-themed tunes. Since its third season, Bob’s Burgers has been consistent in delivering them as a tradition of its own.
Of course, it makes plenty of sense as to why the show tackles it. Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) takes his role in preparing food very seriously. His wife Linda (John Roberts) and kids Tina, Gene, and Louise (Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, and Kristen Schaal) take eating said food very seriously. And though various mishaps and misunderstandings take over the big turkey day, so, too, do the jingles and songs. Several of them have even been covered by the band The National, with a more melancholic approach. There’s no better time than during the turkey prep to listen to the following jams, however oddball they are. After all, that’s the charm of Bob’s Burgers.
10. “Give It to Teddy” (Season 8)
The adults in the world of Bob's Burgers always feel and look exhausted. If there was any character to showcase the potential somberness with adulthood, it’s Teddy (Larry Murphy). And because this Thanksgiving episode involves learning that he’s a hoarder with some family trauma, it only made sense that the song that plays in the outro isn’t the typical holiday tune. It’s all about that Teddy as a handyman can fix it, even if he can't quite fix himself. The National made their own version and the somber tone worked well with Teddy's character.
9. “Love Is in Control” (Season 5)
A Bob Belcher cover of a Donna Summer song may not scream Thanksgiving, but that’s the point. This is Bob’s favorite day to celebrate, but when his family wants to head down to the Wonder Wharf for a turkey trot instead, he feels dejected. So he swears off celebrating and as he attempts to swallow down his need to enjoy the day, he gets drunk and listens to Donna Summer. Voice actor H. Jon Benjamin hits all the off-key notes perfectly, just as expected.
8. “Captain Casserole” (Season 12)
The Belchers head over to the Elegant Doily retirement home to help with some T-Day festivities. Tina and Gene get wrapped up in putting together a makeshift parade when the rec room’s TV doesn’t work. Sergeant Bosco (Gary Cole) unwillingly gets help from Linda in getting his mother out of her room. And Louise gets stuck helping out her father in the kitchen. She even gets to have her first experience with a culinary torch, toasting up the marshmallows on the sweet potato dish. It might have taken 12 seasons, but the family has finally given a name to the passionate, frenzied mindset Bob slips into when cooking up the holiday's delicious feast. Everyone has at least one Thankszilla in their life, whom they know to let them do their thing in the kitchen. Linda and the kids have Bob.
7. “You’re Mine” (Season 10)
Try and imagine the best-tasting turkey you could possibly eat. That would maybe be close enough to Bob’s prized possession in this episode: a bird from Riverbrook Lake Farms. The big poultry is fresh, never frozen, and an overall rare delicacy — or so Bob emphasizes. Of course, things don’t go the way he wants them to. But in the end, the Belchers come together and Bob gets to have another musical moment in the outro credits, along with the farmer and the turkey from the farm’s logo belting out some backup vocals.
6. “You've Got the Guts” (Season 7)
Tina’s somewhat erotic friend fiction is snatched up by Louise. The younger Belcher doesn’t care much about it, she just wants to turn it into a school play that will purposely go off the rails and effectively end school early. So the Quirky Turkey becomes an original school stage show and voice actor Dan Mintz gets to sing the extended song in the outro, along with Tina’s classmates. It’s sweet, cute, and weird. Not many Thanksgiving-themed episodes from other shows would show bloody guts flying all over the place. Expect nothing less from the mind of Tina Belcher.
5. “Sailors in Your Mouth” (Season 4)
Poor Bob; he never really gets a break on Thanksgiving. His allergies act up thanks to Linda’s sister Gayle (Megan Mullally) and her insistence on bringing along her cat. Making matters only worse is that someone’s stealing his prepared turkey and plopping it into the toilet. But while he starts to lose it, middle child Gene ponders the hardest question: How come there aren’t any Thanksgiving songs out there? With his handy dandy keyboard, Gene enlists his aunt and mother to spotlight his song. It’s all about the token item on the dinner table, not a Navy boat but the gravy boat! Yet another song covered by The National, as well as a music video with the band's members in the animated style of the Belchers.
4. “Turkey, I Need You Beside Me” (Season 11)
After Gene eats something he really shouldn’t have, he gives himself a bad stomach bug and is forced to spend Thanksgiving in the bathroom. Feeling down, he gets into Linda’s eye shadow, brings in a cot, his keyboard, and writes a song full of longing for that tasty turkey bite at the dinner table, one he won’t be able to have this year. Because this is Bob’s Burgers, and because it’s Gene who writes this November jingle, it’s equal parts sweet and ridiculous. If there’s anyone out there who contemplates whether or not to eat turkey this coming Thanksgiving, do so, in honor of Gene. The National haven't covered this one yet, but hopefully in due time.
3. “It’s Thanksgiving for Everybody” (Season 6)
A blizzard hits and separates the Belchers. Bob is stuck with Gayle trying to get her safely to his house while Linda attempts to cook all the food with the kids. Both sets of plans don’t go very well. Bob loses Gayle’s cat, Mr. Business, on the journey, and Linda manages to break apart the turkey and resolves to stitch it back together like Frankenstein's Monster. But in the end, everyone gets to sit around the dinner table, even if the meal isn’t quite up to par with what Bob would have presented. So with a little scat singing, Gayle and the Belchers let loose this tune. Perfect for everyone (except for Europeans, though).
2. “Saving the Bird” (Season 9)
As the title suggests, this Thanksgiving episode is not about cooking up a bird, but saving it. Tina, Louise, and Gene overhear Marsha, the town’s Mayor’s assistant (Lennon Parham), reveal the pardon of Drew P. Neck isn’t secured. Instead, the poor bird's future is at a slaughterhouse. So the kids rope their parents into helping snatch the turkey and find a better home for it. The song starts out as one of Linda’s mindless tunes and comes back around in the outro. It’s fun and catchy, encapsulating the insanity of saving the bird while eating one later that day. Another one covered by The National, released along with a music video where the band members are squeezed inside the Belcher's car with their instruments and Drew P. Neck as a fellow passenger.
1. “Kill the Turkey” (Season 3)
In the show’s first Thanksgiving episode, landlord Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) persuades the help of the Belchers by letting them off of five months' rent. All that is needed are Linda and the kids to act as Fischoeder’s “family” and Bob as the cook to secure the lust of homewrecker, Shelby (Lindsey Stoddart). On their way there, Linda, always reliable for a spontaneous, show-stopping moment, belts out her Thanksgiving song to help sell the performance. It holds the honor of being the first Thanksgiving song and the first covered by The National.