Pops Maellard

Pops Maellard (birth name: Mega Kranus) is the tritagonist of Cartoon Network's Regular Show, as well as one of the five tritagonists in Regular Show: The Movie. 
Pops appears to be a rich, thin humanoid alien lollipop from Lolliland whose father owns the park as well as the house, in which Pops shares with Mordecai and Rigby. He is a billionaire that was locked up and protected for all or most of his childhood, which is why he takes such childlike delight in everything he sees and does. He has an evil brother who is opposite of himself, Anti-Pops (real name Malum Kranus) and they both died in the final episode.
He was voiced by Sam Marin, who also voices Benson Dunwoody and Muscle Man.
== Appearance==
Pops is a pale pink lollipop-shaped man, standing at 6'3" without his hat. His body and limbs are all very stick-like, while his head is an abnormally large sphere shape. He usually wears a gentlemanly outfit, consisting of an always buttoned-up dark gray vest; a long-sleeved, off-white dress shirt; lighter gray pants; dress shoes in the same dark gray as his vest; and a top hat. Pops also sports a white handlebar mustache. Aside from his mustache, Pops is entirely bald. In the finale, it's revealed that he has a 6 pack.
==Personality==
Pops is a naïve, lollipop-shaped man who is almost always in a jolly mood. Pops works with Benson as a park manager, but he acts as a groundskeeper. He tends to be overly ecstatic about every situation and expresses himself as an upright gentleman to the point where he overly extends his words and sentences formally. Despite being an elderly man, Pops is very childlike and naïve about the world around him. Therefore, he serves as somewhat of a non sequitur character. He also seems to like Mordecai and Rigby more than Benson, ironically, despite Mordecai and Rigby's irresponsible behavior and Benson's more responsible behavior (and Benson being his good friend). Pops's father, Mr. Maellard, owns the park. 
Even so, Pops relies on Benson for the upkeep of the park. Benson also seems to be responsible for taking care of Pops due to his childlike nature. Pops's character is taken from Quintel's short animation "The Naïve Man from Lolliland." In "Prank Callers," it is implied that Pops was once a (somewhat) more serious man, until Mordecai and Rigby (who had traveled back in time to the 80s) collided with his younger self, causing him apparent brain damage and turning him into the quirky character he is known as in the series. Pops is in a perpetually optimistic mood, and most of the time, he can best be described as bubbly. However, Pops isn't one to be jolly when disrespected. 
Whenever he is not acting childishly, Pops acts like a gentleman, always addressing others politely, with one sole exception in "Think Positive", where he demands Benson to stop yelling at Mordecai and Rigby. Pops's childish demeanor makes him very gullible, but even though anyone can take advantage of this, most people still respect Pops as a friend. Pops also possesses the most pleasant voice out of all the characters; his language style is unique where he will go to larger extents to scientifically or vividly describe an object that would normally be said in a few words.
He is also known to take an interest in little things, such as butterflies. An example of this is when, in "The Power", he laughs when a butterfly flies near him, and in "Think Positive", he is trying to catch butterflies in a jar. Another example would be in "Saving Time", when he says that the songbirds don't usually visit him until the afternoon. Pops is also known to love his car, which he polishes and waxes in nearly every episode.
Pops seems to be easily amused as seen in "Jinx", when he laughs at his reflection in the water.
==Sacrifice, Death, and Legacy==
In season 8, the Park Crew and Eileen learn about Pops' origin as Mega Kranus, the deity of good within Lolliland, as well as the origins of Anti-Pops, aka Malum Kranus. For millenium, the two brothers have fought in battles so intense, they forced the universe to reset time and time again. This time, because of Mordecai and Rigby's interference, the timeline changes. In the episode "A Regular Epic Final Battle", Pops realizes, instead of fighting, he needs to trust what his heart says, and he decides to hug Malum Kranus, and fly off into the sun, ending his reign of terror. However, doing so would means Pops would die as well. In spite of that, Pops does not falter, as they both charge towards the sun. In his final moments, he tells Mordecai and Rigby that, even though the circumstances were unfortunate, it is for the greater good, and he wishes the best for the duo, as well as the rest of their friends.
In the epilogue, despite Pops no longer being with his close ones, he is still hailed by those who knew him for his heroism, and kind heart. A statue of him was placed up in the park for his memory. The final scene of the show reveals that the show's events took place on a giant television screen in Heaven, as a VHS with the show's logo slides out. Pops can be heard saying his famous catchphrase, serving not only as his last words, but also the final spoken words for the end of the show.
==Skills/Habits== 
*Keyboard Skills - As seen in "This Is My Jam", "But I Have a Receipt", and "Return of Mordecai and the Rigbys", Pops is adept at playing the keyboard instrument. He is also said to play his harpsichord at night, but he might have stopped this because Benson made a rule against this.
*Butterfly Catching: Pops most likely has an interest for butterflies, as seen in "Think Positive".
*Artistry: As seen in "Think Positive", Pops can draw very well.
*Wrestling Skills: In "Really Real Wrestling", Pops is a very good wrestler. This is because he used to wrestle in his high school or college days. He can easily also wrestle a polar bear in "The Christmas Special".
*Knowledge in Fanciness: As shown in "Fancy Restaurant", Pops is an expert in the art of being fancy and has even published a book on the subject, titled Fanciness Theory and Practical Application.
*Singing: Pops can sing fairly well in "Karaoke Video" when he sang Footloose.
*Baking Skills: In "Pie Contest", Pops is an excellent baker, and appears to have a fondness for it. His pie was the only one Mordecai and Rigby actually liked. As such, he has won 1st place for his pies for ten consecutive years. And in "Meat Your Maker", he made pies for the BBQ. Lastly, he suggested a bake sale as a fundraiser in "Grave Sights".
*Poetry: As seen in "Rap It Up" it is shown that he likes and is talented at poetry.
*Surfing Skills: In "Catching the Wave" Pops learned how to surf and became one with nature.
*Birdwatching: It's shown in "Free Cake" that Pops is using binoculars and looking around, possibly birdwatching.
*Cosmic Physiology: Due to him actually being an extraterrestrial life, he possesses these kinds of powers.
**Telekinesis: Pops, along with his brother Anti-Pops, were born to have this power from beginning to levitate object and themselves. Ironically, Pops himself is the "Chosen One", embodied by a power of good. His brother is, on the other hand, the embodiment of evil.
**Teleportation: Pops can teleport himself in different location.
**Ergokinesis: Pops can fire energy blast that strong enough to set a tree on fire.
**Shield Generation: Pops can form an energy shield to protect himself from harm.
== Trivia==
*Pops owns three cars, his Checker Taxi cab from "Ello Gov'nor", his flying Mini Cooper from "Really Real Wrestling", and Carmenita. Out of all of them, only the latter appeared after its debut.
*He makes an appearance in the short The Naive Man from Lolliland as the main character, but with the name Lolliland Man.
*He also made a cameo appearance in 2 in the AM PM when the two clerks are fighting, the proto-Mordecai becomes proto-Pops.
*He is the only main character who has not been an antagonist to Mordecai and Rigby before. Margaret and Eileen were rivals with them in "Cruisin' ", Skips tried to stop the two from having fun in "The Power", Thomas helped to prank them in "Starter Pack" and posed a threat in "The Real Thomas". Benson, Muscle Man, and Hi Five Ghost are regular antagonists to them.
**However, in "Brain Eraser", although directly not an antagonist, Mordecai's memory of a naked Pops antagonizes him throughout most of the episode.
*An explanation for Pops using lollipops, instead of money, is that he is from Lolliland, where it is possible that lollipops were used as a form of currency. (For instance, a butterscotch ripple equates to $100). However, his father does not seem to share this confusion. In the short The Naive Man from Lolliland, Pops is beaten by restaurant employees because he paid his bill in lollipops.
*He was born sometime between 1879 and 1910, as revealed in "Skips vs. Technology".
** However, it was also revealed by Mr. Maellard and Earl that he is just as old as the universe, perhaps even older due to the universe supposedly resetting each time he and Anti-Pops fought.
* In "Skips vs. Technology", Pops is shown as a child with brown hair in the year 1910.
*Pops is the third oldest in the park gang, the second being Mr. Maellard and the first being Skips.
** However, it was also revealed by Mr. Maellard and Earl that he is just as old as the universe, perhaps even older due to the universe supposedly resetting each time he and Anti-Pops fought.
*Pops, along with Mordecai and Rigby, are the only ones who live in the park house.
* His name Pops comes from one of two places, the fact that he's based on a lollipop, as seen in The Naïve Man from Lolliland, or because of his age
*Many have made jokes about Pops's huge head in various episodes, leading to a singular gag in "Terror Tales of the Park IV", when Pops' head still stuck out of the gaping hole, even after Benson stomped on his head.
* Pops and Muscle Man are the only workers at the park who always wear shoes.
*It is shown that Pops can be really smart and cunning, as he was able to fool everyone and get away from the TV station in "Win That Prize".
* Pops is the only main character to never be seen in a romantic relationship.
*Pops' actual origin is almost identical to some alien character who is adopted by Earthlings, like DC Comics' Superman.
* Pops is the only main character to die onscreen along with his twin brother.
*His destiny as the Chosen Ones is a reference of the destiny of the One from the Matrix franchise. His fate is similar to Neo since both of them break the cycle of destruction and reborn (Pops end the cycle of universal destruction and reborn by destroying himself and his brother similar to Neo refuses to submit his prime program to restart the Matrix instead he fights Smith to save both the Machine and the human race as well as ending the cycle of destruction and rebuild of Zion).
*Pops says the last line of the series is "Jolly Good Show."
==Gallery==
3509155.jpg|The park gang are getting prepared for the barbecue.
File:Mordecai and Rigby to thanks Pops for help.png
File:Mordecai & Others Collapse.PNG|The park gang collapse after the band.
File:Screenshot 20231126-011941.png
File:Screenshot 20231126-013436.png
File:Screenshot 20231126-014108.png
S8E03.082 Sureshot Holding the Park Crew's Jumpsuits.png
File:S8E15.012 The Soon to be Graduated Park Crew.png
File:S8E24.078 How about a public place instead.png
File:S8E27P1.004 Anti-Pops Going to Strike.png
File:Defeat.png
File:Regular Show - Original pilot poster.jpg
File:Regular Show - In Space poster.png
8bb3e11f3bf98cc177e45e18a4a3c684.jpg
3537969.jpg
S2E12.134.png
==External Links==
*
*
==Navigation==
Category:Male
Category:Honorable
Category:Cartoon Heroes
Category:Regular Show Heroes
Category:Pure Good
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Pacifists
Category:Elderly
Category:Fighters
Category:Wrestlers
Category:Wise
Category:Comedy Heroes
Category:Dimwits
Category:Friend of a Villain
Category:Virtually Resourceful
Category:Spoiled Sweet
Category:Related to Villain
Category:Archenemy
Category:Deceased
Category:Wealthy
Category:Damsels
Category:The Chosen One
Category:Suicidal
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Theatrical Heroes
Category:Successful
Category:Orphans
Category:Aristocrats
Category:Selfless
Category:Cosmic Protection
Category:Humanoid
Category:Charismatic
Category:Immortals
Category:Energy Beings
Category:Psychics
Category:Amnesiac
Category:Merciful
Category:Tragic
Category:Sympathetic
Category:Brutes
Category:Vengeful
Category:Omnipotents
Category:Insecure
Category:Adventurers
Category:Role Models
Category:Global Protection
Category:Foods
Category:Hope Bringers
Category:Reality-Warpers
Category:Chaotic Good
Category:Chaste
Category:Honest
Category:Nurturers
Category:Animal Kindness
Category:Nature-Lovers
Category:Sophisticated
Category:Martyr
Category:Crossover Heroes
Category:Protectors
Category:Twins/Clones
Category:Siblings
Category:Scapegoat
Category:Self-Aware
Category:Harmonizers
Category:Optimists
Category:Rescuers
Category:Science Fantasy Heroes
Category:Deities
Category:Martial Artists
Category:Saved Souls
Category:Anti-Nihilists
Category:Genius
Category:Mascots
Category:Philanthropists
Category:Posthumous
Category:Aliens
Category:Possessed/Brainwashed
Category:Superheroes
Category:One-Man Army
Category:Heroes from the Past
Category:Sitcom Heroes
Category:Localized Protection
Category:Counter-Terrorists
Category:Rebellion Heroes
Category:Loyal
Category:Voice of Reason
Category:Victims
Category:Symbolic