Animation is a powerful medium that can be used to tell all kinds of stories. You can make laugh through sharp comedy, tell powerful stories that can move someone, and just do something completely nuts that is unique. Rick & Morty creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon had a number of projects completed before that series was unleashed on Adult Swim.
One such series was called ‘Mr. Sprinkles’. Telling a story of a Cat in the Hat styled creature, we go on a moving story that in many cases feels like the preface too what we got in Rick & Morty. Mr. Sprinkles starts out as a darker parody of Dr. Seuss stories with it’s wacky characters but sets out to tell a profound narrative.
Growing over the course of this short series, Mr. Sprinkles adjusts to a changing world around him and realizes how vile it can be sometimes. Similar to Rick and Morty, it’s not afraid to go in bleak directions but the humor is on-point, making watching the series enjoyable. The ending is powerful, telling viewers a message that will stick with them long after the show is over. I highly recommend you watch the series as it does a number of things right. Specifically if you love Rick & Morty, this show is important to watch; many elements present here in terms of writing and tone mirror what we saw with later works from Justin and Dan.

The show is owned by VH1, Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, so credit for the series copyright and IP rights go directly to them. The below video is filled with cursing, high-level violence and mature content is present. Do NOT watch the video to Mr. Sprinkles if you are under 18 years old. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urB-lCSruoo