The Creator of 'Anchorman' Explains Income Inequality in the Cutest Way Possible

Culture

There's no better way to explain today's economy than with cartoon alpacas, a large lollipop company and Amy Poehler. Adam McKay, the man behind Anchorman and Funny or Die, teamed up with We the Economy and some big names in comedy to create "The Unbelievably Sweet Alpacas," an animated short breaking down wealth distribution.

With Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Maya Rudolph and Andy Richter bringing the colorful characters to life (along with Billy Eichner voicing a talking lollipop), the video is both entertaining and informative. Check it out:

The alpacas do a spectacular job representing the growing income inequality. Giggles has a background in lollipop manufacturing and is deployed to a management job in a poor country with fewer regulations. Sunshine, who comes from a modest background, is screwed over, while Happy lands a position with a six-figure salary because of her well-networked family.

Additionally, data and graphs help illustrate what's wrong with our economy.

We The Economy/Funny or Die
We The Economy/Funny or Die

The takeaway: "The Unbelievably Sweet Alpacas," while silly at first glance, cleverly takes seemingly complex topics in economy and explains them in a digestible form. 

"I've always marveled at how the one subject we all should know, economics, is the subject most of us are completely illiterate about," McKay writes in his director's notes.

While adorable, this short makes it clear that what's happening with income inequality is not so cute. With methods like this, hopefully those that might not be interested in economics or unable to break down the jargon can join the conversation.

Find out more about the project and test your knowledge on We the Economy.