Christopher Cross “Chris” Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the elder son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green. Originally designed as a rebellious teenager, Chris’ personality on the show has evolved to unhygienic and mentally immature. Running gags involving Chris in the series include the existence of an ‘Evil Monkey’ in his closet (though it is later revealed that the monkey is not evil), and his pedophile admirer Herbert.
Chris deals with the problems that most pubescent boys face: acne, girls, and school. Chris has been known to feel self-conscious about himself, especially his weight. In fact, on the Volume 1 DVD Boxset TV guides special Family Guy edition, it stated that Chris “wouldn’t hurt a fly, unless it landed on his hot dog”. Due to Chris’ weight, he was referred to as an “Elephant Child” when he was born. Chris is also willing to do something as drastic as to convert to Judaism in order to do better in school, specifically math. He once believed his low grades in mathematics were caused when he tickled his brain by sticking an army man’s rifle into his nose and (presumably) accidentally puncturing a lobe. Chris enjoys drawing and once almost became a famous artist in New York. Chris also has an apparent physical attraction to his mother, Lois, which was noted in the commentary of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, near the end of the movie Peter comments about “The incest episode”. It is also seen in “E. Peterbus Unum” (where he hands Meg a note that reads “I think Mrs. Griffin is hot”) and in “Model Misbehavior” (where he says that he will masturbate to pictures of her). Chris, like his father, is obese, has a low IQ and no common sense. While Chris’ low intelligence level is often viewed as a heredity commonality with his father, it is mentioned in the episode “Peter’s Daughter,” that Lois abusing alcohol and smoking while pregnant with Chris and “chickening out half-way through” a clandestine abortion could also be a cause. Also, various story lines portrayed Chris as being well-endowed, upsetting Peter and has given him savant talents, such as artistic ability, and detailed knowledge of film and TV actors. Both he and Peter have also demonstrated proficiency in the use of American Sign Language. He has also demonstrated an ability to quickly adapt to new cultural surroundings. For example, when the family moved to London in “Patriot Games”, Chris was the only member of the family who was able to quickly learn and speak cockney English.
