The Freak Brothers and Weedmaps Fire Up a Collaboration to Reach New Fans

A trio of Woodstock-era stoners smoke the dankest, most magical strain on the planet, take a 50-year nap and Rip Van Winkle into current-day San Francisco.

Along with adjusting to their new normal, post-Summer of Love, these dudes will need to restock. That’s where Weedmaps comes in, with the cannabis marketplace showing up as the hero that keeps the party going for the stars of the Tubi animated series The Freak Brothers. 

The collaboration between the popular weed platform and the cult favorite entertainment property is “a convergence of the psychedelic past and the digital present,” according to Greg Goldner, chief brand and strategy officer for The Freak Brothers, a series based on the renowned underground comic The Furry Freak Brothers.

As part of the deal, Weedmaps will sponsor “Smoke & Screen” premiere parties in eight U.S. cities where recreational cannabis sales are legal—Denver, New York, Chicago, Boston and Phoenix, among them. The gatherings, scheduled in the run-up to season 2’s new episode launch Sept. 24, are planned for rooftop clubs and other venues where on-site consumption is allowed.

Gen Z meets OG

The partnership aims to bring two like-minded audiences together while potentially identifying new fans for each brand. 

The Freak Brothers’ voice cast includes John Goodman, Tiffany Haddish, Pete Davidson, Adam Devine and cannapreneur-dispensary owner Woody Harrelson. With characters that predate Cheech & Chong, it has dual viewership from “OG counterculture” followers of the original 55-year-old comic to Gen Z and millennials who discovered it on the Fox-owned streaming service, Goldner said. 

The alliance could broaden exposure for Weedmaps, better known among digital natives than Baby Boomers, via its pivotal product placement in the series as the go-to resource for cannabis. Likewise, its young devotees may not have caught onto The Freak Brothers yet, but they’re likely to be predisposed to the irreverent comedy.

Another goal for both collaborators is further de-stigmatizing cannabis, “elevating stoner culture everywhere, challenging outdated stereotypes and bringing the plant to the forefront of mainstream conversations,” said Randa McMinn, Weedmaps’ chief marketing officer.

With that strategy in mind, Weedmaps has historically leaned into live and streamed entertainment, both creating its own content, like the Vice series Tumbleweeds with Killer Mike and partnering with musicians, artists, comedians and other performers.

Brands get lit

The creative team around The Freak Brothers has embraced brand alliances since the show’s beginning in 2021, integrating Google into its first season, followed by Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Regal. 

Aside from the Weedmaps cameo, a mainstream beer marketer will get face time in the coming episodes, continuing what Goldner called “a very selective process, not a billboard full of brands.”

The placements “need to showcase what a brand wants to accomplish in a meaningful and fun way, and they have to flow naturally” within the storylines, Goldner said. “Brands can’t be dropped in to tick and box or collect a check.”

In addition to on-screen partnerships, The Freak Brothers have reached into media and retail—High Times magazine and Amoeba record stores—for some trippy co-promotions and limited-run swag. The show also worked this year with specialty roaster Onyx Coffee Lab for a Wake and Bake blend to celebrate the weed industry’s biggest annual holiday, April 20.

To help hype its first season, The Freak Brothers opened a themed pop-up shop at Fred Segal’s flagship location on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The activation, with a Haight-Ashbury vibe and mushroom decor, sold exclusive merchandise like customized Nike Air Force 1’s by Schlep’s, hand-blown glass bongs and Free & Easy streetwear.

“This is a playful IP that’s always been way ahead of its time—it’s about critiquing the establishment,” Goldner said. “We look for brands and partnerships that share those values.”