What's the deal with Family Guy? Can they hear the baby or what? I don't get that?

Question

What's the deal with Family Guy? Can they hear the baby or what? I don't get that?

Answer 1

Seth McFarland, the creator and main writer and the guy that does all the voices responded to that question by saying "it depends on the joke, if it's funnier not to have the family respond to it, then we go with that, if it's funnier to only have Brian hear him, that's great too".  I paraphrased but that's the gist of it.  

Answer 2

Yes. They react to what stewie says.

Contrair to the last response seth mcfarland doesn't do all the voices.  Seth green (scott evil from austin powers) does the voice of the older son (couldn't think of his d**n name!) and Jackie from That 70s show does the voice of meg.  Just fyi

Answer 3

There has been episodes in which they did understand Stewie, although, it mostly represents what a child like Stewie might be thinking relative to us adults/teens.  Just think back to when you were a baby...  Thoughts like that might have been going through your head, although, they just weren't worded so well...  They were mainly just feelings.

Answer 4

in some episodews they can and some they cant

Answer 5

Most of the time the adults only hear a grouchy crying baby or don't take him seriously as though he's too young to understand what he's saying.  Seth Macfarlane said the Stewie character is supposed to represent the helplessness of an infant from the point of view of an adult.  When creating the character it was decided to use an adult voice that mostly only the audience would hear. He's really the narrator because in his scenes when he is alone he's talking to us the audience.  Using Rex Harrison as a model for the voice was just the genius of Seth Macfarlane.  Stewie made it into the list of 100 all time greatest villains in Rolling Stone magazine.  Brian the dog and he converse on a regular basis and on a couple of occasion has heard Stewie's thoughts.  Stewie also had no problem having a conversation with Brian's ditsy girlfriend.   One minute Stewie is ranting about Lois's impediment of his plans for world domination, she sticks a pacifier in his mouth and he falls asleep.  Like shutting up any crying baby.

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