The plot generally revolves around Otis (a male cow with udders) and his barnyard friends. Otis wants to horse around, but has to be responsible and protect the inhabitants of the Barnyard. He and his friends Pip the mouse, Abby the cow, Pig, Freddy the ferret, Peck the rooster, Duke the sheepdog, and Bessy the cow have many crazy adventures, while at the same time help Otis protect the farm. The setting is unknown but it is heavily implied to be in the fictional Arizona town of Oedeville. While the setting strongly resembles Arizona (the Grand Canyon has been depicted in some episodes, i.e. Cowman and Ratboy), some have questioned whether or not it is in Arizona or a made-up setting. According to the original film and an episode of the spin off, Oedeville (which Steve Oedekerk most likely named after himself) is 20 miles from the actual city of Phoenix. There is still debate of whether this should be the official location because there are many scenes in the show where the nature background does not look at all like Arizona (it is green and hilly, whereas Arizona is more of a desert-like area which is dry, arid and sandy). Otis and his friends have to overtake many obstacles like preventing Mrs. Beady from proving that animals can talk and distracting the farmer, so that they can throw a party. In many episodes, Otis gets himself in a sticky situation where his friends have to come to the rescue, resulting in him learning a lesson. Sometimes, the animals dress up like people when out in public, which nobody notices except Mrs. Beady.
