The name comes from a story about the Tonight Show with Steve Allen. Apparently, on his way to deliver a monologue, Allen would pass by up-and-coming comedians who tried to sell him jokes to use that night. These writers were reffered to as "the kids in the hall."
Though it was produced by Lorne Michaels, who also produced Saturday Night Live, the show's sketches were more reminiscent of the British sketch show, Monty Python's Flying Circus for they were often of a quirky or surreal nature. One sketch featured a flying pig who amused people in ATM lines, another featured a man who pretended to crush people's heads from a distance with his fingers.
Also involved in the show were various guest stars (including Neve Campbell and Nicole DeBoer) and a great deal of cross-dressing.
After the show ended its run, the troupe came together to produce a movie, Brain Candy featuring many characters from the show. The movie received mixed reviews and did not do particularly well at the box office, ending the chances for another Kids in the Hall movie.
In 2000, the troupe came together for a North American tour, reprising many sketches from the show. The tour was chronicled in a movie, "Kids in Hall: Same guys, Different Dresses," whiched followed the previous year.
Sketches and characters include: