Welcome to the funniest comedy of 2012. Loony, lewd and lovable, “Ted” takes place on a stratospheric plane of preposterousness. Underachiever John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) made a childhood wish that his teddy bear would come to life and be his best friend forever. It came true. Ted was a media sensation, but after his flurry of fame, our celebrity-glutted society shrugged him off. Twenty-five years later John and Ted are affable couch spuds, living a juvenile getting-by life, cracking politically incorrect jokes and idling away their days with beer, bong and TV. Whoever said there are only 10 basic plots overlooked this one.

If this surreal take on the man-child and idiot-friend genres sounds cartoonish, it’s to be expected. This is the first film from Seth MacFarlane, creator of the animated “Family Guy” series. Once we buy the abracadabra premise (set up in a prologue narrated by syrupy, faux-sincere Patrick Stewart), “Ted” respects plausibility and character integrity. It performs the essential magic act required of successful entertainment: getting us to identify with the people on-screen even as they behave absurdly. And good gravy, is this film ridiculous.

Like MacFarlane’s TV hit, “Ted” presents the tribulations of daily life for a bizarre New England family. As Lori, John’s successful, supportive girlfriend, Mila Kunis struggles to preserve a semblance of normality in their home life. It’s not easy. The script is a free-form barrage of gross-out gags, odd celebrity cameos and curveball jokes. It feels more stuck together with a glue gun than written, but the sheer foul-mouthed energy of the enterprise is irresistible. As Ted is eased out of John’s life and into his own apartment, John’s loyalties remain divided.