LIST: Who's Who? In Futurama
Haynes Lee
Maintained by Haynes Lee <l...@adan.kingston.net>
<http://www.pettifogger.com/futurama/whoswho.htm>
First posted March 11, 1999
Last updated March 1, 2000
An exhaustive list of sci-fi, Simpsons, television, literary,
movie, musical, and other allusions to the characters in Futurama.
+ new entry (Woo Hoo!)
* not seen yet (D'oh!)
- to be deleted next version (G'uh?)
Futurama was the name of the famous General Motor's exhibit at the
1939 New York World's Fair which depicted a futuristic landscape
complete with highways and cities. This exhibit is often credited
with the development of modern superhighway systems.
Matt Groening seems to like the phrase "Science Friction"
which shortens to "Sci-Fri" or "Sci-Fry" (that and the sense
of "small Fry" that the name conjures up). The "Sci" in "Sci-Fri"
was also going to refer to "cy", as in cyclops. i.e., "Cy-Fry".
Incidently Bongo Comics registered the internet domains
SCIENCEFRICTION.COM, SCIFRI.COM and SCIFRY.COM late 1996.
Fry, Phillip J.:
- voiced by Billy West, best known for his voice work on
Ren and Stimpy
- looks like generic teenaged worker from The Simpsons.
- ... or more like young Principal Skinner.
- FedEx guy from those commercials.
- middle initial `J' is a tribute to Bullwinkle's Jay Ward.
- first name is a tribute to the late Phil Hartman. {dga}
- Miles Monroe (Woody Allen) in 1973 movie "Sleeper"
(which has the same premise as the beginning of Futurama).
- Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) "Back To The Future". {gr}
- Tintin from the old graphic novels. {gr}
- Arnold Lister from "Red Dwarf". {lf}
Leela:
- voiced by Katey Sagal, best for her role of Peggy Bundy on
Married... With Children.
- looks like Princess Kashmir from The Simpsons.
- looks like Eczema from Radioactive Man comics. {mm}
- vixen named Leela in Dr. Who, see
http://www.dwguide.demon.co.uk/leela.htm .
- ...however Futurama producers say this is NOT a Dr. Who
reference. {dga}
- strips down to tee-shirt like Sigourney Weaver in Alien.
- Margaret Houlihan from M*A*S*H (She's got the same tempermental
nature of a later-season (8-11) Margaret Houlihan, but not the
neurotic disposition of HotLips in the early seasons). {gr}
- alternate spelling `Leila' one letter off Star War's Princess
Leia.
- 'leela' is Swedish/Germam for `purple', the color of her
hair. {l13}
- Matt Groening says Leela is based on "Xena: The Warrior Princess"
starring Lucy Lawless. {qj}
- ... a cross between Xena and Emma Peel, to be exact. {gr}
- her 360 spin kick in the mosh pit was one of the moves from the
video game Street Fighter. {tc}
- Chrissy from "Red Dwarf".+ {lf}
Bender Unit 22:
- voiced by John Di Maggio from Chicago Hope.
- most similar to Krusty the Clown/Homer Simpson from The Simpsons
(especially Krusty's vices).
- antithesis of manic-depressive Marvin The Robot from Douglas Adams'
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
- Catch 22?!
- same affection for booze as Captain Haddock from the Tintin
books. {gr}
- pretty much the Dilbertesque engineer played by John Di Maggio
himself in the television movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley"
which coincidently first aired June 20, 1999 only a month after
the first seeason of Futurama ended. {ds}
See <http://futurama.simplenet.com/misc/dimaggio.html>
- In a 1968-70 CBS sitcom called "The Good Guys" starring Bob Denver
as a cabdriver and Herb Edelman and Joyce Van Patten as a married
couple who owned a diner (Herb and Bob's characters were lifelong
friends), there was a character named Mr. Bender played by Jack
Perkins who occasonally found his way into the diner and was
always inebriated. Although that series has never been seen in
reruns in the U.S. since leaving CBS in January, 1970. Perkins may
have resurrected the character in an episode of "Happy Days",
though he may have been nameless there. {dj}
- battle cry "kill all humans" from 1908s video game Berserk.
- Kryten the android in "Red Dwarf" who is only programmed to clean
restrooms.
Dr. Farnsworth:
- most similar with one of Dr. Monroe's psychologist
colleagues from The Simpsons, see 7G09.
- Magnus Pyke?!-
- Philo T. Farnsworth, one of the pioneers of television, whose
invention was premiered in the USA at the 1939 NY World's Fair,
along with Futurama. {gr}
- drawn to look like a cross between Grampa and Monty Burns. {or}
- ... but reminds us of Frink from The Simpsons. {jjb}
Dr. Zoidberg:
- looks like Pinchy the Lobster from The Simpsons.
- Dr. Hibbert from The Simpsons?!
- ... but is even more incompetent than Dr. Nick. {ddg}
- Zoids, 1980s toy snap-together battle machines
shaped like dinosaurs, predators, and mythological
beasts.
- monstrous entity Cthulhu. {dga}
- "Predator".
- sounds like Jackie Mason who played Krusty's father on
The Simpsons. {dh}
- sound like Georgie Jessel. {nr}
- creature that evolved from cats from "Red Dwarf". {lf}
- Zoidburg's nickname, Dr. Z, as well as the fact that he's a
water-type alien, is reminiscent of a bad film called
"Blood Waters of Dr. Z. A sci-fi film made in the 1970's, but
released in the 1980's, it tells the story of a mad scientist
who mutates himself into a fish-like creature. In this form, he
unfolds his plot to have the fish to take over the world while
killing rival scientists and trying to find a female for a wife.+
{jk}
- returning to planet to mate is from the Star Trek episode
"Amok Time".+
- ...but the perishing after mating is more like the pacific salmon.+
Wong, Amy:
- voiced by Lauren Tom best known for her voice work of
Kahn Jr. and Kahn's wife in King Of The Hill. {df}
- Monica Lewinsky?!
Conrad, Hermes:
- Kevin Spacey in "Glengarry Glen Ross".
- voiced by Phil Lamarr from Mad TV.
Mom:
- most similar to Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.
- Leona "The Queen of Mean" Helmsley?!
- looks like an old 7of9 (Jeri Ryan) from Star Trek's Voyager.
- Bill Gates.
- Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close) "101 Dalmations".
- Mom's hairstyle (and the flowing robes) were reminiscent of Gary
Oldman's portrayal of Dracula in "Bram Stoker's Dracula". {cv}
- similar voice to Mrs. Glick from The Simpsons. {jjb}
- but in sweet mode sounds like Bugs Bunny's Granny.
Mom's sons:
- are dressed like the Imperial Officers from Star Wars. {gr}
- Larry, Walt and Igner are the clones of Larry, Moe and Curly,
i.e., The Three Stooges. {gr}
- the dominant one has the same voice as the Brain from
"Pinky and the Brain" (both voiced by Maurice LaMarche). {jjb}
Cubert:*
- early 1980s video game Q*Bert. {ag} {df}
- ...or its C64 clone `Cubert'.
- name of one of Cletus' kids from The Simpsons. {gd}
- however Cubert is a Cornish name.
- looks like Professor Frink but acts like the Comic Book
Guy on The Simpsons.
- Dilbert?!
- cloned from Dr. Hubert Farnsworth, hence the similar first name.
{ds}
Zapp Brannigan:
- most similar to Troy McClure from The Simpsons.
- was originally supposed to be voiced by Phil Hartman.
- Star Trek's Captain Kirk.
- Hitchhiker's Zaphod Beeblebrox (two-headed rogue captain). {je}
- Frank Zappa?!
- Blaskadder's Lord Flashheart. {mm}
- Flash Gordon. {rz}
- Sternn (Eugene Levy) 1981 movie "Heavy Metal". {dr}
- his red mini-skirted tunic and white boots reminds me of Magnus,
Robot Fighter most recently seen in the Valiant/Acclaim
comics line). {df}
- 1975 detective movie "Brannigan" starring John Wayne.
- antithesis of Ace Rimmer which would be Arnold Rimmer.+ {lf}
Kroker, Kif:
- KIF is short for "Klingon Imperial Fleet".
- voice sounds like Peter Lorre's.
- looks like the Martian from The Simpsons Stonecutters episode.
Horrible Gelatinous Blob, Mr.:
- most similar to Kodos & Kang from The Simpsons.
- Star Wars Jabba the Hutt.
- Flubber.
- The Blob.
- initials `H.G.' are the same as science fiction writer
H.G. Welles.
- burps like Barney.
- nameless Fox executive. :-)
Nibbler:
- looks like a cross between Ozmodiar and Bongo the one-eared
rabbit. {je}
- Batman's archvillain the Riddler.
- eating habits similar to the Tasmanian Devil in Bugs Bunny.
Akbar & Jeff:*
- two characters from Matt Groening's "Life In Hell".
- Admiral Akbar from "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi". {ar}
Craterface:
- Spencer Tracy's Pruneface.
- the bottle in to the eye of Craterface was a reference to the
first ever science fiction film EVER. "Le Voyage Dans La Lune"
(1902!) (From The Earth To The Moon) is probably best known for
the space capsule that landed in the "eye" of the "man" in the
moon. {jh}
Crushinator:
- most similar to Patty & Selma from The Simpsons.
- The Terminator. (well, d'uh!)
- looks like one of the robot football players from The Jetsons.
(Plus she's a Transformer) {jjb}
Daisy Mae-128K:
- female character from L'il Abner comic strip.
- 128 kilobytes of computer RAM.
Lunarbelle-7:
- Disney's Lulabelle.
- looks like the "country" Red Riding Hood from Tex Avery's
"Red Hot Riding Hood". {jjb}
Calculon:
- cross between typical Transformer name and calculus.
M-5438:
- various energy entities in "Star Trek".
- had the exact same voice of Billy West used for
"The Jackie Puppett" on the Howard Stern show. {ea}
Elzar:
- the TV chef was a parody of the very obnoxious Emeril
Lagasse, complete with "Pow!"s. {dm}
Emperor, The:
- Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- alien entity in James Cameron's "The Abyss".
- parasitic conjoined twin fetus in "Total Recall".
- appearance on Fry's stomach similar to Pepto-Bismol commercial.
Florp:
- defintely not political satirist Jack Russel.
- dated improv comic from The Simpsons. [1F10] {bd}
Gorgak:
- Droopy the Dog (of Hanna Barbera fame). {jd}
- voiced by Maurice LeMarche who does a similar voice for the Brain
in Animaniacs. {mz}
Murg:
- Marge?!
- name is German.
Wernstrom, Prof. Ogden:
- sounds like Marvin the Martian. {ds}
- Animal House's Dean Wormer?!
- sounds like a sober Barney Gumbel from The Simpsons. {jjb}
Poopenmeyer, Mayor:
- Pillsbury Poppin Fresh.
- New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
- Animal House's Neidermeyer?!
Morvo:
- Metaluna Mutant, a biologically produced servant/soldier to the
Metalunans in the classic 1955 sci-fi feature "This Island Earth".
(of course, he also appears in "MST3K: The Movie, as well) {dld}
- likes to eat felines like ALF from the 1980s television show. {aa}
Robot Devil:
- looks and sounds like Coldmiser from 1974 TV special
"A Year Without A Santa Claus". {ee}
- premise of golden fiddle contest from the Charlie Daniel Band
1979 country crossover hit "The Devil Went To Georgia".
- ... or the more recent cover version clay-mation short/music
video by Les Claypool (frontman/bassist of Primus), which depicts
a fiddle contest between a farmboy and the devil. {hr}
- ... the golden fiddle contest is originally from a musical
composition by Igor Stravinsky called "L'Histoire du Soldat"
(The Soldier's Tale). This is where those country guys got
the idea from. {jd2}
- name Beelzebot similar to either Hitchhikers' `Beeblebrox'
or Michael Keaton's `Beatlejuice'.
- ...or "Beelzebub" which is another name for Lucifer. {jd3}
Robot Preacher:
- sounds like Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Countess De La Roca:
- Kate Winslet in "Titanic".
- named after associate producer Claudia De La Roca. {ds}
iZac:
- Isaac the bartender (Ted Lange) in "The Loveboat"
- Apple iMac computer.
Dean Vernon, Fatbot, Meidermeyer:
- Dean Vernon Wormer, Flounder, Neidermeyer from "Animal House".
Guenter:
- Bongo in "Bongo Goes To College".
- sounds like boy in The Simpsons "Schoolhouse Rock" spoof. {l13}
- name is German.
Contributors:
{aa} andy andy, {ag} andrew gill, {ar} AndrewR, {bd} brett d., {cv}
countv, {ddg} don del grande, {dga} dale g abersold, {df} deathfox,
{dh} dean humphries, {dj} david johnson, {dld} daniel l. dreibelbis,
{dm} dave/at/macconnect.com, {dr} dave ratboy, {ds} dave sweatt, {ea}
eric ianson, {ee} eric roberts, {gd} greg doyle, {gr}
grosse/at/doomworld.com, {hp} hiro protagonist, {jd} john difool,
{jd2} jason dolatshahi, {jd3} jeremey dennis, {je} jordan eisenberg,
{jh} john hutton, {jjb} j. john bloch, {jk} joe klemm, {l13} leigh13,
{lf} larry finkelstein, {mm} michael morbius, {mz} mike zaite, {nr}
neil roberston, {or} omega robot, {qj} qui-gon jinn, {rz} reznick,
{tc} todd/at/calweb.com.
eof
Joe
"Coming to America" which is currently airing on cable. The Arsenio Hall
preacher character has distinctly been ripped off/homaged.
> eof
--
j de f at p.a.ni.x. dot com