Kaput and Zösky

Kaput and Zösky: The Ultimate Obliterators
Genre Animation, science fiction, comedy
Created by Lewis Trondheim
Written by Eric Rondeaux
Lewis Trondheim
Directed by Didier Loubat
Starring Rick Jones
Mark Camacho
John Stocker
Helen King
Sonja Ball
Tony Rosato
Stacey DePass
Country of origin United States
Canada
France
Original language(s) English
French
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 26 (78 Segments)
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Futurikon
ToonCan Productions, Inc.
Distributor Film Roman, Inc.
Starz, Inc.
Release
Original network Nicktoons (2004–2007)
Teletoon
Original release September 2, 2002 (2002-09-02)[1] – December 15, 2003 (2003-12-15)[1]
Chronology
Related shows Fly Tales
Watch My Chops
External links
Production website

'Kaput and Zösky: The Ultimate Obliterators' is a Canadian/French animated cartoon series based on the comic book series from the cartoonist Lewis Trondheim called 'Kaput and Zösky'. While this show aired in 2003, artwork indicates creation of the characters themselves began a year earlier, in 2002, in the form of comic books.

Some of the stories featured in the comics have been converted into the series that ran on weekends and late at night in the United States on the Nicktoons Network and in Canada on Teletoon.

Story

Bloodthirsty conquerors, Kaput and Zösky travel the universe, landing on planets and trying to conquer them. They are not the most able tyrants, however, and have trouble holding any planet for more than a few days, if they can even manage to dominate it in the first place. In fact, they spend as much time running for their lives as they do enslaving and slaughtering innocents. Kaput and Zösky are a dynamic, if generic, duo. Zösky is a cunning, level-headed pseudo-intellectual who always has a plan. Kaput, on the other hand, is short-tempered and volatile; his strategies always involve "crisperizing" everything in sight. Kaput is a short and dumpy little terrorizer with a brilliant red mohawk, and Zösky is a tall and thin tyrant with a set of yellow antennae. Their exploits almost always end in the same way for the two space tyrants; the two barely escape from their fates by flying off in their dumpy little spaceship, leaving a red smoke trail behind.

Cast

The cast is composed of three actors, two of which are Canadian, which is pertinent because Canada has a strong influence on the show as a whole. The cast is composed of Rick Jones, John Stocker, and Mark Camacho. The cast also includes (often) Helen King, who usually plays multiple roles, as do the other voice actors. There are no other actors, though Janice Kawaye, Tony Rosato, Stacey DePass, Denis Akiyama, Danny Brochu, Rob Tinkler, and Diane D'Auilla were said to play roles in the show.

On TV.com the actors list includes Matt Hill and Terry Klassen, who are said to be the UK voices of Kaput and Zösky. However, this is unlikely, as there are no credits given to support this. Also included in this unconfirmed cast is Debi Derryberry, though again, this is likely the work of a mistake-making editor.

Show history

"Kaput and Zösky: The Ultimate Obliterators" had made its debut sometime on September 3, 2002,[2] though when is not revealed exactly, but for a short time, this show had made a niche in TeleToon and Nicktoons Network. While it was shown on Nicktoons, most of the episodes that were made were exempted from airing until sometime in January 2007, when "new episodes" had made their way onto the network. Totally 26 half-hour episodes (78 shorts) were produced.

Characters

Kaput - Kaput is the short and fat one of the duo, and the exact reverse of Zösky. While Zösky is clean, methodical, and thorough, Kaput is all mayhem and prefers to fire at will. He has red hair in the shape of an unruly mohawk and a prominent underbite. His crisperizer is red as are the buttons on his outfit, and he has short boots. Kaput is considered an object of derision to most, due to his fat body and his manner. He is also allergic to moles and swells up when he is near them. Kaput is voiced by Rick Jones.

Zösky - Zösky is the thin one of the duo, and more the planner. He seems to be well versed on matters beyond Kaput's control, and is quite easily agitated by Kaput's mayhem and discord. His home planet is Lamamma, He also wishes to first use his mind to dominate rather than brute force. Zösky is tall and thin, has yellow antennae which resemble bunny ears, and squinted eyes. His crisperizer and the buttons on his shirt are yellow, and has sports tall boots. To some characters in the show, Zösky is considered attractive, perhaps due to his British accent and his suavè manners. Zösky can't stand carrots, contrary to some characters believing that he is a rabbit and thus likes them. Zösky is voiced by Mark Camacho.

Minor characters

Traditionally, these characters only play a single role per episode, and then never reappear.

Crazy Joe - A crazed, dirty mercenary, Crazy Joe is after Kaput and Zösky to try to "cream them". It was never revealed what he had against them, but it possibly has to do with Kaput borrowing a massive amount of money off of Crazy Joe. He was brainwashed so that he would be little more than a lackey to them, but soon came to his senses and resumed his pursuit of the two. He is shown being short and having the same build as Kaput as well as being tan and having tentacles at the bottom of his body. His ship resembles Kaput and Zösky's ship. Some events had occurred in the show where the deranged villain was forced to join forces with Kaput and Zösky, such as the instance where the three were sent to a mental asylum.

Office Lady - The Office Lady helps the two on their assumption of power on the office planet. She is a character which is dressed in a suit and wears an air helmet. She translates all of the employee complaints to Kaput and Zösky. Towards the end of her appearance, she advised the two to leave before lawyers came to "instigate precedings on work-equipment deterioration and attempted intimidation". The Office Lady is voiced by Helen King.

The Great Ghandizen - The Great Ghandizen is a squat, little ruler with an arsenal of crushing devices with which to crush offenders. He made a massive amount of contributions to his planet and is long lived, being about 600 years old. The Great Ghandizen is voiced by John Stocker.

Marvin the Enchanter - Marvin is a bird-like, bespectacled wizard with a white beard famed for his ability to perform magic of an awesome ability. He assists Kaput in trying to take the crown of the planet by magically attaching the sword Exkaliput, a clear parody of Excalibur to his hand. Marvin is also a play on Merlin of King Arthur lore. Marvin the Enchanter is voiced by John Stocker.

Bobo Bibola - Bobo Bibola is a genie who is the denizen of a lamp which very seldom opens. He is against granting Kaput and Zösky wishes because he is tired of doing favors when he gets nothing in return. Bobo Bibola is voiced by John Stocker.

Ghost King - The Ghost King is not exactly dead, nor alive, but he is invisible and considered a ghost. He takes control of inanimate objects because he lacks a body. He is also furious at Kaput and Zösky for ruining his kingdom.

El Kinga - The current ruler of Diskotekus and a good dancer, El Kinga is a large two-headed ruler, one head sports a pompadour and the other, blond hair. This ruler is not only the leader of his/her planet, but also the most revered dancer.

Ichabob the Liberator - A native to a planet held in discord for many years, Ichabob is commonly known as Ichabob the Liberator. He has a long, unkempt beard and tattered clothes from staying underground for so many years. He was unwittingly freed from prison by Kaput and Zösky when he pretended to be a crazed prisoner. He speaks in a strong Scottish accent.

Max - Like many of the other characters, Max made only one appearance in the show. He is a cheery and helpful mechanic who installs a travelling device in the ship belonging to Kaput and Zösky. He wears traditional mechanic garb and speaks with a New York accent. With his moderation, the two conquerors made it to uncharted lands far away from the rest of the galaxy.

Mermaid Queen - The Mermaid Queen is a large, corpulent sea creature who is the queen of the planet H2O. She was shown as the bride to Kaput when he was forced to marry the queen in order to gain the crown. She speaks in a strong New York accent in the voice of a man. When angered, she emits a large, blinding cloud of ink, like an octopus.

Boudini - Boudini is a wizard of the planet Hokus Pokus. He is the ruler and an accomplished magician. He wears a pointed black outfit as well as a magic scepter with which to perform magic of all varieties. Boudini had plans for Zösky, in the hopes of disappearing him, for he thought that Zösky was a rabbit. Kaput rescued Zösky by dressing like a woman, who had caught Boudini's eye, because there were no more women on Hokus Pokus (they had all disappeared, apparent nod to the David Cronenberg film Crimes of the Future.) Boudini was converted into a large, savage beast when Kaput stole his scepter and has apparently remained that way since.

"Cabbie" - The cabbie is a slug-like character who speaks with a strong New York accent and drives the two conquerors around on Rycta Ryctim, while bearing in mind the planet's cardinal rule; obey the traffic signs. He refers to Kaput and Zösky as "touristás".

Heads and Tails - These two (they are two different personalities with one body) are the instruction manual of the planet Gamma Blorg, and are conjoined twins. One speaks in a strong British accent and has a tiara as well as red hair, is named Heads, and the other, Tails is a moose head with a Canadian accent. They argue continuously and have a cauldron as a body.

Races

"Babblers" - Though the name of these small aliens is unknown, they are small creatures who speak in a babbling language to fool any invaders who may try to conquer them, though they speak in clear British accents when not being seen by other creatures. The planet which they live on is unplotted.

The Byurks - The Byurks are a race of stuttering slug-like characters who are very gullible and believe Kaput to be a god, due to his drinking of a ceremonial dish of theirs, the Flabyurk, which when drunk, will make the drinker a stuttering fool and only massive blows to the head can reverse that effect. The Byurks are not as stupid as they appear and are actually quite deceptive at times; one such case was their chief making an attempt to profit from Kaput's joining their beliefs by forcing the people to pay heavy prices to receive merchandise and tickets to see Kaput consuming the flabyurk. These creatures had appeared in two known episodes.

Pickaplop residents - These aliens resemble horses, with the exception that they are flat in shape and are reputed around the galaxy for being flat and laughed at. They can be hostile but are placated by being inflated so that they are round again. The inflation of these aliens works for but a short time as the sun sets on their homeland and they remain deflated once more.

Hohoba residents - These small, blue aliens are known for possessing the ability to reproduce by laying eggs orally. The little aliens follow the leadership of a certain being and then spew out eggs orally which hatch to resemble their leader. They were driven into extinction by Kaput and Zösky when they took the planet over. These aliens seem to bear a strong resemblance to the Aleena aliens in Star Wars lore.

Chibapiano residents - These aliens are large, slug-like aliens which move, speak, and even think slower than the rest of the galaxy's creatures because they appear to be imprinted with such a slowness in their DNA. They were easily dominated by Kaput and Zösky, but soon fought back (slowly).

Pax residents - These aliens are small, dwarf-like workers who live on a planet which is known for its hospitable ways. These aliens are also lesser known for having an evil temper which morphs into its worst (along with the alien) when severely angered.

H2O residents - These aliens resemble mermaids of ancient lore and live in a planet covered in water. They are shown as gentle and calm towards any visitors to the planet.

Hobbie Hobans - These aliens are considered highly bureaucratic and resemble pale, gray leeches which make any matter at all difficult due to their tendency to make all visitors fill out many pointless forms.

Globin 2 residents - These aliens appear to resemble (if anything) vampires. They speak with strong Transylvanian accents and enjoy eating blood-themed foods. These aliens also (as classic vampires), have a strong dislike towards garlic and the smell of it makes them sick. With this, the residents of this planet also make sure (as regular vampires do) to hurry back to the darkness at daytime.

Rycta Ryctim residents - These aliens were shown as being strict, law-abiding aliens which resemble sharp-toothed slugs. They often have New York accents and can be killed by a shot. They make it perfectly clear that on their planet, "You're better off obeying the traffic signs!", who turn into massive monsters when disobeyed.

Planets

Pachu Pachu - A planet ruled by large, green aliens fascinated with guns. It is verdant, with primitive villages and many plants around. The residents appear to be quite calm. (Given by Jackie's green heart)

Alamax is a planet composed mostly of dry land. There is very little surface water and very few colonizations. What colonizations exist are fake; they are sets used to film a movie, which is what the residents appear to only do. Any visitors to the planet are taken in as part of the show.

Kleen - The name says it all. This planet is one which is spotless and sparkling in every form. The residents take great care to keep all things clean, including even going so far as to suggest that the residents be brainwashed.

Pickaplop - Pickaplop is a planet which, while verdant, is indeed literally flat. Everything seems to be flat, as though made of cardboard. Even the inhabitants are flat. The residents are quite round if inflated. Pickaplop is flat because of a strange phenomenon which occurs when the night arrives. The night lasts but two seconds and literally falls, deflating anything below it.

Globin 2 - Globin 2 is notably inhabited by vampires. The planet is perpetually in black and white, reminiscent of the old horror films of vampires. There is a large castle, which is easily taken by anyone who wishes to become a vampire in turn.

H20 - H20 is a water planet, composed (possibly) of pure ocean and inhabited by mermaid-like creatures which treat all visitors to the planet with respect. The planet seems to have a simple hierarchy.

(unnamed Arm-creature planet) - This planet, while given no name in the series, is a rainforest planet where, due to a flood, the natives all developed long arms to live in the trees. The planet was devoured by a huge flood, due to the carelessness of a servant, who left the water running to one of the bathtubs.

Isn't That Precious - This planet appears to be little more than a large desert at first glimpse, but the planet is actually a thriving populated world where the civilizations, as well as the natives, are invisible and are considered quite ugly when visible. Jackie cannot describe the reason why she made them like so but she said that she had a little accident with her daddy's powers which may have caused their

Diskotekus - Diskotekus appears to be little more than a planet made up of dance clubs in that the planet is composed of bright lights and dance clubs, where one needs an invitation in order to enter; however the guards of the club are easily fooled by anyone wearing clothes which make them appear famous. The seat of power is easily gained by any who can dance better than the current ruler, El Kinga. If the challenger fails, he or she is put onto a giant record player and scratched with the needle.

Mudhole - There's nothing much to say about planet Mudhole, except for the fact that it has huge mud pits (hence the planet's name) and the planet's leader is a ghost (this is implied through the fact that one of the planet's inhabitants said so, and the leader is invisible as Kaput says "The only time you can see him is when he slips into an inanimate object").

Adventures depicted in the television series

Their exploits are usually ended in the same way, in a failure; these are the adventures shown on the television series:

Comic book adventures

There are also two comic books about Kaput and Zösky in both English and French. In the second book, the comics were made into episodes. Les Zigouilleurs De L'infini

Les Flinguizeurs Du Cosmos

The comics were translated into one book in English, which was released in April 2008.

Home Media

There were four Kaput and Zösky DVDs released in 2005 by Filmoption International and Direct Source Special Product Inc. The DVDs include 8 episodes each and are very rare to find. The DVDs include episodes that were not aired on Nicktoons Network until late in the show's run as they were considered "unsuitable for television." Between late 2013 and early 2014 though, the entire series was released to Starz Media's YouTube page.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Television Program Logs". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2016-03-02. Archived from the original on 2016-05-16.
  2. ↑ "Fall 2002 Highlights: Teletoon" (Press release). Toronto: Teletoon. Channel Canada. August 28, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/user/starzmedia/search?query=kaput+and+zosky
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