Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Dr. Heinz "Doof" Doofenshmirtz (also known as Dr. D and later Professor Time) is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the American animated television series Phineas and Ferb, and a main character in spin-off sequel series Milo Murphy's Law. He was created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, and is voiced by Povenmire. The character first appeared in the pilot episode of Phineas and Ferb. He was originally depicted as an incompetent and forgetful evil scientist intent on conquering the "entire tri-state area" by creating obscure but nefarious inventions, despite not technically being a true villain and has a good side on some occasions. By the time of O.W.C.A. Files and Milo Murphy's Law, the character is redeemed, using his inventions for the good of the world and looking after his daughter Vanessa. Dr. Doofenshmirtz speaks with a caricature of a German accent and is from the fictional European country Drusselstein.

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Phineas and Ferb / Milo Murphy's Law character
First appearance
Created byDan Povenmire
Jeff "Swampy" Marsh
Voiced byDan Povenmire
AliasDoof
Dr. D
Stouchy
Heinz the Ocelot
Professor Time
OccupationEvil Scientist (formerly)
High School Science Teacher (formerly)
Mayor of Danville
O.W.C.A agent
Professor of Time
FamilyRoger Doofenshmirtz (brother)
SpouseCharlene Doofenshmirtz (divorced)
ChildrenVanessa Doofenshmirtz (daughter)
RelativesMurphy family (distant cousins)
NationalityDrusselsteinian
AffiliationL.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. (formerly)
(League of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness)
O.W.C.A.
(Organisation Without a Cool Acronym)

Doofenshmirtz appears in several merchandise pieces, including the book series[1][2][3][4] and the video game.[5] He later made an appearance in the Milo Murphy's Law episode "Fungus Among Us";[6] following his house being destroyed in the second season premiere, he begins to live in the Murphys' house, and subsequently becomes a main character in the series.[7]

Role in Phineas and Ferb

Doofenshmirtz is portrayed as a bumbling, dimwitted evil genius. He strives to take over the "entire tri-state area"[epnote 1] by using peculiar contraptions made up of "strange items [he] purchases off the internet".[epnote 2] His nemesis is Perry the Platypus, a skilled anthropomorphic platypus secret agent who disguises himself as the mindless pet of the series' title characters. Despite his claim being a doctor, he actually purchased his doctorate online.

A typical episode features Doofenshmirtz hatching an evil scheme or invention that he often links to a "back story" from his youth. The stories explore his mentally abusive childhood at the hands of his cold and apparently shallow parents in the fictional village of Gimmelshtump, Drusselstein, where his brother, Roger, is favored over him.[8] Some examples of him having a bad childhood is when his parents weren't there when he was born, when his parents made him dress like a girl, or when his parents made him be a lawn gnome. Doofenshmirtz usually has long monologues[8] and displays acts of "cartoonish" physical violence[epnote 2] towards Perry the Platypus. Often his inventions achieve a single successful shot before being destroyed. This shot usually serves to get rid of Phineas and Ferb's invention for that episode, preventing their sister, Candace, from 'busting' them by showing their creations to their mother. According to his own life story, he was a bratwurst salesman, before being ruined by the hot dog industry; only then did he become an evil scientist.

In Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, a more intelligent and successful version of Dr. Doofenshmirtz (from an alternate reality) appears, with the regular Dr. Doofenshmirtz serving as a supporting character. The alternate Doofenshmirtz later returns in the episode sequel, Tales from the Resistance: Back to the 2nd Dimension.

Despite nearly failing in almost all of his schemes, there are a few times when Doofenshmirtz actually succeeds. One example is in the episode "Candace Disconnected", where he builds a Pick 'Em Up-Inator to successfully pick up his daughter from her school and bring her home in a couple of seconds. Another time is in the TV film, when he built an Otherdimension-Inator that involves traveling to alternate dimensions; this is done with the help from Phineas and Ferb, much to Perry's distress. In the episode "Cranius Maximus", Doofenshmirtz builds a Key-Find-Inator to successfully steal the Key to the City, something which Perry failed to stop. Another example, which is perhaps the most famous, is in the 2014 special "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer", when Doofenshmirtz builds an -inator that uses the mass of the planet Jupiter to move the Earth away from the Sun into an early autumn. Despite being beaten by Perry with a mop, Doofenshmirtz manages to succeed in moving the Earth anyway, much to Perry's dismay. It also may have allowed him to briefly take over the Tri-State Area, as the change in weather caused civil unrest and allowed Doofenshmirtz and his fellow villains to take over City Hall.

In the series finale "Last Day of Summer", Doofenshmirtz built an -inator that involves building a Tri-Governor's Mansion to Danville so that he can be elected as the first Tri-Governor of the Tri-State Area. Through a series of time loops (caused by his Do-Over-Inator, which was activated by Candace), Doofenshmirtz anticipates Perry's every move and defeats him in a series of traps before proceeding with his scheme, which became a complete success. He even took the opportunity to write up a law forbidding Perry and his agents from thwarting him until his term is over, which left Perry very depressed and admitting defeat. Despite succeeding in his lifelong goal, Doof learns that Vanessa wants to have an internship at O.W.C.A. and that his job as Tri-Governor is preventing her from joining the internship, leaving her depressed as well. Deciding that her happiness is more important than his evil ways, Doof decides to give them up, change for the better and allow Vanessa to have the internship. Following this, Doof also becomes a member of O.W.C.A.

Running gags

Dr. Doofenshmirtz is a part of various running gags in Phineas and Ferb. One is his redundant naming of inventions, which almost always end with the suffix "inator".[epnote 3] Furthermore, Dr. Doofenshmirtz only recognizes the hat-wearing version of Perry. During every introduction of Dr. Doofenshmirtz in the episodes, the audience (and sometimes the characters), hears the ring tone of Doofenshmirtz, typically with the words "Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated", and is almost always sung by a quartet.[epnote 4] Habitually, Doofenshmirtz's daily encounters with Perry follow a chain of events that routinely begins with a back-story told by Doofenshmirtz[epnote 5][epnote 6] and ends with Doofenshmirtz yelling his catch phrase, "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!", with his failure often caused by the self-destruct buttons he installs on almost everything he owns. The residents of the town of Danville often mistake Doofenshmirtz for a pharmacist because he is always wearing a white lab coat. This theme was featured in a two-part 2014 Halloween episode entitled "Night of the Living Pharmacists".

Role in Milo Murphy's Law

Doof appears in Season 2 of Milo's Murphy Law. Doof makes a cameo appearance in the ending cliffhanger of the season finale of Milo Murphy's Law, and tries to become a good guy throughout the second season. In the episode The Phineas and Ferb Effect,Doof made a time machine in this episode and he goes back to 1965. He gets the Wyatt Burp orange juice that stopped selling in the 1970s and when he opened that drink, the drink exploded and damaged the time machine and the time machine stopped working. They had a mission to stop the Pistachions. Doofenshmirtz's eccentricities was doing more harm than good and finally tick off Cavendish when the group arrives on an uncharted island in the present. The present turns back to normal, and the Murphy's Law causes Doofenshmirtz's building to collapse, leaving Doofenshmirtz to become Milo's houseguest. In the episode Snow Way Out, Doofenshmirtz ran after a bus to give Milo his lunch only to find out the lunch was actually Sara's. In the episode Agee lentee Diogee,Doofenshmirtz tells Diogee that he met a dog that looked just like him but he found out that it was Diogee. In the episode Game Night, Doofenshmirtz falls through a ceiling into a bathtub which was interrupting the board game. In the episode Pace makes waste,Doofenshmirtz calls Martin to ask if the lemonade in the refrigerator as actually shampoo. In the episode Doof's Day Out, Doofenshmirtz agrees to leave the house for a day. He goes on a field trip to the science museum with Milo and gets driven to an animal shelter by Brigette, and visits a power plant with Martin. He later finds out that the problem's he'd caused had worked out for the best and receives an award. In the episode Disco Do-Over, Doofenshmirtz judges a skating competition.In the episode The Ticking Clock, he uses his latest inator to try and be good by removing gum from the pavement, but inadvertently breaks many things in town. In the episode Milo's Shadow, Doofenshmirtz wants to learn how to deal with misfortune and he follows Milo. In the episode Sick Day, Doofenshmirtz makes himself a hero persona under the name of 'Do-gooder Doof' and he spends the day trying to do good deeds alongside Perry under the assumption that they were saving the city together. After finding out Perry was only there to prevent him from destroying everything but Doofenshmirtz decides they're through.In the episode Spy Little Sister!, Doofenshmirtz is responsible to judge at the Build a Bot science fair at Jefferson County Middle School. He was also questioned by Savannah and Melissa about his Turn Evil Inanimate Objects Evil-inator.In Dog Walker, Runner, Screamer, Doofenshmirtz is seen outside a pastry shop playing some kind of card game with Perry the Platypus. He pulls out an Inator and causes all of the museum's art to come animated.In the episode Abducting Murphy's Law,Doof was showing Milo and his friends his latest inators and realized Milo was actually replaced with a robot.

Creation and design
Doofenshmirtz is voiced by Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire.[8]

When Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Dan Povenmire worked on the Nickelodeon animated series Rocko's Modern Life, they always included a song/musical number and an action/chase scene. They wanted to incorporate this trait in "Phineas and Ferb",[9] and used a platypus secret agent,[10] due to its interesting appearance [11] and role as a continuous nemesis that viewers could become familiar with.[12] "Dr. Meddleshmirtz," which later changed to Doofenshmirtz,[13] was created in the same vein.

Every main character of the series was designed using the geometric shapes of Tex Avery's Looney Tunes graphic style in mind - Doofenshmirtz appears to be an oval.[9] The simplicity of the drawings were intended to allow child viewers to copy them easily. Each one was designed to be recognizable from a distance or, as Povenmire notes as a reference to Matt Groening and The Simpsons, by silhouette.[14]

Voice

Co-creator and executive producer Dan Povenmire voices Doofenshmirtz. He describes the voice he uses as "Eastern European" and is one he used at the age of fifteen while having pillow fights with his five-year-old sister. To this day, his sister recognizes the voice and asks him to do it frequently. During recording sessions, Povenmire is easily able to ad-lib and improvise; the writers can change his lines without throwing him off.[8] Povenmire sometimes even adds his own lines or alters his enunciation, and is usually asked to perform the voice in interviews.[8]

Reception

Despite a negative review of the Phineas and Ferb series on Toon Zone, Maxie Zeus notes that Povenmire's performance as Doofenshmirtz is a strong point of the series. Zeus states that "Dan Povenmire voices him with such energy, and with such perfect timing, that you'll laugh out loud even at the stuff that isn't even supposed to be funny." Zeus also says that the Doofenshmirtz subplot would have made a "fine bit of sketch writing" if trimmed down.[15]

In 2009, Josh Jackson, editor-in-chief for Paste Magazine, wrote in a blog that Phineas and Ferb was "the best kids show on TV" and gave Doofenshmirtz a large amount of praise. Jackson calls his inventions "awesomely designated devices of pure evil" and his complex relationship with his nemesis Perry the Platypus as "pitch-perfect."[16]

Doof's Daily Dirt webseries

In January 2013, Doofenshmirtz "launched [his] own YouTube channel and weekly videocast" titled Doof's Daily Dirt.[lower-alpha 1] He comments on various Internet memes and pop culture trends, usually long after the subject is no longer of interest or relevance. Subjects have included Facebook, Internet Acronyms, Lolcatz, Bacon-infused products, Psy's "Gangnam Style", One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe", Honey Boo-Boo, the Kardashians and the Mayan apocalypse. He also started a Twitter account where he posts frequently.[17] The webisode series had an original run of 13 episodes.[18] He appeared in the season finale for the reality TV series Shark Tank to pitch his latest invention.[19][20] The web series was renewed for a second season, but ultimately was ended after the cancellation of Phineas and Ferb.[21]

Notes
  1. In one of the Doof's Daily Dirt videocasts, Doofenshmirtz admits that he chose Daily because of the title's alliteration.
gollark: cmark. I will explain.
gollark: Hmm. Gibson, you use nim, yes? How can I nicely™ abstract this C library?
gollark: Hi.
gollark: Why are you not just... using an actual IRC client?
gollark: I could host a web IRC client if this troubles you.

References

Episode references

  1. Writers: Sherm Cohen, Antoine Guilbaud; Director: Dan Povenmire. "Flop Starz". Phineas and Ferb. Season 1. Episode 4 (P.2). Disney Channel.
  2. Writer and Director: Dan Povenmire. "It's About Time!". Phineas and Ferb. Season 1. Episode 9. Disney Channel.
  3. Director: Zac Moncrief. "Mom's Birthday". Phineas and Ferb. Season 1. Episode 11. Disney Channel.
  4. Writer: Jon Colton Barry, Piero Piluso; Director: Zac Moncrief. "Attack of the 50 Foot Sister". Phineas and Ferb. Season 2. Episode 51. Disney XD.
  5. "The Chronicles of Meap". Phineas and Ferb. Season 2. Episode 59. Disney XD.
  6. "De Plane! De Plane!". Phineas and Ferb. Season 2. Disney XD.

Other sources

  1. Jones, Jasmine (2009). Speed Demons. Disney Press. ISBN 1-4231-1628-3.
  2. Bergen, Lara Rice (2009). Runaway Hit. Disney Press. ISBN 1-4231-1797-2.
  3. "Wild Surprise". Google Shopping.
  4. "Thrill-o-rama". Google Shopping.
  5. "Phineas and Ferb :: DS Game Review". Kidzworld. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  6. https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/phineas-and-ferb-dr-doofenshmirtz-milo-murphys-law-crossover-disney-xd-1202574269/
  7. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/milo-murphys-law-phineas-ferb-crossover-is-coming-1022459
  8. ""The Geek Dads" Podcast interview with Povenmire & Marsh". Wired.
  9. Strike, Joe. "From Swampy & Dan Emerges Phineas and Ferb", Page 2". Animation World Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-08-21.
  10. Robinson, Sherry (2009-04-18). "Quick wit, funny characters drive Phineas and Ferb". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  11. Bond, Paul. (7 June 2009). "Q&A: Dan Povenmire". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. "Phineas and Ferb" creators Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh (Audio interview). Audioholywood.net. 2009-07-26. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  13. Povenmire, Dan. Original Pitch featurette for Volume I (DVD). Disney DVD.
  14. Galas, Marjorie. "Phineas and Ferb: Music, Mischief, And The Endless Summer Vacation". 411 News. Archived from the original on 2009-06-07.
  15. Zeus, Maxie (February 1, 2008). ""Phineas and Ferb": Spawn of Frankenstein". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009.
  16. Jackson, John (March 31, 2009). "Five Reasons Why Phineas and Ferb is the Best Kids Show on TV". Paste Magazine.
  17. Blum, Matt (January 4, 2013). "Exclusive: Phineas and Ferb's Dr. Doofenshmirtz Launches Web Series, Twitter Account". Geekdad - Wired.com.
  18. Bibel, Sara (January 4, 2013). "'Phineas & Ferb' Character Dr. Doofenshmirtz Makes His Social Media Debut With New Twitter Account and Web Series". TV By the Numbers.
  19. "April 22, 2013". The Futon Critic.
  20. Graser, Marc (May 17, 2013). "'Phineas and Ferb' Villain Takes Pitch to 'Shark Tank' in Disney Channel-ABC Crossover". Variety. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  21. "Breaking News - "Phineas and Ferb's" Breakout Internet Star Dr. Doofenshmirtz Is Back Online with 26 New Webisodes for Summer". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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