Kaput and Zösky
Kaput and Zösky: The Ultimate Obliterators is a 2002-2003 Canadian/French animated cartoon series based on the comic book series from the cartoonist Lewis Trondheim called Kaput et Zösky. 26 episodes were produced.[2]
| 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 |
| Composer(s) | Philippe Vidor Lionel Dublanchet |
| Country of origin | United States Canada France |
| Original language(s) | English French |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (78 Segments) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Philippe Delarue Paul Cabieux |
| Editor(s) | Jean-Michel Laprise |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Futurikon ToonCan Productions, Inc. |
| Distributor | Film Roman |
| Release | |
| Original network | France 3 (France) Teletoon (Canada) Nicktoons (US) |
| Picture format | 480i 4:3 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 2, 2002[1] – December 15, 2003[1] |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Fly Tales Watch My Chops |
| External links | |
| Production website | |
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.[3]
Show history
"Kaput and Zösky: The Ultimate Obliterators" had made its debut sometime on September 3, 2002,[4] though when it 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. In total 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 of 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 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 birdlike, 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, an 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 sluglike 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 sluglike 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 bear a strong resemblance to the Aleena in the Star Wars franchise.
Chibapiano residents - These aliens are large, sluglike 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, dwarflike 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-style 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 that, but she said that she had a little accident with her daddy's powers which may have caused their current state.
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:
- Episode "Booga Booga!": Their visit to the planet Mudhole, which was ruled by a ghost king who was able to control inanimate objects. During their trip, they managed to build two giant fighting robots in their likeness, to better take over the planet.
- Their travelling into a parallel universe, which leads them to an encounter with a pair of their own doppelgängers known as Zaput and Kösky, who resembled them in every aspect, and challenged them to duels to vie for rule of the planet, eventually promising the enslaved natives freedom, which led to both parties failing their missions. In this episode Jackie was considered an ally to the two because she held a certain grudge against their look-alikes for taking her servants away.
- Episode "Gigantic": Their hostile (and quite successful) takeover of the luxury space liner Gigantic, an evident parody of the real-life ship, the Titanic, but the takeover resulted in the two leaving before the ship would sink into a water planet, leaving the dynamic duo driving off quickly, Zösky claiming that it reminded him of "a really bad movie" that he saw.
- Episode "Robinson Hood": Their encounter with a delusional islander known as "Robinson Hood", who sent a letter in a bottle asking for two tyrants to come and dominate. Robinson Hood, soon finding tourists which went to his island, led them in a revolt against the two tyrants, and forced them to a defeat.
- The invasion of planet Tatayoyo 8, where the two conquerors had to deal with stuffy, little bureaucrats who seemed to accommodate the tyrants' needs, but in truth, they all had a hidden agenda in mind.
- Their visitation to an intergalactic control room where individuals controlled life on all planets with the clicks and pushes of buttons. It is believed that their boss may be Jackie's father since he was referred to as "the big guy" and spoke with a booming voice.
- Their crash landing on planet H2O, where a special sort of water, known as "telessotelepathic waves", allowed the invaders to breathe under the waves, Kaput had, in order to be king, almost ended up marrying a huge, repulsive squid-style creature who happened to be the queen of the planet. The princess, however considered the two to actually stay on the planet so she could see Kaput get kissed (tortured).
- Their meeting with some long-armed faceless aliens who put an ad in the newspaper for a "ruler, dumb and thickheaded" to rule over them, when in reality, the long-armed natives actually had a hidden agenda (probably Jackie) to expel the planet of both a flood which was destroying their world and in the process, get their palace back by asking the two invading obliterators to literally "turn off the faucet and pull the plug" of a bathtub which had been left running by one of the servants.
- Their landing on the planet Siracusa, where the inhabitants seemed to worship the vegetable which provided the greatest lives for them: the carrot. Kaput and Zosky were disgusted on the planet but Princess Jackie had an adoration to carrots and would let them stay if they did also. On the planet, anyone caught with anything other than a carrot would be set for execution. In this planet, Kaput and Zösky planned an attack by surprise with the use of a single tomato, with which to frame the king.
- Their conquest of the planet Hohoba, where they encountered a race of creatures with the ability to reproduce in the form of their leader solely by regurgitating an egg, but the two tyrants left hurriedly running off when the natives reproduced in the forms of Kaput and Zösky themselves and thus the natives attempted to kill the originals off.
- Their visiting of the planet Dunceville, where all residents were donkey-style and seemed to be dumb to Kaput and Zösky, until they found out the truth; the donkeys had captured and imprisoned previous conquerors. The donkeys proved themselves to be intelligent by speaking in full sentences and defending themselves. Were it not for one last bit of stupidity, the donkeys would have certainly killed Kaput and Zösky.
- Their "invasion" of the planet Getaway, where the local natives of the planet were in a hurry to evacuate the planet, claiming that it was no longer the trendiest vacation spot in the galaxy. This is because a giant, flaming comet the inhabitants call "The Cosmic Whooshbang" was about to crash into the planet, leaving much of it gone. Speculation has fallen on a select number of fans, wondering if indeed Kaput is a native of Getaway, as he resembles the other natives greatly, in that he has a pale and fat body, with a crop of wild and unruly hair.
- Their intrusion of the planet Isn't That Precious, where they ran into a group of invisible creatures, who they tried to conquer by hosing them with red paint. This angered the locals in that they found that, being invisible, they were safe from their true form, hideous and deformed. The native tried to kill the two tyrants (thanks to the princess's red heart which apparently causes rage) but were soon appeased when the rains came about and washed the paint right off their bodies.
- Their audience with the Great Ghandizen, a tiny ruler who made a massive number of contributions to his homeworld and who often crushed any and all invaders who wished him ill with a massive set of pulverizing devices.
- Their visiting of a planet where the residents were flat and wished to be inflated, and as it turned out, could stay inflated for only a minute because the night literally fell and re-deflated them. Another planet in which Jackie allowed them to stay so they could work for her to make her servants happy.
- Their voyage around the possibly unknown galaxy where they met up with some rather frightening things, among them a huge, red eye, the heinous image of themselves, and the dark void, which seemed to go on forever, all due to a button installed on the ship's controls.
- Their conduction of an alien orchestra, where the musicians would not play any music as a team because they all had different ideas on what to play and how to play it.
- And their attempted takeover of the planet Gooston, ruled by a race of goose-style creatures. The takeover involved a series of Olympicesque games, for the pursuit of the crown and leadership of planet Gooston.
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
- Kaput and Zösky invade Earth, where the duo looks like ants compared to the residents. Before the duo can do anything, they get scared off by a giant spider.
- The duo invade a planet reminiscent of planet Getaway. But there are many rules there, which are enforced by the inhabiting people. An example of this is when the two go to jail after kicking a hotel worker or when Kaput and Zösky had to go through a metal detector revealing many weapons.
- They invade a planet where little red bumps are the inhabitants. They soon grow into monsters.
- They invade the planet Brakko, where Kaput and Zösky take over without firing a shot. Kaput doesn't like it, however.
- They invade a planet full of stone monsters. They obliterate the man making them.
- They invade a planet where everyone has a gambling addiction.
- They invade a planet and take part in a gladiatorial contest to become ruler. Kaput destroys most of them with his lightning vomit (a blaster hidden in his mouth). It later destroys the princess he was to marry to become ruler.
Les Flinguizeurs Du Cosmos
- Kaput is Indisposed
- Democracy
- Globin 2
- Cabbage patch kids
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.[5]
See also
References
- "Television Program Logs". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2016-03-02. Alt URL
- Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 87. ISBN 9781476672939.
- http://www.tv.com/kaput-and-z%F6sky/cheaters!-let-the-games-begin!-machines-unite!/episode/383265/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;7
- "Fall 2002 Highlights: Teletoon" (Press release). Toronto: Teletoon. Channel Canada. August 28, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
- https://www.youtube.com/user/starzmedia/search?query=kaput+and+zosky