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Dr. John A. Zoidberg, often referred to only by his last name, is a fictional character from the
animated series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
'' Futurama''. He is a Decapodian, a
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...
-like species of alien, who works as the staff
doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles * ...
for ''Planet Express'', despite his woeful understanding of human
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
and allusions to his questionable credentials. His character parodies the supposed wealth and automatic respect of modern doctors—for example, his incompetence at human medicine makes him extremely poor despite his profession, and he is implied to be frequently
homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...
when not at work. The Decapod (named after the actual
Decapoda The Decapoda or decapods (literally "ten-footed") are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp and prawns. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is es ...
order of ten-footed crustaceans) are an extended parody on Jewish culture —the bigger joke being that
shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater env ...
are not kosher. The writing riffs on the marine theme in a playfully absurd way, with just about any marine
Arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
a or Mollusca being implied to be akin to Zoidberg. He is voiced by
Billy West William Richard Werstine (born April 16, 1952), known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film ''Space Jam'' and several subsequent projects, the title characters of ''Doug'' ...
, who performs the character with a Yiddish-inflected accent inspired by actors George Jessel and Lou Jacobi.


Character creation

Zoidberg is named after an
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...
game that series writer
David X. Cohen David Samuel Cohen (born July 13, 1966), better known as David X. Cohen, is an American television writer. He began working on ''Beavis and Butt-Head'', has written for ''The Simpsons'', and served as the head writer, showrunner and executive pro ...
created in high school called ''Zoid'', similar to the game ''
Qix is a 1981 puzzle video game developed by husband and wife team Randy and Sandy Pfeiffer and published in arcades by Taito, Taito America. ''Qix'' is one of a handful of games made by Taito's American division. At the start of each level, the pla ...
''. The game was rejected by
Broderbund Broderbund Software, Inc. (stylized as Brøderbund) was an American maker of video games, educational software, and productivity tools. Broderbund is best known for the 8-bit video game hits ''Choplifter'', ''Lode Runner'', ''Karateka'', and '' ...
. One of Cohen's inspirations for the character of Dr. Zoidberg was the fact that ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...
'' character
Leonard McCoy Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original ''Star Trek'' series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the anim ...
, the ship's doctor, frequently administered medical treatment to aliens such as
Spock Spock is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as science officer and first officer (and Kirk's Second-in-command) and ...
, so Cohen wished human characters in ''Futurama'' to be in the uneasy situation of being treated by an alien doctor. During the first season, jokes surrounding Zoidberg usually focused on his poor understanding of human anatomy and his resulting incompetence as a doctor, and the fact that all of his co-workers hate him. His incompetence is aggravated by the fact that he believes himself to be an expert on human anatomy, and will blithely attempt to treat human patients as he would his own species. One of his running traits is his pronunciation of the word "robot", pronouncing it rather than . His use of English grammar and idioms resembles the stereotypical speech of Jewish people living in the northeastern United States, and elements of
Jewish humor The tradition of humor in Judaism dates back to the Torah and the Midrash from the ancient Middle East, but generally refers to the more recent stream of verbal and often anecdotal humor of Ashkenazi Jews which took root in the United States o ...
, and playful reversals on it, are a theme. As the series progressed, writers gradually introduced the themes that Zoidberg is also poor, homeless, friendless, smelly, undignified, and repulsive—comically opposite the idea that a doctor stereotypically occupies a respectable, wealthy, and romantically desirable role. Regardless of these traits, Zoidberg is good-natured and means well, and will help the crew when the situation calls for it. Zoidberg also generally attempts to make himself look refined, successful and important in front of others, though this illusion is quickly dashed when pointed out.


Biography

Zoidberg is the company doctor at Planet Express. Although he claims expertise in
human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...
, particularly internal medicine, his knowledge of human
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
and physiology is atrocious. He has been shown as unable to tell the difference between robots and humans (or human males and females), believes food is digested in the heart, and that humans have multiple mouths and a dorsal fin. His only knowledge of humans seems to come from
television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
s, although his skills as a physician generally vary: in " Put Your Head on My Shoulders" he manages to successfully transplant Fry's head onto Amy's body after Fry's body incurs massive trauma in a vehicular accident, that he caused, that requires extensive repair, but in ''
Into the Wild Green Yonder ''Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder'' is a 2009 American direct-to-video adult animated science fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series ''Futurama'', and the fourth and final of the direct-to-DVD films that make up the sh ...
'' he incorrectly declares Fry dead only for him to wake up a few seconds later. In '' Bender's Big Score'', he performs several limb reattachments to moderate success. It may be assumed that advances in medical technology have made limb and head reattachment a simple process, as in '' Bender's Big Score'' head reattachment is shown to be little more than applying a paste to the area and placing the head back on (a process that works even if the head is on backwards, as shown). In "
Parasites Lost "Parasites Lost" is the second episode in season three of '' Futurama''. Although the title is a play on John Milton's epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', the episode is a parody of the 1966 film '' Fantastic Voyage''. It originally aired on the Fox net ...
", due to his incompetence as a physician, he comes to the conclusion that Fry, who is frequently injured, is a
hypochondriac Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...
, an accusation he makes when Fry sits before Zoidberg with a pipe through his chest. He claims to be an MD, but states, unconvincingly, in "
A Clone of My Own "A Clone of My Own" is the tenth episode in the Futurama (season 2), second season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on April 9, 2000. It ...
" that he lost his medical degree in a
volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...
. However, he later states in " The Duh-Vinci Code" that his
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
is in
art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...
(as opposed to
medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...
). Other intimations to his dubious medical training include the episode " Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles", in which he comments, "I'm no doctor, but this machine guy could really use a lozenge." Although he is shown to be incompetent at treating humans, the episode "
The Tip of the Zoidberg "The Tip of the Zoidberg" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom ''Futurama''. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 18, 2011. A pivotal episode, it reveals Dr. Zoidberg's backstory. This epi ...
" shows he is a competent doctor for alien species, such as the
Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''
Professor Farnsworth Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, commonly referred to in-show as either Professor Farnsworth or simply Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''Futurama''. The mad scientist proprietor of the Planet Expres ...
says he is an expert in alien
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
. There are also frequent mentions throughout the series that he has good medical knowledge regarding his own species, for example in the episode " Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" he talks about fin rot, which is a real disease that affects fish. Despite his career as a physician, Zoidberg is repeatedly identified as living in
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...
, lonely and desperate for friendship and attention. The crew are often disgusted by his foul habits, such as squirting ink or eating from trash cans, though he is mostly oblivious to their true feelings about him, having referred to Hermes Conrad and Bender as friends. Hermes seems to have the most intense dislike of Zoidberg, seeing him as even more expendable than the rest of the crew. However, when Fry reads Hermes' mind in ''
Into the Wild Green Yonder ''Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder'' is a 2009 American direct-to-video adult animated science fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series ''Futurama'', and the fourth and final of the direct-to-DVD films that make up the sh ...
'', it is revealed that Hermes sees him as "pathetic but lovable". In " The Six Million Dollar Mon", after Hermes quits Planet Express and trades his own body parts for robot parts, a depressed Zoidberg recovers the discarded parts and sews them together to create a full-fledged ventriloquist dummy of Hermes, which he later uses to transplant Hermes' brain out of his robot body and back into his original body. After Hermes thanks him and admits that they had never been friends, Zoidberg callously calls out Hermes for his treatment of him, leaving Hermes impressed with this confrontation. Zoidberg briefly becomes a hero when he saves Earth from enslavement to his own kind in "
A Taste of Freedom "A Taste of Freedom" is the fifth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 22, 2002. The episode was directed by James Purdum and writ ...
". Fry and Professor Farnsworth are usually the only ones to refer to Zoidberg as a friend, and in ''Bender's Big Score'', Zoidberg says of Fry, "He was the only one of you who never struck me!" during the latter's memorial. Zoidberg has ambitions to be a
stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
, but he is entirely unsuccessful at this endeavor. In "
That's Lobstertainment! "That's Lobstertainment!" is the eighth episode in season three of ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 2001. Plot After a disastrous attempt at stand-up comedy, Dr. Zoidberg informs the crew t ...
", his uncle, the silent hologram star Harold Zoid (a parody of
Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...
), advises him to give up on comedy and finance a film whose script Zoid is writing. The reason that the Professor continues to employ Zoidberg as the staff physician, despite his apparent incompetence, is revealed in the sixth-season episode, "
The Tip of the Zoidberg "The Tip of the Zoidberg" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom ''Futurama''. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 18, 2011. A pivotal episode, it reveals Dr. Zoidberg's backstory. This epi ...
". The Professor is under the impression that he had been infected with the fatal disease hyper-malaria, contracted during a covert quasi-military mission. The Professor had asked Zoidberg to promise to kill him when the latent disease manifested itself, and Zoidberg agreed. In that episode it is also explained that Zoidberg is, in fact, a very competent physician ''for all other species except humans''. Planet Express' main competitor,
Mom ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
, whom Zoidberg knows on a first name basis as "Carol", states that Zoidberg is "the best in the business" when it comes to alien anatomy; "at his price level". Unlike all of the other characters, Mom addresses Zoidberg with great respect and admiration. Mom tells Zoidberg that he could have been a millionaire with his own research lab if he had worked for her. Mom also asks Zoidberg why he has stayed with Farnsworth through the years; Zoidberg replied that it is because Farnsworth is his friend. When frightened or fleeing from danger or trouble, Zoidberg makes a high-pitched whooping sound, similar to
Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (; October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), known professionally as Curly Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the American comedy team the Three Stooges, which also featured his elder ...
of
The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appear ...
, or squirts ink at his attacker. It is revealed in " The Cryonic Woman" that Zoidberg has always dreamed of becoming a grandmother. "A Taste of Freedom" and '' Futurama: Bender's Game'' indicate that Zoidberg harbored a childhood dream of working in
show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...
as a comedian or song-and-dance man, but that his parents pushed him to become a doctor. Zoidberg is depicted as being ignorant of human customs, and socially inept, to the point of inspiring great aggravation in others. In " Where the Buggalo Roam", during his stay at the ranch of Amy Wong's parents, he treats them as surrogate parents – to the point of calling them "Ma" and "Pa" – despite their obvious distaste for him, and abuses their hospitality until they throw him out. Zoidberg's race, the Decapodians—from the sandy, beach-like planet Decapod 10—are
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...
s, generally lobster-like in appearance, with lobster-like claws, mouth tentacles, a hard
exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton ( endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...
, a fleshy, boneless interior, a fin that appears atop their heads during mating season or extreme anger, an ink pouch, two stomachs (one saltwater and one freshwater), four hearts,
gonopore A gonopore, sometimes called a gonadopore, is a genital pore in many invertebrates. Hexapods, including insects have a single common gonopore, except mayflies, which have a pair of gonopores. More specifically, in the unmodified female it is the ...
s, and a complex system of internal organs, "most of which are either redundant or unnecessary." In "
Roswell That Ends Well "Roswell That Ends Well" is the 19th episode in the third season of the American animated television series '' Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 2001. The plot centers on an accidental time tr ...
", he is not fazed when one of his hearts is removed by an alien autopsy team of human doctors, saying "Take it, take it, I have four of them!". Zoidberg has been depicted as able to consume things not considered food by humans, such as fish bones, wood, and chess pieces. Decapodians are able to molt their shell, like a lobster, leaving behind a whole exoskeleton—a trait which Zoidberg has used to fake his own death on occasion. In the episode " Bendin' in the Wind", Zoidberg produces
tie-dye Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...
blue pearls after consuming large amounts of dirt. Zoidberg also habitually eats clothing and once, an Earth flag. Given that he refers to clothes as food and considers them a kind of delicacy, it may be that Decapodians themselves consume clothes. In " Möbius Dick", it is revealed that Zoidberg spontaneously grows hair in moments of extreme fright. At one point in all Decapodians' lives, they enter a mating phase, or "The Frenzy" as they call it, which causes them to behave in a neurotic and manic way. During this chaotic time, their behavior is dictated by the tiny brain located in their rumps. They also develop incredible super strength, their head fin comes out for mating displays, their stink glands increase production and the males become saturated with male jelly as the females become engorged with eggs. In the episode " Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", it is indicated that once Decapodians mate, they die; Zoidberg was raised by a third figure, placed on equal footing as his biological parents. The episode " Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" indicates that young Decapodians progress through various larval forms, including those resembling crustaceans,
invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
, fish, coral, starfish, sea sponges, and clams, before reaching their humanoid adult forms. However, in the episode "
A Taste of Freedom "A Taste of Freedom" is the fifth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 22, 2002. The episode was directed by James Purdum and writ ...
", a young Zoidberg is seen with his typical humanoid form. Dr. Zoidberg is also a skilled
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
player, and is the only person ever seen in the series to be 'good' enough to receive a present from Robot Santa. He is an honorary member of the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...
, and a talented hand-to-claw combatant; he severs Fry's arm in an honor-duel ("Claw-Plach") and eventually fights and defeats the dangerous robot Clamps. Dr. Zoidberg finally finds happiness in the penultimate episode "
Stench and Stenchibility "Stench and Stenchibility" is the twenty-fifth episode of the seventh season of the animated sitcom ''Futurama''. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 28, 2013. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Crystal Chesney-Th ...
", when he meets and starts dating a flower merchant named Marianne, who suffers from
anosmia Anosmia, also known as smell blindness, is the loss of the ability to detect one or more smells. Anosmia may be temporary or permanent. It differs from hyposmia, which is a decreased sensitivity to some or all smells. Anosmia can be due to a nu ...
. He performs a "nose transplant" to give her a sense of smell, though he is afraid that once she smells him, she will immediately reject him. Serendipitously, Marianne turns out to abhor the smell of flowers, instead preferring Zoidberg's aroma. She becomes a
waste collector A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and ...
and the two continue dating. By the end of the series, Zoidberg has largely corrected his medical blind spot concerning human anatomy, as demonstrated by Marianne's transplant and his earlier complete re-assembling of Hermes' body from cast-off parts.


Relationship with Marianne

In season 7 episode 12, it is revealed that Zoidberg has been video-dating an alien woman named Zindy for four years. He organises to meet her in person and buys her flowers at the bus station, where she is immediately repulsed by Zoidberg's stench. After attempting to return the flowers, the flower stand owner, Marianne (
Emilia Clarke Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal as Daenerys Targaryen in ''Game of Thrones''. She has received various accolades, including an Empire Award, a Saturn Award, ...
), is unsuccessfully mugged by Roberto as Zoidberg's smell drives him away. Marianne and Zoidberg eventually fall into a relationship.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoidberg Fictional extraterrestrial characters Fictional crustaceans Fictional physicians Futurama characters Fictional homeless people Jewish comedy and humor Television characters introduced in 1999 Animated characters introduced in 1999 Male characters in animated series simple:Doctor Zoidberg