Biff Bonzo
Biff Bonzo is a major character in the Queeps franchise, as well as the star of several spin-offs and reboots. Originally intended to be one of several one-off antagonists, Biff Bonzo proved to be a breakout character, and the second season of the show was retooled to revolve around him.
| Biff Bonzo | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Beach Bananza"
The Queeps April 19, 1989 |
| Created by | Theodore "Todd" Trueman |
| Designed by | Fritz Eisley |
| Voiced by | Bob Nelby (1989-92) Elliot Wang (1992) |
| Species | Chimpanzee |
| Origin | Malibu, California |
| Occupation | Surf Ape |
| Nationality | American |
Concept and creation
There is significant controversy within the fandom over who truly created Biff Bonzo. Like all characters from season one of The Queeps, Biff Bonzo was designed by animation legend Fritz Eisley.
However, the original concept is generally credited to visionary network head “Todd” Trueman, who once famously scrawled “maybe there’s a fucking monkey, I don’t know” on a bar napkin.
Additionally, it was intern Jem Clemenza who suggested giving him sunglasses, but honestly, why would a beach ape not wear sunglasses? Jem Clemenza can get fucked, honestly.
Veteran voice actor Bob Nelby said that Biff’s trademark “surfer” voice was based on the vocal tics of a raving vagrant that he encountered in a San Francisco laundromat in 1976, but “slightly more tubular.”
Appearance and personality
Biff Bonzo is a chimpanzee with a strong “radical” attitude, similar to other popular contemporary characters like Blart Lumpsman or Gareth the Very Fast Pangolin. He was rarely seen without his surfboard, swim trunks, and oversized sunglasses.
In the short-lived 1998 reboot series, his personality was tweaked to be even more irreverent and he was fitted with a pair of cavernous jeans. Also, his catchphrase was changed from the relatively innocuous “Hang ten, simians!” to the slightly more crass, “Huff my juff, slapnuts!”
See also
- The Queeps (TV Series)
- List of individual Queeps