List of Camp Lazlo characters

Camp Lazlo is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray. It features a large cast of anthropomorphic animal characters. The series takes place in Camp Kidney, a Boy Scout summer camp in the fictional town of Prickly Pines.

The cartoon is set in a universe inhabited solely by anthropomorphic animals of many species and focuses on a trio of campers attending a poorly run summer camp known as Camp Kidney; the series focuses on three "bean scouts": Lazlo the eccentric, optimistic monkey, Raj the Indian elephant, and Clam the albino pygmy rhinoceros. Other characters include the Camp Kidney staff, including the ill-tempered Scoutmaster Lumpus and his mild-mannered assistant Slinkman the banana slug. The program also features Lazlo's assortment of fellow campers, characters from a rival summer camp attended solely by girls, and some of the odd locales of the town of Prickly Pines.

Lazlo won the award for "Best New Character" at the Pulcinella Awards in 2006.[1]

Creation

After the end of the production of Rocko's Modern Life, Murray kept a notebook of ideas for television shows and books. Murray attributes some of his most fond memories to days at summer camp; Murray said that he attended summer camp every summer for "4 or 5 years in a row" and that he "couldn't really get the scouting thing down". He also described cartoons with pastoral settings such as the Bugs Bunny cartoons of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series and Yogi Bear as having a "calming" effect due to the tree-filled backgrounds. At the time he believed that too many futuristic themes appeared in media and literature, so he wished to create a series that would "get back to nature."[2] Camp Lazlo originated from a camp-related children's book series concept by Murray that, according to him, "outgrew its medium." As Murray developed the concept, he felt that his "lunatic characters wanted to live" and decided that a simple story could not sufficiently house his characters. Murray desired to create a series about a group of children without "high tech stimulus" and "in nature".[3]

Linda Simensky, who had previously worked with Murray on Rocko, had since moved to Cartoon Network and called Murray to solicit a new series. After an initial hesitation, Murray sent Simensky[4] the idea for a show with a working title of 3 Beans. Simensky "thought it sounded too much like a salad", so Murray changed the name to Camp Lazlo. When approval was given, Murray decided to produce the show at Cartoon Network Studios and brought Mark O'Hare on as co-producer.[5]

Murray asked Tom Kenny to voice Scoutmaster Lumpus and Slinkman because Murray felt that Kenny "adds writing to his roles" and "brings so much." Murray looked for "comedic timing" in his voice actors, and therefore he used many stand-up comics and sketch actors.[2]

Main characters

Lazlo

Lazlo is an adventurous, optimistic and quirky Brazilian spider monkey. Often annoying Edward or Scoutmaster Lumpus, he is a very happy-go lucky monkey. As a hippie, Lazlo loves peace. Carlos Alazraqui voiced Lazlo (like Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life). Lazlo has a really serious case of coulrophobia. Lazlo "goes where the wind blows" by his own statement.[6] He is the main protagonist of the series.

Joe Murray, creator of Camp Lazlo, originally created Lazlo for a children's book concept. As he developed the concept, Murray believed that a children's book could not contain the stories and ideas, so he decided to create a television show.[7] According to Murray, when he thought about Lazlo's personality, a spider monkey came to his mind.[8]

Lazlo comes from São Paulo, Brazil. Murray wrote on his website that Lazlo's parents moved to the United States to start a fruit company, allowing Lazlo to learn English. Originally Murray wanted Lazlo to carry a strong Brazilian accent, but when Cartoon Network asked Murray to choose only one character to carry a strong accent, Murray opted for Raj and gave Lazlo an Americanized voice.[9] Murray said that he did not plan for Alazraqui to voice Lazlo; according to him the arrangement simply occurred.[8]

Lazlo stays in the Jelly Cabin with Raj and Clam; the three are called the "Jelly Cabin Trio."[10]

The Cartoon Network press kit character descriptions describe Lazlo as "imaginative, freethinking," and a "natural-born conformist." The press kit states that Lazlo "enthusiastically spreads mischief and wacky shenanigans," uses "imagination and creativity" to solve problems, and vex Scoutmaster Lumpus with his "persistent happiness and optimism."[10] The Hollywood Reporter reviewer Ray Richmond described Lazlo as "energetic."[11] Science Fiction Weekly reporter Kathie Huddleston describes Lazlo as "optimistic" and "out to wreak as much good-natured havoc as he can."[12] Common Sense Media reviewer Joly Herman, whose review is posted on Go.com, says that Lazlo possesses "innocent rebellious quality of a trickster" since "authority" is often his adversary, and that Lazlo does not "take him seriously," with "him" being Lumpus.[13]

Murray says that he admires Lazlo's ability to "make the best of situations when things go against him." In an interview the interviewer inquired Murray about Lazlo's dislike of "structure."[8] He also describes Lazlo as dealing with conflicts and issues "with imagination"; the Camp Lazlo creator said that in his own family he likes to use "imagination" when dealing with his real life conflicts.[8]

Scoutmaster Lumpus

Lumpus is an angry, selfish and stingy moose with a large ego. He is voiced by Tom Kenny. Lumpus refers to himself on the show as Algonquin C. Lumpus; however, the Cartoon Network press release refers to him as Scoutmaster Leonard Lumpus.[14]

Murray originally created Lumpus as a horse, but changed the design to a moose when the design seemed more "mountain" [sic] to the Camp Lazlo creator. Murray experimented with voices, imagining (and later disliking) a "Don Knotts"-like voice. Murray described Kenny's voice as a "crazy mix of Richard Nixon and W. C. Fields." Murray stated that he enjoyed writing situations involving Lumpus as the character that had "no morals and zero conscience". It was revealed that in some episodes, Lumpus was a former Bean Scout from the same camp when he was a young kid. He is always in a bad mood and this horrible disposition could have been caused by his parents' failure to visit him at camp when he was a Bean Scout and tell him that they love him or even show any signs of care for him. It was seen in the episode "Slug Fest" that Lumpus does appreciate Slinkman. As Camp Lazlo episodes entered production, Slinkman, Lumpus's right-hand man, takes increasing control of the camp as Lumpus increasingly becomes mentally incapacitated. In a way to show difference between characters: Lumpus loves clowns and Lazlo hates clowns. Kenny, during a recording, thought of a scenario involving Lumpus locking up the real scoutmaster (who is actually Heffer Wolfe from Rocko's Modern Life) into a closet. The real scoutmaster said that Lumpus locked him in the closet since the summer began. Murray decided to use the concept as a twist ending in the final episode, adding that the twist "tied up his character well."[9]

The official Cartoon Network press kit describes Lumpus as a "frustrated" and "egomaniacal" individual who "needs to have his world in complete order".[14] The Hollywood Reporter reviewer Ray Richmond described Lumpus as "thin-skinned".[11] Common Sense Media reviewer Joly Herman, whose review is posted on Go.com, describes Lumpus as the "primary malignant, greedy character who yells at the campers and ends up getting his just desserts [sic] in the end" and characterizes his yelling as "frightening, even if Lazlo does not take him seriously".[15]

Lumpus throws temper tantrums, complete with screaming, stomping and/or crying if his demands are not met. He wishes to become the Head Scoutmaster and feels disappointment with his current role. Lumpus has a crush on Squirrel Scout leader Ms. Jane Doe, who is oblivious to his constant attempts to take her on a date.[9][16] Lumpus enjoys Doe's "Minnesota accent." Towards the end of Camp Lazlo, Lumpus marries Doe (though in one episode he was already married to a migrating mulberry tree).[9]

It was also revealed at the end of the series that Lumpus was not the official scoutmaster of Camp Kidney, but an imposter. The real scoutmaster manages to get the officers to put him in a mental hospital/cell under a strapjackeet. The real scoutmaster lied because he stated that Lumpus had locked him in the closet this summer, but Lumpus has been the scoutmaster for 5 years (though it turns out he got to be scoutmaster by buying fake badges) and that the real scoutmaster may be framing Lumpus. Also, in one of the episodes, it was revealed that Scoutmaster Lumpus was given the job from his dad from the Bean Tree, which was once owned by his grandfather. However, there's a contradiction on that episode for it said Lumpus' grandfather got Camp Kidney from a descendant of the camp's founder but another episode shows the founder as still alive and still owning Camp Kidney. Lumpus would've still had his job after being arrested, due in the conclusion in the episode "Dead Bean Drop" end credits, showed that Lumpus is still scoutmaster in the future, despite the dispute that he's not the real Scoutmaster. The real scoutmaster resembles both Scoutmaster Lumpus and Heffer Wolfe and is too voiced by Tom Kenny.

Raj

Raj is a cautious, timid Indian elephant who speaks with a distinct Indian accent. Born in India, Raj is one of Lazlo's bunkmates and best friends in the Jelly Bean Cabin at Camp Kidney and is seen spending most of his time with Lazlo and Clam; as said above, the three are collectively known as the "Jelly Trio." He is the smartest of the Jelly Beans. Raj has dreams of becoming a famous DJ. Jeff Bennett voiced Raj.

The Raj character design appeared in many of Joe Murray's sketchbooks; the Raj design appeared as a character in "Family Pop," a web series written by Murray.[9] When Murray created Camp Lazlo, he wanted one of the main characters to be Indian and decided that Raj would make a good choice.[9] Murray thought about an Indian elephant and its personality, and "that's how we got Raj." When the network asked Murray to choose only one character for an accent, Murray chose Raj over Lazlo and gave him an Indian accent. Originally Murray created Raj with a massive overbite, creating a "spitty" noise; he decided to remove the trait as he felt it made the voice difficult to understand.[9]

Cartoon Network's press kit described Raj as "reluctant, neurotic," and "often finds himself pulled into situation that he would rather avoid but goes along with Lazlo and Clam for fear of being left alone."[14] Raj has allergies to bacon as revealed in "Lights Out" Season 1, Episode 3.

Raj's parents sent him to Camp Kidney because they believed that Raj needed "toughening up." The press kit says that he has several disorders, including a "cleaning compulsion," skin ruptures, and phobias of snakes and "bugs" and found "a philosophical home at Camp Kidney." Raj was terrified of water but has since gotten over his fear, becoming one of the stronger swimmers at camp, along with Lazlo and Clam. The kit states that Raj uses many "sayings" that "usually strike a point with his co-conspirators." Raj also owns an "extensive and dusty hi-fi" gramophone record collection.[14]

The Hollywood Reporter reviewer Ray Richmond described Raj as "wise and neurotic."[11] He is very organized with his blankets with days Mondays-Fridays as revealed in "Lights Out"

Clam

Clam is a small, quiet albino pygmy rhinoceros who is one of Lazlo's bunkmates and best friends. Although being one of the main characters of the show, he rarely speaks in full sentences. He has a low voice and usually speaks in short bursts of few words, often repeating the last words that others say. He is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.

Murray said that he had "no idea where he came from." He said that he started drawing a character with rhinoceros horns and the form is "what he became." Originally Murray created Clam as a mute, but he decided that he preferred Clam to have a voice.[9]

Cartoon Network's press kit describes Clam as an "eccentric musical and academic genius," "misunderstood," and "protective."[14] The Hollywood Reporter reviewer Ray Richmond described Clam as "highly intelligent."[11] In the episode "Prodigious Clamus", which by far portrayed the best examples of Clam's intelligence, he finished an entire puzzle by simply chewing it up in his mouth, painted Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (both of which were performed in under ten seconds), and, from blowing in an empty soda bottle,[9] he coaxed a symphonic version of Beethoven's Ninth, complete with supporting chorus.[17] Clam understands the operation of technology and machinery that other characters find "confusing." Clam eats cereal in order to obtain prizes from the cereal carton; most of the possessions he brings to camp consist of prizes from cereal boxes. Other episodes have shown he loves to eat pancakes and vegetables. He is also good friends with Squirrel Scout Nina Neckerly as seen in the episode "Step Clam".

Slinkman

Slinkman is a smart, nice and friendly banana slug who is Scoutmaster Lumpus' assistant and best friend. Like a real slug, Slinkman is an invertebrate. Slinkman is voiced by Tom Kenny. Kenny revealed that Slinkman was his favorite character that he voiced over, though ironically, SpongeBob SquarePants is his most favorite.

Murray discovered banana slugs in the Santa Cruz Mountains when he attended summer camps as a child. Murray originally created Slinkman as Lumpus's "beaten-down" assistant with a voice intended to sound "like Dustin Hoffman's Rain man." [sic][9] Cartoon Network's press release states that Slinkman, who "has lots of social skills, and knows the Bean Scout manual cover-to-cover and can keep up with Lumpus’ busy schedule better than Lumpus himself" and operates the camp whenever Lumpus suffers from a meltdown, does not have "enough spine to stand up for himself."[14] As episodes entered production, Slinkman gained increasing control over Camp Kidney as Lumpus became more mentally incapacitated. As a consequence, Slinkman's voice drifted away from the Rain Man voice towards a Christian Slater voice. Murray stated that Kaz placed an eye stalk gag involving Slinkman in all of the episodes that he wrote.[9]

Edward T. Platypus

Edward is a short-tempered, cranky and sadistic platypus with a grudge against Lazlo, who sleeps in Pinto Cabin with Chip and Skip. He is the primary antagonist of the show. He enjoys watching the suffering of others and is constantly coming up with schemes to spoil any fun that Lazlo and his pals might have. He has a severe hatred for Lazlo and Camp Kidney, though that has lessened over time. Murray described Edward as having "a serious negative attitude and no social skills."[9] The official Cartoon Network press kit described Edward as "a stickler for rules" who hates "any scout who doesn't follow them."[14] However, Edward has a rebellious streak and turns on Lumpus and Slinkman if he thinks he can get away with it. Murray described Edward as one of his and his crew's favorite characters to write for.[9] Edward sometimes plots to ruin the Jelly Trio and its "freethinking ways," and the plans often fail. Even though his attitude and temperament suggest a tough guy, he has a secret soft side: he carries a doll based on Barbie, but has a platypus head.

Of the campers, Edward is the only one to have his brothers appear. Murray said that the situation involving the brothers provided insight into Edward's neurosis.

Edward is voiced by Mr. Lawrence, who is known for voicing Sheldon J. Plankton from the Nickelodeon show, SpongeBob SquarePants and Filburt Shellbach from Rocko's Modern Life.

Samson Clogmeyer

Samson is a likeable yet nerdy, bespectacled and accident-prone guinea pig (often confused for a hamster by viewers) who has been known to become injured multiple times throughout the cartoon, often by a volleyball flying in out of nowhere and knocking him to the ground, an occurrence used as a running gag throughout the series. He is often known as the camp wimp, yet is rather social, appearing with many other campers. Samson is usually seen with or alongside Edward, although Samson is sometimes bullied by him in the later seasons. It is also shown in the episode "S is for Crazy" that he was raised by jellyfish. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.

Chip and Skip

Chip and Skip are two unintelligent, revolting, clueless, and dumb dung beetle twins. The official Cartoon Network press release described the two as confused by "their role in nature."[14] Edward often asks them to assist him in his schemes, although Edward does get very annoyed at their antics, especially as revealed in the Chip and Skip shorts.

The two are constantly being followed by a smelly dirt cloud and a large group of fruit flies that they obtained from Lazlo.[6] On his website Murray commented, "I am sure that the overseas animators got tired of constantly including their ever-present flies into every shot."[9] The features prevent the brothers from stealthily moving. The only way to tell each other apart is that Skip wears a badge sash.

Both are voiced by Steve Little. Murray encountered Little when he performed at The Groundlings in Los Angeles. Murray asked him if he was interested in being a voice actor and decided that Little matched the Dung Beetles.[9]

Supporting Characters

Dave and Ping Pong Loon

Dave and Ping Pong are two identical twin common loons except that Ping Pong is taller. The two eat many "bugs" and indicate scenarios that can ruin any plan. Their last name is Loon. They get a bag of pretzels from their homeland, implied to be Canada, yearly. The two also run the camp newspaper "The Weekly Bean."[18] Both are sarcastic towards Edward, although Dave is a little more innocent than Ping Pong is.

Doug Lawrence voices both Dave and Ping Pong.

The Lemming Brothers

The Lemmings are quadruplet brothers that are teal-colored and black-eyed lemmings. A Cartoon Network press kit gives the brothers the names Larry, Louie, Leonard, and Liniment.[14]

All four of their voices are done by Steve Little.

Patsy Smiles

Patsy is an adventurous, skillful and upbeat mongoose with pink hair. She has a crush on Lazlo, and throughout the series she tries to impress him, like when she pushed him off a giant pinecone with her love, lied about being a snake-hunter, and gave him a valentine card. She is Commander Hoo-Ha's daughter, which is weird since she's a mongoose. In an interview Murray said that Patsy's affection causes Lazlo to feel "little freaked out" and that "She scares him." He describes Patsy as "a little more aggressive with Lazlo than he would ever reciprocate". Even though her affection causes Lazlo to feel uncomfortable, Lazlo probably has a secret crush on her."[8] In "Spacemates", it's revealed that Patsy and Lazlo are soulmates, meaning they will be together in the future. Voiced by Jodi Benson, she is the prettiest of all the Squirrel Scouts.

Nina J. Neckerly

Nina is a scholarly, geeky and neat giraffe with orange hair who is best friends with Patsy and Gretchen. The press release describes Nina as "gangly" and "bookish."[14] She is a fan of science-fiction and loves reading comic books about aliens, and also dreams of being able to go into space. In "Spacemates", her soul mate is revealed to be Chip. Her "knowledge" hides that she is a dork. She also gets along with Clam very well. Nina is voiced by Jill Talley.

Gretchen

Gretchen is an aggressive, tough and tomboyish alligator, with long blonde hair and has a grudge on the Bean Scouts. The official Cartoon Network press kit describes her as "ever-hungry" and desiring to eat "everyone, especially happy monkeys." She was said to have a crush on Edward in the episode "Squirrel Seats". In some episodes she has a crush on Clam. Gretchen is voiced by Jill Talley.

Ms. Jane Doe

Jane Doe is a female, blonde-haired doe and the scoutmaster of the Squirrel Scouts, assisted by Ms. Mucus in leading the scout troop. Throughout the series, Scoutmaster Lumpus has held a strong infatuation for Jane and yearned for her affections in basically any episode where she appears alongside him with the exception of the episode of her debut, where she and the Squirrel Scouts enjoyed a successful, hassle-free fishing trip in a motorboat, much to Lumpus's envy. Jane is voiced by Jodi Benson.

Ms. Mucus

Ms. Mucus is a warthog who is Jane's assistant. The Cartoon Network press kit describes her as bearing a "gruff, prison guard attitude."[14] She had been a soldier for 15 years. For reasons not completely explained in the series, she hates the Bean Scouts with a passion, and tries to teach the Squirrel Scouts to despise them as well (in multiple episodes, she has the girls fire watermelons at any Bean Scouts who try to cross the lake to their side). She even once tried to have Camp Kidney shut down permanently. She serves as one of the antagonists of the series. Ms. Mucus is voiced by Jill Talley.

Commander Hoo-Ha Smiles

Commander Hoo-Ha is a bison who is the commandant of the scouts of Prickley Pines. He is in charge of both Camp Kidney and Acorn Flats, and possibly Tomato Camp as well. His daughter is Patsy Smiles, a member of the Squirrel Scouts. He's so protective of her that, when he figured out she likes one of the Bean Scouts (by finding a valentine card she wrote), he ordered her to beat all of them so he could figure out which one she likes when she hesitates to beat him. When it was Lazlo's turn to be beaten, she said the card was for her father and Commander Hoo-Haw believed it. Hoo-Haw's mannerism are comparable to a stereotypical marine, particularly R. Lee Ermey's acting in the film Full Metal Jacket. His name is based on a variation of a common affirmation/cheer in the United States Marine Corps. Hoo-Haw is also charged, aside from being commandant to the Bean Scouts, with selecting scouts to move up to the next camp: the Tomato Scouts, which are portrayed (in slides in their only appearance) as brutal, militaristic, sadistic, and he has muscles from Valentine's day. He once considered moving Edward up to the Tomato Scouts but changed his mind when he saw Edward shedding a tear. It seems that throughout the series, Lazlo seems to be his favorite scout of Camp Kidney. He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.

Chef McMuesli

Chef McMuesli is Camp Kidney's billygoat cook. Originally Murray created McMuesli as the camp deacon; Cartoon Network discouraged religious elements, so McMuesli became the cook.[9] McMuesli's name is based on Muesli, a health food, and this in turn references his cooking choices. Most of his food sits on the eccentric end of the health food menu, almost always including tofu and other vegan ingredients. He seems somewhat oblivious to the fact that campers hate his cooking and considers serving them "normal" camp food to be a punishment. McMuesli is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.

Nurse Leslie

Nurse Leslie is a male[9] pink nurse shark and is Camp Kidney's nurse. Murray named the character "Leslie" which, in the English language, is gender ambiguous. Murray created Leslie when the episode "Parasitic Pal" required the role of a nurse. O'Hare created the trait involving Leslie sitting in his stool at all times to the point where his leg muscles had atrophied;[9] when Leslie tries to stand on his feet, his legs crumble. O'Hare reasoned that, in Murray's words, "that doctors never seem to get up from their stools. Only scoot themselves around the examining room."[19] He is voiced by Doug Lawrence.

Other Characters

Edward's Brothers

Joe Murray, stated that the situations involving the brothers provide insight into Edward's neurosis. Their names are Cheesly, Alpine, Fancy Pants, and Phillip. Voiced variously by Doug Lawrence, Tom Kenny, and Jeff Glen Bennett.

Pierre and Noneck

Pierre and Noneck are two strict river otter lifeguards with thick French accents.

Harold

Harold is a walrus that is a background character, but associated in more episodes than the other background characters. He talks almost as if he has a retainer. In the episode "Radio Free Edward", he does a show called "Freddie's Night Train".

Other Bean Scouts

Other Squirrel Scouts

References

  1. ↑ Ball, Ryan (April 10, 2006). "Lazlo Emerges as Champ on the Bay". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  2. 1 2 Q & A with Joe Murray, Cartoon Network Pressroom
  3. ↑ "Camp Lazlo," Joe Murray Studio
  4. ↑ "Bio," Joe Murray Studio
  5. ↑ Murray, Joe (2008). Crafting A Cartoon. Garden Box Media Group.
  6. 1 2 Camp Lazlo: Where's Lazlo?
  7. ↑ "Camp Lazlo." Joe Murray Studio. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Q & A with Joe Murray." Cartoon Network Pressroom. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Character Museum." (SWF, Archive) Joe Murray Studio. Retrieved on December 20, 2008.
  10. 1 2 "Character Descriptions" of Camp Lazlo. Cartoon Network. January 31, 2008. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Camp Lazlo." The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ Huddleston, Kathie. "Camp Lazlo," Science Fiction Weekly. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
  13. ↑ "TV Review: Camp Lazlo." Common Sense Media on Go.com. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Character descriptions." Cartoon Network. January 31, 2008. Retrieved on November 21, 2010.
  15. ↑ "TV Review: Camp Lazlo," Common Sense Media on Go.com
  16. ↑ "Snow Beans," Camp Lazlo
  17. ↑ Prodigeous Clamus
  18. ↑ "Scoop Of The Century," Camp Lazlo
  19. ↑ "December 2, 2010." Joe Murray Studio. Retrieved on December 29, 2010.
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